It was my fourth trip to Egypt, always at different times, always with different mood and purpose. When the slush, cold and autumn-winter depression has already made itself felt, what can be better to go into the summer in winter? 

In this article I want to help you, my dear readers, to tell you about my magical vacation and help you to decide on the hotel and cultural program, as for me it wasn’t an easy choice. If you, like me, want to replenish your energy supply, which is exhausted by crazy working hours, to gain strength, just lying on the beach, doing nothing, then you will be interested and useful in this article. 

This 9-day trip has exceeded all my expectations. It’s true, it is! But about everything in order.

We have chosen the Grand Rotana Resort & Spa 5*, which I am highly  recommend, and there are a number of reasons: 

1. The sea. 

Warm, purest, with a magical, amazing underwater world – that’s why a lot of people come here to the Red Sea.

Here you can see the abundance of multicolored fish and corals of amazing shapes and sizes. 

The pontoons are stationary here, not inflatable, unlike the 4 hotels I’ve visited before.

The hotel’s area.

The area is so large that most of the people who have a vacation there just couldn’t see it, although when we left, about 150 people stopped by. 

If you want to be active, go up to the pools on top. They are different: large for adults, children’s, panoramic with a view of the sea and, it seems, with a Jacuzzi. To tell the truth, I wasn’t in any of them, even to take a photo. This rest I spent almost without a phone. 9 days of absolute silence and no social networks. I chose the lounge area for myself. 

An area where you can hear the noise of the sea and the lounge music plays. There is no sand here, instead there is grass cover. Everything is green, palm trees are everywhere. 

I couldn’t stop admiring it. Comfortable beds, but honestly, I was lying on the sunbed only one day, all the rest – on a towel on the grass. It was magical!

• Sports and entertainment at the hotel.

One of the main conditions in choosing a hotel was a good sports hall, spa and tennis court. Since I chose “All inclusive”, it was important. I don’t have to put on weight. I play tennis, and there were free (!!!) tennis courts on the territory that I never played. I didn’t go to the hall either. But I was in the spa center. My body and soul demanded complete relaxation. So I must be honest: I slept, ate and received aesthetic and moral satisfaction in full. When I saw the tourists who came with their rackets, I realized that I chose the right hotel.

This hotel has an amazing spa. Prices bite, by the way. The cost of massage (60 min) – 105 dollars. But if you have already been to Egypt and visited the spa hotels, especially those where 1 spa procedure is a gift, then I assure you that this is a completely different level. That’s so luxury!

The treatment for a couple is done in a room with panoramic sea views. After that, you are offered herbal tea with a hot salt roller, which is placed on your shoulders. And yes, you can enjoy your rest!

The evening program: cartoons for children are shown in the amphitheatre, followed by a children’s disco. Upstairs, in an open-air cocktail bar, live music is played every night, belly dancing is shown and various competitions are held.

2 times a week, three times per day there is free transfer to the old part of the city. We have also not taken advantage of this service for a significant reason:

1. a) We wanted silence and calmness.
2. b) There was enough entertainment and cultural program at the hotel.

• About the food.

That’s great! Everything is delicious, diverse, fresh and, I want to admit, clean.

Tomatoes and cucumbers were served in the ice, which was changed every 10-15 minutes, so that the vegetables would not spoil and wind up. And even if you come 10 minutes before closing, you will see all the dishes in stock. They are carefully served and hot. The dishes are clean, the appliances and napkins are available. Waiters are offering you drinks: phantas, tonic, pepsi, beer (in tin cans), juice, alcoholic beverages, and water (in a bottle of 0.5 l). I was pleasantly surprised by this.

Meat, fish, seafood are available every day. There are also salads, vegetables, fruits (guava, dates, apples, lemons, oranges, grapes, pineapples, bananas).

On the territory of the hotel there are 3 restaurants of “a la carte” system: Italian, fish, Asian for a fee. Once you can visit them for free.

• My daily routine

After a nap, I got up without an alarm clock (this is very important), went out to the balcony and enjoyed the amazing view of the sea. The breakfast consisted mainly of fruit.

After that, there was a full breakfast (I prefer a thick American breakfast) in the hotel restaurant. I wrote about food and service in a separate section. I believe that it has a key role to play when choosing a hotel.

After that, I drank a mango fresh ($2) in a cafe on the beach and went for a swim. About the amazing coral reef and a huge number of fish I have already written above. In other hotels we took excursions in order to swim and see the fish, because here everything is close by, just cut-and-come-again.

Now, a little bit about the tour program. Surely you went to Egypt only for the sun, sea and beach, isn’t it? Me, too. But not at this time. This time I made a pilgrimage tour to Mount Sinai (2285 meters above sea level). The easiest way to start this trip is from Sharm el-Sheikh. The distance from Sharm el-Sheikh to the foot of the mountain is 80 km.

Mount Sinai is a sacred place for Jews, Christians and Muslims. This is where God appeared to Moses, spoke to him, and gave him the Ten Commandments, according to the biblical legend. Pilgrims from all over the world rush to the top of the mountain on foot or on camels.

They say that if you walk all the way from the foot to the top on foot, your sins will be forgiven. I have seen pregnant and seniors who are slowly but surely walking in a line of people to meet the dawn. At the top there is an orthodox Greek temple of the Holy Trinity and a mosque.

We were walking for about three hours. We were accompanied by a Bedouin. They have the exclusive right to accompany pilgrims here.

The guide did not go. It was cold and I really wanted to sleep. But the inner mood, the importance of this sacred place, the view of the Sinai Mountains and the sunrise were worth it. Take warm clothes and a thermos with a hot tea!

At the foot of Mount Sinai is the monastery of St. Catherine. Unmarried girls can ask St. Catherine for a happy marriage, a husband. And according to our faith will be us!

On the territory of the monastery there is a mosque – an unique phenomenon. Why is it located on the territory of the monastery? A guide will tell you about it.

Also here grows a bush of Burning bush. To it now there is no access as tourists cut off on a leaf for memory. But it is possible to photograph it. You can also read about Burning bush.

Finally, I will tell you the following: this time Egypt opened up to me in a completely new way.

I will combine beach holidays with pilgrimage tourism in the future, choosing mainly network hotels. Grand Rotana chain of hotels left the best impressions!

Calm, full, rested I returned home and already in active working mode until the next trip. What do you recommend? What country, hotel, sightseeing? I will be very grateful!