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Advantages: nice views by the sea, and diving experts Disadvantages: nightlife is poor
I was in Egypt last year in march, I stayed in the hotel in marsaalam, I was on holiday on my own, and i really love Egypt, I thought the area was very nice, the hotel i stayed in was ran by German people, and there was losts of german people i stayed with, and they were very nice, i went into the red sea, the red sea is a very beautiful part of the world under the sea. My hotel was basically in the middle of the desert. about 50miles away from the nearest town each way. overall i thought it was very good staying there but the night life need to be improved more, to attrach more people to the hotel, because i was there half board and the entertainment was very little. ...
Advantages: Weather, diving, underdeveloped - get away from the crowds Disadvantages: Not if you want nightlife, or don't snorkel/dive
We went to MarsaAlam direct from Gatwick (unfortunately with Excel - read my other review!), which was a half hour transfer from where we were staying. The weather was a hot 33 degrees celsius, cooling down to needing sleeves in the evenings, and underwater was between 26-28 degrees.
We stayed at an all inclusive, basic diving resort, with a beautiful reef right in front of our doorstop. It cost £650, which included flights, transfers, accommodation, food, drinks (except beer - 2 euros) and unlimited diving for 5 days.
The surrounding area is vastly under-developed so there were no shops / restaurants / discos / pubs and it was ABSOLUTE heaven to get away from it all. You could go on Bedouin desert trips or quad biking for something different to do, but it's all sand-related!
Our accomodation was the middle option - own room ...
Advantages: Fantastic for diving/snorkling Disadvantages: Very few other attractions
We've just come back from 1 week at Brayka Bay Reef Resort (Marsa Alum).
Superb hotel - Barring no outdoor swimming pool for at least 1 month (ongoing repairs I believe).
Superb if your into diving/snorkling - if no interest go elsewhere there is very little else to do.
Marsa Alum town consists of one main street with a few souvenier shops - beware shop owners trying to charge excessive amounts for items to purchase - barter with them or walk away.
That also goes for the hotel complex - one persistant guy trying to sell you massage treatment who wont take no for an answer. There have been many complaints about him & I really don't see him holding down the job for much longer.
Try to book as a package deal it will save a few headaches.
We didn't & therefore had to pay an entry visa $15 each & arrange our own transfers ...
