Visiting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been near the top of my travel list for years, though getting there is not easy. There is no such thing as a tourist visa in the KSA and even obtaining a business or transit visa is difficult, or so I heard. Well, my experience was different.
This is just a teaser post–you won’t read about the trip for another month or so–but I am enjoying a refreshing stay at the Park Hyatt Jeddah, had a good experience on Saudia, the Saudi national carrier and now a member of Skyteam, and have been impressed that Saudi Arabia–at least Jeddah–is not as conservative as I had imagined. Warm Arab hospitality and good food have made for a wonderful trip thus far.
Now I am going back to the pool…
Interest peaked…
Have a nice day 🙂
Looking forward to hearing about it – may have a business trip to Jeddah in a couple months and am very curious about your experiences
Can you fill us in about the visa? I have a trip upcoming to the Middle East and would love to do a Saudi side trip 🙂
Essentially, I had no trouble obtaining a r/t transit visa, each valid for three days duration, from the Saudi Embassy in Washington (in one business day at no cost). I included flight and hotel reservations along with the paperwork.
Exciting news, can’t wait to read your full trip report!