Hurghada – Resorts of Egypt
Hurghada was the first in the country to start accepting foreign tourists “en masse”. Two conclusions follow from this: the beaches here are really the best on the entire coast, and many hotels are already “aged”. In fact, they are mostly inexpensive. Compared to Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada is cooler, as the resort is not surrounded by mountains. It is closer to Luxor, which is much more convenient for excursions.
Most vacationers in Hurghada are married couples, often with children (especially in autumn, when the climate is mildest), and there are also many pensioners who combine holidays on the warm sea with excursions to the sphinxes and pyramids.
how to call
8-10-20-65-phone number
Desired phones
Tourist Police: 446-765,
Police Department: 446-359,
Hospital: 446-740,
Airport: 442-831.
Climate
Average temperature in Hurghada area in C (day/night/water): January (21/11/20), February (22/11/18), March (24/14/20), April (27/17/23), May (30/21/26), June (32/24/27), July (33/24/28), August (35/25/28), September (31/23/29), October (29/29) 20/26), November (26/16/24), December (23/13/22).
Beaches
The beaches in Hurghada are gentle, but not all hotels will have open sea, fine and clean sand. Most often these are artificially deepened lagoons. Sometimes it is not very noticeable, and sometimes the water in the lagoons is quite muddy. Many hotels have a “house reef” – corals near the beach, where you can see the fish. But often because of the same corals it is impossible to enter the sea barefoot.
As a rule, the hotel provides free sunbeds and umbrellas to vacationers. There are also city public beaches, the entrance to which costs 5-10 LE – but this is only relevant for city hotels without their own beach.
Food
Affordable and high-quality restaurants in Hurghada: Fish House and Hefny’s, Egyptian cuisine restaurant El Masry, a chain of inexpensive restaurants Summer Land. Expensive popular restaurants: Felfela, Russian restaurant Maxim, Chinese restaurant at the Grand Hotel. Local “fast foods”: McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut.
Excursions
Aquascope trip ~40 USD, Submarine trip (only in Hurghada) ~55/30 USD (adult/child), national oriental show “One Thousand and One Nights” (Alf Leila Wa Leila) ~20/10 USD, a trip to Luxor and the Valley of the Pharaohs ~ 60/30 USD, a trip to Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza (1 day, bus) ~ 70/35 USD, a trip to Cairo (1 day, plane) ~ 220/170 USD, Cairo – Alexandria ( 2 days, bus) ~140 USD, safari on four-wheeled motorcycles ~35 USD, fishing on a yacht ~30/15 USD, diving – from 45 USD for a trial dive, “jeep safari” ~25/15 USD, a trip to the Monastery of St. Catherine ~ 160/80 USD, coral islands ~ 35/15 USD, “Singing Fountains” ~ 20/10 USD, a trip to the Monastery of St. Anthony and St. Paul ~ 40/20 USD.
A PADI diving course with a certificate (5 days) will cost 250-300 USD, depending on the center. One day of diving (together with the rental of a boat and equipment) – from 40 USD.
Entertainment
The vast majority of restaurants, shops, discos are concentrated in the old and new centers of Hurghada, as well as in the resort tourist area near the Grand hotel. Popular discos: Kalabush (at Arabia hotel), Crystal (at Aquafun hotel), Caligula disco at Le Pasha hotel, Calypso entertainment complex (next to El Tabia hotel).
Popular pubs and bars: Sultan Beach Hotel Disco Pub, Papa’s Bar Pub (European Style), Music Box Pub next to Shedwan Hotel. Popular Arabic cafes where you can smoke hookah and drink local soft drinks are located in the new center: these are Sokkarea, Mashrabia and others. The entertainment complex “Thousand and One Nights” (Alf Leila Wa Leila) has many restaurants, an Arab national show, belly dance, horse tricks, etc.
Water slides are available at the Titanic, Golden 5 City, Reemyvera, Beach Albatros, Albatros Family Resort and Sindbad hotels. For guests of other hotels, the entrance to these slides is paid.
OTHER RESORTS IN HURGHADA REGION
El Gouna – 25 km north of Hurghada, Red Sea coast. The resort is designed in a peculiar way: the hotels here are located on the islands, along the channels between which small boats carrying tourists ply. Management in the local hotels is carried out, as a rule, by the largest hotel chains, such as Movenpick, Sheraton, Steigenberger. All hotels are interconnected by fixed-route taxis (paid), and boats run through the canals (fare depends on the hotel). Only two hotels in the resort – Club Med and Movienpick Resort – have direct access to the sea, from the rest you need to sail to the sea beach by boat or swim right in the canal.
An important point: swimming in the canals is not allowed everywhere, but only in specially adapted areas.
Almost all the beaches of El Gouna in the sea have shallows with a length of up to 500-600 m: it is very convenient for families with children, but adult swimmers may not like it.
El Kafr Island is the center of El Gouna. There are a lot of shopping malls, restaurants and bars. Zeytuna Island is an island-beach with restaurants, where vacationers are delivered by boat. Other attractions are an aquarium (free entry), a small historical museum, an open El Arena disco (the largest on the entire coast), a fish restaurant at the Movenpick hotel, a fashionable golf club, a go-kart track, a cinema.
Makadi Bay is a new promising tourist area located on the Red Sea, 20 km south of Hurghada. So far, the hotels built here are administratively part of Hurghada, but in the next 5-10 years this stretch of coast will develop into a separate resort with its own infrastructure. Makadi Bay is considered one of the most respectable resorts on the coast and offers holidays in 4-5 * hotels, and a very decent level. The main food system here is “all inclusive”.
The resort is mainly focused on a secluded, relaxing holiday, as well as holidays with children. It may seem boring for young people here: all bars, restaurants, discos, etc. are concentrated only on the territory of hotels.
Each hotel has its own section of the beach. The beaches are sandy, not far from the coast there is a small coral reef. The entrance to the sea is sandy almost everywhere, and only on the beaches of the Iberotel Makadi Oasis, Iberotel Makadi Beach and Iberotel Makadi Saray Resort hotels will you need special shoes to enter the water.
Soma Bay is a new resort located in picturesque secluded bays 30 km south of Hurghada. The coral reefs here are especially beautiful, the beaches are sandy, and the hotels are only “five” (including hotels of the Intercontinental and Sheraton chains). Like Makadi Bay, this resort is formally part of Hurghada. It can be recommended to those who love a quiet, quiet holiday by the sea, water sports, diving and quality service. Soma Bay has a golf club and the third largest spa center in the Middle East with thalassotherapy and mud therapy.
Safaga is a small Arab port city with hotels mainly of 3-4 * categories. “Fives” are not yet available here as a class. Compared to Hurghada, local hotels usually have a large territory and a very long beach. In general, luxurious sandy beaches, not overloaded with vacationers, are Safaga’s competitive advantage.
This resort is not the best choice for lovers of shopping and vibrant nightlife: there is practically nothing to do outside the hotel. Fans of windsurfing and a relaxing holiday by the sea mainly seek to come here, so many local hotels specialize in family vacations. Not far from the coast there are coral reefs that guarantee spectacular diving.
The clean fine sand of the local beaches has a unique property to cure a number of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and skin diseases.
El Quseir is located about 120 km from Hurghada. It is a quiet corner with sandy beaches and coral reefs. Hotels here are located, as a rule, 10-15 minutes drive from the city and are located at some distance from each other. All main entertainments are concentrated on the territory of hotels. In the town itself you can find shops and souvenir shops, pharmacies and hookahs. Most of the tourists here are divers.
Marsa Alam is one of the newest resorts in Egypt, located 280 km south of Hurghada. Hotels here are still far apart from each other, but active construction is already underway in many parts of the coast. The resort can be recommended to diving enthusiasts – there are pristine coral reefs and the richest underwater fauna, which, according to divers, surpasses even the Ras Mohammed National Marine Reserve. It will also be interesting for fans of surfing and windsurfing.
