Hurghada, Egypt

[JJ]

A friend of mine is thinking of going to Hurghada in Feb. and would like to know if anyone has any recommendations or words of caution.

Thanks!

[kiwicath]

JJ, sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I can only mirror what Tissy has said - all good advice. A few more things though.

Do: Enjoy the local food and try new things but eat in busy restaurants. The hotel food, especially if they are quiet, sometimes gets rehashed ie tonights fresh fish becomes tomorrows fishcakes etc and it all gets handled a lot. Hygiene not a big thing over here.

Do: Drink loads!!! Salads get blamed for most of the tummy upsets but more than likely it's not drinking enough water or drinking very cold water on a warm tum.

Do: Tell anyone that tries to kiss the baby where to go!! They mean no harm but dental hygiene is baaaad

Do: Be careful about buying icecreams. Make sure that they haven't melted then been refrozen.

Do: Use a local medication call ANTINAL rather than immodium if you do get a dodgy tum. It disinfects the tum without stopping you up. Very cheap (max 5 egyptian pounds) and mild enough for the kiddies too (read the instructions though!!)

Do: Relax and have a great time. The egyptian people are very gentle but the touts and shop keepers will rob you blind if you don't keep your wits about you.

Don't: buy anything that's come out of the sea ie shells, coral etc. It's illegal and you'll get fined big time at the airport if caught

I could ramble on for ages but hope these tips help your friend. Wish them a great holiday from me.

[JJ]

I'm checking the thread! Thanks guys! I'll pass on all information to my friend. Her daughter will be turning one while they're out there.

Thanks again.

[Tissy]

Hi, JJ I went to Hurgada a few years ago on a diving holiday and really enjoyed it! I'm sure kiwicath will have a lot more detailed info, but useful things I can remember are:

don't have drinks with icecubes, as they may have been made with tap water, not bottled water

drink LOADS- it is very very hot, and you can easily get dehydrated. It is best to drink plain water, rather than fizzy drinks.

spend a couple of hours indoors or at least in the shade around midday

when you go out, cover up! Not only do long sleeves and skirts or trousers protect you from the sun, but a little modesty goes a long way to preventing "hassling"- we were told that the local men found shorts/ bikinis when we were out in the street an invitation to grope!

it is normal for people to "invite" you into their shops, if you don't want to go in, smile, and say "no thankyou" firmly and move on. Persuasion seems to be a way of life over there, and it's easy to get drawn into buying something you don't really want.

haggling is a way of life, but don't go too far. Yes, they will charge tourists a lot more than locals, but we are immeasurably rich compared to most of them. You will get a bargain (in UK terms) if you haggle, but probably will not get something "dirt cheap".

tipping (baksheesh) is also a way of life.

I hope this is the sort of info your friend wants!

May post more if I can remember any_ I seem to remember an excellent local fish restaurant, but can't remeber if that was in Hurghada or Sharm el Sheikh, maybe kiwicath can help?

[kiwicath]

Hi there JJ. Don't usually check the travel thread as I've given up on people ever heading out my way. I'm living in Sharm El Sheikh (just across the gulf from Hurgarda). Have been here for 9 years and just delivered little Jake 3 weeks ago. Won't go too much into detail until I know you're checking this thread. Get back to me and I'll pass on tips on how things are done over here. Cheers.