Best Hotels With Rooftop Pools in Petra for Skyline Swims
Words by
Rima Haddad
Where the Water Meets the Rock
If you have ever stood at the base of the Treasury at midday, squinting up at that impossibly carved rose-red facade while the heat presses down on your shoulders, you already know why finding the best hotels with rooftop pools in Petra changes the entire shape of a trip. I have spent the better part of a decade coming back to this city, sometimes for a week, sometimes for a month, and the single most important discovery I have made has nothing to do with tombs or trails. It is that the right rooftop pool, at the right hour, with the right view of the mountains that cradle this ancient Nabataean capital, will give you a kind of experience that no amount of guided touring can replicate. The water is cool, the stone glows amber and violet, and for a few suspended minutes you understand why the people who built this place chose it.
What follows is not a generic roundup. These are properties I have personally stayed at, swum in, eaten at, and returned to. Some are large and well known, others are smaller operations where the owner still greets you at the door. Each one has a rooftop pool worth planning a day around, and each one tells you something different about the city of Petra and the people who live in its shadow.
Mövenpick Resort Petra: The Rooftop Pool Hotel Petra Visitors Return To
Mövenpick Resort Petra, King's Highway, Wadi Musa
You will find the Mövenpick sitting directly at the main entrance to the Petra Archaeological Park on King's Highway, and its rooftop pool has been a reliable fixture for years. The pool itself is not enormous, but it is long enough for a proper morning lap, and the water temperature tends to hover around a comfortable range even in the cooler months of December and January. What makes this a standout rooftop pool hotel Petra travelers keep recommending is the orientation. From the pool deck you look out across the rugged ridgeline that forms the eastern boundary of Wadi Musa, and in the late afternoon the rock faces turn a shade of burnt sienna that photographs never quite capture.
I usually recommend arriving at the pool deck just before five in the afternoon, when the sun is still high enough to warm the tiles but low enough to paint the mountains. The Mövenpick's rooftop restaurant, which sits adjacent to the pool, serves a decent lemon-mint drink that has become something of a ritual for me after a long day on the trails. Order it with less sugar than the default, because the kitchen tends to be generous with the syrup. The buffet on the rooftop rotates nightly, and on Thursdays the spread tends to be the most expansive, with a solid selection of local dishes like mansaf and maqluba alongside the international options.
One detail most tourists would not know is that the pool's heating system kicks in automatically on colder evenings, which means you can swim under the stars in November or March without shivering. The staff will not always advertise this, but if you ask at the front desk they will confirm whether the heating is active that night. The Mövenpick connects to Petra's broader story in a subtle way. The resort's architecture echoes the geometric carving traditions of the Nabataeans, and the stone cladding around the rooftop was sourced from quarries not far from the ancient city. Staying here puts you within a two-minute walk of the park gate, which means you can be at the Siq entrance by six in the morning, well before the tour buses roll in.
A minor complaint worth noting: the pool loungers go fast. If you want a shaded spot on the deck during peak season, which runs from March through May and again from September through November, you need to claim one before nine in the morning or after four in the afternoon. Midday the rooftop gets direct sun with limited cover, and the surface temperature on the deck tiles can be uncomfortable in July and August.
Petra Guest Hotel: The Infinity Pool Hotel Petra Photographers Love
Petra Guest Hotel, Main Entrance Road, Wadi Musa
The Petra Guest Hotel sits on the same stretch of road as the Mövenpick, just a few hundred meters closer to the town center, and its rooftop infinity pool is the one I send people to when they want photographs that will make their friends jealous. The pool's edge drops off visually into the valley below, creating that seamless line between water and sky that defines any good infinity pool hotel Petra has to offer. The effect is most striking at dawn, when the first light hits the western mountains and the pool surface mirrors the color shift from indigo to gold.
I have swum here at five-thirty in the morning more times than I can count, and on most occasions I had the pool entirely to myself. The water is not heated, so early swims in the winter months are brisk, but in summer the pre-dawn coolness is exactly what you want. The hotel's rooftop terrace also houses a small café that opens at six, serving Turkish coffee strong enough to fuel a full day of hiking and fresh orange juice squeezed to order. Ask for the shakshuka if you are there on a weekend, because the weekend brunch preparation tends to be more careful and the eggs are cooked to a better consistency.
Here is something most visitors miss. The Petra Guest Hotel rooftop has a second, smaller pool tucked behind the main infinity edge that is technically reserved for suite guests. However, if you are polite and ask the terrace attendant early in the morning, they will sometimes let you use it when the main pool area is being cleaned or when the hotel is running at low occupancy. It never hurts to ask. The hotel itself is built into the hillside in a way that mirrors the terraced construction techniques the Nabataeans used throughout the ancient city, and from the lobby you can see the layered rock formations that define Wadi Musa's geography.
The one honest drawback is that the rooftop pool is shallow at its deepest end, barely reaching chest height for an average adult. This makes it perfect for lounging and photography but less ideal if you are a serious swimmer looking to get a workout in. The infinity edge side is the shallowest, so stick to the inner lane if you want to actually swim.
Petra Moon Hotel: A Pool View Hotel Petra Budget Travelers Should Know
Petra Moon Hotel, Tourism Street, Wadi Musa
Not every rooftop pool in Petra requires a luxury budget, and the Petra Moon Hotel on Tourism Street is the proof. This is a mid-range property that has invested heavily in its rooftop experience, and the result is a pool with a direct, unobstructed view of Jabal Haroun, the mountain that many scholars believe to be the biblical Mount Aaron. The pool is modest in size, roughly twelve meters long, but the pool view hotel Petra visitors get from this rooftop is genuinely one of the best in Wadi Musa for the price point.
I recommend visiting the rooftop in the late morning, around ten or eleven, when the sun is high enough to illuminate the face of Jabal Haroun but not yet at its most punishing angle. The hotel serves a traditional Bedouin tea on the rooftop, brewed with fresh sage and a generous amount of sugar, and it costs a fraction of what you would pay at the larger resorts. Pair it with a plate of knafeh from the ground-floor kitchen if you are there on a Saturday, because the pastry chef tends to be most precise on weekends.
A local tip that most guidebooks will not tell you: the Petra Moon Hotel rooftop is one of the few places in Wadi Musa where you can see the sunset behind the mountain ridge to the west while simultaneously watching the last light hit Jabal Haroun to the east. This dual-light effect happens only during a narrow window in late September and early October, and it lasts about twenty minutes. The hotel's location on Tourism Street also means you are within walking distance of several local eateries and shops, which gives you a sense of the living town beyond the archaeological park.
The complaint I have is about the water quality. The pool is cleaned regularly, but the filtration system is not as robust as what you would find at the Mövenpick or the Guest Hotel, and after a heavy wind day the water can carry a fine layer of dust sediment. It is not a dealbreaker, but if you are particular about water clarity, check the pool in person before committing to a swim.
Marriott Petra: The Rooftop Pool Hotel Petra Business Travelers Prefer
Marriott Petra, King's Highway, Wadi Musa
The Marriott Petra occupies a prominent position on King's Highway, and its rooftop pool caters to a slightly different crowd than the properties closer to the park entrance. This is the rooftop pool hotel Petra business travelers and conference attendees tend to gravitate toward, partly because the hotel has the most reliable high-speed internet on its rooftop deck of any property in Wadi Musa. I have sat by this pool with a laptop and a cup of Arabic coffee and gotten more work done in two hours than I manage in a full day at most hotel pools.
The pool itself is rectangular and well-maintained, with a shallow wading section on one end and a deeper swimming section on the other. The water is heated during the cooler months, and the temperature is kept consistent enough for evening swims even in January. The rooftop bar serves a solid selection of non-alcoholic cocktails, and the virgin mojito, made with fresh mint from the hotel's own herb garden, is the one I order every time. The kitchen also prepares a respectable mezze platter that is large enough for two people and includes hummus, muhammara, and stuffed grape leaves that taste like they came from a home kitchen rather than a catering operation.
What most tourists would not know is that the Marriott's rooftop has a small section with a glass-bottomed pool insert that was installed during a renovation a few years ago. It is not widely advertised, and it is primarily a design feature rather than a swimming area, but standing on it gives you a vertiginous view of the lobby below that is worth seeking out for a photograph. The hotel's conference facilities host several regional events each year related to archaeology and heritage preservation, and staying here during one of these events can give you access to lectures and discussions that are occasionally open to hotel guests.
The downside is that the rooftop pool area can feel crowded during conference season, which typically peaks in March and October. The hotel fills with delegates and the pool deck becomes more of a networking space than a relaxation space. If you want quiet, check the conference calendar before booking.
Al Anbat Hotel: The Infinity Pool Hotel Petra Locals Recommend
Al Anbat Hotel, University Road, Wadi Musa
The Al Anbat Hotel sits on University Road, slightly uphill from the main tourist strip, and its rooftop infinity pool is the one that locals in Wadi Musa mention when I ask where they would take out-of-town guests. This is not a large hotel, and the pool reflects that, but the infinity edge faces northwest, which means you get a sweeping panorama of the valley and the distant hills that stretch toward the Dead Sea. As an infinity pool hotel Petra option, it delivers a visual experience that punches well above its weight class.
I have found that the best time to swim here is on a weekday evening, particularly Tuesday or Wednesday, when the hotel is least likely to be at full capacity and the pool deck feels almost private. The water is not heated, so summer evenings are ideal, and the temperature after a hot day is like bathwater. The rooftop restaurant serves a grilled chicken plate with toum sauce that is straightforward and well-executed, and the fresh juice bar on the ground floor produces a watermelon-mint blend that I consider essential after any hike through the Petra back trails.
Here is a detail that surprises most visitors. The Al Anbat's rooftop pool is constructed on a platform that extends beyond the main building footprint, which means the structural engineering had to account for the uneven bedrock that characterizes this part of Wadi Musa. The hotel's owner, who is a local from one of the families that has lived in the area for generations, told me that the foundation work took twice as long as the rest of the construction because of the rock conditions. That engineering effort is part of what makes the infinity edge feel so dramatic. You are literally floating above the hillside.
The honest critique: the pool is small enough that more than six or seven people in it at once starts to feel cramped. If you are visiting during a holiday period, such as Eid al-Fitr or the Christmas-New Year window, plan your swim for early morning or late evening to avoid the crowd.
Petra Bedouin Camp: The Pool View Hotel Petra Adventurers Choose
Petra Bedouin Camp, Little Petra Road
This one requires a slight redefinition of what a rooftop pool means, and I include it because the experience is unlike anything else in the area. The Petra Bedouin Camp, located on the road to Little Petra, has an elevated stone-built pool terrace that functions as a de facto rooftop pool, perched above the desert floor with views that stretch across the open Wadi Araba. It is not a conventional hotel, and the pool is not on a building roof, but the pool view hotel Petra adventurers get from this terrace is the most dramatic in the region by a significant margin.
I recommend arriving in the late afternoon, around four, when the desert light begins to soften and the shadows of the rock formations start to lengthen across the valley. The pool water is sourced from a local spring and is cooler than anything you will find at the larger hotels, which is exactly what you want after a day of exploring the back entrance to Petra via the Al Madras trail. The camp serves Bedouin coffee, brewed over an open fire in a long-handled tin pot, and the ritual of pouring it is worth staying for even if you do not plan to swim.
A piece of insider knowledge: the camp's terrace is one of the few places in the Petra region where you can see both the sunset and the stars without any light pollution interference. On a clear night in August or September, the Milky Way is visible directly overhead, and the pool surface reflects it with startling clarity. The camp's owners are from the Bidoul Bedouin community, one of the groups historically associated with the Petra region, and their presence adds a layer of cultural context that the larger hotels cannot replicate.
The practical complaint is that the pool is not chlorinated in the way a conventional hotel pool is, and the mineral content of the spring water can leave a slight residue on the skin. It is perfectly clean, but if you are used to the sterile clarity of a chemically treated pool, the difference is noticeable. Bring a moisturizer for after your swim.
My Home Hotel: The Rooftop Pool Hotel Petra Digital Nomads Are Discovering
My Home Hotel, Al Jayaish Street, Wadi Musa
My Home Hotel is a newer property on Al Jayaish Street, and its rooftop pool has quietly become a favorite among the small but growing community of remote workers and long-stay visitors who treat Wadi Musa as a base rather than a one-night stop. The pool is compact but well-designed, with a ledge along one side where you can sit with your feet in the water and look out over the rooftops of the town toward the mountains. As a rooftop pool hotel Petra option for extended stays, it offers a weekly rate that includes pool access and breakfast, which is a deal I have taken advantage of more than once.
The best time to use the pool here is mid-morning, around ten, when the sun has warmed the water but the heat of the day has not yet peaked. The rooftop kitchen makes a ful medames plate that is among the best simple breakfasts in Wadi Musa, dressed with olive oil and lemon and served with fresh khobz bread. I have spent many mornings here with a plate of ful and a glass of mint tea, planning the day's route into Petra proper.
What most visitors would not know is that the hotel's rooftop has a small herb garden alongside the pool, growing mint, zaatar, and sumac. The chef picks from it daily, and if you express interest, the staff will sometimes let you smell or touch the herbs before they go into your food. It is a small touch, but it connects you to the agricultural traditions of the region in a way that feels genuine rather than performative. The hotel is also within a ten-minute walk of the Petra Museum, which opened near the park entrance and provides essential context for anyone planning to explore the archaeological site.
The drawback is that the pool has no shade structure, and from June through August the midday sun makes it essentially unusable between noon and three. Plan your swims accordingly, or accept that this is a morning and evening pool.
When to Go and What to Know
The rooftop pool season in Petra runs effectively from March through November, with the most comfortable months being April, May, September, and October. June through August are hot, often exceeding thirty-five degrees Celsius, which means the pools function more as cooling stations than swimming destinations during midday. December through February are possible at the heated pools, but the air temperature can drop sharply after sunset, so bring a towel and a warm layer.
Most rooftop pools in Wadi Musa are open from six in the morning until ten at night, though hours can vary by hotel and season. Always confirm at the front desk. Sunscreen is essential year-round, as the UV index in the Petra region is high even on overdue days. If you are staying at one hotel but want to use another's pool, day passes are sometimes available at the Mövenpick and the Marriott, typically in the range of twenty to thirty Jordanian dinars, but availability is not guaranteed during peak periods.
A final local tip: the light in Petra changes dramatically throughout the day, and the difference between a seven-am swim and a five-pm swim at the same pool is enormous. If you can only swim once, choose the late afternoon. The rock faces catch the warmest light then, and the mountains look their most extraordinary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the standard tipping etiquette or service charge policy at restaurants in Petra?
A ten percent service charge is added to most hotel restaurant bills in the Petra area, but an additional tip of five to ten percent is still expected for good service at standalone restaurants and cafés in Wadi Musa. For poolside service at hotel rooftops, tipping one to two Jordanian dinars per round of drinks is standard practice and appreciated by staff.
Are credit cards widely accepted across Petra, or is it necessary to carry cash for daily expenses?
Visa and Mastercard are accepted at most hotels, larger restaurants, and major shops in Wadi Musa, but smaller vendors, taxi drivers, and local eateries operate almost exclusively in cash. ATMs are available in the town center near the bus station, and it is advisable to carry at least thirty to fifty Jordanian dinars in cash for daily incidentals like tea, tips, and small purchases.
Is Petra expensive to visit? Give a realistic daily budget breakdown for mid-tier travelers.
A mid-tier daily budget in Petra typically runs between seventy and one hundred Jordanian diners, covering a hotel room in the range of forty to sixty dinars, meals totaling fifteen to twenty-five dinars, and a Petra entrance fee of fifty dinars for a one-day pass or fifty-five for a two-day pass. Transportation within Wadi Musa is mostly on foot, and a daily coffee or tea habit adds another three to five dinars.
How many days are needed to see the major tourist attractions in Petra without feeling rushed?
Three full days is the minimum I recommend for covering the main trail from the Siq through the Treasury, the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs, and the Monastery via the eight-hundred-step climb. A fourth day allows for the back trail from Little Petra and the High Place of Sacrifice, and a fifth day gives you time to revisit favorite spots or explore the less-visited trails to the east of the main site.
What is the average cost of a specialty coffee or local tea in Petra?
A cup of Arabic coffee or Bedouin tea at a local café in Wadi Musa costs between one and two Jordanian diners, while a specialty espresso drink at a hotel rooftop or upscale café ranges from three to five Jordanian diners. Fresh juices, particularly orange and watermelon, typically cost two to three dinars at most establishments.
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