Egypt - Trip Report 08

Rb

Hi all,

Came back from Egypt on the 13th of March, having been there since the 6th with Rach(Pythia). Attached to this post I've put my full trip report, it's in a kind of "blog" form and is quite long, but very detailed as I took the notes down as the week went by whilst there so I'll just post a brief report here on the holiday and let those who are want to know more read the full TR.

Summary:

The hotel:
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Sharm El Sheik (Website). It's an absolutely fantastic hotel in a great location in Sharm.
I've read some negative things on tripadvisor about the place recently, all of which are either completely false or just proof that some people will never be happy.
I would compare the place to a palace, it's really beautiful and the rooms are top class. A lot to do around it also, there's many restaurants hidden amongst the place, bars and 3 swimming pools along with their own private beach which has some of the most beautiful coral in the bay.

There's also a PADI scuba diving centre on the private beach, very well ran and made the diving a very enjoyable experience.

The only negative thing about the hotel is that the food and drink is extremely expensive in comparison to any of the restaurants in nearby Naama bay. One meal there costs almost 3 times the price of a larger meal Naama Bay.


Great Restaurants worth visiting

The Hardrock Cafe in Naama bay is a lot of fun, great service and atmostphere and the prices are extremely competitive. The food is very good and their meat appears to be that of a very high standard.

Little Buddah - Chinese Restaurant/Sushi Bar/Nightclub in Naama Bay.
This place is fantastic and the decorating is really cool inside. Food is to die for, particularly the lemon chicken, and the service was A+ also.

I should mention that both turn into nightclubs late at night, however in Little Buddah you eat downstairs and though it has an open roof area to the upstairs section, the nightclub in no way impedes on your dining experience. Eat at the Hardrock early though, as even though it's fun to actually eat there whilst the nightclub is going, it's not ideal.

Rangoli Indian at the Sofital Hotel, Sharm El Sheik.
A very reputable Indian chef works here and does not disappoint, gorgeous Indian food, different to what we get here, a lot spicier and the portions are huge and very filling. Fantastic view of the bay at night.

La Luna at the Ritz Carlton, Sharm el Sheik.
Wow, this place is amazing. Very upclass restaurant with quite a strict dress code so dress well when going. The food here is absolutely perfect, as is pretty much everything else about it. Book it early to avoid disappointment as the books fill during the afternoon.

All the above are great for a night out. Hardrock is the cheapest, with La Luna being the most expensive.


Tours

All our tours were booked through Longwoods Holidays (Website).

We did a one day trip to Petra in Jordan. Short flights over and back, long drive through the desert but flew as we had a really fun tour guide who entertained us the whole way with historical info/facts/jokes etc.

Then we did a two day trip.
First day was spent in Cairo, visted the world famous museum with all the artifacts discovered in the pyramids, then went to the Pyramids themselves. Our guide wasn't great, quite annoying at times and were glad to be rid of him at the end of the day, yet despite this the pyramids were very much worth going to and are really amazing to see in person.

Second day was a trip through Luxor including Valley of The Kings, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon and a boat trip down the Nile.
Our tour guide was absolutely brilliant, really stand up guy and I'll definitely be privately hiring him when we're there next as he was by far the best guide that we had throughout the holiday.

I have his contact details, if anyone wants to organise a tour in Luxor with him, give me a pm and I'll send them on to you.
From what I could see, there's two types of guides. One wears normal clothing and the others wear sand coloured waist coats and yellow polo shirts. The latter are far better than the former and should be asked for when ordering, as the former are the unprofessional ones such as the guy we had in Cairo.

Have all their names and details, the first tourguide in Petra would definitely be recommended for a private tour so again, if anyone needs the details, drop me a pm.


Diving

We did our diving with Red Sea Waterworld at the Hyatt (website). Our guide was Olga, very professional and helpful. The dive was fantastic and I would recommend that everyone does it whilst visiting.


Conclusion

It was an amazing week in Egypt. The weather was gorgeous, it pushed 40 degrees some days yet it's dry heat. If you're going, be sure to bring hats/sunglasses and plenty of suncream.
The tours were fantastic and I'd recommend doing each and every one of them if you have the time whilst there.
Very active holiday, what with taking in three tours, a day of scuba diving and a day of snorkelling, yet I never felt exhausted and it was certainly a different want to relax than the traditional holiday of sitting around the pool all day every day.

I'd recommend Sharm El Sheik to couples without kids really. There is nothing for children to do there, and they're not really accomodated anywhere, besides the fact that it's absolutely roasting. Saw very few kids over the holiday and I genuinely felt sorry for them, it's an adults holiday really and is really great for childless couples.

It's definitely not a good spot for "lads/girls/stags/hens" holidays, which is something I'm glad of because the place is so relaxed that those kind of groups would have just ruined the atmosphere. There were a few singles about, usually in groups of 2, but they were generally just Egyptians, didn't meet any Irish/English singletons out there whatsoever strangely.

The tours and activities are suitable for the reasonably fit, they're quite testing given the heat and distances of walking involved, but are definitely worth it if you're physically up for it. Again, definitely not something to be doing with a child in tow.

I'm sure I've forgotten parts but everythings included in the attached file including the prices of meals/activities.

So any questions you have on the place, go ahead and ask and I'll do my best.

Rb.

slayerking

What a great review rb_ie...

Headin to Luxor in June, hopefully it will be as good as your trip.:)

Rb

slayerking wrote: »

What a great review rb_ie...

Headin to Luxor in June, hopefully it will be as good as your trip.:)

Luxor is fantastic, lots to see and do so I bet you'll have a great time.

Threw up some photos here from the trip. Only about 1/15th of the amount I actually took though:D

tbh

very interesting review, I've only been to Cairo (for work) but have been thinking of going back on a holiday. Were ye plagued by hawkers at all?

Rb

tbh wrote: »

very interesting review, I've only been to Cairo (for work) but have been thinking of going back on a holiday. Were ye plagued by hawkers at all?

How do you mean?
The guys with stalls who come up to you trying to sell you tacky stuff?

tbh

yeah - a mate of mine went on honeymoon there and he said that it was great, but was ruined because they constantly had guys coming up aggressively trying to sell them stuff. I was only there for three days, and that was just hotel and office next door, but even still I noticed I was getting hassled for tips etc.

QPDB9

Egypt is great... I'd definitely recommend it too. Amazing hotels for the price of a B&B in Galway!

We stayed in Sharm a few years ago in the Concorde hotel. They brought us to our room in a golf cart... We thought there'd been a mistake and we'd end up washing the dishes. Also stayed in the Hilton Dahab... you could defo get used to living like that.

They do hassle you but its like that in all Arab countries (that I've been to anyway) You just have to ignore them, it feels like you're being rude but I don't think they take it personally.

Rb

tbh wrote: »

yeah - a mate of mine went on honeymoon there and he said that it was great, but was ruined because they constantly had guys coming up aggressively trying to sell them stuff. I was only there for three days, and that was just hotel and office next door, but even still I noticed I was getting hassled for tips etc.

Tbh they're verrry easy to ignore. Not a huge amount around the temples in Luxor, there's a few lads in traditional dress that'll try to get you to pay them to take your photo but a quick "no thanks" and they go away. They've stalls set up at almost every monument/sight but they're held out of the way (regulated afaik) and you can easily just walk past. You'll be approached, surely enough, but just don't look at them and continue walking.

They didn't impede on the experience whatsoever. The only really annoying ones were the unregulated taxi scouts in Naama bay in Sharm, some will keep talking to you trying to bargain with you and it ends up being the same price as if you haggled with one of the regulated drivers at the car itself and they won't take no for an answer, however if you say it in an aggressive tone they distance themselves quite quickly!

Petra was the worst for the little stalls and people approaching you but they're very polite in fairness to them.

slave1

Headin to Luxor in June

We were there last year and the following is what you can get done in a week.
In a week we did Cairo Museum, Pyramids, Sphinx, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, Philae Temple, Kom Ombo Temple, a day cruise to Dendera Temple, Unfinished Obelisk, Aswan Dam, Edfu Temple, trip through the desert to Abu Simbel which in my opinion is simply the best of ancient Egypt, Valley of the Kings/Queens/Nobels, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon and a dawn balloon ride across the Valley of the Kings.
We were wrecked when we got back!!!
The place is DIRT cheap, fillet steak meal for €3.50
I found this site invaluable, had everything down to a tee.
Highly recommend the place, people are great and you'll take serious memories home

fletch

I'm just back from two weeks in Sharm El Sheikh and what an amazing time I had. We stayed in the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort. It was an absolutely stunning hotel/resort. We spoke to a few people while there and they never left the complex the entire holiday as there was so much to do. The hotel was about 7km from Naama Bay itself, however there were regular buses organised by the hotel and taxis were so cheap anyway.

I really can't fault the place as a holiday destination, it has everything. LOADS to see and do, perfect weather and very safe. The locals are terrified of losing the tourist industry/being beaten by the cops and wouldn't dare rob/steal tourists. This was confirmed to us when we left one of our wallets in a taxi one night coming home from Naama Bay. About an hour later, the taxi driver arrived back to our hotel with the wallet and not a single pound missing from it.

As for trips and excursions. We did the following. Quad biking in the Sinai desert, €30 for 2 people which included 2 hours of driving (flat out a lot of the time ), lunch in a Beduoin Tent, a swim in the Red Sea and transfers directly to and from your hotel....unbelievable value! :eek:

Next we did a bus trip to Cairo. €40 each included, bus trip to Cairo, entrance to museum in Cairo, entrance to Pyramids/Sphinx, free lunch on a boat on the Nile and 3 stop offs (visited a Perfume factory, Papyrus workshop and a local market). The day in total took 24hours, 14 of which was just the trip to and from Sharm to Cairo. I have to say it was one of the most tiring days of my life and while on the bus, I regretted it, but in hyancith, I'm glad I did it and it was certainly an experience. Not for the faint hearted.

Next trip was a Jeep Safari in the Sinai Desert. Wow, what an experience. Flying through the bumpy desert in the back of a 4X4 followed by 3 other Jeeps, all crazy drivers and racing each other. Again I think we paid only €39 for this trip but got soo much for the money. Another lunch(gorgeous) in a Beduoin Tent cooked in front of us on some kind of reverse Wok over an open fire. Couldn't fault the day. Nearly had a heart attack when one of the Jeeps in our convoy decided to overtake us and the police car in front of us on a single white line on a blind bend...only for the police to smile and wave!

We also visited Cleopark, the local waterpark of Naama Bay. For €18 we got a private car to and from the water park and entrance for the whole day. The water park itself is beautifully designed, using Pharoah's as a theme. Again I felt absolutely safe leaving all my belongings on the lounger all day as I ran around all the slides.

Our last trip was a Snorkelling Trip on the Red Sea. For €40 each, we got a bus to and from our airport, a full day on a beautiful 60foot boat, free lunch and as much drinks(minerals) as you wanted. We stopped 3 times for snorkelling. The water was crystal clear and we saw some amazing fish, including a few sting rays, a 6foot Moray Eel(scary!) and loads of other fish I don't know what they were called.

As regards the locals being aggresive, they are nowhere near as bad as those in Luxor. Yes they can be annoying but you can also learn to have fun haggling with them and when you don't want to speak to them, I know it can be difficult but I found looking at the ground and shaking my head the best thing to do.

We brought €1,000 each with us and struggled to spend our money(everything is so cheap). So much so that on the last day, we booked into our hotel Spa and had a Sea Salt Body Scrub, a Swedish Massage, a facial and a head massage.

Pythia

We flew to Cairo and Luxor. You have to get up early but the flight is less than an hour long. It's not all that expensive to do and is very comfortable.
Fletch, I don't know how you stuck the bus!

Mcloke

Hi,
I would be interested if you could let me know whether you met any female only groups / couples and how they got on with Egyptian men (harrassment). Would love to go to the Red Sea but from personal previous experience Egypt in general is not a comfortable place to travel in female only company.
Thanks
Marie

Rb

Mcloke wrote: »

Hi,
I would be interested if you could let me know whether you met any female only groups / couples and how they got on with Egyptian men (harrassment). Would love to go to the Red Sea but from personal previous experience Egypt in general is not a comfortable place to travel in female only company.
Thanks
Marie

Hi Marie,

I can't recall off the top of my head seeing any female groups/couples. However, in Sharm the men, overall, were very polite and respectable. Being built purposely for tourism means that most of the men you'll see around are either staff of hotels/restaurants/etc or police officers.

It's very different in Cairo though, there was no problems in Luxor either.

I can understand your worry though, how about going with another couple (male/female or male/male) to be sure?

JohnCleary

rb_ie - Look slike you've sold me. I want to go on a 2weeks holiday at the end of August with a little bit of adventure.

Mind me asking what the general cost over there is:
For a meal?
Taxis?
Diving? (I'm already a qualified CFT diver so just want to dive, not learn)

With regards to teh tours - did you just organise those when you were over there from the hotel or had you them prebooked etc?

JohnCleary

Oh, and did you book the lot as a package holiday (If so, with who?) or did you book flights, hotel etc. seperately?

JackieO

Hi Fletch

Great post. Thanks for all the info. You had a busy trip!

Have just booked the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf aswell. Although some very mixed reviews on Tripadvisor are making me kinda nervous now. Its a shame it has no beach proper beach for walking on but not to worry. I'd be interested to hear if you have any tips/pointers re the hotel. I was thinking about upgrading the room to the royal wing but think I might just wait til I get there. Also, how bad is the food in the hotel? Don't want to be going into Naam Bay every night. Is there much to do around the hotel at night.

Sorry for all the questions.

Only trip I think I would be interested in is the quads and maybe a boat trip if there is one!

fletch

JackieO wrote: »

Hi Fletch

Great post. Thanks for all the info. You had a busy trip!

Have just booked the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf aswell. Although some very mixed reviews on Tripadvisor are making me kinda nervous now. Its a shame it has no beach proper beach for walking on but not to worry. I'd be interested to hear if you have any tips/pointers re the hotel. I was thinking about upgrading the room to the royal wing but think I might just wait til I get there. Also, how bad is the food in the hotel? Don't want to be going into Naam Bay every night. Is there much to do around the hotel at night.

Sorry for all the questions.

Only trip I think I would be interested in is the quads and maybe a boat trip if there is one!

The Royal Wing is stunning to be honest, I'm in work now but I will send you some pics tonight (hopefully)

I wouldn't advise getting the bus to Cairo after this news.

With regards to the food, I'm a very fussy eater so I'm not sure. We had one bad experience in the Jolie Bistro (got a plate of cold food meant to be hot) so we never went back, however the Mandarin Chinese restaurant was lovely(albeit expensive compared to the places in Na'ama) and you didn't get near as much food for the money. I'll reply with more details later as I'm off home.

fletch

I wouldn't worry about the lack of a walk in beach to be honest because the whole "beach" area is lovely, you can walk on to the beach but only a few metres as you are not allowed to stand on the coral, here's what the beach area looks like

And the jettys


Here's a few pics of the Royal Wing


Here's also a link to the resort in Google Maps. The hotel is the semi circular building, we were near the end of that and it take a loonngg time to walk from one end to the other, (very annoying at 4a.m. when you arrive back and your swipe card doesn't work )

Oh and by the way, whichever area you stay in, you have access to both swimming pools, the Royal Wing pool even has a restaurant in the middle of it, accessible by a bridge.


I can't really comment on what there is to do at night as most nights we headed in Na'ama or drank in our room

I would definitely advise doing a boat trip, you can get them for about €20 for a full day including 3 stops for snorkelling and lunch/free drinks. Any more questions, just ask. As you can probably tell, I loved my stay in Sharm

JackieO

Hi Fletch

You're a star - thanks a million. The pictures look fab. Feel a lot more comfortable about my decision now.

Can I ask if you upgraded to the Royal wing? Are the standard rooms adequate if not? Might enquire about upgrading this week to see how much it is. I read somewhere that its cheaper to do it before you get there but I'm not sure how true that is or how much it would even cost to upgrade.

Really looking forward to it now I have to say!

cfitz

I'm just back from a week in Cairo. Great fun! Something I wanted to ask other people here tho:

Before we went to Cairo we got the current Lonely Planet and Rough Guide books to do a bit of research.

It had the prices that you should expect to pay for certain journeys around Cairo and it said that you would need to haggle. (Note: I think the prices were based on just 1 passenger where as we always had 3 passengers.)

Anyway, after a day or two of paying well over the odds, we started to get into the swing of haggling properly. By the end of the holiday we got to a stage where generally we would end up waving off the first one or two taxis because we couldn't get them down to a low enough price. Even still, the prices that we paid were substantially higher than those quoted in Lonely Planet.

Perhaps the information in Lonely Planet has not been recently updated? Or has there been a sudden change in transport costs in Cairo?

JackieO

Also, in relation to taxis it sounds like they are all complete lunatics on the road from what I have read on TripAdvisor. Is it as bad as people say travelling in Taxis. I'm a kinda nervous passenger so not looking forward to that element of the holiday!

cfitz

JackieO wrote: »

Also, in relation to taxis it sounds like they are all complete lunatics on the road from what I have read on TripAdvisor. Is it as bad as people say travelling in Taxis. I'm a kinda nervous passenger so not looking forward to that element of the holiday!

Outside of Europe and North America, I haven't travelled much. But I have driven in Marrakech and around Morocco before. Sitting in a taxi in Cairo can be terrifying! You sort of get used to it, but it is crazy. The markings on the road seem to be just there for decoration. Drivers use the horn and their headlamps to signal to each other constantly. Right of way is generally given to the person who dares to take it. In fairness to them, they're well aware of the dimensions of their vehicles

JackieO

cfitz wrote: »

In fairness to them, they're well aware of the dimensions of their vehicles

Oh now I feel an awful lot better!! LOL :D

Seriously though, I will just be closing my eyes and praying for the best by the sounds of things!

Pythia

The driving in Cairo is unbelievably bad. The very worst of Irish driving is the best over there. In Sharm it's a bit better. They do drive very fast and seem to do manoeurves very quickly. Don't worry though, they all know what they're doing.

fletch

JackieO wrote: »

Hi Fletch

You're a star - thanks a million. The pictures look fab. Feel a lot more comfortable about my decision now.

Can I ask if you upgraded to the Royal wing? Are the standard rooms adequate if not? Might enquire about upgrading this week to see how much it is. I read somewhere that its cheaper to do it before you get there but I'm not sure how true that is or how much it would even cost to upgrade.

Really looking forward to it now I have to say!

We didn't upgrade the the Royal Wing, some of the people on Trip Advisor are very fussy and yes the hotel is far from an Irish standard 5 star hotel, however we found the rooms fine, large balcony, huge shower, tv, free broadband connection (if u bring ur laptop), big comfy beds, a two seater sofa and table etc. My only complaint is that I would have liked carpet
Regards the taxis, at first I was nervous but you quickly learn that all drivers on the road are very aware of each other and in a lot of ways, they're probably safer than the lemmings we have here in Ireland. If you ask for a taxi home from the rank in Na'ama to the hotel, they'll try charge you LE80, refuse to pay that and insist you pay LE40. We generally then rounded up to LE50 when we arrived.

JackieO

Thanks Fletch

I'll keep that in mind regarding paying for the taxis.

I'd still be interested in finding out more about upgrading to the Royal Wing. Rang the Travel Agents and they know nothing about it. Might try ringing the hotel. I presume people in hotels and restaurants all speak fairly good English?

Really looking forward to it now. Thanks for all the tips guys. Its great to hear first hand from someone who's actually been there!

mickoneill30

cfitz wrote: »

In fairness to them, they're well aware of the dimensions of their vehicles

Crossing the road in Cairo is a bit mad too. They don't have pedestrian crossings and the traffic never stops. In many places you have to walk out in front of it (it's never going fast) and they'll adjust for you. It's a bit disconcerting. My practice was to stand near a local that was going to cross the road and follow them.

By the way if you get run over following this advice don't blame me. It sounds like daft advice but you'll know what I mean when you see the traffic.

The hawkers in Luxor are head wrecking. Don't bother saying no thanks. Just ignore them (or speak Irish). You'd walk 100m with one guy beside you and as soon as he gave up another would take his place. I've an email address of a private guy that gave us great tours around the temples (not fantastically cheap (by Egyptian standards, but no hassle or trying to upsell, private tours, private vans or taxis or boats taking us where we wanted to go and really, really knowledgeable). If anybody wants it PM me.

It's a great spot. Would recommend to anybody.

JackieO

I suppose thats the one other big worry I have - people hassling you on the streets. From what I've read it seems as though it might not be so bad in Naama Bay as say in Luxor or Cairo. Still I'd say its head-wrecking after a while.

fletch

JackieO wrote: »

I suppose thats the one other big worry I have - people hassling you on the streets. From what I've read it seems as though it might not be so bad in Naama Bay as say in Luxor or Cairo. Still I'd say its head-wrecking after a while.

They're grand in Na'ama Bay, just resist your instinct to look at people when they call you, put your head down and shake to say no, they quickly give up.

cfitz

fletch wrote: »

Regards the taxis, at first I was nervous but you quickly learn that all drivers on the road are very aware of each other and in a lot of ways, they're probably safer than the lemmings we have here in Ireland.

I think the chances of being in an accident in Cairo must be way higher than in Ireland - you'd be in a near miss nearly everytime you got in a taxi!

If you ask for a taxi home from the rank in Na'ama to the hotel, they'll try charge you LE80, refuse to pay that and insist you pay LE40. We generally then rounded up to LE50 when we arrived.

That sounds high to me (it's about a 7km right?). We were paying about LE20 to get from Zamalek to the Pyramids which is over 10km (often with heavy traffic).

Originally Posted by JackieO
I suppose thats the one other big worry I have - people hassling you on the streets. From what I've read it seems as though it might not be so bad in Naama Bay as say in Luxor or Cairo. Still I'd say its head-wrecking after a while.

People have different approaches to these people. I tend to just smile and be good humoured and chatty. Most of them won't bother with more than a few sentences unless they have some reason to think you're going to give them money. If you try to ignore people it just makes the whole experience a bit miserable. But everyone is different I suppose...

mickoneill30

cfitz wrote: »

I think the chances of being in an accident in Cairo must be way higher than in Ireland - you'd be in a near miss nearly everytime you got in a taxi!

In two weeks of Egypt I saw two accidents. One with a guy on a motorbike go over a bonnet. Another was just a bump between a bus and a car.

A taxi I was in underestimated the size of his car and swiped a road workers wheel barrow. It was a 2 second job of reverse and we're off again. He didn't give a crap about the damage to his car.

If you're on a coach don't look at the traffic. I've no idea how they manage to navigate through little gaps that are constantly changing. I was cringing several times. They move slow though so I figured if they bumped something we'd be OK so you have to learn to not watch the traffic.

JackieO

Not really very comforting considering all those tourists were killed on that bus last week. By all accounts the driver was driving like a maniac!

Anyway, I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll be sticking to walking as much as possible and then taxi's when absolutely necessary.

fletch

Just an FYI, the Hotel itself has about 4 taxis that will bring you to Na'ama for LE58 and the drivers are a lot more relaxed. I think they've been told to drive slowly.

Pythia

We got home from Na'ama Bay to our hotel for 25LE.
It was the Hyatt (as above!).
It's all about haggling. Just walk away if you're not happy with the price.

I would not walk to Na'ama Bay town from my hotel. I think it's much safer to get a taxi.

fletch

Now I feel robbed!
I always felt so guilty just giving them LE50 for the trip, LE25 is less than €3! :Eek:

JackieO

I think it would be worth the extra few quid for a car driving at a reasonable pace. I must be getting old!

Just out of interest - did any of you get any vaccinations going to Egypt. www.irishhealth.com recommends Hep A and Typhoid. Think we are probably too late to get them now anyway, and they're probably not completely necessary.

Rb

JackieO wrote: »

I think it would be worth the extra few quid for a car driving at a reasonable pace. I must be getting old!

Just out of interest - did any of you get any vaccinations going to Egypt. www.irishhealth.com recommends Hep A and Typhoid. Think we are probably too late to get them now anyway, and they're probably not completely necessary.

There's some that you really should get. I got mine only a few weeks before the trip but it was better off getting them than not.

Talk to your GP. Those specialising in vaccinations such as the tropical medical place are a scam, asking for €400-€500 for unnecessary vaccinations whilst you can get the ones you actually need for about €150 from your GP.

Rb

fletch wrote: »

they're probably safer than the lemmings we have here in Ireland.

What? Not a hope.

Our housemate lived in Cairo and had it explained to him when he was there, they believe that if Allah wants them to die on the road, he's going to do it regardless of how they're driving, if he wants them to live, they're going to regardless of how they're driving so they just drive in any way that they want.

As Pythia put it whilst were over there, it seems that a little beep of the horn before doing something allows you to do whatever the hell you want while you're on the roads there.

Not to mention the age/condition of most of the cars there. I would say overall the roads over there are considerably more dangerous than here.

The drivers in Na'ama bay are fine though, nothing like those in Cairo. The road is basically one long main road and everything is based beside/slightly off it. There's loads of check points and stuff around the roads also so there's not much of an opportunity for the drivers to pick up too much speed.

Pythia

JackieO wrote: »

I think it would be worth the extra few quid for a car driving at a reasonable pace. I must be getting old!

Just out of interest - did any of you get any vaccinations going to Egypt. www.irishhealth.com recommends Hep A and Typhoid. Think we are probably too late to get them now anyway, and they're probably not completely necessary.

We got the limo once or twice from our hotel, a brand new black Merc with a very good driver. I think it was 80LE (e10 approx) to Na'ama Bay.

The injections are mainly for piece of mind. You probably wouldn't need them, but imagine if you didn't get them and you got one of the diseases. How annoyed would you be (and sick too)!

lindak

Im off to Sharm in July for 2 weeks staying the Hyatt and am really looking forward to it now after reading the review !! We are staying in the standard room which in the brochure says it over looks the red sea !

JohnCleary

lindak wrote: »

Im off to Sharm in July for 2 weeks staying the Hyatt and am really looking forward to it now are reading the review !! We are staying in the standard room which in the brochure says it over looks the red sea !

Mind me asking what the cost is? And who did you book with? ... this is exactly what im intending on doing in August

Make sure you let us know how you get on when you come back!

lindak

I booked with first choice its in their premier catalogue and it was €3000.00 or just under for 2 people for 2 weeks ! Yep i will keep ya posted I think it will never come !

JackieO

Its going to be hot in July/August!

37 degrees there today according to the BBC!

lindak

ye I know but Im used to it ! love the heat LOL

fletch

In Luxor last year, we saw 52degrees celcius! :eek: :eek:

lindak

Well as long as I have a pool and air con Im fine !

Rb

lindak wrote: »

Well as long as I have a pool and air con Im fine !

Yeah don't worry about it, it's dry heat, just use a high factor suncream and spend some of the day in the shade and you'll be grand.

lindak

will do and floating in the pool !!:D

JackieO

Bit of a breeze would be nice too!

32 degrees today.

Mcloke

Thank you for your response and yes from 10years ago I remember the further south we went the easier it got....I do think it may well be a case that we decide to wait and go with another set of friends that option worked well last time....4 guys 5 girls although it was a very different experience (backpacking through Egypt).
When we eventually get there, I will give a full report on the trip although it will be 2009 at the earliest now
Marie

rb_ie wrote: »

Hi Marie,

I can't recall off the top of my head seeing any female groups/couples. However, in Sharm the men, overall, were very polite and respectable. Being built purposely for tourism means that most of the men you'll see around are either staff of hotels/restaurants/etc or police officers.

It's very different in Cairo though, there was no problems in Luxor either.

I can understand your worry though, how about going with another couple (male/female or male/male) to be sure?

D adventure

hey, i am going to egypt next month. Im woundering, how did the money go, is it cheap, expencive.....could u give me some idea, on how much id need for 2weeks....?? I have heard its a tad dangours, is it...?