The arrangements for picking me up were well done. I was met by my driver who drove me to the Dead Sea, with a refreshment stop on the way. She was lovely but didn't really understand or speak English so communication was very difficult. At the refreshment stop, we met with a coordinator, who asked if I had pre-booked a hotel to access the Dead Sea. I hadn't done this, and didn't know I should have, so he said he would contact someone to arrange access. During the remainder of the drive, the driver got a call from the hotel I could go to. It was a bit confusing when she asked me to talk to their receptionist but in the end it was sorted. She drove me there, showed me where to find changing rooms and such, and then left me to it while she went to sit by the pool. I headed down the slope to the Dead Sea and spent some time soaking and floating in the extremely salty water. It is a surreal experience when you try to stand up as getting your legs under you when you are super buoyant is not easy. The coordinator had suggested I taste the water, so I did. It was very gross and chemical tasting. I saw some people making use of the black mud masks that you could get applied. I didn't go for this as I wasn't sure I would be able to wash it all off, since I was travelling alone. But it looked like good fun. There was a mix of people there, including locals, so I would recommend that when choosing the hotel to access, you check about dress code. After a few dips (it's recommended to limit soak to 15min blocks), I headed up to the pool but it was freezing cold, so I called it a day and got dressed for lunch. After lunch it was back to Aqaba. Overall: Dead Sea is great. Find a good access point before booking transfer or a tour group that includes it. This "tour" was average. I thought that there would be some information given about the area since it is called a tour, but it was just a drive back and forth. For the price paid, I could have saved considerably by just booking an actual transfer rather than this booking. So I would not recommend booking this package.
Thank you for that important clarification. We apologize if our previous response misunderstood your booking choice. We understand now that you were specifically referring to the fact that the service, while titled a 'transfer,' provided no commentary or guiding information typically associated with a 'tour,' even though you did not select the 'with entry fees and lunch' option. Your point is clear: even a transfer that is marketed under the Viator heading of "tour" should offer some basic, relevant information about the area, and we regret that your experience was just a drive back and forth. We appreciate you reinforcing that the lack of guiding was the main issue and will use your feedback to ensure all our drivers provide a better level of informative service, even on transfer bookings. Thank you again for helping us clarify and improve.
