Jordan's most considered Dead Sea resort — 345 rooms across an architectural homage to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, with nine cascading pools, the Anantara Spa, and a private beach at the lowest point on earth.
"The Dead Sea resort that takes the Hanging Gardens reference seriously — terraced pools cascading the full 30 metres down to the lowest beach on earth, and a spa programme that actually understands Dead Sea mud."
Kempinski Hotel Ishtar opened in 2005 on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea at Sweimeh, approximately 50 kilometres west of Amman, on a 25-hectare site that drops 30 vertical metres from the entrance level on the Dead Sea Highway down to the beach at minus 423 metres — the lowest publicly accessible point of land on earth. The property was developed by Jordanian investors with architect Tony Tabet, who designed the resort as a deliberate homage to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (the ancient world's seventh wonder, traditionally located in Mesopotamia roughly 700 kilometres east). The cascading terraces — nine separate swimming pools at successive elevations down the slope, linked by water channels — are the building's principal architectural conceit and the most successful piece of resort design on the Jordanian Dead Sea coast.
The 345 rooms divide across the main building (Ishtar wing) and the lower garden-villa cluster. Standard Deluxe Rooms run 47 square metres with king or twin beds, sitting area, and private balcony or terrace looking either onto the gardens, the pools, or directly to the Dead Sea (the latter the more expensive view category). The Royal Suites, the Anantara Pool Villas, and the headline Hugo Boss-designed Royal Suite (a stand-alone villa on the lower terrace with a private pool, a private hammam, and direct beach access) are the upper categories. Décor across the resort runs ancient-Mesopotamian-inspired — sandstone panels, hand-loomed textiles in deep reds and gold, brass detailing — interpreted with a contemporary five-star functional spec.
Dining runs to nine restaurants and bars across the property. Ishtar Restaurant is the all-day buffet venue with terrace views of the Dead Sea; Al Saraya is the Lebanese-Jordanian fine-dining option in a vaulted stone room near the lobby; Castello runs Mediterranean and Italian on the lower terrace beside the cascading pools; Sahar serves contemporary Levantine on the beach. The Aqua Bar at pool level is the daytime venue; the Cigar Lounge is the evening one. The 8,500-square-metre Anantara Spa is the property's principal proposition: the largest Dead Sea spa facility in Jordan, with full Dead Sea mud and salt treatment programmes, eight private treatment villas, a hammam, an ice grotto, indoor and outdoor pools, and the only formal medical-spa wing on the Jordanian shore — the Dead Sea is a designated psoriasis and atopic dermatitis treatment site, and Ishtar's programme is the most considered medical-grade option in Jordan.
The Dead Sea itself is the property's central reason for being. The hotel's private beach is one of the few sections of the Jordanian shore that remains free of the salt-pan industrial works that have damaged other stretches of coastline; the water quality, the mineral mud collection from the property's own beach quarry, and the float experience are the most considered Dead Sea propositions on either the Jordanian or Israeli side. For wellness retreats, honeymoons in the Levant, and family stays anchored in the Petra/Dead Sea/Amman triangle, Kempinski Ishtar is the strongest single proposition in Jordan.
The 8,500-square-metre Anantara Spa is the most considered Dead Sea wellness facility in Jordan. A five-night wellness booking — daily Dead Sea mud, salt-scrub-and-hammam, the medical-grade psoriasis programme if relevant, the float-and-walk regimen at the property's private beach — is the strongest single Dead Sea wellness proposition on either shore.
An Anantara Pool Villa for the version with the private pool overlooking the Dead Sea; the Royal Suite (Hugo Boss-designed beach villa) for the milestone version. The property pairs naturally with three nights at Petra (90 minutes south by car) and one Amman pre/post night for the regional honeymoon brief — Kempinski Ishtar handles the full Jordan itinerary logistics through its concierge.
The cascading-pools terrace is the most family-functional pool environment on the Dead Sea — nine pools at different elevations means children of different ages can find appropriate water without occupying the same space. The kids' club, the small water-park area, and the property's safe private beach (children must stay out of the Dead Sea itself; the salinity is hazardous) are the practical points.
Swaimeh Dead Sea Road
Sweimeh 11194, Jordan
(P.O. Box 941806)
Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) 55km / 1 hr; Amman 50km / 1 hr; Petra 220km / 3 hr
345 rooms across main and villa clusters
Deluxe Room from USD 290/night
Sea View Suite from USD 460
Anantara Pool Villa from USD 920
Royal Suite (Hugo Boss) from USD 2,400
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Opened 2005; refurbished 2018–2020
423m below sea level (lowest hotel on earth)
Nine cascading pools, private Dead Sea beach
8,500m² Anantara Spa
Medical-grade dermatology programme
Nine restaurants and bars
Petra and Wadi Rum concierge logistics
WiFi throughout
From USD 290/night. High season runs October through May (the Dead Sea summer is genuinely hot — 40°C-plus); book six to eight weeks ahead for these months. Anantara Pool Villas book three to four months ahead year-round.
Book This Hotel →The full editorial ranking of luxury resorts on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea.
The natural three-night extension from the Dead Sea — Petra by Night, Wadi Rum, and the Treasury at dawn.
The pre- or post-Dead Sea night, with the Citadel, the Roman Theatre, and the city's best contemporary Levantine restaurants.