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---------Introduction---------
Hurghada is a coastal town in Egypt, that stretches for about 30 miles along the shore, but does not really go deep into the desert, a perfect town for tourism, and the battle for pieces of private beach by hotels have made this town so wide I think, because ... Read review
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Advantages: Always sunny, great people, beautiful surrounding. Disadvantages: Quite costly, too commercial to some peoples taste.
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---------Introduction---------
Hurghada is a coastal town in Egypt, that stretches for about 30 miles along the shore, but does not really go deep into the desert, a perfect town for tourism, and the battle for pieces of private beach by hotels have made this town so wide I think, because offering your guests a calm spot on a private beach, how is that not attractive right?
I have been in the town, during Ramadan, ... ...desert, and have been in the greatest hotel you can get for your money.
-------------Going There--------------
Flying from the Netherlands, and ofcourse that gives trouble if you do NOT have a passport, which, at that time, I did not. Egypt is in Africa, and you should be well aware of that. First of all, you will need an injection, because getting sick there is not too hard. After alot of hassle, rebooking ( we missed the flight ... more
----------Writers Notice--------- This review is based on personal experiences and opinions, I do not claim it to be the truth, nor am I responsible for any assumptions you might make.
---------Introduction--------- Hurghada is a coastal town in Egypt, that stretches for about 30 miles along the shore, but does not really go deep into the desert, a perfect town for tourism, and the battle for pieces of private beach by hotels have made this town so wide I think, because offering your guests a calm spot on a private beach, how is that not attractive right?
I have been in the town, during Ramadan, I have been coraldiving, sunbathing, I have been into the desert, and have been in the greatest hotel you can get for your money.
-------------Going There-------------- Flying from the Netherlands, and ofcourse that gives trouble if you do NOT have a passport, which, at that time, I did not. Egypt is in Africa, and you should be well aware of that. First of all, you will need an injection, because getting sick there is not too hard. After alot of hassle, rebooking ( we missed the flight ) and going abroad to fly the day after ( took the train to Belgium ).
-----Getting Settled------------ Well, landed, and the heat hit me in the face, it was 8PM on a sunday in October, and it was 34 degrees celsius, be aware when you are flying from a country with a cold climate.. Well, when we got there, neverminding their promise, they gave away our room to somebody else. Our booking agency was truely great, and for only 2 euro a night extra, we got put in a 4 star hotel, instead of a 3 star hotel, well worth the costs.
------The Hotel---------- Sindbad Aquapark, I will be dead before I find something negative about this hotel...The only downside is that they only had one song for the elevator, so if you forget alot and go to your room like 4 times before you go sunbathing, you will notice that the same song is chanting, but thats all. The staff was great, you only had to think of a pillow and they came to give you one. The toilets were used by alot of Russians ( I do not mean this racistic, but every time a Russian went to the toilet, it seems like they can't be bothered to aim, I feel bad for the cleaning crew. )
But they were always made clean, by one man, one man that also took part in the Ramadan. He is working, day in day out, 14 hours a day, cleaning the pee of some lazy Russian, and everybody else ofcourse, and not a second ungratefull that he works for a salary I can not even buy 1 drink in the hotel from. ( like 5 Egyptian Pound and 60 Piastres ( cents ) an hour, which would be about 60p an hour ) I talked to him, and he always cleaned one toilet in the back extra, so I had a very clean toilet, and to thank him I gave him 20 pounds on the last day, which is a huge ammount to them, and spending 2 GBP for a smile still burned in my mind, definatly worth it.
The room was great, the pool was undescribeable, and I do not know how come, but there were so many extremely beautiful girls walking around it felt like I raided a fashionshow. I was single and 15, can you blame me for enjoying my day?
--------Surroundings--------- Looking from the hotel balcony, I could see the really impressive Red Sea. when you walk outside of the hotel, passed the guards ( still no idea why there were guards, so they probably did their jobs ) and then you see a 2 lane street. I guess we looked like we needed a cab, because every Egyptian with a spare seat honked, hoping to rake in a few EGP. Important to determine the price before he starts driving. The sky is just awesome, first winterday it was 39 degrees and it took me 2 days to find a faint cloud, a tiny one aswell.
------Trips-------
- Downtown
A must, downtown, the shops, the people, the internet cafe, the signs saying 'Prices are not negotiatable' and after that walking away with a product for half price. It is pretty, and there is a MacDonalds. One thing about this MC Donalds, they determined their own size, so if you order a portion of small fries, you would get a portion almost the size of the British 'Large fries'. Ignorant as I was, ordered the large fries, haha, that was like 500 grams or so, insane.
- Mahmya
Mahmya is an island about 40 minutes by boat from the Hurghadian coast, the boattrip is amazing, blue sea, blue sky, and a dolphin here and there. When you get there, it looks gross, because looking on the wrinkled water, coral just looks like a deep laying oilstain. However, after short instructions, you can get underwater, and boy is that pretty. The coral is amazing, and also quite big. However, if you move around too cheerful, which you probably would when you just saw something that pretty, you get the water in your mouth. And in case you did not know, its the most salt water you will ever swallow, and even the acid in your stomach gets annoyed by it. However, there are facilities on the island, such as a lunchroom, toilets, and covered places to sit/lay.
Sidenote: I was 15 and single, and I will never forget the ladies that thought being on a island ment walk around topless, I have never seen so many pretty girls just having a talk with you while you try not to stare at her perfect shaped breasts too obvious. For a reason there were English speaking, Russian speaking and German speaking groups, we decided to go for English, because the mood was better.
- The Desert
Under guidance we went into the desert, this time we joined the German group on the way there. We were with about 12 people in the back of a big offroadcar, with the exhaust detoured to the top of the roof, so it would not get filled with sand. Because Egyptians in general are not too rich, they were videotaping the thing, so you would buy the DVD, getting them money. The cameraman was ON TOP of the car, sometimes hanging upside down next to the car to get a cool shot.
Insane, but it did get cool results. When we arrived there we had food, I had white grapes, and I loved them, and contrary to what I was told, I did NOT get sick. After taking a trip on the back of a camel ( scary, but worth it, and again this is against payment, if they can charge you for a fart they would, they are nice, but have to be crafty to make enough ) we went to watch through a telescope, amazing to see the surface of the moon ( looks just like the face of a 14 year old geek ) and to watch stars.
After having food and relaxing in the 'cold' desert ( still 24 degrees, but the locals put on like 4 coats, being used to 46 degrees and all ) the ride back was not what we looked forward too, but the drivers were kind, and stopped once on the way back, so we could get our stomachs sorted out, or maybe he just did not want to clean up our vommit otherwise, but it seemed like he cared for us.
-------Conclusion--------
The town is great, the things you can do are great, and the staff at the hotels are nice. Some are fake nice, and some are truely nice ( like the man that cleaned the toilets, he was truely a man ), but you will always get great service. The weather is perfect, and all your memories will be sunny, even though the act on itself was not that impressive, it is so great in your memory, because you just feel good. Definatly worth going to, for any purpose you might have.
----- Our Costs ----- - Flights: 520, for 2 retourflights from Amsterdam. - Hotel: 83.80 a night, for either one or 2 persons, same price. - Shops: for Tshirts, gifts, about 70? but this truely depends on you. - Food: The dinner was at the cost of the hotel, drinks were standard, 1 beer, 1 coke, 24 EGP, which is about 2 pound 50. - Trips: Desert was 70 euros, including food and camel, Mahmya was 115 euros, but with the pretty coral and all the toplessness, worth it ;) Downtown costed like 1 euro for all the cabtrips we made, and the rest was cheap.
To have a careless relaxed week of vacation here, I would recommend reserving about 1100 euros / 800 pounds per person. Not cheap, but sure as hell worth the money.
PS, it is doable as family, but just sunbathing and romanticly walking is much more fun if you are just a couple. Recommended for honeymoons, reasonably rich couples, and people that really really love their children.
________________FINAL STATEMENT_________________ Hope this was informative and not too much of a bore, tell me if I should remove anything/add something.
Advantages: coral reefs Disadvantages: little non-hotel nightlife
Coral reefs, spectacular fish and relatively warm water in winter make this a specialist scuba diving destination. Its frequent northwesterly wind also makes it a major resort for serious windsurfers. The myriad of other water sports activities available are really add-ons. No antiquities for the historically-minded and, for those seeking a Mediterranean-type holiday, little to do at night after your day of sun, sea and beach. Possibly a good relaxing ... ...elsewhere. Accommodation: Nearly all hotels are on the beach, with the exception of a few cheap and cheerful 2-stars frequented by divers and windsurfers who want only a place to sleep with no frills. Most offer a range of water sports, but potential clients should ensure that any particular requirements are available before booking. Some hotels are in town within walking distance of bazaars etc but most are up to 15 miles south, some beyond public ...
teen 12.10.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hurghada (Egypt)
Advantages: Great diving, Cheap beer & 'the Chill' Disadvantages: Depends on what you are there for!
Hurghada Review, I went to Hurghada last December with my husband on a week’s holiday. The week fell over the Christmas period, which allowed us to have Christmas day and the 4 proceeding days leading up to it on a dive boat experiencing the wonders of the red sea! I would recommend getting away from England over the Christmas period to any and everyone! Hurghada had it's bit's of tinsel and blow up papa noels hanging around, and many of the ... ...recommend it!
Getting around in Hurghada was fun!? Taxis are everywhere constantly slowing down and beeping as they drive past you. I do recommend travelling around by this method although don't get ripped off. In the front window they have "1 pound" signs which usually mean they will take you from the 'new part' to 'the old part' of the town for this price, make sure you tell them where you want to go and set the price before you are on your way. ...
Inspiral 29.08.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hurghada (Egypt)
Advantages: friendly people, nice beach, beautiful hotel, weather Disadvantages: hotel too out of the way, activities catered more for Germans
I went to Hurghada in April 2006 and the weather was absolutley beautiful, although the sun is still really strong even in April. On my first day there i went exploring the hotel complex...and i didn't use any suntan lotion and i got burnt!! That was just walking about for a couple of hours. TIP Make sure you use sun lotion!
I stayed outside the main town at the Coral Beach Rotana Resort which is along Safaga Road, this where a number of hotels ... ...on the shopping trip into Hurghada town, the town itself was beautiful, we got to see a Mosque which inside was beautiful (you must be respectfully and appropriatley dressed) to go inside. But we were only allowed to visit 2 shops which were a leather shop and a clothes shop...not egyption clothes i might add but western sports clothes. The guide would't take us to any other shops. : ( We also went to a perfumery where we were told about the perfumes ...
Westfalenlover 13.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hurghada (Egypt)
Advantages: sunshine 365 days a year and loads of water based activities Disadvantages: can't think of any
...on the beach all day. Hurghada is large, quite varied and spreading with all the building going on. There is the old town, Sekalla, new part of town, shopping areas and hotel zone, each with slighlty different charachter. And transport on little mini buses with the locals is cheap and reliable.
The big attraction here is the year round sunshine, ideal for sun and sea worshippers. The water is clear and full of marine life, boat trips to nearby Giftun ... ...is possible to travel to Luxor to the pyramids from here but it is a long journey, 5hrs and only taken on a bus convoy over the 1 or 2 days, but a must do when in Egypt.
Dessert trips are fun, by camel, or quad bike, but again have to be with an organised tour, westerners are not allowed out in the dessert themselves.
Egyptians are friendly folk without coming accross as being too much, like some others. The hotels, mostly beach front, are generally ...
eileen40 02.04.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hurghada (Egypt)
Advantages: Weather, friendly people and loads of daytime activities. Disadvantages: Lack of night life and English people!...
I visited Hurghada in Feb, 2007. The weather was beautiful and it is a lovely holiday destination! The sea was warm enough to swim in and the coral reefs are fantastic! I recommend a diving trip if you visit there, or at least snorkelling! The people are really friendly and the area is nice and safe for children.
There are loads of daytime activities and excursions you can go on. When there, I went on a day-long snorkelling trip on a boat, it was ... ...The horses were in very good condition which I was glad to see!
I think the disadvantages of Hurghada was the lack of night life, I'm sure there was some but I didn't find it!! Also, there were few English people, I think it was predominately a German resort. ...
charm1967 12.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Hurghada (Egypt)
Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly
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Advantages: Complete package to relax. Lovely beach. Clean resort (Makadi) Disadvantages: No shops to walk around close by.
HOTEL
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Gardens is right next door and looks more estabilshed so if its cheaper stay there as you can use both hotels so save some cash.
Highly recc trip to Hurghada Marina we got a minibus for 60epds (approx 8pds) return. Very classy and no hassle lovely to relax and watch the boats mooring we ate in the large Indian and food is 5*.
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Been to Luxor 10 yrs ago on Nile Cruise and a week in Luxor which was great and authentic, nothing prepared me for Sharm in xmas 2007 swore Id never go to Egypt again as I really disliked it especially Nama Bay , but our friends insisted on a easy Egypt and we picked Hurghada- good choice.
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Advantages: Warm, clear, cheap, amazing sights! Disadvantages: Tummy troubles (if you are unlucky)
equipment or hire it for a daily charge.
The flight is only about 4 hours to Egypt and you can fly direct to Hurghada and Sharm-El-Sheikh. If you are visiting Jordan, you will have to fly to Aqaba and then take an internal flight to Amman, which is a pain. If you are going south in Egypt, it will be a road trip of up to 6 hours from the airport, depending upon where you are staying. Every hotal I have stayed in has been lovely, but I have only booked holidays at the higher end of the market (I need a bit of comfort after a hard day's diving after all).
You have the option of doing daily dives (either boat or shore depending upon where you are staying) or going on a liveaboard. This means living on a boat for anything from 3 days to 1 week. The advantage of this is that you can go to more remote dive sites or hopefully get the first ...
