When I was twelve years old, I created a bucket list. It started as a Pinterest board with colorful photos. Then it transitioned to an aesthetic, hand-drawn list on graphing paper that hung on my bedroom wall. Over time, it grew prettier as I learned calligraphy and journaling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, it moved onto my Notion board on my computer.

Although my bucket list has lived in different places, its contents have never changed – it’s only grown, and I’m excited to say that I’ve checked off many boxes on this voyage. Visiting the Taj Mahal in India, embarking on a safari in Africa, and now, floating in the Dead Sea in Jordan.

A Surprisingly Luxurious Experience

On the evening of February 13, my friends and I arrive at our lodgings for the night, the Hilton Dead Sea Resort and Spa. The hotel brand should have been a giveaway regarding what I was getting into (both in experience and price range), but I was surprised at the place’s magnificence.

When we entered the foyer, we saw glass windows towering over us – the ceiling must have been at least 50 feet tall. A water fountain embellished the center of the room, sitting atop a pristine white marble floor. Just beyond the colossal glass windows, the dead sea shimmered in the distance. There wasn’t a single wave, splash, or even water ripple. It was perfectly still. The water could have been glass.

I emerged through sliding glass doors and onto a balcony on the other side of the windows to admire the ethereal landscape I could hardly believe existed on the same planet I lived on.

The sun was setting to the west, behind the mountains beyond the Dead Sea. Sunlight streaked across the sky, reflecting onto the Dead Sea and bathing the world in muted pinks, soft violets, and fiery oranges. I could hear only the sound of the wind whistling over the sea. I admired the scene, grabbed many photos, and headed inside to check into our room.

I was sharing a room with two friends, Sydney and MK. Our room was as lovely as expected for a luxurious Hilton, with a large, fluffy bed, spacious bathroom and shower, and a balcony overlooking the sea.

After settling in, we joined the rest of our group and other fellow SASers for dinner at the hotel. We enjoyed delicious Jordanian cuisine for dinner, including freshly made hummus, falafel, and shwarma. Then we headed to bed for the night, as we all had a long day tomorrow.

A Magical Morning

On February 14, MK and I woke up bright and early, at around 8:00 a.m. Waking up to a view of the Dead Sea was a surreal experience. I didn’t feel like I was living real life right now – I had to have been in some dream.

We headed down to breakfast, which was included with our stay at the hotel (for an additional fee, of course). Breakfast, however, was magical. It was a buffet-style, self-serve system with every breakfast food you could dream of. Fruit platters with mangos, bananas, and berries; pastries including muffins, croissants, donuts, and others that I didn’t know the names of; all types of cooked eggs, sausages, bacon, and beans; and even pancakes and waffles. Upon arriving, servers immediately offered us coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice, which we gladly accepted as we sat at a table viewing the Dead Sea.

We ate our breakfast slower than we should have, as we were on a tight schedule that day, but we wanted to savor every bite and every moment spent in that magical resort. Eventually, we finished breakfast and headed down to the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is just a giant spa experience – who knew?

The air was crisp and cool, roughly 50-60 degrees, as we descended a long line of sandstone steps to reach the Hilton’s beachside property by the Dead Sea. The beach was rocky rather than sandy, so we set our things down and tiptoed toward the water’s edge. MK and I were the only SASers there; some had already left, and others hadn’t arrived yet. I didn’t mind, though. It was fun to be the only two there (apart from a couple of elderly ladies having the time of their lives, whooping and hollering in the water).

Weirdly, I felt nervous about entering the water. Maybe it was the cold, or it was because I literally had no idea what to expect. I’d been swimming my entire life, but never had I experienced floating entirely alone, nor did I ever expect to experience it. But seeing these women in the sea, having so much fun, made me feel brave. How bad could it be?

So we entered.

At first, the salty water was unbearably chilly as I slowly waded in, goosebumps marching up my arms in seconds. However, as I got deeper, I got used to it, and the adrenaline in my veins nearly made me forget how cold it was outside.

“Should we fall?” I ask MK, who’s wading next to me.

“Yeah, let’s do it!” She replies, and with that, we fall onto our backs and float. The salty water washes over my body, but my face stays exposed to the sky, and I float. It’s the strangest feeling, almost like lying on a waterbed, but simultaneously, it’s so different. No layer of polyester separated my body from the water; the sea was the mattress. After a while, I tried to stand, but the water was too deep to touch. Yet, I could stand. My feet were standing on water. On nothing. I was genuinely weightless in the water. I could have stayed in the sea for hours.

However, we were on 15-minute intervals, per the direction of the employees, to keep ourselves hydrated. So, MK and I get out and head to the mud-bathing station. Of course, floating in the Dead Sea wasn’t complete without a mud bath. The mud comes directly from the sand of the sea, and it’s by far the softest mud I’ve ever felt. It could have been a sheet. Even though we were freezing in the chilly air, we took turns painting mud onto our skin into we were nearly covered. Then, we headed back to the sea.

At this point, other SASers joined us on the beach and began their Dead Sea swims and photos. One girl brought a speaker and was blasting Sleep on the Floor by The Lumineers, among other folk songs and artists. Could the day get any better? We took photos and jammed out to music for ten minutes. Then it was time to wash off. We returned to the Dead Sea and floated again, leisurely cleaning the mud off our skin. Of course, we washed our faces later, as the water was too salty to even get near our eyes. Finally, we reluctantly left the sea and dried off since we had other places to be that day.

From arrival to departure, staying at the Hilton Dead Sea Resort and Spa was a wonderful experience, and I’d recommend it to anyone considering the trip. Because, after all, the Dead Sea is just a spa day, right? Floating in the Dead Sea exceeded my expectations, and I left the water feeling rejuvenated and joyful.