My name's Emma, and I live in Leeds with my partner. We bought a house a year ago and have now run ...
My name's Emma, and I live in Leeds with my partner. We bought a house a year ago and have now run out of steam on the DIY - it did seem like a good idea when we started. Hobbies include diving, travel, books, internet and keeping our fab aquarium.
Member since:27.05.2004
Reviews:18
Members who trust:1
We went to Marsa Alam 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 and shared toilet/shower facilities. Everything was kept immaculate, and I didn't get a dodgy stomach once, which is unheard of for me in Egypt. Everyone we met was very chilled out, and friendly, and it felt really safe. Safe enough to leave our dive kit out at night even!
Where we stayed, there were people from all over Europe, and no-one was clique-y which meant you could sit and talk with anyone, which was great!
The diving itself was brilliant, with the option of the reef on the doorstop, which meant wading a whole ten metres in full dive kit before dropping below the water. We clocked up divetimes of over an hour for dives there. On top of that there were trips available to Elphinstone (mecca for those wanting to see sharks) and various other places, including the chance to see a dugong (sea cow). Most you didn't have to pay for, others were either 5 euros or the marine park fee. Unlike Sharm and Hurghada, you can dive as many times as you like, included in the price, so if you don't feel like diving, it doesn't matter, as you can dive more the next day and not miss out.
Snorkellers could go on some of the trips too, and there was little current in most places, but maybe the swell would have been daunting for me on occasion.
Final word - fab, but only if you love diving/snorkelling, and want a chilled out break without the nightlife. Probably not suitable for families. Highly recommended!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Oct 4th, 2004
very helpful by (6%):
helpful by (94%):
