Searching for cheap all inclusive relaxation in the Sun and one of the most historic countries in the world beckoned but it wasn't all shits and giggles - well some of it was.
Booking through Love Holidays nearly a year prior to our travels and a great deal was on the table - for two people, food and drink covered less than £1200, bargain, right?
Well, travelling to Egypt, you have to have a Visa to enter the country, they are available to purchase at the airport - however buying beforehand is much easier and less of a headache, saving you 40 minutes of standing in a queue and filling out paperwork.
Our flight with Thomas Cook was easy and straight forward with a pre-booked meal, suitable of airline quality and six hours later we arrived in Hurghada.
This is when questions started to arise - being ushered through the terminal by people who had identified themselves as those who look after the tourists, we were then told "no problem" before being stopped in our tracks to present our visas.
From there - things sped up quickly, after collecting our luggage we headed for our transfer to our hotel - with many tourists in the same boat in the sweltering new heat, we followed the crowd and headed for a few small buildings just outside the terminal.
After finding our transfer company we were told to head around the corner for bus 27 - there was no bus 27 and we were eventually ushered into a questionable minibus but hey ho and around 30 minutes later we arrived at our hotel.
So, a long flight, discombobulating heat and a strange transfer later, you would think arriving at your home for the next 10 days would give you relief, well - no.
We stayed at Hurghada Long Beach hotel (an ex Hilton chain) and we were required to leave our luggage outside - we then had our bags searched and guided towards reception, handed our room key and then as we tried to take our bags upstairs we were forbidden, as the bell boys were specifically there to do that job.
Two flights of stairs and the first conversation about Mo Salah later - we were in our room - oh and so was the bell boy still asking why we tipped him 100 Egyptian Pounds and not sterling...
We were informed by reception that a small spread had been laid out for our arrival in the main eating area - cold soup, exposed cheese, cold pasta and bread. Yum. However beggars cant be choosers and I knew if I got annoyed - my partner would go one better, competitiveness is a factor in our relationship.
Heading, well, trudging back to our room we were hounded by local shop staff, shaking our hands and almost pulling us into their shop despite having no money on our persons, but they will not take "No, Thank You" for an answer - something we should have learnt far sooner.
A fairly decent night sleep later and breakfast beckoned, hard baked beans in tomato sauce, bland eggs, spicy sausage and bland pancakes - this would continue for the remainder of our stay, no diversity just repetition.
Despite the large grounds of the hotel, we had to search for 30 minutes to find any sun-beds, 10 minutes of actual searching, and 20 minutes of trying to persuade the salespeople around the pool we did not want to purchase any excursions.
Finally just as we were about to give up we were once again approached by a salesman who we had already declined, he kindly offered to have a pool-worker retrieve two sunbeds from the beach - which we later learnt was a ten minute walk away, and with no money on us to tip we did what any rational couple would do. (We jumped in the pool and tried to ignore the poor struggling worker who carried two thick wooden sunbeds in the unbearable heat as he waited around our base for a good ten minutes).
Not our proudest moment but we never asked, and the guilt will last forever. Lunch was nothing special and was a sign of things to come - chicken and rice, chicken and rice, chicken and rice. Every. Single. Day. It became a running joke; we just forgot the laughter part.
Dinner time was the same as lunch so I will spare you the trauma of meal time description.
Hotel Breakdown:
Room - 6.5/10 No WiFi except in an off site bar. Bathtub had marks inside and pillows were flat.
Hotel - 5/10 A former Hilton, great staff however, great animation team but the salespeople make you feel awkward and rude despite you saying no thank you numerous times. Also the shops on site will rip you off.
Excursions
A holiday without excursions is a holiday without adventure and our rep offered some fairly decently priced deals as listed below:
Safari and Village Adventure: An eight hour day involving quad bike and buggy driving as well as a trip to the Bedouin village.
We were picked up on time and then taken to their compound where we were less than kindly informed that we needed to purchased scarves as protection from the dust - something every other group were told beforehand. We took around 200 EGP (£10 Sterling) and we also needed goggles - this took the fee to more than what we had and meant we would need to pay our driver upon our return - more frustration and hidden extras.
The trip itself was rather subdued with limited driving time and not much to look at just a lot of desert before being taken in a Land-Rover to a village 30 minutes away. We were given hibiscus tea which was very nice (Sophie disagreed) and then allowed inside their living area and allowed to ride on camels... for two minutes and shown how they make bread and medicine.
It was a great insight into how a group can survive and thrive as well as understanding how tourism has improved their lives. There were plenty of gifts on offer to buy as presents or souvenirs - although I do not believe some things are legitimate, and there were some doubts about the legitimacy of the tribe themselves - but make that assumption yourself!
We were then taken back to a main area with food on offer, one cup of cola or lemonade and fire-dancing, belly dancing and another that I feel bad I cannot remember - before we left we were given a 5 second view of a telescope pointed at the moon then with a belly full of food - ushered back on our jeep across the bumpy terrain - myself and Sophie did well not repaint the inside. So that was our safari adventure - ooh la la.
Pyramids: A full day trip to the pyramids, sphinx and Egyptian Museum.
I still have nightmares of this trip. Picked up at 2am in the morning with us being the only guests not to request a breakfast package - which judging by the other passengers may have been a good thing. However having been picked up by Wayel our guide, he eased everyone and refed the plan before putting the fear of God into everyone by revealing our four hour trip would now be six (which turned into seven and a half).
An awkward sleep ensued. Sophie claimed the two seats while I had the single, that's love - however she was unwell and was a real trooper. After arriving at our venue - we wanted back on our coach, and it was not some Stockholm syndrome but inside the Egyptian Museum was hell.
Our guide was great, could not fault him at all but with no air conditioning and three working fans - it was unbearably hot, oh and if you need the toilet for a round of Egyptian Tummy - carry some extra cash or a spare loo roll as you will only be handed a small piece.
The museum itself is in the middle of relocation so there was only half on what is usually on offer - and we were also asked to purchase a phototicket in order to be able to take photos... we were never asked to show this. Hidden Extra alert.
The main attraction is the Tutankhamun exhibit which was beautiful in all fairness - I would show you but pictures are not allowed in this area. Sigh.
Back on the bus we proceeded to our restaurant - where all food was free except for drinks. I can see why the food was free, it was a horrendous experience as a place called the Queen Cleopatra hotel we were overcharged for drinks and it was just a traumatic experience overall.
The pyramids beckoned - and I cannot stress this enough, to anyone trying to sell you anything - say no thank you and walk away - unless you are interested do not engage in conversation, I was personally handed something in between my arm and chest and let it drop to the floor as I was told they could try and suggest you stole items and force you into paying.
The cost of the pyramids was included in our package however it was an extra £17 to go into the historic monument but in the 36 degree heat we declined with British tourists forbidden from taking cameras inside - however there was descriptively very little to see.
The saviour from the heat was once again the coach as we trudged back, and then onto the next location just around the corner to where you can take pictures of all three pyramids before heading off to the Sphinx were there were plenty of markets to buy souvenirs.
The Sphinx was a good distance away but still a good sight; however what was not a good sight was our final location - a perfume shop were you are given a demonstration of how they create their perfumes - before being offered the chance to purchase.
Back on the coach home, and more awkward sleep we gave a tip of £10 to our drivers who were very good and driving 14 hours there and back deserves it.
Final tips:
- Be polite and firm with salespeople, say "No, thank you" and walk away, unless you are interested in purchasing something. They are not your friend, they are however just trying to make a living in a highly competitive environment.
- Bring anti sickness tablets as food hygiene is of questionable quality.
- Head to a supermarket as local on site shops will rip you off and prey on your naivity. We paid 100 EGP (£5 Sterling) for two cokes and two bars of chocolate. We were left red faced when on our last day we headed to a supermarket ten minutes away and bought a can of coke for 4.75 EGP. Not so much a hidden extra as stupidity on our part.
- Mention Mo Salah is you want a conversation as the man is the equivalent of Santa Claus to the Egyptian people - and rightly so!
- Do not feel unsafe. We felt perfectly fine with no sign or hint of incident but just be prepared for constant questioning at the airport - but remember it is for your safety.
Any questions, let me know at the email address below:
joelliverpool@hotmail.co.uk
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