I never expected the visit of Petra would take an entire day! Arrive early and make sure to spend the night at the Movenpick located just a few meters away from the Valley's entrance.
An overwhelmed untrained staff but a good night sleep and a generous breakfast.
The Movenpick is a typical tourist hotel filled with guests all year round coming from all around the world to visit the valley. We arrived at 10am on a Thursday morning with no room ready to welcome us. More than fifty bags thrown around the lobby were left here all day long.
Arrive at a reception, be directed to another, this system is surely not of Movenpick one. Anyway, who cares, we are here to have fun.
Up on the first floor is the room, a large room with a working desk, a mini bar, two sofas and a king size bed. The bathroom has a bathtub and a large mirror with the needed amenities adding to that a scale.
An air conditioning unit that will be waking you up from its sound during the night but a relaxing bed and soft pillows... I slept like a baby.
The next morning we went down to breakfast. Choices are reasonable, generously filled plates, a live cooking station but again a staff that knows nothing about hotel service and savoir-faire.
You are not welcomed but would have to find a table on your own, you're asked about your room number in a rough manner, you have to ask for your coffee several times which is sprinkled around as if watering the plants, from the left side or the right service does not matter, staff shouts thinking they are at a football game, and tables have a serious cleaning issue.
The choices are spread on several tables around the restaurant's entrance. The cooking station, all sorts of croissants and pastries, a station for fruits and yogurt, cereals and jams, cheese and cold cuts, the bread island, juices and the hot station (beef bacon, boiled eggs, vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, beans and sausages).
The live station prepares eggs, waffles and pancakes but the frying smells sticks to you all day. I ordered waffles and eggs; two separate orders which were served on one plate, one on top of the other. I think food around here is simply a necessity and not an experience.
The bread has a Middle Eastern chewiness, eggs are good enough, pancakes have an interesting texture, corn flakes are from a good quality, yogurt is served cold as it should be, croissant tastes like flavored bread... Food quality is good enough for a tourist hotel in Petra.
Back to the hotel. It's the finest hotel in Petra with a swimming pool, a cafe, a restaurant -which is closed at the moment- and the needed amenities to spend a night after a long day down the valley. After visiting Petra at night, it's a must stop for an early start the next morning.
Conclusion:
- The staff is not trained, they lack a certain finesse and boast an an arrogant attitude. I honestly didn't expect better.
- Breakfast is worth being booked with the room; generous and needed for a busy day ahead. Shower afterwards or else you'll be smelling eggs all day.
- The rooms are clean, wide and relaxing; they bizarrely smell of cigarettes on a non-smoking floor.
- Location is the best thing this hotel offers; It's in the heart of the action.
I can only ask Movenpick to focus more on training its staff.
