Jeddah and Taif, Saudi Arabia
During my deployment with the Air Force, I got to take a weekend trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in July 2024. The few days I spent in the humid beach city were a much needed break from the dry desert of Riyadh.
The Jeddah airport is so cool and has a huge aquarium right in the middle of the terminal!
My first night in Jeddah, I stayed at the Sheraton Jeddah Hotel which was amazing! The hotel was right on the beach, and my room had an incredible ocean view. In the evening, I went on a walk along the Jeddah Waterfront Harbor to see the sunset and explore the surrounding area.
After eating shawarma for so many months, I desperately wanted something different. I ate dinner at Cicchetti, an italian restaurant. Dinner was delicious, and I definitely splurged. The next morning, I ate breakfast at the hotel and started the 3 hour drive to Taif.
You have to pay attention on the drive from Jeddah to Taif and be careful to avoid the muslim route. There are signs for the non-muslim route to take to avoid passing through Mecca, which non-muslims are not allowed to enter. The non-muslim route adds an hour and a half to the drive time, so plan accordingly. The drive into Taif also goes up a mountain on a very winding road. There are also monkeys on the side of the road near the top of the mountain which is really neat to see.
In Taif, I went to the Park Mall, where I had the most delicious crepe ever, and had a relaxing evening at the InterContinental Taif Hotel. If there is anything you need to convince you to go to Taif and stay at the InterContinental Taif, it’s the milk buns. It’s little bread rolls soaked in a sweet milk to perfection. I ate so many of them.
The next day, I drove back to Jeddah and back down the mountain. There is a nice lookout area right at the top of the mountain before you drive down where you can get some great views.
My last day in Jeddah was my favorite day of the trip. I stayed at Assila, which is a 5 star hotel in the heart of Jeddah. I enjoyed some karak tea in the hotel cafe followed by a massage and some time in the hotel sauna and steam room.
My evening was spent enjoying a mocktail by the hotel pool, a walk around the streets of the hotel, and dinner delivered to my room from Pampas, a latin american restaurant in the hotel. Breakfast was also delivered to my room, and I enjoyed the relaxing morning before flying back to Riyadh. I’d recommend a trip to Jeddah to anyone! I hear they have an F1 race every year, and I think it would be cool to time your trip to see the race.
