Hotel-island of Sveti Stefan in Montenegro
"Lenta.ru" recalled the most successful trips with travel agencies to tell about what you can and should replace Turkish Alanya, Egyptian Hurghada, Italian Rimini and other resorts too beloved by compatriots.
Egypt: El Gouna
Arriving at a hotel in El Gouna and finding that there are no other Russians besides you is a quite common story. Why is inexplicable: the transfer is easy (the drive from Hurghada airport is not far), the Red Sea is just as warm and clear as in Sharm el-Sheikh, the hotel has the same all inclusive.
El Gouna is called the Venice of the sands, as well as the pearl of the Red Sea. The city is very young, built in 1990 by American, Italian and Egyptian architects commissioned by a development company owned by local billionaire Sami Sawiris.
El Gouna consists of small islands connected by bridges and canals, along which boats cruise. All the usual Egyptian entertainments are available to vacationers, from camel riding and hookah smoking to yachting, windsurfing, diving. Plus European pleasures like morning yoga and golf. One drawback: with the colorful marine life and corals that regulars of Hurghada and Sharm resorts love so much, El Gouna has a shortage.
Turkey: Bodrum
If you love vacationing in Turkey, but for some unknown reason have not yet been to its Aegean coast, that is a big omission. In summer it is not as hot and humid here as on the Mediterranean Sea, the ethnic composition of vacationers is more diverse, and all the advantages of "package" tourism like generous meals and transfers are preserved (the main local air hub is Dalaman, not Antalya).
One of the undeniably interesting cities on the Aegean coast of Turkey is Bodrum, which the Turkish government has been purposefully developing as an international resort for several decades. They succeeded: here you can easily meet vacationers from all over Europe, as well as from other Turkish cities. Russians are also present, but they do not dominate the friendly multinational crowd here as in Kemer, Side or Alanya.
Bodrum will appeal to those who have an antipathy to the "all you can eat" style of dining, because the city has many small hotels offering only breakfast or two meals a day, and there are many restaurants in the area. For those who don't know English, the hotel must be chosen carefully: not every reception desk in Bodrum speaks Russian.
Among the excursions, the most obvious is a sea trip to the Greek island of Kos, which is just a stone's throw away: the journey will take from 25 to 45 minutes.
Greece: Zakynthos
The most popular Greek islands among Russian vacationers are Crete, Rhodes and Corfu. Of course, there are many other islands in Greece (oh those famous sunsets in Santorini and parties in Mykonos), but to most of them you will have to fly with a transfer and book the trip on your own. Meanwhile, in travel agencies it is easy to find ready-made trips to less promoted islands of Zakynthos and Thassos.
The greenest Greek island by default is considered Corfu, but Zakynthos can quite compete for this title. The coastline is not very wide, but gentle and sandy, so travel agencies usually recommend Zakynthos to families with children. But among vacationers there are also couples and small companies: the island is visited by those who want complete relaxation. Although Zakynthos is quite small (407 square kilometers), tourists are offered memorable excursions: to Navagio Bay and the Blue Caves, for example, and you can also swim to the neighboring island of Kefalonia.
Montenegro: Kotor, Sveti Stefan
In summer, to Budva, the main resort city of the country, only for entertainment, and it is better to stay somewhere else – any local or simply a connoisseur of Montenegro will tell you that. Basically, travel agencies offer vacationers hotels exactly in Budva or the nearby village of Becici. Those seeking peace will like Kotor, surrounded by mountains, located on the shore of a narrow bay. Yes, there are no luxurious wide beaches here, but there is a fairly large old town where you can wander for hours, sit in cafes and browse shops.
If beach is a priority, then in Montenegro it is hard to find anything better than Sveti Stefan. In addition to the actual town beach, which deservedly boasts clean water, pinkish sand and a view of the hotel-island of Sveti Stefan, there is also the Royal Beach a bit further away. Yes, it is indeed the most expensive beach on the Budva Riviera, so there are few people and no one will disturb you from enjoying the pines, turquoise water and the view of the former residence of the Karageorgevich royal dynasty.
Spain: Costa del Garraf (Sitges)
Choosing a package tour to Spain for vacation, most compatriots go to one of the seaside resorts – Costa Dorada or Costa Brava. This is indeed a good opportunity to have a budget holiday on the coast and go on an excursion to Barcelona.
Alas, due to the abundance of native speech, Costa Dorada strongly resembles Anapa, does not boast attractions, and moreover is still a bit far from the capital of Catalonia. Costa Brava is closer to Barcelona, but it has a rather specific reputation as the mainland Ibiza – in summer, young people from all over Europe flock to the resort. If you are alien to club music and do not want to see firsthand that the British and Germans are very fond of binge drinking, it is better not to come to Costa Brava in high season.
Travel agencies have finally started offering Costa del Garraf – another resort in the "Barcelona region". It is practically undeveloped by Russian vacationers. Perhaps it will not be developed: the main city, Sitges, has an unofficial title of summer gay Mecca.
The resort is indeed favored by representatives of non-traditional sexual orientation, like many other wonderful vacation spots (the islands of Mykonos and Ibiza, for example), so homophobes probably have nothing to do on Costa del Garraf in summer. All others will be able to see that Sitges is almost like the Spanish Saint-Tropez: a sybaritic town with active nightlife, yacht docks, and fashionable shops. Barcelona is 36 kilometers away.
Tour agents will most likely not offer you these towns and villages themselves, since demand for them is low here. There are also not many personal reviews about vacations at these resorts online. Nevertheless, in our opinion, they are worth preferring over more promoted options by asking specialists to find a suitable tour.