Wadi Rum Desert Camp

We came from South Africa and drove from Amman after visiting Petra, planning to stay here for one night, from 29 Nov- 1 Dec. We were two adults. About five minutes from the camp, at a gas station, Eyad, a representative of Wadi Rum desert camp, met us and drove us in his van because our driver couldn't manage the sand. We understand this is the usual pickup arrangement. But he didn't offer a welcome drink or help with our luggage. We had to unload it ourselves. In his office, Eyad pushed us to book a two-hour jeep tour. We declined because we'd just done a full-day Petra tour and were exhausted after travelling from Amman since early morning. We said we wanted to rest at 4 pm, but he wouldn't listen, even though his English was good. He then pushed a jeep tour for the next morning, which we also refused, and suggested stargazing after dinner for 35 dinars each, 70 total. We just wanted to reach our bubble tent, but he kept insisting we book something. He said that otherwise he'd charge 20 dinar each to return us to the gas station the next morning to meet our driver. When we said that didn't seem right or like normal procedure, he repeated that this was how it worked if we didn't book tours with him. We eventually booked the stargazing tour because he wouldn't stop pressuring us. He then demanded payment upfront for both the tour and our bubble tent. We wanted to pay by Visa credit card, but he insisted on cash. It felt very unprofessional and forceful. We came to experience Wadi Rum in a bubble tent, but felt the host saw us as a cash cow and kept trying to get more money. We felt scammed. The bubble tent was horrible inside, with nothing five-star about it. We booked through booking.com because the reviews looked good, but the room was awful. The bed linen smelled terrible, the bathroom towels were old, torn and discolored, and the bar fridge smelled bad too. The tiles were dirty and stained, and the curtains were tattered. I was horrified. The AC never worked, leaving the room stuffy. We had half board, but dinner was below average, with little variety and a cheap, basic feel. Breakfast the next morning was even worse. The stargazing itself turned out nicely, but only because of the local driver who took us into the desert. His name was Moyad or something similar. He was lovely and made us tea over a fire, which we enjoyed. Credit to him for that. That doesn't change how Eyad treated us. We’re sharing this to warn future guests: this isn't how a host should treat visitors who have travelled far. I’ll never recommend the camp, and I’ll tell people back home about our awful experience. Stay away from this horrible one-star camp. Calling it five-star is a fraud, and they're fooling international tourists. We also posted this on booking.com to warn others.