| Product: |
Nuweiba Hilton Coral Resort |
| Date: |
15/04/06 (906 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Uberfriendly staff, beautiful surroundings and superb snorkelling/dive facilities
Disadvantages: Taba International Airport - and the drive down to the hotel
A truly lovely and fantastically friendly resort, you can't get much better than this anywhere else in South Sinai, Egypt.
My son and I travelled there in July 2004 for two weeks of bliss and had the most wonderful time, with new experiences at every turn and making lots of friends - both Egyptian (workers) and other nationalities (holidaymakers just like us). It is our little patch of heaven on this earth and a recent return trip to Egypt (along the coastline of the Red Sea Riviera to Taba Heights) just confirmed this to us.
If you remember the cheesy Magicool advert during the past two summers for the spray which cools you and you saw the family jumping in pools in idyllic surroundings - that's Nuweiba Coral Resort. Beautiful, eh?!
I have never met friendlier staff anywhere else in the world and they just adore children (of all ages). Neither do they hover around expecting tips or baksheesh (more of this later) which can be quite intimidating to us reserved Brits!
Accommodation:
As we wove our way through the South Sinai desert landscape from Taba International Airport, my son and I grew increasingly more despondent. Surrounded by partly-built hotels with nothing else around except sand and stunning mountains, with the odd patch of habitation and a few camels wandering along the wayside with goats as companions, it was very different to the hotel brochures!
However, as we drove from Taba and Taba Heights down to Nuweiba (about 65km away) we managed to fall asleep, despite the bumpy roads and usual crazy Egyptian driving. We awoke to find ourselves entering Nuweiba - a port which has a catamaran and ferry service to Aqaba, Jordan. and not much else. We'd passed Nuweiba Tarabin while asleep (a small town built by the local Bedouin, which has markets and tea stalls by the water) but our spirits were restored by the view of the Nuweiba Hilton.
Mildly alarmed by the armed security police at the entrance to the hotel, with mirrors being passed under the coach to check for bombs (an everyday experience - you soon get used to it, it is for the tourist's protection), our breath was completely taken away as we pulled up to the reception area, greeted by smiling staff bearing drinks made of coconut and milk (supremely refreshing) before checking-in. Check-in was so smoothly done you never even realised what was going on until you found yourself in your room, soaking up the fantastic views.
The grounds are immaculately tended each day, from dawn to dusk; beautiful date trees drooping with heavy fruit, gorgeous scented flowers and grass - yes, even in the Sinai desert!
There are two types of rooms, standard and deluxe (deluxe are on the ground floor, larger and more for families). The rooms were of a nice size, including the bathroom. Admittedly the bedrooms were in need of a lick of paint and a makeover (with very rustic furniture) but the beds were very comfortable, linen changed regularly and airconditioning which never let us down. The bathrooms could have done with refurbishing but were always clean. Our balcony had the most beautiful views out across the Red Sea (to our right) and the mountains (directly in front), with palm trees rustling away in the sea breeze.
The rooms, we found, were always faultlessly clean, with fresh water bottles placed in fridge each day, along with a range of other soft drinks (free if on the all-inclusive option) and we never saw any creatures in our room at any time - and only saw two lizards throughout the whole of our stay, out in the grounds.
You will be looked after very well by your housekeeper. All housekeepers are male in Sinai. Our housekeeper bought me flowers one afternoon when he found out that I had been in the room all day, unwell. Very thoughtful. Some housekeepers - if you were lucky - rearranged your nightdresses, if left on the bed, into roses or beach towels into the shape of swans.
Restaurants:
There were three restaurants - the main restaurant, an "Italian" restaurant - which we always found too hot even in the evening - and an a la carte restaurant on the beach. The food was always exceptional in every restaurant.
The main restaurant (Blue Blue) had varied menus, a different theme every night. My favourite was "Egyptian night" but the BBQ night was always a good deal for the meat-eaters amongst us - tender beef steaks and divine mini-burgers cooked outside, where you could pile your plate up as high as you liked, or come back for seconds, thirds and more. Cakes always seemed to be covered in dessicated coconut but there were always huge varieties of foods available, for every meal. Breakfast was always a treat for those with a sweet tooth, fabulous mini pastries and fresh bread. The only minor criticism was a lack of fresh fruit but as everything is shipped in from Cairo, you learn to live without. Salads I learnt to keep clear of - if suffering from a delicate constitution back home, although they wash the salads in purified water, it can still cause a minor upset.
The "Italian" restaurant was an open-sided restaurant by the beach walkway and the heat never seemed to escape because of the roof! A huge variety of foods were to be found here, but the real draw for children was that you could choose your own toppings and watch your pizza being made by one of the many chefs available. Lots of children went to dine here by themselves and were well-looked after by Sammi, the wonderful restaurant manager there. It was also close to the Shell disco (where the pool tables were) so that was another draw for the children!
The a la carte restaurant (Abou Lou Lou - specialising in fish dishes) which is located on the beach itself, was not included in the price of the all-inclusive option but you were given something similar to "points" which were put towards a meal in the a la carte restaurant. I only dined once there during my two week stay and really, the only differences I found were that (a) the menu was more geared towards English tastes and (b) it wasn't that busy! Well worth a try 'tho, the decor was beautifully thought out.
Entertainment:
There were two large swimming pools (one temperature-controlled) and of course you have a private beach on your doorstep!
There are a variety of areas for children to play, on the beach and in the actual main part of the hotel. On the beach there are beach loungers all the way along and some evenings you may even see tourists lining up to learn how to bellydance (my son almost disowned me at this point!).
There are squash courts and tennis courts, if you are crazy enough to play in that kind of heat. Not really my cup of tea, I was delighted to just lounge around and hop in and out of the sea to snorkel.
The watersports were a mixed bag, I thought. The Water Centre really upped the prices once school holidays kicked in (by almost 40% on the snorkelling trip) but even then prices were reasonable. You can use the pedalos free of charge, but there are charges for water-skiing, wind-surfing and kayaking. For the more adventurous there is also the Banana-boat!
The Dive Centre is located behind the Italian restaurant and you can either learn to dive there, or go out on night-dives or cruise dives if suitably PADI-qualified. The centre appeared to offer very good deals and courses can be booked before you fly out to Nuweiba. If I am lucky enough to return to Nuweiba, I have promised myself I will learn to dive there.
There are also a few shops in the resort which are well worth looking in for a few holiday mementos - I bought a beautiful Egyptian pottery horse-head and it has pride of my place in my front room, a bargain at £25.
However, where this resort really comes into its own is the quality of coral so close to the shore. You definitely need to wear jelly shoes (or the like) in the water due to all manner of spiky fish lurking on the sand but in certain parts of the beach you only had to wade out 2m to find some stunning fish on the coral. Snorkelling out there is fantastic (with a couple of good locations known only to some of the staff there so do get to know them well!) with the opportunity to swim with huge angelfish and tortoises. Later in the afternoon, there were always shoals of fish leaping into the air as eels chased them - don't worry, the eels aren't concerned about you, they are just chasing their dinner (not you, thankfully). The water was always beautifully clear, calm as a mirror except when the ferries or catamarans passed by from the local port, and I found you could easily read a book while laying on your back.
At night you will be captivated by walking onto the pier and seeing all the lionfish spread out under the walkways - we also saw cuttlefish.
Children's entertainment was superb. We got to know the entertainments staff very well and they had a running program (alternated each day) which went from mid-morning right through to 9pm in the evening, culminating in the Shell disco. When we stayed at Taba Heights last August the entertainments manager at El Wakala (a livewire Israeli gentlemen - excellent with both adults and children) was taking up the entertainments manager post at Nuweiba Hilton so if you go there this year, you will be in for a treat!
Adult entertainment was also very good, varied each evening and we loved the shows they put on for us (even getting us up and making fools of ourselves). If someone had a birthday, they really pushed the boat out and made it a very special event.
Two of the most popular day activities were the aquaerobics (hilarious to watch as well as take part in) around midday, and then around 2.30 there were always water-polo matches which seemed quite violent from a spectators point of view, 'tho my son always seemed to be in the middle of all the spray.
Bars:
The pool bar was always very busy but with excellent staff. Rose wine was the only drinkable wine, I found, but some of the spirits were a bit harsh to handle with the heat hitting 46 each day! Under the pool bar is a little cave-like room, decked out in cushions, rugs and various teas and fruit flavoured-smokes in the bongs available at a small price, adding to the Arabic authenticity.
The reception bar was always wonderfully cool, with airconditioning going full-blast as adults and children took a relaxed round of pool or snooker in, in the evenings.
Drinks always came promptly in the restaurant but I soon learnt that lemonade comes much quicker than rose wine, 'tho always served with the same smile!
The beach bar had a limited service and snacks were on a pay-basis (unlike at the pool bar).
Service:
The service was 5*++ at the restaurants and bars (three bars - beach, pool and main reception area) and at the pool bar you were waited on hand and foot, even at midnight. Service was discreet but highly attentive.
Other:
There are a good variety of day - or longer - trips to Cairo, Petra, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, as well as St Catherine's Monastery, at very reasonable prices. Have a look at other Tour Company's trip boards by reception, not just your own. We travelled with Longwood Holidays (and also took our trips with them) but the prices varied enormously.
It was very simple to book and you always booked lunch boxes to take with you (free of charge if on all-inclusive option) and a meal ready for you on your return to the hotel, even if at 2am in the morning - your tour representative would telephone ahead to warn the reception staff when we were expected.
Safe-boxes were located behind reception and I greatly appreciated the lengths they went to, to ensure privacy and security. I cannot remember offhand how much they charged but it was a very reasonable price, and they did not mind you going back and forth during the day.
There are also doctors on-site - useful for the occasional tum bug or ear infections (quite usual when snorkelling).
There were also massage facilities available, placed on your bill at the end of the holiday. I had a foot massage and loved it so much that I am now studying to be a massage therapist myself! Again, prices were very reasonable and you book at reception (they had a special book for reserving massages). There were a variety of massages available 'tho most were not recognisable as those we find in Western Europe. This did not, however, detract from the luxury of having a fantastic massage, whatever name they had it down as!
There are also internet facilities available - just buy a card from reception staff. The bank also provides an excellent exchange rate, far better than any available in the UK even with commission charges taken into account.
A trip to Nuweiba Tarabin is also a good way to see Egyptian desert life at its best. Some of the stalls in the market have very kooky names! Be prepared to fight people off and really haggle to get what you want - they will claim you are going to leave their children unfed but don't let it put you off (they view us as a soft touch - easy money!). You can pick up some excellent bargains. My son purchased a bong for £3 including charcoal disks and a few fruit-flavoured smoke packets.
Warnings:
For female travellers who are travelling without male company do beware when out of the resort. My son and I travelled from Nuweiba Port to Aqaba to visit a friend and we had the most unbelievable nightmarish journey there and back.
Baksheesh is a type of tip - wherever you are in Egypt, you will be asked for baksheesh, whether you ask someone for direction or whether you take a photograph of a policeman riding a camel! It can be very intimidating for first-time travellers to Egypt, so be prepared with very small amounts of money (save your single Egyptian pounds as they will be very handy, but are quite scarce).
Be careful of the salads and of ice in your drinks if you are susceptible to tummy problems.
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In short, if you are looking for a relaxing time away with family or a group of friends, then you couldn't find better in my opinion. Nuweiba is a very small town, Hilton Coral is a small-ish resort, but charming and peaceful - not for partygoers or those looking for a wild time, it's just not that kind of place, but for those who are jaded and just wish for beautiful surroundings and somewhere where you can just lie back and watch the world go by, I don't think you will ever find better.
All in all, fantastic value for money and an experience not to be missed!
* * * *
Flight: We flew from London Gatwick to Taba International - excellent flight times with Monarch and Astreus (757 aircraft), usually landing at Taba around 4pm their time. The transfer time from the airport to the hotel is approximately 1.5 hours as you drop off holidaymakers to other hotels along the way. Do take some tissues with you in your hand-luggage; if you get caught short while going through passport control, you will have to buy some toilet paper from the attendants (all male) and you invariably only have big notes to offer them at that stage of your holiday!
Egypt is 2 hours ahead of GMT/BST
Cost: We paid £619 per person for 2 weeks, all-inclusive
Trips: We paid approx. £109 at current exchange rates for our 2-day trip to Cairo (incl. 1 night, HB, at Le Meridien Pyramids with view of the Giza pyramids from our hotel room); our Bedoin trip (scary camel ride, Bedoin market and dinner in a Bedoin tent) was approx £19 per person, both booked through Longwood. Our trip to Jordan (catamaran there, ferry back) cost approx. £180 for two, including visa fees, Jordan taxes on departure from Aqaba.
Tour operators: Longwood Holidays; Peltours; Cosmos(there are others, but those are the only ones I remember seeing which are based in the UK).
(My review of Nuweiba Hilton Coral Resort - which this is based on - was first published within Ciao under the name of Moonpoppy on 15.04.2005)
Summary: I love this place ... its charm is in its quality of staff and catering
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