Egypt - end June/beginning July.

[PTA]

Can anyone advise on the suitability of the above please?

We haven't had a summer holiday for years and we really, really want to feel the sun warm our bones and finally thaw out. Egypt seems to be the cheapest and best that we can afford. We are already taking the DS's out of school for the last day or maybe two and flying from an English airport (we are in Scotland) to cut the costs even further.

Is Egypt too hot at this time of year? We have two DS's (10 and 6) who love being in the pool but not the beach and would quite happily spend all day in the water. Will Egypt be suitable or is the heat too debilitating?

TIA.

That time of year it will be incredibly hot. Average temperature for July is around 37.5.

It depends on how much you like the heat & in part where abouts you are staying, but coastal areas tend to be cooler anyway, going inland to the desert/cities gets hotter, but even then, so long as you are suitably dressed - ie covered up properly in thin light colours clothes, hats good sunscreen, lots of water & drink often, you will be fine, you have to be aware of heatstroke/burning, but even then the heat feels ok

we love Egypt & have been various places at different times of year - its a dry heat, so we've never found it too hot, unlike more hot humid places where it can be uncomfortably hot & it can actually get a bit chilly in the evenings, so take cardigans/sweatshirts etc - but do make sure you all drink plenty, "food poisoning" "gyppy tummies" are more often down to dehydration & not respecting the sun - alcohol makes dehydration worse - but the heat itself is lovely :)

Thanks for the reply. I had looked at the average temp guides and saw that.

Could we manage in the pool all day though? I know it's a waste to go to Egypt and not see anything but the Pyramids etc are too far away and I really don't want to deal with traders/haggling so we won't be going outside of the resort.

x-post with rockinhippy.

I don't drink alcohol and neither does dh much although I'm quite sure he'll drink the beer if we go AI. I am fanatical about keeping myself and DS's hydrated.

I know this type of holiday may be some people's idea of hell on earth but seriously, we just want to be hot!

Thanks again for the replies. Any more info/advice would be greatfully received.

We went last August to Sharm and although Sharm is just a manmade resort, the hol was great! It was also very cheap!

It was very hot, but not humid and a bit of a breeze. Loads of sunbrellas and aircon everywhere plus pools/sea. I love the sun anyway.
We went AI with an 11 and 13yo but there were all ages around. Hotel was lovely and the snorkelling was spectacular. The hotel we were in had jetties into the sea which the kids spent hours jumping off, never mind snorkelling! We spent the mornings by the pool and then lunch and afternoon by the sea (not real beach - manmade one)

It is too far to go to the pyramids/Nile/Luxor, etc, but there are various trips and a great waterpark which we all loved.

I say go for it - excellent value for money - which hotel are you looking at?!

I know what you mean about Hell on Earth - we were worried about that, but it wasn't like that. We dont drink loads either but AI makes life so much easier when you have kids!

Thanks bigTillyMint.

I'm not sure of hotels yet. I've looked at Xperience St. George Homestay in Sharm and Coral Beach Rotana Resort in Hurghada but I'm not even sure about which resort yet.

We've got some Thomas Cook vouchers to use and these are the two cheapest that come up and they look ok on Trip Adviser.

Neither of my ds's like the sea, especially not ds2 who has Down's. He loves swimming, especially under the water but keeps his eyes open and won't wear goggles so the sea is out for him. DS1 might like to try snorkelling though.

We took our ds' aged then 2 and 7 last August and it was 48 degrees ish, it was fine. Obviously you wouldn't want to be out sightseeing and walking much in the heat but on the beach/near the pool it was fine.

I think we booked through Travel Republic, but I guess if you have vouchers to use, you are a bit restricted. We stayed at the Maritim Jolie Ville, but have friends who have stayed in lots of others and they all sound similar. All in Sharm.

Even if you/DS2 dont want to snorkel, you can still see lots of fish from the jetty - really fab!

Jungle aqua park in hurghada is fab, we went with first choice but not sure who goes there now.

You will love it then :) we loved it so much we go back to various resorts every year, I'm well travelled, so is DH & nowhere else has ever had either of us wanting to do that before Egypt.

If you want to avoid the traders Dahab is part of the old hippy trail, so they are used to travellers without money to spend on tat - much more chilled & they are friendly, not pushy - its a stunning area, with some of the best diving & snorkelling in the world & simply paddling gets you surrounded by beautiful fish - we love it there the most & always go AI too, much easier with DCs

The sights really are worth seeing though, many mind blowing & coaches all have air con & toilets, so easily done even with DCs :)

PS we always book with Fleetway Travel, always found them to be the cheapest & the service we have had has always been excellent

Thanks so much for the information everyone, it really has put my mind at rest about going there.

Both dh and I were reasonably well travelled pre-children but, especially since having ds2 I've become very, very careful and fearful about trying new countries with them. However this year the need for heat is pushing all other concerns slightly to the side .

Don't forget to check out the hotel reviews for the ones that you fancy on Trip Advisor & have a great time :)

Thanks! I'll try!!!

if the beach is important to you then defiantly make sure that the hotel you are booking has its own beach and not one that is nearby

Often in Egypt you get sister hotels which say beach access / beach club blah blah but this can mean a walk of 10 -15 mins or shuttle bus to the beach which is not pleasant in the heat

In sharks bay area this is often the case you have the main hotel which is on the beach (hotels are set back above the cliffs mainly in sharks bay )
and then you have the sister hotel which can easily be 10 15 mins walk away ( they are only across the rd but because the hotels are so often so bloody big everything is a bit of hike especially in the heat ) Its ok on the way their but not on the way back especially after a few beers.

Also while i have booked many time with travel republic and i find them excellent if its a flight and hotel separately Ie two invoices ( one for the flight and one for the hotel so you can see the actually price of the flight and the hotel as two separate booking iyswim) then should the flight go tits up then you could end up out of pocket as your hotel has been paid for regardless.
They are separate bookings if you see what i mean and not a package

I speak from experience of this happening to me in the past