egypt but not sharm?

[mark g]

we have to book to go somewhere for 14 nights leaving next week, we have been to sharm twice and really enjoyed it, we had a cheap week with explorers at the end of february did thistlegorm dunraven etc.

we are thinking of hurghada or el gouna but it wont be all diving this time so we would not like to be stuck in a hotel in the middle of nowhere where everything costs a fortune we stayed at the hyatt and the ocean bay in naama and both suited us fine!

so if you have any opinions/know of any good deals i would be grateful for some guidance!

thanks, mark.

ps we would not mind sharm again but feel we should try somewhere else if possible.

[Moz]

It's very chilled, but you could learn to windsurf?

David

[Red Sea Shadow]

Did you try Dahab before?
In case you want information about Dahab or good cheap places in Sharm, PM me.

[B]

How about Nuweiba??? We are going for the second time in 5 weeks, we went January/Feb and it was fabulous. The house reef is great and there are tons of excursions which are fab too... just for the change of it... it is worth it for the sheer nasty look you get on close encounter with Barry (the 1 1/2 meter long resident Barracuda... he is awesome)

Just our opinion, we can not wait to go back diving with Emperor, they are truly incredible!!!! The Hilton in Nuweiba is fabulous on an all inclusive deal, we love it there... Call Helen at travelcouncillors on 0845 058 7955 she is incredible and can get you the most fabulous deals not to mention the personal touch we are all missing from companies now adays she booked our last trip at 22.50 a Friday night because that was the time we finally decided to go... she works from home... this tip goes out to all of you... give her a call, honestly, she is fabulous!!!!

[Simon TW]

Hurghada is a big city over 50 miles long, its made up of several parts and it's a lot bigger than Sharm. In the past it was a Greman/dutch resort and has many hotels. It is not expensive and you'll find that it's cheaper than Sharm.

ElGouna is just up the road from Hurghada and it's a City in it's own right but really it comes under the directoraite of Hurghada. ElGouna is purpose built and is much more like a European resort and not typical of Egypt at all. There is a no Hassle policy and a no Haggle policy, the locals don't allways stick to it but you they should or risk being ejected.

Diving in Elgouna is good and for most dive centres Abu Nuhas is just an ordinary days diving. Thistlegorm is also very close but you will be asked to pay extra.

Diving in Hurghada is extensive because of the size of the place. The Dive centres in the North usually stay with the northen sites and the dive centres in the south the southern ones. The Hurghada dive centres have 100km of coast so you will not get board. There are also many islands that shelter Elgouna and Hurghada so the sea is rarely rough.

Unlike Sharm you wil notice it's less stressed getting to your boat and less crowded on the reefs.

Both the sea and air temp are higher than on the Sinai so its more comfortable in the winter months.

Let me know if you need any further information.

[mark g]

thanks folks, simon i did a search for el gouna on here and then found a deal with longwood for 14 nights at the movenpick plus five days diving with dive tribe, i have booked the five days through longwood but during the search on here i read that your mate georgina has an arrangement with dive tribe, if we wanted more after the initial five days is she still in el gouna and would she be able to do us a good rate?

i should probably have asked before booking through longwood but the trip starts next friday ( longwood charged £150 inc. nitrox for five days )

also i read that the dayboats from el gouna and hurghada have been stopped from going to the thistlegorm, does this still apply? we did dive it last month but it would be nice to go again!

and one more Q. are there cash points handy in el gouna? or should we take some cash?

thanks for your help, mark.