Tag: Hurghada

In the month of November we travelled to Hurghada from Manchester airport flying with Tui. We booked in the Clayton Hotel which is a couple of minutes walk from the Terminal the night before we flew out. Fortunately we were able to leave our car at the hotel which made things a lot easier.

Accommodation

having booked to stay at the 5-star Sunrise Crystal Bay Resort. The hotel was in a decent location, about a 20 minute drive from Hurghada Marina. We had booked last-minute with TUI and paid £600 each for a week which we felt was a decent price for what we experienced. When we arrived at the hotel we were checked-in quickly and with no fuss. Our cases were taken up to our rooms for us and arrived within 5 minutes. The rooms were very spacious and nicely decorated. All of the expected toiletries were provided as well as robes and slippers. The hotel itself is a fairly decent size at 364 rooms, and overall the standard definitely felt 5-star.

Food and Drink

There were several al-a-carte restaurants to try out including Egyptian, Asian, Seafood and Greek. You could eat at each one of these restaurants during a 7-day stay. The food in each of the al-a-carte restaurants were nice but did not always taste authentic. There was also a beach restaurant open for lunch with full waiter service and a great view of the beach. We spent many a lunchtime having a few glasses of wine and a bite to eat overlooking the sea.

Pool Scene

As we stayed in November the temperature does get rather cool in the evening so be sure to take a jacket and a pair of trousers or jeans for sitting out comfortably. However it was sunbathing weather during the day and also one of the pools was heated so their was no issue with jumping into the pool. Unfortunately the swim up bar was in the unheated pool so it was too cold for us to sit in there, although there were some very brave people who did. There were plenty of sunbeds available and the staff would bring us beds and place them where we wanted each day.

Out by the sea there are some lovely cabanas which are not chargeable unlike at a lot of hotels which charge extra for the privilege. The cabanas were very comfortable for lying on, with large bean bags in front of them and as they were located around a cove they were ideally situated for a quick dip in the sea. The sea was a fair bit warmer than the unheated swimming pool, a bit cold when you first got in but not for long. As we went in November the days were quite short and sunset was relatively early at about half past four. Waiters wandered around the grounds and cove taking drinks orders which saved having to walk to the bar. The range of cocktails was extensive and they tasted good!

Entertainment

On an evening there was entertainment but it was fairly low key. There wasn’t much to do on an evening and as it was a bit chilly outside we didn’t always watch the entertainment. However the lobby bar was open 24 hours and the bar staff were entertaining in their own right. They entertained us on a number of evenings with Tom Cruise style cocktail making. They built towers of glasses on the bar, poured Sambuca from the top and then set the alcohol on fire. The cocktails they made were of a good standard with fancy fruit to decorate the glass. If it hadn’t been for the bar staff the evenings would have been much quieter. We did meet a lot of lovely people though. We also took the opportunity to wander into the sister hotel next door for a change of scene (and bar!).

Location

There isn’t a great deal to do immediately outside of the hotel although there are a few shops within walking distance. However there are many different excursions available including boat trips and diving.

Submarine Boat Trip

We opted for a submarine boat trip which was actually a boat with windows below sea level. The boat trip also included snorkeling at a coral reef that was quite spectacular, both coral and fish.

A lot of the people on the boat decided to snorkel near to the boat, however one of the crew members got in the water with us and took us a bit further to where the main coral reef was. Whilst we were snorkeling he would point to colourful, large fish in case we had missed them and explained to us what type of fish they were. We were able to snorkel for a good hour or so which we really enjoyed. The snorkels were provided by the boat crew but of course you could take your own equipment along if you have it. They also put out a floating island on the water which was fun to climb on and try and stand on, trickier to accomplish than it sounds!

Summary

This was our second time to Hurghada; on our first visit we went out a bit more as we were closer to the Marina but we did go for two weeks on that holiday whereas on this occasion we only went for a week. If we were to return to Hurghada we would probably choose a hotel with more going on on an evening and at a time of year when it is a bit warmer on an evening.

Hurghada offers all year round sunshine therefore is a good place to go for winter sun. It is also very cheap in the winter months compared to other winter destinations like the Caribbean. You get a good standard of hotel for half the price of the Caribbean. We will definitely go back to Hurghada and hopefully visit Luxor the next time.

Images

Things to do

• Go scuba diving
• Go snorkeling
• Visit the marina
• Go on a submarine
• Visit Cairo
• Go on a quad bike in the desert
• Visit Luxor

Top Tips

• Go on a boat trip as they are very reasonably priced and good fun.
• Hotels nearer the Marina offer a chance to get out of the hotel more as there are bars, restaurants and shops near by.
• Many of the hotels in Hurghada are not close to anything apart from a few shops so choose your hotel and location wisely depending on if you want to just relax within the hotel grounds or prefer to have more withing walking distance.
• Check out the best time to visit Hurghada as Egypt temperatures during the summer months are very high, however during the winter months it can get chilly of an evening.
• Take water shoes when going snorkeling as some the coral and rocks can be pretty sharp.
• Take plenty of medicines as many people who visit Egypt do seem to suffer from an upset stomach.
• Check out other destinations we have visited in Africa Tunisia , Agadir , Cape Verde , Sharm El Sheikh, Cairo
• Check out the government website for safety and security advice when visiting Hughada https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt

Weather

Temp – Celsius Rain – mm	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High Temp	21	22	25	29	33	34	35	34	33	29	26	22
Low Temp	11	12	15	19	22	24	25	25	24	20	16	12
Rainfall	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	1
Number of days	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0