Middle East - Anthony Ham [150]
Kite surfing is becoming hugely popular: the beach area just north of Jasmine Village on the resort strip is packed with surfers. Contact Tommy Friedl ( 010 667 2811; Jasmine Village) kite surfing school for two-day beginner courses (€210 including kit) or basic kit rental (from €90 per day).
If you decide to go diving or snorkelling, there are many operators that do day trips to local, over-dived and mostly destroyed reefs, as well as longer live-aboard safaris to some of the Red Sea’s better sites. If you’re angling for a scuba course, have a look at the boxed text, Click here.
Sleeping
Ad-Dahar
Snafer Hotel ( /fax 354 0260; s/d E£60/90; ) Off the beach and just next to the National Hospital, the Snafer has refreshingly helpful staff and some of the best-value budget digs in town. Some abodes offer a slim view of the sea, and all rooms offer spotless midrange standards for budget prices.
Geisum Village ( 354 6692; Corniche; s/d €25/40; ) This family-friendly resort has a lovely winding pool and its own thin slice of beach out front. Rooms are definitely tattered around the edges these days, but all have balconies looking onto a trim garden. All in all, pretty a favourable bang-for-buck ratio.
Sigala
White Albatross Hotel ( 344 2519; walbatross53@hotmail.com; Sharia Sheraton, Sigala; s/d E£90/160; ) This is a great place to base yourself if your mission is Sigala’s thumping nightclubbing scene. Though slightly dated, the Albatross manages to keep up with the Joneses with a sterile level of cleanliness and sharp service. Top-floor doubles (E£200) have sea views and some respite from the street noise.
Resort Strip
Jasmine Village ( 346 0461; jasmine@tut2000.com; s/d full board US$32/54; ) To get the full resort effect at bargain-basement prices, come to Jasmine Village. Though half of Russia seems to decamp here during much of the year, there should be plenty of room among the immense complex of 500 comfy, if basic, faux-brick rooms. Most people don’t bother leaving the grounds, and with a private beach, restaurants, swimming pools and a list of facilities and activities as long as your arm, why would they need to?
Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh ( 344 0777; www.oberoihotels.com; Sahl Hasheesh; ste from US$350; ) This utterly indulgent hotel features stunning suites decorated in minimalist Moorish style that come complete with sunken marble baths, walled private courtyards, and panoramic sea views. Some even have private pools.
Eating
Ad-Dahar
Portofino ( 354 6250; Sharia Sayyed al-Qorayem; mains E£22-65; ) An old-fashioned trattoria serving up generous homemade pasta and meat dishes to a constant stream of tourists. The food is very good and made from fresh local ingredients. Stella is E£11, wine E£16 by the glass.
Gaucho ( 354 7007; Corniche; mains E£35-110; ) If you like to see your dinnertime meat rations measured in kilograms, do not miss this succulent Argentinian steak house. A massive T-bone steak with all the trimmings will set you back E£110.
Cheap eateries include the toothsome Pizza Tarboush ( 354 8456; Sharia Abdel Aziz Mustafa; medium pizzas E£12-30), on the edge of the souq.
Sigala
Hefny Restaurant (Shari Shedwan;, meals E£15-45) This isolated fish restaurant is located near the port – so you know the fish didn’t have to travel far to get to your plate. It’s little more than a collection of tables, but the fish served here (sold by weight) is expertly prepared.
Resort Strip
Felfela Restaurant ( 344 2410/1; Sharia Sheraton; mains E£10-60; 8.30am-midnight) Perched on the coastline and overlooking the turquoise sea, this branch of the Felfela chain wins a prize for its view, which you can enjoy while dining on serviceable Egyptian classics at reasonable prices.
Da Nanni… Non Solo Pizza ( 010 663 3162; Sharia Hadaba; mains E£25-80; ) Just south of Sigala along the inland road (near La Perla Hotel), this very popular restaurant is run by bona-fide Italians