An oasis in the middle of the desert
HURGHADA - EGYPT
Summer was history and we did not want to resign ourselves to the change of temperature . the long sunny days ended and we know that in the months of October and November the drastic change in the weather is inevitable. But we wanted to say goodbye to summer the best way, and there is nothing better than the sun and the salt water of the sea, that is why we seek to spend a beach vacation to end this time of the year.
We know that the Mediterranean Sea is the holiday oasis of sun and beach in Europe, but at the end of the summer temperatures can drop considerably, it is not the same to be enjoying the sun at 20 degrees Celsius that at 30 degrees that's why we made the decision to visit the Red Sea, one of the hottest oceans in the world, also one with the cleanest and most crystalline waters. A great option to enjoy this destination is the city of Hurghada in the Red Sea of Egypt, especially because there are direct flights every week from Stuttgart International Airport (airlines such as Tui and Condor offers low-cost flights from several cities in Germany) and also because prices are quite accessible. The flight lasts 4 hours and a half and the Hurghada International Airport is only 10 minutes away from the hotel zone, a very easy destination due to its location. It was our first time in this destination, and we had manny expectations, here we will summarize our experience in different aspects. |
THE ARRIVAL
Although the flight is relatively short, the international airport of Hurghada has a strict security, it is necessary to pass three security checks until finally being able to leave the airport, so it is to be filled with patience. Regarding the migratory aspect, every visitor or tourist has the obligation to pay the tourist Visa (other extra line to do), there is a lot of controversy on this issue, with a European passport the visa is without consultation, this means that the fee to be paid for the visa can be made directly at the airport upon arrival, of course it is to make a line to request and pay it, the cost of the visa is US $ 25, and we recommend carrying cash to pay it. If you are traveling with a passport from other regions it is better to consult with the nearest embassy or consulate, there are Internet pages, even official ones that publish a list of the countries that should consult the visa, but even so, there are many passports that although the Official website states that you should not consult, when communicating with embassies, and the answer was the same, and indeed they should consult beforehand, the worst of all is that the cost of the visa with consultation is US $ 50, the double! At the moment of arrival we really do not know if it was really necessary to pay double, apparently it was not necessary, but we are not sure, if you travel for example from Latin America with a travel agency that has experience, I think they can give you better advice, but if you travel alone, our recommendation is to request the visa beforehand .. To apply for a visa, the requirements are to fill out the application, a passport-sized photograph and cash. This may take a day if you are in person, that is, you have the requirements one day, and the next day you already have your passport with the visa, and the other way is by postmail, you send the application, the photos and the money and within 10 business days they send your passport. There is an Egyptian Embassy in Germany in Berlin and a consulate in Frankfort. In our opinion it is quite unfortunate that the price of the visa is more expensive if you request it previously but apparently in Egypt the prices of any product or service may change depending on the mood of the seller, we will talk about that later. |
Hotel Review |
THE DESTINATION
We did not know exactly what to expect, what we did know is that the town is very close to the hotel zone, in addition there are several activities that you can easily find on the Internet, also that you are very used to what is the “all inclusive” but apart from These points, there are many interesting details that you find when you arrive. If the airport is quite close, really 10 minutes away, very fast to arrive, the security is quite good, although there is always a feeling of insecurity, we managed to find police at several points, also the destination is made exclusively for tourists, so we believe that the security issue is taken very seriously. Something that attracts a lot of attention is that Hurghada has been the first destination in which most people speak German language a little more than English, but usually most people with whom tourists can interact speak both languages, so communication in the tourist area is not a problem. I want to start our analysis expressing with all sincerity, that the red sea is one of the most beautiful oceans that I have visited in my life, the water is crystal clear, clean, a beauty, very good for diving or snorkeling, a variety of spices can be appreciated very easily under the water, it is certainly worth to visit it and Hurghada offers the comforts to do so .. Having clarified this point, I can go forward .... In general, many tourists only arrive in Hurghada to enjoy the hotel zone, and many of them do not even leave the hotel, staying only enjoying the “all inclusive” service that most of the Resort usually offers in their packages. We take the mission of going out to know and walk everywhere to give our best impression. In the hotel zone that is south of the city, everything is relatively “normal” a long street of several kilometers, with several shopping centers, large hotels, shops, bars and restaurants, it was impressive to see how they had prepared this street for tourism, an excess of constructions and buildings, and I said of excesses because we also found a lot of infrastructure in total abandonment, some broken hotels totally abandoned and destroyed, others unfinished and abandoned, many empty commercial premises, stores with signs of having been abandoned several years ago . But also very interesting areas, very beautiful and suitable for international tourism, quite pleasant. The hotel we booked had a shuttle service to the Hurghada Center every day, from 11 am and picked up at 2 pm, we could not miss the opportunity. We were told that a taxi could charge around 5 Euros for the trip, in any case if the time was not enough, at least we knew how much the fare should be to return. Finally we took the bus, our first impression when we got off was that the center of Hurghada really is not at all touristy, a total chaos in the streets, the vehicles drive like there is no law, the many dirt roads, destroyed buildings, dirty , poorly finished, sidewalks to walk very small and broken. Personally, I really liked the experience, but we can understand that there are many market sectors that are preferable to stay in the hotel zone, now if you like to know about the culture, lifestyle and enjoy as a backpacker, the experience is fantastic. Finally we found the New Marina, which is the public part that has been suitable for international tourism, we are talking about a street just about 500 meters long, we were quite impressed, the contrast between this street and the outside is extreme. The Marina is quite beautiful, closed with security and gates even with a metal detector, with its boats and yachts adorning the docks and the view, gleaming infrastructure, without any garbage in the street, highly recommended for a day trip. Next to the marina is the mosque, also shining and shining through the chaos of the city, without a doubt another necessary stop if you visit the town .. Next to the Marina there is a public access beach but with a entrance cover cost. but if You decide to stay in the middle of town, that is a very good option to enjoy salt water. nad the sun, Otherwise, access to the beach is complicated, you will need transportation or take a boat tour. In general it was very interesting, our analysis after reading a little of the economy of the country, and its geopolitical situation, we can think that this destination has a serious problem of depending extremely on international tourism, we do not feel that there is a local market that can enjoy of its own destiny, and that makes its sustainability much more difficult since we know that international tourism can be severely affected by international or regional events that can lead to a destination like this to total abandonment. |
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SERVICES, PRICES, TIP.
There are controversial issues regarding services and prices. The hotels always have a tour operator company in charge of the different services, the same ones that you can find outside on your own, with our experience in tourism we can understand that the majority are only intermediaries and very few the true service providers. So the prices are incredibly varied, especially since many independent people sell you the same services. Even in the street.
In summary, the most popular activities are: boat trips with glass floor, boat trips to the island of the tiger, safari tours, four-wheel motorcycle tours, tours in desert boogies, diving, and the classic tour to Cairo
Logically, the highest prices are those given to us in the same hotel, but we are talking that they charged us one day $ 25 for a tour, the next day they charged us $ 35 for the same tour, and outside the hotel they offered it for US $ 10 and some up to US $ 40, that is, unfortunately the distrust of suffering a scam is in every person you talk to, is something that can be felt since you get off the plane.
The subject of "negotiation" is supposed to be quite cultural, they are used to bargaining, but unfortunately that is not at all comfortable. On the days I was walking the streets. and I was invited 5 times to enter the stores with offers to receive something "free", logically I knew why they called me, but my curiosity to know and understand the way of life forced me to pay attention to them and enter their stores. The ritual was the same, the shops have sofas like a livingroom, they turn on the air conditioning, they start talking about hospitality, they offer you tea, cigarettes, smoking Shisha, ect. Then they start talking about their product and services, finally the pressure begins, they even asked me how much money I had with me and if I had a credit card! And that after explaining that I was not interested in their products, a very uncomfortable situation, so I recommend to be carefull.
Another controversial issue is about tips, although tips are voluntary, the pressure to demand tips is quite extreme, and even incomprehensible, that starts when you arrive, the same one that takes you to the hotel starts expressly asking for early tip. I was doing a little research on the subject and apparently they want to put the point of tips as a moral obligation, even justify that tips are part of the wages that workers receive as salary and helps them to survive, as if this were the only third world country that lives tourism, Unfortunately I think they take it to an extreme of being quite uncomfortable, even many tourist promoters accept that not giving tips to everyone, can lead to a bad experience, which in any way that you can try to understand is unacceptable , but a reality that pitifully cannot be changed .
The issue of low wages is its justification, but that is relative, it is known that no matter how little a tip is received, service providers have more income compared to other professions, (not to mention that prices in this case are at the whim of the seller, which many times manage to sell at high prices) the currencies received by visitors are always prices according to international markets, and operating costs are much lower than in other countries, perhaps instead of negotiate with the visitors, workers should negotiate with their bosses and business owners, and leave the issue of tips at an acceptable level.
Personally, we felt that they were waiting for a tip just to open a door, to greet you or to take a photo 200 meters away from a camel, to take you a half warm beer, even to tell you where the bathroom is inside the airport !
So in conclusion, if you want to have a good experience, you have to be aware of having an extra fund for tips of around US $ 60 to US $ 100, change them in local currency with low nomination bills and start dropping the bills for everyone, otherwise you will have to get the idea that you will have to deal with the consequences, a service even hostile. For my point of view it is a bit denigrating to themselves, but that's the culture.
There are controversial issues regarding services and prices. The hotels always have a tour operator company in charge of the different services, the same ones that you can find outside on your own, with our experience in tourism we can understand that the majority are only intermediaries and very few the true service providers. So the prices are incredibly varied, especially since many independent people sell you the same services. Even in the street.
In summary, the most popular activities are: boat trips with glass floor, boat trips to the island of the tiger, safari tours, four-wheel motorcycle tours, tours in desert boogies, diving, and the classic tour to Cairo
Logically, the highest prices are those given to us in the same hotel, but we are talking that they charged us one day $ 25 for a tour, the next day they charged us $ 35 for the same tour, and outside the hotel they offered it for US $ 10 and some up to US $ 40, that is, unfortunately the distrust of suffering a scam is in every person you talk to, is something that can be felt since you get off the plane.
The subject of "negotiation" is supposed to be quite cultural, they are used to bargaining, but unfortunately that is not at all comfortable. On the days I was walking the streets. and I was invited 5 times to enter the stores with offers to receive something "free", logically I knew why they called me, but my curiosity to know and understand the way of life forced me to pay attention to them and enter their stores. The ritual was the same, the shops have sofas like a livingroom, they turn on the air conditioning, they start talking about hospitality, they offer you tea, cigarettes, smoking Shisha, ect. Then they start talking about their product and services, finally the pressure begins, they even asked me how much money I had with me and if I had a credit card! And that after explaining that I was not interested in their products, a very uncomfortable situation, so I recommend to be carefull.
Another controversial issue is about tips, although tips are voluntary, the pressure to demand tips is quite extreme, and even incomprehensible, that starts when you arrive, the same one that takes you to the hotel starts expressly asking for early tip. I was doing a little research on the subject and apparently they want to put the point of tips as a moral obligation, even justify that tips are part of the wages that workers receive as salary and helps them to survive, as if this were the only third world country that lives tourism, Unfortunately I think they take it to an extreme of being quite uncomfortable, even many tourist promoters accept that not giving tips to everyone, can lead to a bad experience, which in any way that you can try to understand is unacceptable , but a reality that pitifully cannot be changed .
The issue of low wages is its justification, but that is relative, it is known that no matter how little a tip is received, service providers have more income compared to other professions, (not to mention that prices in this case are at the whim of the seller, which many times manage to sell at high prices) the currencies received by visitors are always prices according to international markets, and operating costs are much lower than in other countries, perhaps instead of negotiate with the visitors, workers should negotiate with their bosses and business owners, and leave the issue of tips at an acceptable level.
Personally, we felt that they were waiting for a tip just to open a door, to greet you or to take a photo 200 meters away from a camel, to take you a half warm beer, even to tell you where the bathroom is inside the airport !
So in conclusion, if you want to have a good experience, you have to be aware of having an extra fund for tips of around US $ 60 to US $ 100, change them in local currency with low nomination bills and start dropping the bills for everyone, otherwise you will have to get the idea that you will have to deal with the consequences, a service even hostile. For my point of view it is a bit denigrating to themselves, but that's the culture.
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