Hurghada - Things to Do

Sand City - King Kong

I have Geraldine visiting for a week as from Wednesday, so I’ve been thinking up some things to do with a view to not all of them being swimming and snorkelling related (which would be my desire!).

I thought I may as well share my thoughts here in case anyone stumbles across this blog wondering what to do while they are in Hurghada.

To my surprise, I’m finding it hard to fit everything in within one week, but maybe it’s good for someone to leave with more to do for another visit. Anyway, here are some suggestions to you random people out there!

1. Wednesday night is Marina night. There’s a festival at the Marina every Wednesday. I can’t remember if I reported back on this blog when I went with Nicole. There are special (reduced price) menus at the restaurants and out on the walkway there are bands playing, men on stilts, close-up magicians, etc. It’s surprising how many Egyptians go, so it’s not even just foreign tourists.
2. I definitely reported on South Beach before – decent food at good prices (now with specials each evening at reduced rates, eg, curry night, pizza night, etc) with live music most evenings and karaoke on Fridays (I’ll be avoiding Fridays!). During the day (and night too, I guess), you can lounge on the beach while having your cafe latte or eating your cheesecake.
3. Believe it or not, the SubZero bar next door to South Beach did actually open. It’s a bar made out of ice, so you step from 35 degrees natural heat outside into subzero temperatures! Where else in the world can you do that? I’ve not been yet, and the entrance fee is fairly steep, but includes a few drinks and use of warm clothes that are provided. I believe you are allowed to stay inside only for 30 minutes.
4. Senzo Mall. OK, so not the most exciting of places for tourists maybe, but foreign supermarkets are always interesting as they give you a bit of insight into real life. Spinneys is in Senzo mall and is the largest supermarket in Hurghada (other chains are Abu Ashara and Metro). Senzo also houses KFC and McDonalds and some more local (and decent) restaurants too. There’s also the cinema, which we may try out since I haven’t been there yet; there’s even a 5D cinema (you can find one of these in the marina as well, I think). It’s a mall, so there are other shops too, of course. It’s a welcome relief here, since otherwise you have to traipse all round town to get to various shops; Senzo Mall is not really a typically Egyptian experience!
5. The mosque and the fish market. I’ve already blogged about these.
6. Glass-bottomed boat. I believe this goes over to Makadi Bay from Sahl Hasheesh. You sit in a part of the boat that’s underwater with glass all around you and you can see all the fish and coral without getting wet. It’s a 90-minute journey. There’s another one that goes from the Marina and I think form El Gouna as well.
7. Sand City. This is a new attraction in Hurghada and is conveniently situated close to Senzo Mall. It contains sculptures made out of sand created by various artists around the world. There’s a whole children’s section of cartoon characters (also fun for adults!) and then an adult section with the Sphinx, various Egyptian pharaonic figures, Neptune, Cleopatra, etc. The size and detail is impressive. They were promising a sound and light show from September, but it’s not on their website, so I assume that’s still a work in progress. Currently open from 8am to 6pm.
8. El Gouna. Created by the Sawaris with everyone mocking that it wouldn’t work but quickly became one of the prime locations in Egypt. A man-made town of lagoons with a hospital, a university, mini-golf, proper golf, a marina or two, and still expanding. There’s a boat trip round the lagoons that you can do and probably a lot of other stuff that I don’t know about.
9. Fruit and Vegetable market at the far end of El Nasr Street. I’ve never been as it’s rather a long way to go for fruit and vegetables, but I’ve heard it’s worth a visit and has more than just fruit and vegetables.
10. Dendera Temple complex. This is a day trip if you want to get a taste of Ancient Egypt but don't have the time to go to Luxor (you need three days, at least, in Luxor - one for travelling (allow 2 x 4 hours), one for Luxor temple and Karnak, and one for Valley of Kings/Queens). A well-preserved site. I haven't been there yet myself, so cannot comment much, but have heard many good reports about it.
11. Other places to eat are Thai Garden and the Lebanese restaurant in Mamsha. You may as well spend a little time walking up and down Mamsha while you’re there, but with few tourists around, it can seem a bit quiet (but all the more reason to give them your support). From here, you can also wander up and visit the El Kawser area, which is where the Egyptian hospital is (where I was treated for my broken foot). It’s not really easy to browse shops in Egypt as they are quite far apart and you risk your life each time you cross the road, but it’s part of the experience! Another good venue for an evening out is the Viking bar (already reported on in this blog) which has food and live music on Fridays. That’s just off Sheraton Road near Bombay restaurant (supposed to be good), which is signposted from Sheraton Road. So, if you go there, you can take the opportunity to explore Sheraton Road as well, but be warned during the day in the heat it is tiring and you may find shopkeepers inviting you in to look at their wares all the time. It’s part of the experience (although, to be honest, I don’t find it too bad). Heaven in the marina has been highly recommended; try B’s at the Marina for camel or buffalo. Actually, there are loads of places and I’ll go on all day at this rate.

So, even if you don’t like beach holidays or snorkelling much, there are still plenty of things to do. Jim went on a quad-bike while he was here and said it was fantastic. You can hire boats for the day. If you’re here for longer, Luxor is less than four hours away by taxi (you pay around 400-500 LE); Cairo is a plane ride away with one-way flights starting from 250 LE with a new airline that’s just started up.

On the other hand, you can have a great time just swimming, snorkelling and diving. The seascape continually changes, of course, because the fish move about.

Anyway, that's my sales pitch over. Have a safe journey, Geraldine!