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The East is a delicate matter, or How not to spoil your holiday in Egypt

19 September 2019 • Travel time: with 01 March 2019 on 15 March 2019
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Oh, how many wonderful discoveries we have

Cooking enlightenment spirit

And experience, son of difficult mistakes,

And genius, friend of paradoxes

A. S. Pushkin

Hello, dear friends, like-minded people and travelers!

I often re-read your reviews, and it becomes sad from so many ruined vacations. But in many ways the success of our holiday depends on us. There's nothing worse than ruining your vacation for your hard-earned money. I wanted to help tourists, to share my own experience. It's not because I'm so smart, it's because I myself made a bunch of unnecessary mistakes, and you need to learn from mistakes. Better, of course, on strangers.


Remember the main thing: you need to choose a hotel as meticulously as a husband, you will have to be together for at least 7 days of your life. And one more thing: there are no absolutely ideal hotels, as well as husbands, and if there are, then for some reason you didn’t get it. Everyone has their flaws, the only question is how acceptable this flaw is for you.

I have already visited Egypt 22 times, and God forbid I will visit again. I love the Red Sea! You can often read on the site from “crowned” or who imagine themselves to be such travelers that only “rogues” go to Egypt and it’s better to collect money and go to the exotic instead of several vacations to hated Egypt. Do not listen to anyone: love the exotic - go to the exotic, love Egypt - relax in Egypt.

Egypt has a ton of loyal fans, like divers or snorkeller maniacs (I'm in the latter category). As for money, if you have too much of it, you can go on a rampage in Egypt so much that the Seychelles “didn’t lie around. ”

Egypt's advantages: not far away, cheap, season almost all year round, good for both adults and children, all-inclusive system, incredible historical excursions, and of course the SEA, which only the Great Barrier Reef can compare with. If you are interested in all this, then let's start choosing a resort and a hotel, because the success of your holiday will largely depend on this.

You need to clearly understand what you want to get from the rest, prioritize the points right away:

  • Do you need a relaxing holiday or a constant party? If it's a party, then it's best to take Sharm or Hurghada, moreover, in the central areas of these resorts, where there are promenades, many bars, restaurants and discos. If you need to escape from civilization, then Soma Bay, Makadi, El Quseir, Safaga, Marsa Alam will do.

  • If you plan excursions, then:

  • Moses Mountain, Israel, Jordan - book a hotel in Sharm, Dahab and Taba. If not from the Sinai Peninsula, then you can get on the tour only by plane (and this is many times more expensive).

  • Cairo - Sharm, Hurghada, El Gouna, Makadi.

  • Luxor - Hurghada, El Gouna, Makadi, Soma Bay, El Quseir, Safaga, Marsa Alam.

  • Aswan and Abu Simbel - Hurghada and the whole south.


  • If the priority is a huge territory and the first line, then in Sharm and Hurghada such hotels will cost a lot. But in the "villages" there is no tension with the territory.

  • If you need Russian-speaking staff and 70% of compatriots, then to a greater extent it is Sharm and Hurghada.

  • Sandy entrance to the sea, no coral, "Kirillovka" all year round - Naama Bay in Sharm, Hurghada, partly Makadi, Soma, partly Safaga.

  • “Cool” coral - some areas of Sharma, Dahab, Taba, partly Makadi, some hotels in Hurghada, a large number of hotels in Marsa Alam.

  • Food and alcohol will not depend on the resort, but on the hotel.

  • Service and cleanliness depend on the top management and the conscientiousness of the staff.

    • Do you think you should plan your vacation yourself or rely on a travel agent? Remember: your rest is important only to you. The travel agent may have their own tastes and preferences, not the fact that they coincide with yours. You wouldn't ask a stranger to choose a life partner for you, would you?

    When we were in Egypt for the second time, it almost became the last one, the disappointment from the hotel chosen by the travel agent was so strong. We, a young, active couple who love corals and fish, found ourselves in a remote Egyptian village called Safaga, in an ancient and shabby hotel with poor food, disgusting service and lack of entertainment. The coral was completely absent, and in order to see at least some fish, you had to go into the water with a long loaf and wait half an hour. 98% of the contingent were elderly Germans. Germans 60+ sunbathed exclusively topless, from which we had to “pour fear” with whiskey.

    Sorry, I got distracted. So, we decide on priorities and read reviews. We read a lot and carefully, especially the negative ones. Why negative? Yes, because either you will choose another hotel, or you will be mentally prepared for some shortcomings, and even with the help of simple actions you can reduce them to nothing. I'll tell you with examples:


  • The water in the pool is highly chlorinated, the pool is dirty or unheated - and if you don’t like pools at all, you swim only in the sea, is this a disadvantage for you? Apparently not.

  • Do not settle until 14.00. And you have an arrival at 16.00, for example, then it's not a problem. And if at 7.00, then what to do? Many people do this: they come to the hotel in a sheepskin coat and boots (for example, in December), sit in front of the reception and drill the workers with a hawkish look, and even better every 15 minutes they swear and shout. Or they pay a considerable sum of money, which is also unpleasant for a tourist. So you have an early flight. We read the reviews, if the reviews say that they don’t check in early, then we take light things (dress, shorts), a swimsuit, swimming trunks and a large but thin towel in hand luggage. We change clothes in the toilet, wash ourselves, put ourselves in order. We collect valuables and money, leave luggage at the reception. We lay a towel on a sun lounger on the beach or near the pool and begin to relax without wasting precious time. And if the reviews do not write about it? Then ask about it on the site.

    • Tip: if you arrive in Egypt during the cold season, then at the Egyptian airport, change clothes and change into "summer" shoes.

  • Do not feed or drink until settling in. Or we buy breakfast and water at the hotel, or we take sandwiches with something non-perishable, chocolate, nuts, fruits, etc. from home into hand luggage. continuation of paragraph 2 do not spoil your vacation.

  • Small territory. Find some promenade for walking. Here you will not change anything, you need to accept it as it is.

  • No snacking between meals. Take nuts, seeds or chips from home. Buy fruit at the supermarket.

  • Meager food - find paid cafes in the resort and “eat up” there, or go on a diet.

  • "Ugly" alcohol - stop drinking, bring from home or buy in duty free.

  • Boring, weak animation - think over entertainment for the evening in advance, bring games, a fun company, go for a walk.

  • “Weak” reef - take boat trips, find a “wild” bay near the hotel and swim to neighboring hotels, it might be more interesting there.


  • There are no bath accessories, bathrobes and slippers - bring your own or buy.

  • Noisy - bring ear plugs.

  • Dirty, boorish staff, theft, poisoning - choose another hotel.

    • Tip: Be sure to look at the map when choosing a hotel. She will tell you a lot: is there a reef, a bay, a pontoon, how many hotels, shops, restaurants are nearby, how far are the sights.

    Disadvantages are often subjective, for you it is a disadvantage, but for someone it may be an advantage. Very significantly, the assessment of the hotel depends on the author of the review, on his previous experience, and even on the priorities and character warehouse. The site allows you to go to the personal account of each tourist and read all his previous reviews. Of course, I trust authors more who have a lot of reviews, and if the author visited the same hotel as me, and our opinion coincided, then I will pay special attention to the opinion of such a tourist. If the vast majority of tourist reviews are negative, moreover, for hotels with a good rating, then, most likely, the opinion of such a tourist will not affect my choice. Also, my priorities are likely to be different from the opinion of "newbies".

    The assessment of a tourist largely depends on the price of the tour, because what you can and should "close your eyes" to in a cheap hotel is not very acceptable in "luxury" level hotels. But sometimes it happens that a tourist from a cheap 4 * expects something incredible. The more information we have about the upcoming vacation, the better we prepare for it, the more realistic the expectations are, the less likely we are to be disappointed.

    You should be very careful about hotels with a lot of negative reviews in the last 12 months. And in general, look at the reviews for previous years less, the owner, management, chef, concept could change in the hotel, and this led to a drop or improvement in the level. Often the opinion about the hotel depends on the staff: how they clean, cook, entertain, serve, take care of the territory.


    If you have a specific question about a hotel and there is no information in the reviews, feel free to ask. Unfortunately, some "experts" go to the "questions" section to quarrel or "troll", do not pay attention. You can write a private message to a specific tourist.

    Tip: When choosing a hotel, don't pay too much attention to the star rating. There are in Egypt both solid expensive 4* and cheap unpretentious 5*, some 3* ratings are higher than some 4* and 5*. The stars are more dependent on the line of the hotel, the size of the territory, the number of rooms and pools. Often in 4 * the kitchen is better than in some 5 *, and in some 5 * they can be rude in such a way that they won’t be able to even in 3 *.

                                                                                                          What

  • Territory. Some hotels have made the grounds a piece of landscape art, while others have left them unkempt or small. See how much you prioritize it.

  • The line from the sea - there are 3 of them.

    The first is a hotel on the coast (this is great, but such hotels are more expensive, and some hotels have such a huge territory that it’s still not close to the sea); the second - to the sea 0.5-2 km, or the hotel and the sea are separated by a road; the third - from 2 km (moreover, the hotel can be of any category, even 5 *). Read the reviews, if the hotel is not on the first line, and you either like to walk, or the hotel feeds the tourist “for slaughter”, then the second line is even a “plus”.

    And if the transfer to the beach is well organized and a comfortable bus runs every 30 minutes, then you can not be afraid to choose the 2nd or 3rd line.


  • Bay or open sea. The difference is that it will be very stormy in the open sea, especially November-March, it will be possible to swim for a couple of hours a day maximum, and even then not every day, and in closed bays you can swim even in January. If you are not a “waterfowl”, then you can safely take hotels without a bay (in Sharm, for example, this is the Nabq region, the regions of Hurghada). The hotels there are of a class level, and at the entrance to the sea, “paddling pools” up to 2 meters deep are usually cleared, in which you can safely “soak”. For those who like to snorkel in the New Year, the bay is better. The map will help you choose.

  • Reef. For me personally, this is my #1 priority. The problem is the following: it is the descriptions of the reefs in the reviews that are extremely subjective. The reefs in Egypt are completely different, their structure, palette and architecture can be very different even in two neighboring hotels. It is very difficult to describe the coral in words, many tourists simply use the words “wow” or “super”, but in fact it turns out that there are 5 butterflies swimming in 2 rows. If this is important for you, then watch underwater photos and videos, if a tourist says that this is the best reef he has seen, look in his personal account where he was before, or ask a question.

  • Number. Do not believe those who say that all Egyptian hotels have the same rooms. Different hotels use both oriental and European styles in decoration, designers are often invited. The size of the rooms also differ.

  • Infrastructure. There are hotels around which there is only desert for many kilometers, there are hotels on the main streets. The choice is up to you.

  • Food. It depends on the skill of the chefs, sometimes the choice is small, but tasty, like at home, and sometimes instead of food you will be offered a huge selection of different products spoiled in a variety of ways.

  • Alcohol. In Egypt, it is not of very high quality, but in some hotels it is quite possible to use it, and in some it can only be used to wash the toilet.

  • Entrance to the sea - from the shore or pontoon. If you need a cool reef, then it is better to choose a pontoon and, having put on equipment, immediately plunge into the sea kingdom. Just keep in mind that in some hotels the pontoon can reach a length of 1 km.


  • Service. Absolutely independent of the stars of the hotel. It depends on the management, and sometimes it depends on you. Be friendly, treat the staff with respect, do not forget to thank (including financially), and people will be drawn to you. And, probably, it should not be reminded that racist statements from the guest will not make their stay more comfortable. Always be human. However, unfortunately, it happens that nothing depends on the guest, it is simply customary to be rude in the hotel.

  • A hotel oriented towards children or adults. There are a huge number of hotels with excellent playgrounds, water parks, gentle sandy entry into the sea and children's animation. Why, then, do some parents stubbornly drag their children to boring "retirement" hotels without entertainment, children's company and entry into the sea along a pontoon or coral, spoiling the rest for themselves and the child? Especially in hotels with cascading stairs and no elevator? And if you are a couple or an elderly person and you need peace and quiet, then do not choose frankly "children's" and noisy hotels. There are hotels that can be called conditionally “adults” (accommodate both adults and children, but the conditions for children are not very suitable, and there are few children there), and there are specialized hotels only for adults, mostly these are hotels of the “luxury” level, the cost rest in them is “not for children”.

  • Entertainment. There are hotels with very "cool" animation, there is complete relaxation, where even music does not play on the territory. Take your pick.

    • Some more nuances:

  • The most important thing is to check passports, vouchers, money (including bank cards) 10 times before leaving. Make copies of documents and put them in your luggage, save copies on electronic media. Take money with a margin just in case (a credit card is fine). Take cash too.

  • Read carefully the reviews about the selected hotel, look at the weather forecast and correctly form a list of things: swimwear, swimming trunks, beachwear and shoes, clothes and shoes for the evening, depending on the weather, possibly warm clothes. In hotels, a dress code for the evening is possible, but everyone probably knows that you don’t need to come to a restaurant for breakfast and lunch with an open torso or in a swimsuit (unfortunately, not everyone thinks that this applies to them). In expensive 5 * you will look strange in "pants", and in a simple 3 * evening dress is not entirely appropriate.


  • A first aid kit is a must - it is better to stock up on extra medicines and never open the first aid kit than not to take something vital. If your hotel is in the desert, then the price of medicines in the hotel will be "draconian".

  • Swimming equipment - I consider it a must in the Red Sea. You will not see such beauty of the underwater world anywhere else. Beginners may say that they are not interested in coral and fish, and that they do not need a mask. And how do you know that you are not interested, you have not tried it? Take for starters at least a simple mask, one for two. And avid snorkelers simply need a good mask (regular or full-face - a matter of taste). For long swims, if you like, fins are very useful. Buy good ones on special sites, choose for yourself according to the description of their functions. A wetsuit is needed if you swim for a long time and in a relatively cold season. In it, you can do kilometer swims even in January and, moreover, save both on a ticket and on medicines. Good equipment can last 10 years and pay off in full. I don’t understand coral slippers, you can’t swim in them like in flippers. Usually hotels with a good reef have a pontoon or even a sandy entrance, and if the entrance is on a dead coral cover, you can still go in carefully and put on flippers. Having an underwater camera will allow you to capture the beauty of the sea for years and enjoy reviewing photos and videos on cold winter evenings.

  • Guides at the hotel. I rarely met good guides. The main task of a typical guide is to "sell" the tour, they are no longer interested in you. Prices for excursions are significantly overpriced, but there is no difference in quality. It is very infuriating when they intimidate, be rude or angry when they “push in”. Look on the Internet for videos from various excursions, choose what you like, find an agency there or on the street, and at least ask the price. It is extremely rare, but a miracle happens - the guide has a promotion, its price is equal to the price of a street agency.

  • All Inclusive and more. During the holidays, many tourists try to recoup the ticket and even come with a profit, practically settling in a bar or restaurant. There are other ways to "recapture" a ticket. Arrange yourself a tour of the city, find an interesting place on the Internet and go there on your own, if possible, swim in the neighboring bays, find a “wild” bay and snorkel there. Study the map. Or maybe a nature reserve near you? Visit an interesting restaurant, try something you have never tried before. In the end, "squeeze" the maximum out of the rest.


  • Lyrics. In eastern countries, including in Egypt, local men are very "greedy" for our women. This is due to religion and culture: an Egyptian cannot enter into a relationship with a local Muslim woman without marriage, and marriage is not formalized without paying a serious bride price. Sometimes a man is forced to collect money for decades in order to get married. But the Egyptians involved in the tourist business began to enter into "free" relationships with tourists with great enthusiasm. To do this, they masterfully mastered the Olympic sport of "driving over the ears. " The words “I love you”, “my karaleva”, etc. are learned immediately in the field of the words “hello” and “goodbye”. Even if you come as a couple, this will not stop the local Kazans. You can be bombarded with compliments, even in spite of the “samovar” puffing unhappily nearby. Well, if the girl came alone. . . This is a feature of culture, don't take such "lubla" too close to your heart. They have half the hotel like this.

  • Historical excursions are exactly what you need to visit Egypt at least once. This country has a truly great history, and the ancestors left unique architectural monuments to the Egyptians. You can walk around the Cairo Museum for hours and never get tired of marveling at the greatness of the ancient Egyptian civilization. The splendor of ancient architecture is a separate issue. Of course, some perceive the Great Pyramids, the Temple of Karnak, the Colossi of Memnon and other colossal structures of antiquity as a pile of stones. However, remember exactly when the structures were built, with the help of what primitive tools and technologies. Many scientists still doubt whether these creations are human hands. Isn't it worth a few hours of your vacation and a few dollars? Don't you really want to see with your own eyes the only one of the surviving Wonders of the World?


  • Sea excursions. They are different: there are really worthwhile trips to unique reefs, where you can see magnificent rare corals, swim in a school of dolphins, next to a turtle or a dugong. And there are trips, I call them “for show off”, there is nothing interesting there, they usually call some island “Maldives”, unload a tourist there and slowly “bake” him under the scorching sun for a couple of hours. Then massage or foam disco on the yacht is possible. Typically, such excursions are very expensive, and the guide proudly adds the prefix “super”, or even “super-duper” to the name of the excursion (moreover, this is not a joke). Choose to your taste.

  • As for diving, the Red Sea has unique places with incomparable reefs, living creatures such as hammerhead, tiger, whale, reef sharks, manta rays, eagles, moray eels and other representatives of marine fauna, as well as many sunken ships. It's very interesting, you won't regret it. You can get training and get a diving certificate at any Egyptian resort.

  • Filing a "divorce" with the hotel is an extreme, but sometimes the only effective way to save the rest of the vacation. If you made a mistake in choosing a hotel, you were rude, robbed, harassed, and the level of cleanliness, food and service resembles hell, demand a replacement of the hotel. Your travel agent or guide from a tour operator (the same one who, upon arrival, offered you an excursion to a super-duper paradise island “virtually for nothing”) should help you in this matter. Most likely, you will need to pay for a taxi yourself, and perhaps relocation will also be with an additional charge if you choose a more expensive hotel. But isn't it worth saving the rest of the holiday? Therefore, always have some money in reserve, and in your head a list of hotels you would like to visit, preferably in this region. The hotel management will definitely pay attention to the large number of "settlers" and will begin to look for reasons and culprits. Maybe this will start a change for the better.

    • And finally, I would like to ask you not to be lazy to write reviews, the more there are, the more objective the assessment of the hotel, the higher the chances that the management will "work on the mistakes" and will strive to keep the "high bar". You took knowledge from this "piggy bank", share your own in return. In addition to the review on the site, fill out a questionnaire at the hotel. But please, try to be objective, do not be fooled by the requests of the staff (especially the animators) to put the "five" if this is not the case. This can relax management, and you will do other tourists a disservice.


    I tried to briefly “embrace the immensity”, maybe it will be useful for someone. If any aspect needs to be disclosed in more detail, write. It will be great if you share your tips and observations.

    Have a good rest, if you have any questions, write, I will answer with pleasure!

    Adding my own video to illustrate the story

    https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=3rBbq0K5jnQ&t=10s

    https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=b8Tf4-vHe2g

    https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=z9DiAZyIvJ0&t=9s

    https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=WYpKO5LKOiE&t=20s

    https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=YzEBmSmm9pI

    https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=q0ba0w9huuA

    https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=8fhHIUylkes

    https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=VuR1Z-W8DRY

    Translated automatically from Russian. View original
    To add or remove photos in a story, go to album of this story
    Экскурсия риф Сатайа
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