https://www.jtalbot.com/tags/red-sea/ Recent content in Red Sea on jtalbot/blog Hugo en-US Copyright 2005-2026 jtalbot - CC BY-SA 4.0 Sun, 03 May 2026 11:45:00 -0600 https://www.jtalbot.com/blog/aqaba-and-snorkeling-the-red-sea/ Fri, 03 Feb 2023 13:30:00 -0700 https://www.jtalbot.com/blog/aqaba-and-snorkeling-the-red-sea/ <p>As we drove into Aqaba after a long day in Wadi Rum, we saw a Safeway. We tend to visit grocery stores to buy drinks and snacks and it was pretty exciting to see a name like Safeway.</p> <h2 id="al-manara">Al Manara</h2> <p>When planning this trip, we knew the stay in Aqaba needed to be a nice respite from camping in the desert of Wadi Rum. So we booked the ultra luxurious <a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/aqjlc-al-manara-a-luxury-collection-hotel-saraya-aqaba/overview/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Al Manara by Marriott</a>. It turned out to be even swankier than we anticipated. It was super nice and we got upgraded to a huge suite overlooking the bay. It&rsquo;s the type of place that put a hand-written note, addressed to me, in our room before we got to it. And there was a big plate of really fancy sweets. I may have decided I love macaroons after that. Such a fun thing to have when you first walk in.</p>