Quotes of the Day

A new $20 billion investment scheme is turning Jordan's once sleepy port of Aqaba into the Red Sea's highest-wattage resort. New hotels and spas are debuting citywide, often in shiny waterfront complexes reminiscent of those found in Singapore or Dubai. But it isn't all new building: Aqaba is a 6,000-year-old entrepôt once fought over by Lawrence of Arabia and the Ottomans. Fabulous cuisine abounds and some of the world's most vibrant coral reefs are merely moments offshore. Here are five reasons to visit.

1. Raghadan and Zahran Streets
Skip the overpriced tourist traps along Princess Haya Circle and head instead for the area around Raghadan and Zahran streets, Aqaba's real restaurant rows. Try the Syrian Palace on Raghadan Street, tel: (962-3) 201 4788, for classic Levantine dishes such as finely minced kebab and buttery smooth hummus. For dessert, head to nearby Al Tarboosh, tel: (962-3) 201 8518 — a traditional confectionery store offering pistachio-filled baklawa and plates of hot knaffe (sweet cheese-filled phyllo pastry drenched in honey and rosewater). Recover with a strong cup of Arabian coffee at Al Kamal Roastery, tel: (962-3) 201 2201.

2. Petra and Wadi Rum
The ancient pink ruins of Petra and the windswept caves of Wadi Rum are Jordan's unrivaled money shots. They're typically tacked on to tours of Amman, but if you want to skip the ho-hum capital, you'll find Aqaba within easy striking distance of both attractions. Voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, Petra is 90 minutes north. Wadi Rum — a backdrop to 1962's Oscar-winning Lawrence of Arabia — is even closer, at just under an hour's drive.

3. The Old Town
Aqaba's glistening waterfront may evoke the 21st century, but its historic center is an unexpected dose of old Arabia. At its core is the suq — a warren of covered stalls and boutiques. After picking up local crafts, refuel at Al Firdous Café (no phone), a traditional outdoor coffee spot where kaffiyeh-covered men sip fragrant brew. Then pay a visit to the 14th century Mamluk fort, a crumbling stone castle set right next to the Aqaba Archaeological Museum, tel: (962-3) 201 9063.

4. Diving
There are Technicolor coral reefs across the Red Sea basin, but the diving along Aqaba's 24-km coast is considered among the best. Snorkel above wrecks like the 75-m Cedar Pride — a cargo ship scuttled in the 1980s — as dolphins and tropical fish cruise by. Or take the journey out to Pharaoh's Island, home to pristine coral blooms including a famously luminescent underwater mountain aptly nicknamed Picasso Reef.

5. The Kempinski Hotel
Aqaba's newest five-star hotel is easily its splashiest: a white-on-white 201-room retreat with a minimalist aesthetic. Each of the chic rooms faces the Red Sea, but you'll be spending most of your time outside, on the pristine beach (with Aqaba's only cabanas), by the pool or strolling the waterfront promenade. The hotel features Aqaba's first true nightclub (the Black Pearl). Better still are the beach parties — grownup raves with DJs fresh from Ibiza and Jordan's elite enjoying a weekend away from Amman. See www.kempinski.com/aqaba.

• David Kaufman
• Time to wise up to the Red Sea's best-kept secret