Egypt offers paradise on the Red Sea
Egypt
Tough choices ahead for Chloe Griffiths on a break in relaxing Egypt
IT’S a hard life when the toughest decision of the day is trying to pick which among the five pools looks most appealing.
Throw in an endlessly sandy bay with crystal waters and just deciding where to dip your toes becomes a real struggle.
It was this conundrum which I found myself wrestling with as I sipped an ice-cold cocktail – served with a smile by one of the immaculately-timed waiters – while sunning myself on a cushioned lounger at the Makadi Palace hotel, near Hurghada in Egypt.
When I mentioned to friends that I was off to the resorts of the Red Sea a few weeks earlier, their frowned responses almost unanimously contained the words “revolution?” And “sharks?”.
But from the time the aeroplane door opened, with that beloved blast of baking hot air, to the time I lingeringly reboarded five days later thoughts of either angry demonstrations or man-eating creatures could not have been further from my mind.
Even throughout the recent uprising, the resorts remained open for business and unaffected. Their speciality is rest and relaxation and it’s done with a capital R ‘n’ R, revolution or not.
Virtually non-existent 30 years ago, both Hurghada and the former fishing village of Sharm el Sheikh have sprung up in a fountain of opportunism on the arid, almost lunar, landscape around the Red Sea.
It is stark rather than beautiful. But with year-round, cloudless blue skies, (temperatures rarely go below 25 degrees) piercing sunshine and shimmering aquamarine sea the colours alone provide an instant revival.
Add to that immaculate service at prices it’s almost impossible to find around the Med now and Egypt has become the jackpot of “shop and flop” holidays.
Both the Makadi Palace and one of its sister hotels, the Ghazala Gardens in the heart of bustling Naama Bay in Sharm, perfectly deliver five-star relaxation at affordable prices.
These Arabian-style hotels each offer their own private sweep of beach, served by a team of unfailingly cheerful waiters, manicured gardens, complete with swaying palm trees and fragrant bougainvillea, and numerous bars and restaurants to cater for every taste.
At the Ghazala Gardens none of the accommodation peaks above the tree line and an aura of seclusion and tranquility is achieved with private balconies overlooking small winding paths and interlinking pools.
Despite being much larger, so peacefully landscaped are the grounds at the Makadi Palace that it was hard to believe the manager when he insisted they were fully booked. It was never crowded or busy, a distant cry from the sardines-in-a-can feeling that comes hand-in-hand with many sunny European destinations.
Nestling in the sweeping Makadi bay, it felt more like a village, with a pool on every corner, then a 511-bed hotel.
And that brings me back to that conundrum.
Well, after considering it over another cocktail, I plumped for the water lapping at my toes, but only because the Palace even offers its own private coral reef complete with a teaming explosion of underwater life.
With snorkelling gear thrown in for free it seemed a waste not to be admiring striking parrot fish or playful Nemos while cooling down.
While not moving more than a few feet from lounger to pool or bar can be the holiday dream for many, for those whose idea of relaxation also involves a little adventure a desert playground awaits, via quad or jeep.
Almost dipping their toes in the Red Sea waters, the mountains of the Sinai desert are less than an hour from the neon lights, pyramid casinos and modern sphinxes of Sharm.
Leaving Egypt’s answer to Las Vegas behind on a bone-shaking, breath-taking 4x4 jeep safari you are soon in a very different world, one that has barely changed in thousands of years.
Empty and desolate, but striking. An almost Biblical landscape of endless rocky desert and, soaring, sun-scorched peaks piercing vivid blue skies.
“It last rained here in January 2010, before that it was 1998,” our guide Mahmoud explains. It is easy to believe.
But even in this terrain, we were not actually alone. Small children, cloaked in shawls, run towards our vehicle holding baby goats aloft.
Around another corner a Bedouin tent camp awaits us, breezy and cool with home-made mint tea made by shrouded men.
The other alternative for activity is to go in the opposite direction and dive straight into the areas other great natural wonderland.
It is the bountiful and pristine waters of the Red Sea that really kickstarted tourism here with scuba divers keen to explore its world-class reefs.
The seas here team with life and snorkelling day trips come highly recommended.
So appetising is the turquoise blue even the most hesitant water-baby among our group was soon splashing away under the watchful eye of our guides, dodging harmless jellyfish and marvelling at giant shoals of angel fish and wrasse just feet from the surface.
After stops at three different reefs we headed off for lunch on the island of Paradise – so named by a giant Hollywood-style sign.
And paradise on the Red Sea can only mean one thing – more relaxation.
