A slight change in our Jordan itinerary led us to booking a stay at the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Tala Bay in beautiful Aqaba on the Red Sea. The resort is up there as one of our favourite hotels from our travels, and our stay felt like a ‘holiday away from our holiday’ which was just what we needed on our jam-packed travels! With a private beach, world-class facilities, endless pools, a dive-centre and incredible dining, our stay was worth every cent!
Booking the Mövenpick Tala Bay
We’d originally planned to leave Petra and go to Wadi Rum and had booked an overnight trip into the desert. I woke up unwell and my Egypt rash (which we’ve now discovered was Schistosomiasis from swimming in the Nile and has since been treated) was the worst it had ever been. We ummed and ahhed about what to do and spoke to our tour company in Wadi Rum and they very kindly agreed to waive our cancellation fee as they agreed coming into the desert probably wouldn’t be the best idea for me at that time. We were sad as we were excited for Wadi Rum, but as we did a camel safari into the Sahara in Morocco a few years ago we also weren’t heartbroken!
We’d spent two nights in Wadi Musa and whilst it was very tempting to book another night at the very luxurious, relaxing and comfortable Old Village Resort Petra, we knew that it was time to move on!
When we originally planned our trip to Egypt and Jordan we really wanted to visit the Red Sea however we just didn’t have quite enough time. We had breakfast at the hotel then came back to bed for a bit to work out our plans. We decided it would be the perfect opportunity to at least visit the Red Sea. The majority of the hotels in Aqaba were available and about half an hour later we decided on the Mövenpick Tala Bay based off price, reviews and location.
One night at the Mövenpick Tala Bay with half board (dinner and breakfast) cost us $386 Australian dollars. We also paid 40 JD (approx $80 AUD) for a snorkelling trip at the resort.
Checking in to the Mövenpick Tala Bay
We arrived around 11am at the hotel and were so happy to find out we could check in to our room straight away! Parking was easy and the staff at reception were lovely and friendly.
As our booking was so last minute, there wasn’t a large amount of room options so we booked a Superior Twin Room, but were actually upgraded to a Superior Family Room on arrival. Our room was located near the adult pools and had an outdoor terrace, two bedrooms, a luxurious bathroom and all the amenities you’d expect of a five star hotel.
Our room was comfortable, spacious, stylish – the shower was great, the air conditioning lovely and cold and the WiFi worked perfectly throughout our stay. I’m glad we didn’t bother spending extra to get a room with a view as we spent hardly any time in our room during our stay, we pretty much just went there to shower and sleep! The bed was so comfortable and we slept like babies after a big day of swimming in the pools and snorkelling in the Red Sea.
The Pools and Beach
The Mövenpick Tala Bay is based around the water of the pools and the sea, so be sure to pack your swimwear! The grounds are immaculate and everywhere you walk (or swim) is a tropical oasis for guests. There are infinity pools, kids pools, family friendly pools, beach front pools and a lazy river! We definitely got our exercise in my swimming around between pools and checking them all out.
The hotel has a 150 metre private beach with lounge chairs, a jetty and a roped off swimming area. The beach was clean, water crystal clear and it was wonderful to tick swimming off the Red Sea from our bucket lists!
Snorkelling Trip
Even though our visit was short & sweet, we still wanted to make the most of our time by the Red Sea. We booked a snorkelling trip with the on-site dive centre which cost 40 JD (approx $80 AUD) for our snorkelling trip which went for just over an hour.
We left the resort mid-afternoon in one of the resort boats and headed to some of the best nearby dive sets. The water was stunningly clear and we snorkelled around the wreck of an old aircraft and a tank as well as beautiful coral and tropical fish. The coral was a lot more vibrant than the coral we’d seen in the Maldives so we were incredibly impressed.
Again, one of our only regrets from the trip was that we left our GoPro at home!! But it was nice to just enjoy the moment and make wonderful memories swimming and snorkelling in the beautiful Red Sea!
Sunset over the Red Sea
The hotel is perfectly located on the shores of the Red Sea and we were blessed with the most stunning of sunsets during our stay. We started by watching the sun dip over the pools and then finished on the beach, watching it slowly drop behind the horizon.
It was probably our favourite sunset from our time in the Middle East!!
Dining at the Mövenpick Tala Bay
There are multiple dining options at the Mövenpick Tala Bay. We had lunch at the open-air Sejan Restaurant and it was a lovely, relaxing meal by the pool. We shared a salad and a pizza, both of which were fresh and delicious.
We’d booked a half board package which meant that dinner and breakfast were included in our stay. Both meals were served in Najel Restaurant, Najel being the Arabic word for a local fish, the Res Sea Grouper. The restaurant was stylish and the service was perfect.
After watching the sunset over the Red Sea, we wandered up the Najel and we opted to dine al fresco as the temperature was lovely and warm, but not too hot (which was a lovely change after constantly sweating the whole time we were in Egypt)!
Both dinner and breakfast were a buffet and they were up there as one of our best hotel meals from all of our years travelling, perhaps only beaten slightly by LUX* South Ari Atoll in the Maldives.
There was an enormous range of cuisines on offer, with lots of live cooking stations as well. Every dish we tried was fresh, delicious and full of flavour. It’s not often that hotel food, and hotel buffet food are some of the most memorable dining experiences from our holidays, but on this occasion – it definitely was!
Final thoughts on our stay at the Mövenpick Tala Bay
We didn’t book our stay at the Mövenpick Tala Bay until the morning we arrived and it ended up being the perfect 24 hours! After a few very sweaty weeks in Singapore, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan – this was the perfect ‘holiday from our holiday’ that we needed in order to rest and recouperate before the next leg of our holiday. We didn’t even realise just how much we needed this luxurious and relaxing break and the Mövenpick Tala Bay was the perfect choice.
Every single aspect of our stay at the Mövenpick Tala Bay was perfect and we can’t recommend it more highly. It was well worth every cent and there isn’t one thing we would change about the hotel or our stay. The staff at the hotel were so friendly and attentive and couldn’t do more to ensure our stay was perfect.
If you’re wanting to visit Aqaba and the Red Sea in Jordan, then don’t miss the Mövenpick Tala Bay – you won’t regret it!
Is the Red Sea on your bucket list?
We paid full price for our stay at the Movenpick Tala Bay.
This post was written in collaboration with The Iconic.
All opinions, as always, are our own.
