Hotel review: Radisson Blu Tala Bay Resort, Jordon

A huge bonus of staying at this Aqaba resort is that everywhere you’re probably planning on visiting in Jordan – Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea for starters – are all within a few hours’ drive of the hotel.

Overview The resort itself is a soothing place to come back to after a day’s adventures, with a clean private beach, massage cabanas and swimming pools to relax in.

Before you check out, ask the concierge to organise a quad-biking trip around Aqaba’s sand dunes for you.

If you drive the bike right up to the coast, you can look over the water and see Egypt and Israel at the same time.

Wow factor The hotel has a traditional Jordanian ‘zerb,’ which is an oven buried in the ground outdoors. The chef places marinated lamb inside, shovels sand on top and then leaves it to slow-cook throughout the day.

The mouthwateringly meaty smell that bursts out when the oven is dug up is enough to make even the most committed vegetarian salivate.

Rooms Decorated in a generic, hotel-chain style, with a few Middle Eastern flourishes.

Beds are super-comfy, and if you’re lucky you’ll find a towel folded into a swan on top of your duvet. Can’t argue with that.

Bill please Rooms from £88pn.