Your rating of this hotel:
4.0
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Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms:
8.0
Service:
4.0
Cleanliness:
4.0
Food:
1.0
Amenities:
4.0
This trip to Egypt was the first for me and my wife. Before the trip, we read a lot about the country where you should go and what to see. As a result of long discussions, many hours of reading reviews, and watching videos, we decided to purchase a tour for two weeks in Taboo. The adventure began even before the trip. Initially, they chose the Taba Heights Marriott Red Sea Resort 5. The tour was sold by Pegasus. But just a couple of days after the purchase of the tour, reviews began to appear about the village that had descended from the mountains of Sinai, as a result of which most of the hotels on the coast were flooded and partially destroyed. In short, Pegasus was selling a tour of a hotel that was badly damaged by the elements. It's good that, under the terms of the contract, it was possible to rebook the hotel for free.
I was drawn to the Taba region - so many laudatory reviews, both Israel and Jordan are nearby ... Judging by the reviews, you can go for a walk at least every day to Eilat, there is so much fun, so much entertainment ... So many shops ... So, they didn’t twitch from the intended path, and with a small surcharge, we purchased a trip to the Hilton Taba Resort & Nelson Village 5, a hotel located on the border with Israel, and which was almost not affected by the mudflow. So - the day of departure, July 13.2014. The flight time of the aircraft is 3 hours 40 minutes, to Sharm el-Sheikh.
Instead of the promised Boeing 767, the Boeing 737 of Kharkiv Airlines actually appeared before our eyes. There is a difference between them, both in the convenience of the flight and in the quality of service. In flight, as always, they fed, gave juices, water, disgusting coffee and tea. A fresh movie, downloaded to the tablet, did not let me get bored during the flight.
Then there was the landing of the plane ... Here I did not understand what happened to the pilot - was he very drunk, or smoky, or did he sit at the helm for the first time, or did he feel bad? When landing, the plane abruptly lowered its altitude a couple of times, and a strong overload was felt - air pockets - okay. But when only a few meters remained to the ground, it began to turn either to the right or to the left, so much so that the wings could hook the ground. The passengers were frightened in earnest. This was evident from their reaction - everyone squeezed into their chairs, and clutched the armrests with their hands in a death grip. To be honest, I thought this was my last flight. Everything ended well: we landed and shook out diapers. Getting to know Sharm El Sheikh Airport went smoothly. The halls are clean. People are immeasurable, and everyone is saying something, shouting, in general, a complete mess. They took migration cards and filled them out. Visas were given free of charge.
The queue for passport control is long, but you can get it quickly for a fee - and here you need to cut money from tourists. I was lucky, I didn’t understand how I climbed to the front of the line, holding my wife’s hand. They slapped a visa for free - we went further, for luggage. The baggage claim area is large and comfortable. There are toilets. For a dollar handed to the local cleaner, you can smoke in a non-smoking room. We picked up our luggage and boarded buses, getting scalded along the way by the local hot Sinai wind. It takes 3 hours to get to Hilton Taba Resort & Nelson Village 5 from Sharm el-Sheikh, and one stop near the store to buy something to eat and drink. On the way, I counted 5 military posts, at which there were 2-3 people with AK rifles, armored personnel carriers stood at two posts. The bus stops at every post. On two posts there were dogs, shepherd dogs, who sniffed outside. It is forbidden to take photos and videos of posts. The buses are all good, air-conditioned.
We arrived at the hotel early at 3.
30 am. Upon arrival at the hotel, you need to go through the inspection of luggage, by running it through an x-ray and a metal detector. If you carry a large folding knife with you in your luggage, then they will definitely take it from you. I must say right away that there are a lot of security in the hotel. Sometimes this creates discomfort and a feeling of stiffness. If you left the hotel, or went to local shops, then upon returning to the hotel, the bags will be checked in any way, and with passion. At the same time, you will be asked to go through a metal detector, or you will be checked with a hand-held metal detector. What these security measures are connected with - I do not know. There's probably a reason, but tourists don't like it. We were greeted very warmly at the reception, treated to pleasant tea, and each brought a damp towel to freshen up from the road. We bought a standard room, but since we arrived for two weeks, we decided for an additional fee, $ 25 per day, to settle in one of the superior comfort rooms in Nelson Village.
I asked for a room on the second floor. The Nelson Village rooms are all with beach and sea views. A large and spacious room immediately made me feel like a person ... Bathroom, clothes dryer in the form of a pulling thread, a toilet with a huge mirror, plenty of towels, shower gel, soap and balm replenished for free. In the hallway there is a large wooden wardrobe, a bar with a small refrigerator, an air conditioning control unit. The refrigerator is not filled by default, and there is a place to cool drinks from DUTY FREE. The room has a large bed with two side tables + a narrow bed, a huge table along the wall opposite the bed with a large mirror, a 32-inch flat-screen TV, to which you can connect any modern audio and video equipment. On the table is a wooden tray containing a kettle, two mugs, two glasses, a few sticks of coffee and tea, which must be replenished every day for free. Also, daily in the room will be brought free of charge 1.
5 liter bottle of water. On the right, near the exit to the balcony, there is an armchair, a glass table, lamps. The floor is tiled and there are two rugs. Hairdryer in the table, electronic alarm clock with radio on the nightstand. The balcony is spacious with a great view. On the balcony there are two comfortable wooden chairs and a wooden table. There is no ashtray - I had to buy it in the store. There is no clothes dryer on the balcony either. How many times in two weeks the towels were changed - I don’t know, I didn’t count, but what they change is for sure. Cleaning is mediocre. A dollar left every day. For a couple of days, at first, they sculpted various animals from towels, even with rose petals, they brought a small bouquet of flowers, and then they got completely lazy - they sculpted it was not clear what they were without flowers. Maybe the change has changed? Water was provided regularly. Twice they didn't bring coffee sticks. When contacting the person who monitors the Nelson Village apartments, the problem was eliminated - they brought four sticks in two days.
A trifle, but the sediment remained. Shower gel, soap and balm were replenished, although there was a feeling that there were some problems with the soap. The room costs a lot of money, and the service in such trifles must be impeccable. Cold water, as I understand it, throughout the Sinai Peninsula, in the summer there is no hotels. If, in Europe, water can cool down to 4-8 degrees, then here, in Egypt, from a cold water faucet, water flows 18-20 degrees. The staff is friendly, courteous - good. Everyone smiles and greets. They speak Russian poorly, but almost everyone understands. If they don’t understand something, then you can also insert an English word - speak mixed Russian-English. Then everyone will surely understand. Because of not very good Russian, the most favorite question for a tourist is: “Is everything okay? ". Moreover, they ask this question constantly throughout the day. And everyone has to answer: “Yes, thank you! Everything is great! ". As a result, I began to ask again if everything was fine with them.
So, the most popular words and phrases:
1. Is everything okay? - they all ask
2. How are you friend? - they ask, mainly in local shops. There they all call "friend"
3. Thank you - basically, the guards say after they have inspected the bag, and in stores after the purchase
Utorm, having slept, first of all went to the dining room for breakfast. At the entrance to the dining room, and to local restaurants, there are stands indicating the dress code, that is, the type of clothing in which you can visit these establishments. For breakfast and lunch, you can come in shorts below the knees and T-shirts with covered shoulders, and for dinner - in trousers and shirts. Swimwear and swimming trunks are not allowed. PPC, everything is strict ... Animators are standing near the entrance, and they monitor compliance with the rules. It is clear that at this time of the year, there can be no talk of any trousers and evening dresses. In the evening, when the sun goes down, and it falls behind the mountains at exactly 18.30 pm, the air temperature reaches 35 - 40 degrees.
Even in light clothing it is hard to walk, not to mention trousers. And what difference does it make to walk, if there is nothing to eat anyway? The administration is not focusing on that, not on that ... Here, for example, for breakfast you can eat boiled eggs, plus a sandwich consisting of bread, ice cream, looking dumb, sausages, and cheese. Or, order an omelet on the street and wait for it to be prepared by one of the chefs. There are few fruits, there are grapes. A lot of dates - here I ate a lot of them with grapes until I got tired of them. There are practically no salads, and what you have, you don’t want to eat. There is very little meat. Five times in two weeks there was beef, as if steamed, in pieces. Sometimes, one of the chefs stands and distributes meat in small portions. Chicken meat was three times, in portions for distribution. They have a problem with food. I had to stuff my stomach with whatever I didn't want to eat. If after 15.
00 I wanted to drink a cocktail, or something else in a restaurant, then you have to pay for it. A 0.5 bottle of beer costs $5, a 1L pack of juice costs $10.
A few days later we started going to a small shop across the street from the hotel, next to Ahmed's tour shop, to buy food and drink. There you can buy canned fish, meat, cheese, pita bread, chips, cola, water, juices, sweets ... There are no price tags in the store - you have to bargain. For example, a 2L bottle of cola plus 2L of juice costs $4 there. For the last two days, they hardly went to the dining room, because after the last visit, the wife was severely poisoned and she had a fever. For lunch, we went to the Nelson restaurant several times - we always liked it there, very good staff, beautifully served, and serve food. We went to Mahaba once, for dinner, we liked the same.
Throughout the day, I was constantly thirsty, but I didn’t want to take anything at the beach bar, because they pour drinks into 50 gram cups, and beer - half a cup with foam. We bought a two-liter cola in the evening in the store, and the next day they took it chilled to the beach. And, to be honest, I was disdainful to drink from these disposable cups, because before pouring the drink, the bartender qualitatively grabs it with his own hands. I watched the picture as a bartender, on the beach, took a bucket of ice, and began to pour water from it on the floor around the bar. In the evening we went to Nelson's Pub to refresh ourselves with cold beer in normal half-liter glass glasses, and drink a couple of free cocktails. Alcoholic drinks stocked up in DUTY FREE on the way to Egypt. Once we bought cigarettes and a pink Martini at the local DUTY FREE, which is located near the hotel and is called TAX FREE SHOP. Where he is - everyone knows, and, if anything, they will tell you.
And so, I’ll say right away about the first-aid kit - you need to take it. What should be there:
1. Drugs for poisoning, and intestinal disorders, antibiotics (I never went to the toilet normally in two weeks, plus my wife got poisoned)
2. A lot of bactericidal patch (2-3 packs), a bandage - and why a lot, I’ll tell you later ...
3. Hydrogen peroxide, iodine
4. Aspirin
5. Personal hygiene products (especially for women - in a local pharmacy, a package costs 7-8 dollars for some unknown reason)
There is a doctor in the hotel, but not for free. You only have to pay $50 for admission.
Now about the beach, fish, and corals. The beach strip is long, 200 - 250 meters. There is enough space for swimming and sunbathing for everyone. There is sand on the beach. At the entrance to the sea - stones. The presence of shoes for entering the sea is a must. You can not take slippers with you, but buy them there, in the store, for $ 4. Animators appear on the beach closer to dinner. They offer to do exercises, and then play beach volleyball, or darts.
I liked the animator Sega. Always cheerful and friendly. He gathered a team on the beach and played volleyball in a designated place so as not to disturb the rest of the vacationers. After the game, the legs, especially the knees, were beaten, as there were always large stones in the sand, in the allotted place - the remains of the mudflow. And if the stones lying on the sand were collected, then those sprinkled with sand were not. There was no beach cleaning machine. Everything was done by hand by the hotel staff. So I was lucky, on the first day of the game on the beach - my left knee caught a stone in the sand - little things. Finished and plastered. It remains a mystery to me why the hotel staff threw the collected stones into the sea, near the coast, almost on floating tourists, and began to clean the beach after lunch, at 16.00, which also caused inconvenience. Also on the beach there are trash cans, but there are practically no ashtrays. The result is cigarette butts in the sand.
There are a lot of sun loungers, enough umbrellas, little fences from the wind. Didn't see the beach boys. All beach devices moved himself. The sunbeds were rarely cleaned, and were constantly, sometimes in the sand, sometimes in the mud. There were no problems with beach towels - you could always change for a clean one. Near the shore, in some places, corals grow, which are covered with dark remains of mudflow, near which you can see a few fish. The sea was relatively clean, but not transparent, slightly salty - very much like the Mediterranean. After another exit from the sea, now, with his right knee, he stumbled upon a rusty piece of metal sticking out of a large boulder. I had to half-run to spank in the room, as the blood flowed profusely down my leg. Once again, my favorite first aid kit came to the rescue. The wound was quite deep, and the day had to dry on the beach. While resting, I began to observe that many vacationers had similar problems.
On the beach, from morning to evening, there are managers of local salons and shops that offer a variety of services. They are always polite and provide comprehensive information. There are practically no discounts.
I really liked the excursion on the yacht of the local diving club. A short trip to the sea from 9.00 am to 15.00 pm. Per person - $ 40, without scuba diving, and with a dive - 80. There are soft drinks on the yacht, they serve lunch. During the tour, three stops at sea are made, each of which lasts 30 - 60 minutes. The last stop is near Pharaoh Island - there are really interesting and clean corals, and you can see exotic fish. A mask with a snorkel and fins on the yacht are given free of charge, or you can take your own. Also, on the shore, they offer excursions on ATVs and buggies.
There is a local SPA salon, where for $45 you will get an excellent full body massage, visit the local steam room and jacuzzi. If you purchase a course, they will give a discount.
Now, as for excursions from the operator ... We took an excursion to the canyon from Pegasus - I immediately say that this is wasted time and money thrown away. Nothing to look at. We returned tired and hungry. They paid for two excursions at once - as a result, they refused the second one, to Dahab, and took 75% of the cost, since they do not return the full cost, freaks. From Pegasus, Nastya works at this hotel - the girl has a full brake. He describes all excursions in colors, but in reality - it sucks. Excursion to Israel, for two days, took from Ahmed. His office is across the street from the hotel. Everyone there knows him. The difference in cost between Ahmed and Pegasus is palpable. If Ahmed has $115 per person to Israel, then Pegasus has $180. We liked the tour.
It was especially interesting for me to visit the Dead Sea. Israel, in general, did not like - stones, mountains, greenery, practically absent. I liked the bus in which they drove, with free internet, comfortable seats. Divorces in Israel and Palestine at every turn, as they say, everything is for tourists. There is nothing to buy in souvenir shops - solid consumer goods at a space price. You have to be careful with local traders, otherwise you won’t notice where and what you spent the money on. If you are believers, then it is best to buy icons and crosses in advance in the hotel shops, or at the Egyptian border. The icon, which costs $120 in Israel, costs $35 in Taba. The tour includes a visit to Jerusalem, Bethlehem. In Israel, there are many police and military, at every step, with weapons. Accommodation for the night in a hotel located in Palestine. I watched with excitement, driving to the hotel in the evening, the Palestinian demonstration.
They shouted and burned something around - it was scary. There were gunshots, police sirens. So be careful when traveling, monitor the situation in the region. The hotel is normal, quiet, fed. Beer - $ 5 a bottle, bought separately. On the second day we stopped for a swim in the Jordan River, passing through minefields, then to the village of Jericho. They swam in the Dead Sea for an hour, smeared the body with healing mud, went to the Dead see cosmetics store. Cosmetics are expensive there, in Eilat there is a store where everything is the same for half the price. Be sure to check the creams and packaging, because they can slip used cream. Dinners at the Dead Sea are disgusting, everything is served in small portions. Drink only water with lemon. Bottle 0.33 Cola or beer - $8. The sea is very salty and warm. There are two hotels on the beach.
There is nothing to see but the mountains… The day before, before the trip to Israel, I signed up for a massage on the beach to treat my back, as I came to rest with a sore arm - in training, it seems that I hurt something. After the massage, in the evening both hands began to hurt - I didn’t know what to do, damn it. I started rolling on the floor on my back - it helped for a while. After Israel took a series of back massages from another massage therapist. As a result, the pain went away. The Dead Sea quickly heals wounds, the knees began to heal quickly, and you can swim again. Having the imprudence to take off his slippers for the beach, he cut his big toe along with another stone. Now I have three plasters: on my knees and on my finger.
Most of all, I was struck by a large sign on the beach that there are no lifeguards, and vacationers swim in the sea at their own risk, although I saw two towers for lifeguards. And is this a 5 star hotel?
I heard rumors that the woman drowned, and the hotel carefully hides everything - I don’t know if this is true or not, but I saw how a suspicious boat swam back and forth near the corals in the morning. Water sports, parasailing, jet skis are absent. They say that it is impossible - the border. There is a catamaran - $ 1.1 hour. That is, the hotel does not provide options for outdoor activities. In the evenings, animation was held in the main building, but there was no desire to attend these performances. There is free Internet access, but only in the main building, only on one computer without a Russian keyboard, and only near the reception. The queue has been lining up since early morning. Wireless internet available: $5 15 minutes. So in this place you definitely have the opportunity to retire from the world.
Along the coast there are greenery and palm trees. All of them are irrigated artificially. A thin hose is connected to each palm tree and tree. And so everywhere, on the entire Sinai Peninsula.
The air is dry, and in order to constantly be in the heat, you need to get used to such a climate for a couple of days.
Next to the Hilton is the Moevenpick Resort Taba... It's being restored. Slowly somehow, do not rush. They work mostly after lunch. When it will be restored, I don't know. At this rate, eight months later.
If you are tired of everything and want to chat with someone from the local public, then in the evening, be sure to go to the TABA MALL shops. There you can find many local friends, drink tea, and buy local or Chinese souvenirs. On the territory of these shops there is a pharmacy, TAX FREE SHOP, a tea shop, a lot of souvenirs and clothes. I advise you to check in the art store on papyrus, not the one along the outer perimeter, but the one inside the market. In it you can buy very beautiful paintings, painted by hand, paints.
So two weeks flew by. What I paid money for - I do not understand.
I came home, and now I want to go on vacation - to relax.
I was drawn to the Taba region - so many laudatory reviews, both Israel and Jordan are nearby ... Judging by the reviews, you can go for a walk at least every day to Eilat, there is so much fun, so much entertainment ... So many shops ... So, they didn’t twitch from the intended path, and with a small surcharge, we purchased a trip to the Hilton Taba Resort & Nelson Village 5, a hotel located on the border with Israel, and which was almost not affected by the mudflow. So - the day of departure, July 13.2014. The flight time of the aircraft is 3 hours 40 minutes, to Sharm el-Sheikh.
Instead of the promised Boeing 767, the Boeing 737 of Kharkiv Airlines actually appeared before our eyes. There is a difference between them, both in the convenience of the flight and in the quality of service. In flight, as always, they fed, gave juices, water, disgusting coffee and tea. A fresh movie, downloaded to the tablet, did not let me get bored during the flight.
Then there was the landing of the plane ... Here I did not understand what happened to the pilot - was he very drunk, or smoky, or did he sit at the helm for the first time, or did he feel bad? When landing, the plane abruptly lowered its altitude a couple of times, and a strong overload was felt - air pockets - okay. But when only a few meters remained to the ground, it began to turn either to the right or to the left, so much so that the wings could hook the ground. The passengers were frightened in earnest. This was evident from their reaction - everyone squeezed into their chairs, and clutched the armrests with their hands in a death grip. To be honest, I thought this was my last flight. Everything ended well: we landed and shook out diapers. Getting to know Sharm El Sheikh Airport went smoothly. The halls are clean. People are immeasurable, and everyone is saying something, shouting, in general, a complete mess. They took migration cards and filled them out. Visas were given free of charge.
The queue for passport control is long, but you can get it quickly for a fee - and here you need to cut money from tourists. I was lucky, I didn’t understand how I climbed to the front of the line, holding my wife’s hand. They slapped a visa for free - we went further, for luggage. The baggage claim area is large and comfortable. There are toilets. For a dollar handed to the local cleaner, you can smoke in a non-smoking room. We picked up our luggage and boarded buses, getting scalded along the way by the local hot Sinai wind. It takes 3 hours to get to Hilton Taba Resort & Nelson Village 5 from Sharm el-Sheikh, and one stop near the store to buy something to eat and drink. On the way, I counted 5 military posts, at which there were 2-3 people with AK rifles, armored personnel carriers stood at two posts. The bus stops at every post. On two posts there were dogs, shepherd dogs, who sniffed outside. It is forbidden to take photos and videos of posts. The buses are all good, air-conditioned.
We arrived at the hotel early at 3.
30 am. Upon arrival at the hotel, you need to go through the inspection of luggage, by running it through an x-ray and a metal detector. If you carry a large folding knife with you in your luggage, then they will definitely take it from you. I must say right away that there are a lot of security in the hotel. Sometimes this creates discomfort and a feeling of stiffness. If you left the hotel, or went to local shops, then upon returning to the hotel, the bags will be checked in any way, and with passion. At the same time, you will be asked to go through a metal detector, or you will be checked with a hand-held metal detector. What these security measures are connected with - I do not know. There's probably a reason, but tourists don't like it. We were greeted very warmly at the reception, treated to pleasant tea, and each brought a damp towel to freshen up from the road. We bought a standard room, but since we arrived for two weeks, we decided for an additional fee, $ 25 per day, to settle in one of the superior comfort rooms in Nelson Village.
I asked for a room on the second floor. The Nelson Village rooms are all with beach and sea views. A large and spacious room immediately made me feel like a person ... Bathroom, clothes dryer in the form of a pulling thread, a toilet with a huge mirror, plenty of towels, shower gel, soap and balm replenished for free. In the hallway there is a large wooden wardrobe, a bar with a small refrigerator, an air conditioning control unit. The refrigerator is not filled by default, and there is a place to cool drinks from DUTY FREE. The room has a large bed with two side tables + a narrow bed, a huge table along the wall opposite the bed with a large mirror, a 32-inch flat-screen TV, to which you can connect any modern audio and video equipment. On the table is a wooden tray containing a kettle, two mugs, two glasses, a few sticks of coffee and tea, which must be replenished every day for free. Also, daily in the room will be brought free of charge 1.
5 liter bottle of water. On the right, near the exit to the balcony, there is an armchair, a glass table, lamps. The floor is tiled and there are two rugs. Hairdryer in the table, electronic alarm clock with radio on the nightstand. The balcony is spacious with a great view. On the balcony there are two comfortable wooden chairs and a wooden table. There is no ashtray - I had to buy it in the store. There is no clothes dryer on the balcony either. How many times in two weeks the towels were changed - I don’t know, I didn’t count, but what they change is for sure. Cleaning is mediocre. A dollar left every day. For a couple of days, at first, they sculpted various animals from towels, even with rose petals, they brought a small bouquet of flowers, and then they got completely lazy - they sculpted it was not clear what they were without flowers. Maybe the change has changed? Water was provided regularly. Twice they didn't bring coffee sticks. When contacting the person who monitors the Nelson Village apartments, the problem was eliminated - they brought four sticks in two days.
A trifle, but the sediment remained. Shower gel, soap and balm were replenished, although there was a feeling that there were some problems with the soap. The room costs a lot of money, and the service in such trifles must be impeccable. Cold water, as I understand it, throughout the Sinai Peninsula, in the summer there is no hotels. If, in Europe, water can cool down to 4-8 degrees, then here, in Egypt, from a cold water faucet, water flows 18-20 degrees. The staff is friendly, courteous - good. Everyone smiles and greets. They speak Russian poorly, but almost everyone understands. If they don’t understand something, then you can also insert an English word - speak mixed Russian-English. Then everyone will surely understand. Because of not very good Russian, the most favorite question for a tourist is: “Is everything okay? ". Moreover, they ask this question constantly throughout the day. And everyone has to answer: “Yes, thank you! Everything is great! ". As a result, I began to ask again if everything was fine with them.
So, the most popular words and phrases:
1. Is everything okay? - they all ask
2. How are you friend? - they ask, mainly in local shops. There they all call "friend"
3. Thank you - basically, the guards say after they have inspected the bag, and in stores after the purchase
Utorm, having slept, first of all went to the dining room for breakfast. At the entrance to the dining room, and to local restaurants, there are stands indicating the dress code, that is, the type of clothing in which you can visit these establishments. For breakfast and lunch, you can come in shorts below the knees and T-shirts with covered shoulders, and for dinner - in trousers and shirts. Swimwear and swimming trunks are not allowed. PPC, everything is strict ... Animators are standing near the entrance, and they monitor compliance with the rules. It is clear that at this time of the year, there can be no talk of any trousers and evening dresses. In the evening, when the sun goes down, and it falls behind the mountains at exactly 18.30 pm, the air temperature reaches 35 - 40 degrees.
Even in light clothing it is hard to walk, not to mention trousers. And what difference does it make to walk, if there is nothing to eat anyway? The administration is not focusing on that, not on that ... Here, for example, for breakfast you can eat boiled eggs, plus a sandwich consisting of bread, ice cream, looking dumb, sausages, and cheese. Or, order an omelet on the street and wait for it to be prepared by one of the chefs. There are few fruits, there are grapes. A lot of dates - here I ate a lot of them with grapes until I got tired of them. There are practically no salads, and what you have, you don’t want to eat. There is very little meat. Five times in two weeks there was beef, as if steamed, in pieces. Sometimes, one of the chefs stands and distributes meat in small portions. Chicken meat was three times, in portions for distribution. They have a problem with food. I had to stuff my stomach with whatever I didn't want to eat. If after 15.
00 I wanted to drink a cocktail, or something else in a restaurant, then you have to pay for it. A 0.5 bottle of beer costs $5, a 1L pack of juice costs $10.
A few days later we started going to a small shop across the street from the hotel, next to Ahmed's tour shop, to buy food and drink. There you can buy canned fish, meat, cheese, pita bread, chips, cola, water, juices, sweets ... There are no price tags in the store - you have to bargain. For example, a 2L bottle of cola plus 2L of juice costs $4 there. For the last two days, they hardly went to the dining room, because after the last visit, the wife was severely poisoned and she had a fever. For lunch, we went to the Nelson restaurant several times - we always liked it there, very good staff, beautifully served, and serve food. We went to Mahaba once, for dinner, we liked the same.
Throughout the day, I was constantly thirsty, but I didn’t want to take anything at the beach bar, because they pour drinks into 50 gram cups, and beer - half a cup with foam. We bought a two-liter cola in the evening in the store, and the next day they took it chilled to the beach. And, to be honest, I was disdainful to drink from these disposable cups, because before pouring the drink, the bartender qualitatively grabs it with his own hands. I watched the picture as a bartender, on the beach, took a bucket of ice, and began to pour water from it on the floor around the bar. In the evening we went to Nelson's Pub to refresh ourselves with cold beer in normal half-liter glass glasses, and drink a couple of free cocktails. Alcoholic drinks stocked up in DUTY FREE on the way to Egypt. Once we bought cigarettes and a pink Martini at the local DUTY FREE, which is located near the hotel and is called TAX FREE SHOP. Where he is - everyone knows, and, if anything, they will tell you.
And so, I’ll say right away about the first-aid kit - you need to take it. What should be there:
1. Drugs for poisoning, and intestinal disorders, antibiotics (I never went to the toilet normally in two weeks, plus my wife got poisoned)
2. A lot of bactericidal patch (2-3 packs), a bandage - and why a lot, I’ll tell you later ...
3. Hydrogen peroxide, iodine
4. Aspirin
5. Personal hygiene products (especially for women - in a local pharmacy, a package costs 7-8 dollars for some unknown reason)
There is a doctor in the hotel, but not for free. You only have to pay $50 for admission.
Now about the beach, fish, and corals. The beach strip is long, 200 - 250 meters. There is enough space for swimming and sunbathing for everyone. There is sand on the beach. At the entrance to the sea - stones. The presence of shoes for entering the sea is a must. You can not take slippers with you, but buy them there, in the store, for $ 4. Animators appear on the beach closer to dinner. They offer to do exercises, and then play beach volleyball, or darts.
I liked the animator Sega. Always cheerful and friendly. He gathered a team on the beach and played volleyball in a designated place so as not to disturb the rest of the vacationers. After the game, the legs, especially the knees, were beaten, as there were always large stones in the sand, in the allotted place - the remains of the mudflow. And if the stones lying on the sand were collected, then those sprinkled with sand were not. There was no beach cleaning machine. Everything was done by hand by the hotel staff. So I was lucky, on the first day of the game on the beach - my left knee caught a stone in the sand - little things. Finished and plastered. It remains a mystery to me why the hotel staff threw the collected stones into the sea, near the coast, almost on floating tourists, and began to clean the beach after lunch, at 16.00, which also caused inconvenience. Also on the beach there are trash cans, but there are practically no ashtrays. The result is cigarette butts in the sand.
There are a lot of sun loungers, enough umbrellas, little fences from the wind. Didn't see the beach boys. All beach devices moved himself. The sunbeds were rarely cleaned, and were constantly, sometimes in the sand, sometimes in the mud. There were no problems with beach towels - you could always change for a clean one. Near the shore, in some places, corals grow, which are covered with dark remains of mudflow, near which you can see a few fish. The sea was relatively clean, but not transparent, slightly salty - very much like the Mediterranean. After another exit from the sea, now, with his right knee, he stumbled upon a rusty piece of metal sticking out of a large boulder. I had to half-run to spank in the room, as the blood flowed profusely down my leg. Once again, my favorite first aid kit came to the rescue. The wound was quite deep, and the day had to dry on the beach. While resting, I began to observe that many vacationers had similar problems.
On the beach, from morning to evening, there are managers of local salons and shops that offer a variety of services. They are always polite and provide comprehensive information. There are practically no discounts.
I really liked the excursion on the yacht of the local diving club. A short trip to the sea from 9.00 am to 15.00 pm. Per person - $ 40, without scuba diving, and with a dive - 80. There are soft drinks on the yacht, they serve lunch. During the tour, three stops at sea are made, each of which lasts 30 - 60 minutes. The last stop is near Pharaoh Island - there are really interesting and clean corals, and you can see exotic fish. A mask with a snorkel and fins on the yacht are given free of charge, or you can take your own. Also, on the shore, they offer excursions on ATVs and buggies.
There is a local SPA salon, where for $45 you will get an excellent full body massage, visit the local steam room and jacuzzi. If you purchase a course, they will give a discount.
Now, as for excursions from the operator ... We took an excursion to the canyon from Pegasus - I immediately say that this is wasted time and money thrown away. Nothing to look at. We returned tired and hungry. They paid for two excursions at once - as a result, they refused the second one, to Dahab, and took 75% of the cost, since they do not return the full cost, freaks. From Pegasus, Nastya works at this hotel - the girl has a full brake. He describes all excursions in colors, but in reality - it sucks. Excursion to Israel, for two days, took from Ahmed. His office is across the street from the hotel. Everyone there knows him. The difference in cost between Ahmed and Pegasus is palpable. If Ahmed has $115 per person to Israel, then Pegasus has $180. We liked the tour.
It was especially interesting for me to visit the Dead Sea. Israel, in general, did not like - stones, mountains, greenery, practically absent. I liked the bus in which they drove, with free internet, comfortable seats. Divorces in Israel and Palestine at every turn, as they say, everything is for tourists. There is nothing to buy in souvenir shops - solid consumer goods at a space price. You have to be careful with local traders, otherwise you won’t notice where and what you spent the money on. If you are believers, then it is best to buy icons and crosses in advance in the hotel shops, or at the Egyptian border. The icon, which costs $120 in Israel, costs $35 in Taba. The tour includes a visit to Jerusalem, Bethlehem. In Israel, there are many police and military, at every step, with weapons. Accommodation for the night in a hotel located in Palestine. I watched with excitement, driving to the hotel in the evening, the Palestinian demonstration.
They shouted and burned something around - it was scary. There were gunshots, police sirens. So be careful when traveling, monitor the situation in the region. The hotel is normal, quiet, fed. Beer - $ 5 a bottle, bought separately. On the second day we stopped for a swim in the Jordan River, passing through minefields, then to the village of Jericho. They swam in the Dead Sea for an hour, smeared the body with healing mud, went to the Dead see cosmetics store. Cosmetics are expensive there, in Eilat there is a store where everything is the same for half the price. Be sure to check the creams and packaging, because they can slip used cream. Dinners at the Dead Sea are disgusting, everything is served in small portions. Drink only water with lemon. Bottle 0.33 Cola or beer - $8. The sea is very salty and warm. There are two hotels on the beach.
There is nothing to see but the mountains… The day before, before the trip to Israel, I signed up for a massage on the beach to treat my back, as I came to rest with a sore arm - in training, it seems that I hurt something. After the massage, in the evening both hands began to hurt - I didn’t know what to do, damn it. I started rolling on the floor on my back - it helped for a while. After Israel took a series of back massages from another massage therapist. As a result, the pain went away. The Dead Sea quickly heals wounds, the knees began to heal quickly, and you can swim again. Having the imprudence to take off his slippers for the beach, he cut his big toe along with another stone. Now I have three plasters: on my knees and on my finger.
Most of all, I was struck by a large sign on the beach that there are no lifeguards, and vacationers swim in the sea at their own risk, although I saw two towers for lifeguards. And is this a 5 star hotel?
I heard rumors that the woman drowned, and the hotel carefully hides everything - I don’t know if this is true or not, but I saw how a suspicious boat swam back and forth near the corals in the morning. Water sports, parasailing, jet skis are absent. They say that it is impossible - the border. There is a catamaran - $ 1.1 hour. That is, the hotel does not provide options for outdoor activities. In the evenings, animation was held in the main building, but there was no desire to attend these performances. There is free Internet access, but only in the main building, only on one computer without a Russian keyboard, and only near the reception. The queue has been lining up since early morning. Wireless internet available: $5 15 minutes. So in this place you definitely have the opportunity to retire from the world.
Along the coast there are greenery and palm trees. All of them are irrigated artificially. A thin hose is connected to each palm tree and tree. And so everywhere, on the entire Sinai Peninsula.
The air is dry, and in order to constantly be in the heat, you need to get used to such a climate for a couple of days.
Next to the Hilton is the Moevenpick Resort Taba... It's being restored. Slowly somehow, do not rush. They work mostly after lunch. When it will be restored, I don't know. At this rate, eight months later.
If you are tired of everything and want to chat with someone from the local public, then in the evening, be sure to go to the TABA MALL shops. There you can find many local friends, drink tea, and buy local or Chinese souvenirs. On the territory of these shops there is a pharmacy, TAX FREE SHOP, a tea shop, a lot of souvenirs and clothes. I advise you to check in the art store on papyrus, not the one along the outer perimeter, but the one inside the market. In it you can buy very beautiful paintings, painted by hand, paints.
So two weeks flew by. What I paid money for - I do not understand.
I came home, and now I want to go on vacation - to relax.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THE HOTEL
- Liked the hotel very much
- great vacation
- The main thing is to have a good company, otherwise there is nothing to do in Taba
- great, beautiful place
- I liked it!!!
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