Five wealthy Egyptian brothers who built this hotel on the Red Sea coast adorned it with fountains with electric light-and-music equipment. Every day at 20:30 something resembling a show begins here. The fountains turn on and off, hiss, hum, sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow. The performance lasts 25 minutes, and the hall holds about a hundred people. It costs $7 for an organized tourist, or 25 pounds if you get to the hotel on your own.
One evening can be devoted to an unusual dinner at an Egyptian national restaurant called '1001 Nights'. At the entrance to something resembling a palace, camels greet the visitors. On the table are local dishes. Around – songs and dances with an Oriental flavor. A complete surprise could be Aladdin flying over the guests' heads on a magic carpet. In short, everything is like in a fairy tale, only the drinks are natural and strong, but for an extra charge. By the way, entrance is $25.
For fans of more active evening entertainment, we can recommend numerous snooker-billiard halls and the 'Bowling Club'. It is located almost opposite the Sindbad hotel. You can have a good time playing bowling here. Then, crossing the road, pay 20 pounds and go into the hotel for a show of Russian girls and a disco, once reputed to be the biggest and 'coolest' in Hurghada. We also recommend visiting the 'Oriental Camp', where they put on a show by pitch-black Nubians, indigenous Africans who served in the personal guard of the pharaohs millennia ago.
Had your fill? Now it's time to eat, to check what they treat guests to here. The buffet at the hotel is, of course, good, but... a bit boring. Missing romance. Missing a kick of sensation. Since we've gone all out today, we must drink this cup to the dregs. On the Red Sea coast there are restaurants of different national cuisines. Next to the already beloved Grand Hotel you can taste Chinese dishes; a full dinner for two will cost only 80-90 pounds. And if in the company there is a weirdo who cannot live a day without borscht and pelmeni, then his direct path is to the Russian restaurant 'Marusya', located not far from the center. Right next to it, side by side, is an Italian restaurant.
There are places to drink good beer, for example, in pubs like the Irish Club near the Sonesta hotel.
But to be by the sea and not try fresh fish is unwise. Fish in Hurghada is somehow expensive. Compared, of course, to meat or chicken. Even locals who buy seafood at the markets admit this.
The best, or rather the most specific fish restaurant-tavern is considered to be 'Felfela', which is not far from the Sheraton hotel, on the way from it to the old town. It offers a wonderful view of the sea. Prices are high by local standards. So, for lunch you will have to pay at least 90 pounds per person. Lunch: fried fish, shrimp, squid – in all forms with various spices. In Sekala – part of the old town – the fish restaurant 'El Joker' catches the eye. Here exquisite dishes are consumed along with local smells and noises, and you will feel like a real traveler who has grasped the essence of the Arab East. Prices are slightly lower than at 'Felfela'.
However, fish and seafood can always be ordered at any little restaurant. Here is a typical set for six: lobster (half a large tail each), grilled king prawns (four each), stewed eggplant, rice, potatoes, and various salads plus a bottle of white wine – resulting in $16 per person.
• In many hotels and restaurants today you can find beautiful Montelli countertops made of artificial stone. The stylish appearance of such countertops and the ease of care allow this surface to be used almost everywhere – in bathrooms, bars, restaurants, and kitchens.
WE'VE ARRIVED...
When you unpack your bags, suitcases, and trunks, when you wash the Red Sea salt off your tanned shoulders and bellies, when you give away all the souvenirs, when you develop the films, print the photos, when you tell relatives and friends about everything you saw in the desert, in the sea, in Hurghada and in Cairo – then you will suddenly discover with surprise that you spent much less on ALL THIS than you expected. That the four hundred-odd dollars you spent would hardly be enough for two days in some town on the European Riviera.
Probably there are places better than Hurghada. And we are not arguing. We just say: Hurghada is not a fetish, but an affordable and convenient resort for everyone.
Well, shall we go tomorrow?
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