Holidays in Tiran Island

Written: 15 july 2010
Travel time: 16 — 30 june 2010
Who does the author recommend the hotel to?: For a relaxing holiday; For families with children
Your rating of this hotel:
7.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms: 10.0
Service: 9.0
Cleanliness: 10.0
Food: 9.0
Amenities: 9.0
Rested at the hotel with a child (13 years old) from June 16 to June 30. The hotel left a good impression. We got to the room very quickly (arrived at 18.00). They gave me a printout with information about the opening hours of bars, restaurants, the beach, etc. The porter showed me how to use the safe. The room was on the ground floor, very comfortable, new furniture, free safe, found a 1.5 liter bottle of water in the fridge. From the balcony you can immediately go outside. No insects were observed in the room, sometimes only small ants could be seen in the bathroom.
Food: food, as many write, was really monotonous. For 15 days, one and the same order is fed up. Of the fruits, only melons, oranges, dates, sometimes green bananas (sweet), 1 time there was grapes. With all the monotony, you will not be hungry. The pastry is very tasty. There are no queues at the restaurant. You can always find a free place (there is another room, as well as a balcony).
Beach: The sea is very close.

Every 15 minutes there is a shuttle bus, but we often walked on foot (5 minutes), because it was nice to walk along the beautiful road to the beach, take photos. There have always been places on the beach. During the day it is completely empty. The pontoon is nearby, short. The sea is excellent. There were no queues at the beach bar for drinks.
Swimming pool: on the first day I came as early as 7.40 to take a seat. There were 2 other people besides me. Then she came at 9:00. There are enough places. By 10 o'clock you can find sunbeds, but the choice is already limited.
Location of the hotel: minus the absence of any civilization nearby. The hotel has shops, but the choice is limited and the prices are higher. Following the advice from the reviews, we went to a supermarket (mini), which is located near the Baron Hotel. They didn't find it right away. From the gate leading to the sea, turn left, walk past the Baron Hotel, Baron Palm, and then there will be a wasteland, after which we found this supermarket. The road will take approximately 20-25 minutes, but in the evening, when there is no sun, you can take a walk.
For shopping, you can go to the NABC area. It takes about 10-12 minutes by taxi. There is a McDonald's, various cafes, banks, a Bacchus Market alcohol store. On the other side of the street there is a Metro store with normal prices. At the end of the walk, you can stock up on all sorts of juices (very tasty - Guava, Mango, Multifruit, Pineapple with coconut juice), water, fruits, chips, etc. You can’t pay with dollars and euros at Metro, so exchange currency. For taxi drivers when traveling to Nabq, for reference, call the Metro or McDonald's, or the Laguna Vista Hotel. When you return, give the name of the hotel in full, and not just Tiran, because there is a Tiran Sharm hotel nearby. We took a taxi from the hotel only one way for $ 7, although it was still possible to bargain, initially asked for $ 15. The taxi driver offered to arrange a round trip right away, assuring us that 2 hours would be enough for us, we refused.
If you sit in a cafe, go shopping, go to the Metro, etc. 2 hours is not enough. From there, you can easily take a taxi and you will not constantly look at the clock.


I took a ticket to Egypt from "TEZ TOUR". Satisfied with the work of the tour operator. On the way back, the flight was delayed by 2 hours. 30 min. , which became known back at the hotel, so there was an opportunity to once again swim and sunbathe. Upon arrival at the airport, all passengers of this flight were invited to a cafe, where they offered us pizza and a drink for free.
The only thing that caused bewilderment was the situation upon arrival in Egypt from Moscow. Taking advantage of the hustle and bustle, the employees of "TEZ TOUR" quickly lined up all their clients at the counters where they issued migration cards and visas, for a visa it was necessary to pay $ 20. In advance, so as not to shine with my wallet once again, I set aside $ 30 for 2 visas. At first, I thought maybe visa prices had gone up.
But next to where visas are officially sold, $ 15 stood in large numbers and there was no queue. The people, out of confusion, laid out $20 each. Those who were not at the front of the queue (like me) had time to think. I asked the question: "Why $20 and not $15? " Teza employees explained this by saying that they themselves would glue the visa. On principle, I refused to pay and bought the same visa in a window for $ 15 per person without any queue. It's not hard to stick it on. I can’t understand why a reputable tour operator needs such a cheap divorce ($ 5 per person), it seems that we are all taken for complete suckers. But since it was at the very beginning of the holiday, in the end I didn’t even remember about it.
Excursions: The guide at the hotel was named Nabil. He was always at the hotel at the appointed time, it was not difficult to find him. I took all the excursions from "TEZ TOUR", because, firstly, there are no street agencies near the hotel, you have to take a taxi and go, and secondly, I thought that it was more reliable with my tour operator.
We went on excursions to Ras Mohammed (bus), to the Abu Gulum reserve, City tour, to the water park, to Petra, to Israel for 2 days. The bus always came on time. Transport is comfortable with air conditioning. The guide himself agreed on dry rations. Lunch was not very good: two hot dogs with a thin piece of tasteless sausage and cheese, an apple or a banana, 3 buns. (the only thing you could eat) and a bottle of water.

I liked all the excursions. On some excursions on certain days there were discounts from 10 to 20 dollars. The guide gave a complete listing of all excursions, their price, schedule (the same can be found on the Internet). Now in order.
Ras Muhammad. I decided to take a bus tour and did not regret it. On the way, you will be brought to the rental point for masks, fins, snorkels. It is better to take your own, so as not to pay once again. Fins rental cost 20 pounds, I don't know the rest. Swimming in two places. I liked the corals. We dined with the Bedouins.
Everything is edible, then there were no problems with the stomach. The tour is tireless. On the way back we were taken to the Old Market. Do not count on taking a walk there, because they are brought to a certain store, from which they probably have interest, there was a Seven-Eleven supermarket nearby, where you can buy water, juices, etc. It has all goods with price tags, except for fruits. In the same supermarket on the second floor there are cameras for shooting underwater and they cost less there.
Abu - gulum. On the way, they will first be brought to the rental point, so do not forget to take your equipment.
The tour is interesting. But it should be borne in mind that there was no air conditioning in the jeeps, so stuffiness .....A camel ride along the seashore is extreme, because you have to go not along a straight, flat road, but along stones, narrow passages, climbs , downhill, by sea. You will ride them for at least 1 hour. 30 minutes in the heat, so take care not only of your shoulders and arms, but also of your legs.
At the end of the tour we stopped in Dahab for shopping (of course, in a special store).
City - tour. We left the hotel at 15.15 (so you can safely spend half a day at sea). It costs $ 10, going somewhere by taxi will be more expensive. There were only 9 people in the minibus. We looked at the mosque, the cathedral, the palace 1001 and one night, brought to the "Old City", then sat on the seashore, where they gave us drinks (already included in the cost of the tour). In general, it's not stressful.

Aquapark. I liked it. Enough slides, there is a good corner for children. I was surprised that there were no queues. There was a sufficient number of rugs, boats, circles. It was $10 more expensive, but it was all inclusive. Using TEZ Tour bracelets, we could dine in 3 restaurants, there was also a snack bar and 2 bars, where all drinks are free for us. At the entrance we were given a printout in Russian (working hours of restaurants and bars). It’s better to go at the end of your vacation so as not to get burned.
Petra (Jordan) Petra is super.
But it is better to take such excursions for two days (but there were none). A lot of time is spent on the road, and not on exploring Petra. We left at 4 am. First to Taba, then 1 hour by ferry, then again 2.5 hours driving. Then - lunch and only at 13.30 we began to explore Petra. During this time, you can see only a small part. It was not very hot, because there are many shaded places in the gorge. When we got to the palace of Al-Khazna, a strong wind arose, which raised dust and sand - some kind of scarf or arafat would not interfere. Everyone returned to the meeting place dirty, ran to the toilet to wash themselves. Souvenir prices are reasonable. If you dine in Petra in the same place where we do, then on the first floor there are a number of shops where prices are lower, and the restaurant itself is on the second. After dinner, if you do not sit around, you can have time to do some more shopping.
Israel We took a 2 day tour. It costs more, but you look more and get tired less. The trip is great.
We were lucky with the weather, there were clouds. The bus was half full, almost everyone sat alone. After Egypt, greenery immediately catches the eye. The border was crossed very quickly. We arrived at the Dead Sea at 4:30. We were told that the parking lot is 2 hours, go and swim. It was dark outside, at first everyone was in shock. But while we were changing clothes, we heard about cosmetic preparations (everything is very expensive in this AHAVA store), it began to get light. The water was very, very warm, there were few people. Super. We got a very good guide, Irina, who bombarded us with interesting information.
I advise you to take as much money as possible, there is where to spend it. People bought beautiful items made of gold, silver, cosmetics, crosses, icons and other souvenirs.

On the first day we visited Jerusalem. Very interesting. Then, of course, they brought it to a special store with inflated prices. Then lunch. On the floor where we had lunch, there were several shops with reasonable prices.
After lunch, you can have time to look into them. Then we went to the Intercontinental Hotel in Bethlehem. Have a rest. In the evening, when there are no people, we calmly visited the Basilica of the Nativity, had dinner in a cafe. Drinks are not included in the price, you have to order for an additional fee, but they always put a jug of water on the table (free of charge). There is a supermarket right next to the hotel, you can drop in if necessary. On the second day we went to Nazareth. After the next store. There you can buy a shirt for swimming in the Jordan, the cheapest one will cost $ 10, and at the bathing place $ 25, although it includes towel rental, a locker room and a certificate that you were baptized in the Jordan River. See for yourself. Then we went to the Lake of Galilee, sailed on a boat. We had lunch and went to the Jordan. We were given 1 hour. On the side of the river, near the fences, some water animals live (otters or nutria, I don’t know). They are completely tame, go out, ask for food.
You can bring some food with you. And next to them is a whole bunch of hefty catfish, who also ask for food, almost crawling out onto the steps. After the Jordan way home. Only yes the border to go 6 hours. There will be toilet stops (all toilets are free). Then there was a stop at the Dead Sea for 30 minutes. We were given drink and food. If you go to the left of the store where we were stopped, there will be a number of cafes, then a store with normal prices. For example, Dead Sea mud in bags was sold in 2 packs for $6, if 3 packs, then even cheaper, and in AHAVA the same for $7, one pack. In 30 minutes you will have time to walk to the store and make purchases.
The tour is very rich and interesting, it is worth a trip.
P. S. I described the situation at the time of my stay, it may be different at another time.
I completely forgot, when leaving the hotel I was presented with an invoice for paying for telephone conversations made from the phone from the room.

There were 2 dates and 15 calls to one phone, as they later found out that it was McDonald's. I didn't call at all. Try to prove. It helped that I was in Israel one of these days, as evidenced by the stamp in my passport. And the other part of the calls of the ball was made 5 minutes before I got on the bus for an excursion to Israel. Then they, having examined the passport up and down, agreed that I would not pay for calls when I was not in Egypt, but the other part of the calls) that were made 5 minutes before departure) were forced to pay. It was a clear failure on the line. Their phones in the hotel are paralleled. There were cases when the phone in my room rang early in the morning and they woke me up for an excursion, although I was not going anywhere, and the guide in front of Israel called my room to tell me the exact time of departure, but did not get through, because. all the time raised some Italian.
So, the fool understands that if there were calls from my phone in my absence, then there are problems with the phone. It's useless to prove. The amount was not very large - 10 dollars, but here it is already a matter of principle. I said let them call the guide. The guide, thank you very much, immediately arrived, settled everything, we remembered the case when he called me, but ended up in another room. All in all, everything went well. But, on the other hand, if, by a lucky chance, I would not have been in Israel at that time, I would have had to pay in full, and the amount on the bill could have been much higher. I don't know if this is a common occurrence or if this is an isolated incident. Tip: if you suspect that the phone is not working properly, report it to the reception and check the bills not just before leaving, so that there is time to sort everything out.

Have a happy holiday. I would be glad if my story helped someone.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original