As one of the Seven Wonders of the World, it’s no surprise that Petra is often high on people’s bucket lists of places to visit in their lifetime.
Petra truly is a magical place to experience and being located in Jordan, the time spent in a different country and culture is all part of the amazing experience in this historic place.
But what a lot of people don’t realise is that when they’re deciding where to stay in Petra Jordan, there are many factors and things to consider depending on what you want to get from your experience.
I spent several days in Petra as part of my Jordan road trip and had the most perfect experience, but it almost wasn’t so perfect! And that came down to where I stayed. So I want to share with you what I think is the best hotel in Petra and the best place to stay in Petra.
If you’re reading this, you might also be interested in my other Jordan articles:
One week Jordan road trip itinerary
How to Pick Which Wadi Rum Camp to stay at
Do you need to buy the Jordan Pass?
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Where is Petra, Jordan?
While people are usually searching for the best hotels in Petra for their trip, Petra only refers to the actual historic Petra complex itself.
The town that sits next to Petra and that you’ll actually be staying in is called Wadi Musa. So when you’re doing your planning, be sure to search for Wadi Musa hotels.
Reaching Petra and Wadi Musa is around 3 hours drive from Jordan’s capital city of Amman. The roads are generally good quality in Jordan, driving in the cities was a bit stressful but we found navigating the roads in the country to generally be very straightforward.
Click here if you want to find out more about driving in Jordan and renting a car there.
How expensive are Petra places to stay?
Honestly I was pleasantly surprised by the prices around Petra and Wadi Musa.
While I generally found Jordan very cheap, I expected to have to pay a premium for accommodation around Petra because of its popularity as a tourist destination.
While we did pay more for our accommodation in Petra than we did in Amman or Wadi Rum, it wasn’t a shocking amount of money.
Petra: where to stay
During my time visiting Petra, I stayed at the La Maison Hotel.
For two nights here for a double room for two people with an ensuite, I paid £117.
That’s just £58.50 a night!
I almost chose a different hotel in Wadi Musa because it was much cheaper, but it was cheaper because it was further away from the entrance to Petra. I’m so glad I didn’t choose the hotel further away and instead chose to stay closer to the Petra entrance. I was so exhausted after every day and to make matters worse, I caught an awful cold and I was ill for my whole time in Petra, so having a hotel nearby after our day was a welcome relief!
The reason I loved La Maison Hotel so much is because it’s just a 5 minute walk around the corner to the entrance of Petra. This makes it one of the best places to stay in Petra to beat the crowds if you want to make an early start in the morning. Also after a long, hot day of walking in the desert heat of Petra, you’ll be so grateful to just have a short walk back to your hotel.
Here are the reasons why I loved La Maison Hotel:
Close proximity to Petra entrance
Very reasonably priced
Free parking available, great if you’re renting a car in Jordan
Free wifi
AC in each room, you’ll appreciate it so much!
Great buffet dinner options at a reasonable price to add to your stay
The hotel will prepare takeaway breakfast boxes for you if you’re starting your day early
The staff were amazingly helpful and friendly
Great amenities in the room including satellite TV, tea and coffee machines
We also got a lot of washing done at the hotel for a good price!
This last point was also a huge bonus for us because we started both of our days very early, arriving at the entrance to Petra as soon as it opens at 6am. We would then eat out takeaway breakfast box on the long walk down the Siq to the famous Treasury in Petra.
We walked miles and miles each day, doing around 25,000 steps on two consecutive days. The walk through the Siq to reach the start of the Petra complex is 1.2km on uneven stone and then the walk through the valley from the Treasury to the Monastery is up over 800 steps. I cannot describe what a relief it was to have a hotel so near the Petra entrance to just collapse into bed at the end of each day!
Also if you’re planning to visit Petra by Night, which finishes around 10.30pm, you’ll be very pleased to not have a further walk back to your hotel in the dark!
The best hotels near Petra, Jordan
There are a few popular options for staying close to Petra. If you’re looking for alternative options, these are other hotels that I considered and also some of the most highly rated and popular:
When searching for hotels in Petra, make sure to search around the Petra Visitors Centre if you want to find hotels with the closest proximity to the Petra entrance. You can find a selection of them here.
Also if you are looking for cheaper options, consider looking a little further afield in Wadi Musa. You can find a selection of Wadi Musa hotels here.
There are also a handful of hostels in Wadi Musa which are amazingly cheap, you can see them all here on Hostelworld.
Summary: the best Petra hotel, Jordan
In summary, the right hotel for you in Jordan is dependent on your priorities.
For me, proximity to the entrance was most important as I knew we’d be having early starts to beat the crowds and beat the midday heat too!
However there are loads more budget friendly options for hotels and hostels in Wadi Musa if your priority is sticking to a budget.
The experience of hospitality I had in Jordan was above and beyond and I have no doubt that wherever you choose to stay would be worth it to see the magical Petra.
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