El Gouna - Egyptian Venice. El Gouna - Egyptian Venice

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And here it is - the long-awaited - the first day of vacation has come! I prepared to open the door and dive into the Red Sea (see Love and Doves)! El Gouna is waiting!

The taxi driver didn’t even upset me, who said that his trunk was occupied, and you couldn’t put a bag on the seat - his “Kalina” was only a year old - the trim could lose its appearance (what kind of fig?). True, he had to partially reconcile himself - he spread something - and the bag rode proudly in the back seat - with conveniences, which cannot be said about me, since the seat was inhumanly pushed up to the panel, and the regulator did not work. In the middle of the road, I asked for a back seat - to my own bag - it seemed to feel better. "Lada-Kalina" is our car! Vacation has begun!

He calmly took down the undressing before the inspection at the airport, and the gloomy faces of the examiners, similar to decommissioned X-ray machines of the last century, and even the nasty coffee in a plastic cup for 3.5 bucks in the departure hall. Even the lack of light in the men's room in the departure hall did not spoil my mood! The passengers were a little nervous (the valve in the toilet was broken, and in the women's queue), who were regularly interested - they say, what is inside the men's toilet? Don't pay attention to the little things! Vacation has begun!

Airplane. My enthusiasm is a little despondent. A man and a half centner flowed into the next seat. And on the other hand, the flow is the same. And how did the chair accommodate them? Oh, it's clear how - above the chair they spread half a meter to the sides. He flew to St. Petersburg, almost without breathing, raising his hands - there was nowhere to put them anyway, with a heating pad from a centner of lard on each side. Yes, and the seat of the Boeing 737 turned out to be just absolutely across my favorite ass. In addition, the neighbors were talking among themselves all the time past me - just think, the gasket between the seats, what to pay attention to - it turns out that they always buy seats through the seat - they simply can’t sit next to them. And they fly often and together, as I understand.

To the poor spacers between them - ardent greetings and my solidarity!

So I got out in St. Petersburg not as cheerful as I sat down in Murmansk, slightly limping on both legs, flat along the direction of travel like a fish (and what else, if I had 15 cm of seat width). But anyway, the holiday has begun ...

Kind taxi drivers immediately ran up and for only 2800 wooden ones - cheap, one might say - they offered to take me to the hotel. They advised “not to contact the offices”, whose tents were located here. All the same, it turned out to be almost 3 times cheaper in a tent, and I happily arrived at the Karelia Hotel. Vacation has begun!

The administrator, seeing that I was only checking in for half a day and leaving at night, decided that it was possible to accommodate such a person in third world rooms, but at full cost. In the first room, the window did not close at all. Moved to another. Everything is fine here, but the bed tilted on one leg and, without a liter of vodka, it was not possible to straighten it. The third room was worn, like jeans after 3 years of continuous wear, but with a window and a bed. Agreed. Went to reception. I was immediately issued a ticket for breakfast. As I did not refuse, convincing that at 7 in the morning I would be over Turkey, they handed him to me (for my hard-earned money, of course). They explained that the breakfast buffet was excellent. And for the sake of it, you can, they say, refuse to leave ...

As it turned out, I hurried with the choice of the number. Yes, the window and the bed were present, but what is a modern vacationer without a TV? The TV worked either at full volume, or not at all. But happiness is not in him, after all!

The shower sneezed for a very long time until it gave out lukewarm water. Well, to hell with him! The batteries were cold (+11 outside). Having decided that all this is trifles - tomorrow I will sunbathe and warm myself, corrected my mood and decided to start my vacation. However, after 2 hours of confinement between sweaty guys, I felt uncomfortable. I decided not to take the disgusting smell on vacation and washed the shirt and everything.

I decided to dry it on a fan - it worked properly - a memory of the recent St. Petersburg heat and the absence of air conditioners in the hotel. However, the fan behaved strangely. From time to time he bucked up and tried to chew either his sock or his underpants in general. I had to watch him closely with both eyes, tearing my eyes away from the TV screaming in all its mighty op. He was just yelling "Men in Black - 2" ...

Everyone, the vacation has begun!

Pulkovo-2. Registration is not allowed. As usual, there is nothing to sit on.

Wandering around the hall before the inspection, I got acquainted with the pharmacy kiosk. Apparently, those flying abroad suffer from a very limited set of diseases. Well, with triple-priced before and after sun creams on the side of the kiosk, everything is clear. Preparations for ulcers - that's understandable. The front part of the kiosk was slightly alarming. A third of the area was occupied by drugs such as Viagra, another third by condoms, the rest was occupied by drugs for diarrhea and a window closed by a sign "I'm here, knock, I'll sell what you need." The statistics are not funny. That is, on vacation people fuck like rabbits, vilify and sunbathe. Deciding to purchase a set of bactericidal adhesive plaster - I didn’t think of it at home - I knocked. Again and again, then louder and louder. The girl dozing inside the kiosk didn't even raise an eyebrow, snoring sweetly and loudly. Spat. There should also be pharmacies in Egypt. Or maybe you don't need a patch...

I drank coffee in the cafe "Shokoladnitsa" (already for 5 bucks, but better than in Murmansk for 3). I wouldn't drink, I don't like coffee, but the chairs are too soft and it's convenient to check in with things to wait for. I watched how vacationers flying to Egypt - the nearest plane was only there - already here they were pushing their fingers like a fan. Like - “Ludk, and Ludk! And here we serve cakes better, and finally you can’t brew coffee here…”

Registration at Pulkovo-2. Tickets are all sold out, but the seats do not seem to depend on the first registration. No. Our turn and here - the Queue. Here and there there were squabbles because of the order, or in general - the neighbor's face did not like it. Slightly strained border control. Seeing the surname, which was given to a lot of people in the country, the frontier guard, in anticipation, joyfully ran into a list of non-exit alimony workers and others. Willy-nilly, he froze in fright, although he returned from Finland a week ago and there would seem to be nothing to be afraid of. How about? Heard enough terrible rumors about the innocent victims of bailiffs. No, judging by the sour face and the sound of the stamp about leaving the country, it has passed.

Everything, almost abroad!

The people, as the victim, rushed to the duty free. Walking around the store, I realized that I could become the owner of Russian Standard vodka 375 ml for 10 euros, while in a store near my house you can buy it for less serious, although rubles. Realizing that I didn’t need anything here, I left the store. But I was one of the few. The shelves of alcohol were thinning sharply. I felt sad in anticipation, as I remembered what our vacationers arranged on the plane on their way to Egypt in February of this year. Plane nearly landed in Turkey...

Airplane. Boeing 767. The chair matched the butt! Lucky! However, after looking closely, I realized that my 14th row was not at all as 14th as it seems, but the real 13th, which simply was not on the plane! After the 12th - immediately mine ... Well, oh well, there are a lot of seats on the plane, something cannot happen only to me.

The people, either different in composition from the February (last vacation), or still sleepy - 6 in the morning - behaved quietly. True, only the first hour. Then the children of the most different noisy ages woke up. There were many. At the same time they shouted at least 3-4 at once. Sometimes, however, they played a quintet, and even a sextet. And so the rest of the 4 hours. That's why it was quiet for the first hour - children don't drink alcohol at such a young age - it's good for them to yell anyway ...

For lunch, they served wonderful sausages (however, why am I talking about her in the plural) and fish. After reading about Hailey Airport, he refused to fish. He ate a sausage and beans, after which he was awarded not childishly serious heartburn. All who ate the fish survived. Bad luck. Should have fished...

Finally sat down. The people cheered wildly. 10 am, outside +32. Everyone is already standing in the aisle when the ship's commander announced the landing and "everyone stay in place." The unloading of the Russian vacation home began about 30 minutes later. All this time, everyone stood in the aisle with stone faces, sweating (the ventilation was prudently turned off) and looked angrily at me, reading a book in an armchair. Children yelled already in an adult way - in Pyatnitsky's choir. Finally released. I was the last to get off the plane, but I was the first to get off the bus, which again called for a sea of ​​sidelong glances. They let me in at the border control...

All Egypt! Vacation has begun!

That's right - Egypt! How did I forget that it is impossible to lose vigilance! The meeting party is ALS Tour. There was no such sign. But there was ALLS Tour. And I, a veteran of Egypt, already deceived a hundred times in the previous two trips, got caught! That's right, here, the representative assured me in Russian. He took 18 bucks from me for a visa (I was still surprised - it seemed like it was 15 in February) and gave me a card that I have to fill out. Filled out. Border control. They didn’t let me in, because this eagle didn’t put the seal of the receiving side - it’s not the receiving side, as it turned out later ... Upon contacting him, he said that I had turned to the wrong place, and he was not to blame, he gave me a clean card as an honest Arab , and 3 bucks is fair for services and advice. Then, suddenly, he abruptly stopped understanding Russian, and his partner also lost his sight - he didn’t see me at point-blank range ...

I found ALS - they had a small, small sign (apparently ALLS shared with them) - put a seal and went to the territory of the country of Egypt.

Everyone, the vacation has begun!

If people have nothing to boast about, they boast about their misfortunes...

We are especially angry about incidents that make us especially happy if they do not happen to us ... Entering the territory of the country of Egypt does not mean entering there with your suitcases ... Little by little, the people, clutching at their bags on the tape, disappeared. Near the rusty and creaking tape, a dozen or one and a half unfortunates remained, who were not reunited with their bags. However, it’s a sin to complain, the percentage is very good! After all, 330 passengers still received suitcases ...

It is not difficult to guess what percentage I was among ...

At first, the rest pretended to be funny and not at all afraid. Then hysterical chuckles began to turn first into panicked cries, interspersed with untranslatable Russian folklore, and only then into a continuous set of idiomatic expressions untranslatable into Arabic ...

The apogee was the stop of the tape and the extinguished board with the flight number. In the baggage claim area, almost silence was established, interspersed with the groans of vacationers who suddenly became more serious and the sobs of a couple of faint-hearted ladies - you see, they felt sorry for the outfits!

As a matter of fact, I only felt sorry for the bag (completely new), the underwater camera lent to me by a friend, and swimming trunks with a pair of shorts. Yes! Still reading is a pity - without it 2 weeks is not a joy! Well, there was nothing else in the bag. That is, in principle, I felt sorry for absolutely everything in the bag, including it and even the packaging! Petty possessive instincts in me, as it turned out, were not outlived and a cool, not stingy male tear welled up in my eyes ...

If you look closely at the trash cans at the airport, you will notice that they are all different, and among them there are also quite nice ones. This is what I did darkly...

It especially hit me when I remembered that there was still a razor and other similar junk in the bag, a cream lovingly bought in Finland before, instead of and after sunburn, as well as 200 grams of Finnish Koskinkorva vodka. The latter was not just a pity, but painful ...

There was not a single representative of the airport in the baggage claim hall ... Having beaten like flies against the glass in the doors of the office premises, we absolutely calmly, Nordic, without panic, that is, with screams and obscenities, began to rush around the hall. Women began to pull out the hair from their halves, blaming them for everything. The men began to negotiate the demolition of the airport to hell. The most important thing is to work together!

And then the tape came to life again. I lazily handed out a couple of suitcases. The happy owners covered them with their bodies, kissed them and immediately forgot about their former brothers in misfortune! With joyful cries, the lucky ones jumped away ...

The tape was silent for another five minutes and gave me my bag. The bag looked sluggish to say the least. She looked more like lavash. But that didn't make me any less cute! Skipping with her, bashfully not looking at the unfortunate remaining, I left the airport!

Everyone, the vacation has begun!

If you grumble and bark all day, by the evening you are tired like a dog ...

I did not wait for the evening, I was already tired in the morning. So tired and perched in a minibus, heading towards El Gouna. And since I was the last of the latecomers, I got a side folding seat of size 38 (instead of the 54th, but better than the 56th) ... Finally, after 40 minutes, the last of the Hurghada vacationers got out and we drove to the north in complete comfort . Only two people went to El Gouna, including me, which I really liked. I do not like our brother on vacation in Egypt ...

Finally, here it is - El Gouna. After the garbage dump of Hurghada, licked streets, the neatest buildings in the Arabic style, magnificent roads, canals and bridges, greenery, villas of wealthy Arabs stretched ...

Vacation started?

Not really.

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Hotel «Panorama bungalows..» was chosen carefully and not in one day. The dream - to live in a bungalow on stilts with access to the lagoon - was looked after in the last visit to El Gouna. Theoretically, the hotel was supposed to give pleasure immediately, at first sight. Didn't deliver. The hotel consisted of several 3-storey buildings and bungalows. Everything looked good, but...

Last time in El Gouna I stayed at the Sheraton miramar resort 5 hotel. Full delight! There were no complaints about anything. Simple, luxurious and comfortable...

Of course, I expected less from the 4-star Panorama…, but… The dusty reception with shabby furniture frightened me with the assumption of the same rooms. In addition, there was no air conditioning, and by 11 days the temperature had already risen to 36 degrees in the shade. In the shade of the reception it was even hotter. A very polite Arab with a glued smile pleased with the check-in at 14-00. The prospect of spending 3 hours in a forty-degree heat near my beloved, but still bags, did not please

Several of the same unfortunate new settlers were sitting in the hall, sweating thickly, carefully, one might say, with rapture. They did not hide their envious, almost hateful glances at the already settled tourists, who lazily and proudly walked past back and forth in shorts, or even without them.

Those who had just arrived had not even had time to throw off their northern outfits ... I decided not to be nervous like the others. I tuned myself into a lyrical dreamy mood - a vacation, after all - and, peaceful, after a good look at the next couple already inhabited, gritting my teeth, I tried to sit with the computer. It didn’t work out - my hands burned. And sweat, hissing, steamed up on contact with the keys ... Money does not bring happiness, but it helps a lot to do without it. Remembering this, he put 20 bucks in his passport and handed it to the polite Arab. At the same time, he also asked me to give me not just a bungalow, but a beach bungalow, that is, a bungalow that is built on stilts in the lagoon and has its own balcony, with a descent to its own beach.

Garden bungalows and bungalows on an artificial lake did not suit me - where is the romance here? As it turned out later, it was in them that a good repair was made, and they lived in scourges, respectively. I was immediately given a key, but I, taught by the experience of communicating with the Egyptians, said that I would first examine the room.

Yes, it was another attempt to throw. The bungalow was not the same. It was wonderful, everything worked, new, but without the beach. But what about the dream?

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If I agreed to it, resettlement would then take a lot of time and who knows how many bucks.
Returning to the polite Arab, I appealed to his black conscience. Then, having doubted at all in its presence, he asked for 20 bucks back. But he, apparently already addicted to the bill, gave key number two with a sour smile. He put an all-inclusive bracelet on my arm and I headed to the resting place. Yes, that was the bungalow I wanted! True, the tide was low and the sea receded slightly, but ...
True, on closer examination it turned out that the furniture was shabby, the balcony was in the stage of decrepitude, and the plants in the balcony flower bed were turned into hay. But these are trifles!

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The air conditioner worked! And what was your descent into the lagoon worth! Having paid off a couple of bucks in a tip to the porter for carrying his half-crushed pita bag and a buck for an accelerated cleaning to the cleaner, I started my vacation!
First of all, I weeded the flower bed on the balcony and watered it. The second - put on swimming trunks! In the sea! The sea was real, without an Arab fake. True, a little warm - +35 degrees. Trivia! After +3 Murmansk - wonderful!
Minor roughness began immediately upon leaving the lagoon. There was water in the shower, but the drain did not work. The sink was actively leaking, and the toilet was even more actively echoing it.

It took almost an hour to find out that there were no more free bungalow-beach. But to move to another - for nothing!
The plumber came in. For a very long time, with purely Arab scrupulousness, he fiddled around. Promised that now everything works. Took 1 bucks (they all love bucks). Gone…
Yes, the water began to leave in the shower, but not far. She, leaving in the shower, stubbornly returned through the toilet. The sink kept leaking...
The janitor came in, conscientiously tried to repair the toilet, took, of course, a dollar, and left. However, there were no special complaints against him, since he brought toilet paper that was missing during the settlement ...

Despite the prevailing +41 degrees outside, I packed up and went to the city, bought a plumbing tape in a supermarket - a building in a traditional oriental style - I just want to take a picture near it.

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Then he returned to the room, repaired the sink and toilet. Yes, in the “5th Element” everything was correctly noticed by the main villain - if you want to do something well, do it yourself ... I didn’t please myself with Bucks, but, having earned a healthy appetite in the plumbing field, and also believing that you can’t put off for dinner what you can eat for lunch, went for lunch. The first date with the hotel restaurant is even cooler than the first date! What if there is no reciprocity? Yes, you never know!

The restaurant was not impressed. Of course, everything was beautifully decorated. But! Fruit was almost completely absent, despite the season! It is difficult to call fruits finely chopped and floating in something cloudy and sweet pieces of melon, apple, grapes.

Salads were distinguished by an abundance of mayonnaise. Of the vegetables that could be consumed relatively safely - unseasoned cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and a couple of kinds of green salad. Sliced ​​oranges tasted like sulfuric acid...

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The beef was a pleasant surprise (moreover, every day a beef dish was served for lunch, and each time it was cooked almost perfectly). Together with nicely cooked rice, several types of beans, everything completely suited me ...

Pastries, sweets, pizzas and pastas, burgers and grills did not interest me ...

But they were interested in my compatriots, who turned out to be a huge number! With the opening of the doors of the restaurant, a crowd rushed inside, genetically hungry and not fed since childhood, demolishing the cooks and gaping waiters who did not have time to run away! Lyrical digression. On my last visit to El Gouna, I did not see Russians. I remembered dinners at the Sheraton Miramar Resort. Classical music, candles on the tables, quiet and polite Germans, Englishmen, silent waiters…

None of this was here! There were sounds of a crowded Soviet-era canteen. Excursions from Hurghada to El Gouna for 40 bucks did their dirty work - the Russians began to seep in a thick muddy stream and here ...

A mat that is quite distinguishable by the ear, screams of children, screams, a deafening clatter of dishes, poorly working air conditioners. Sometimes there were echoes of someone else's speech, as a rule, Polish or Czech ...

The situation differed from the Sheraton just as the Russian national hunt in the concept of the Finn in the “Peculiarities of the National Hunt” differed from the real one ...

For the waiter to hear you, you had to yell, and with all your strength. However, what am I! In order to yell at least something to the waiter, he first had to be lured to the table, and this turned out to be another task. I had plenty of food, but drinks ...

Everyone around was also preoccupied with luring the waiters. Some yelled at the waiter something like "Friend!" - as it turned out, everyone here calls each other like that - others waved their hands, others grabbed the floor, the fourth did it all at once.

However, my method, as practice has shown, was the most effective! While in Finland, I exchanged about a hundred euros in metal money. It turned out that the shine of a one-euro coin has a bewitching effect on a passing waiter, like valerian on a cat. The waiter loses his sense of direction, forgets where he ran and rushes to the table, where the coveted coin shines. But then I - grated already, an experienced physiologist, then held a coin with my finger. Like the classics - money in the morning, chairs in the evening. First the order, then the coin.

And it went! The waiters, as it turned out, have the rudiments of the mind! They are almost like dogs, and maybe even smarter! A conditioned reflex developed very quickly. Whenever I went to the restaurant in the following days, the waiter appeared at the same second, and if he already set the table with my drinks - and I drank the same thing, then instead of 1 whole 2 euros! I had to spend the last week of rest at lunch and dinner for 2 euros each time - I became a victim of my own experiments with conditioned reflexes! However, he proved that an ordinary Egyptian waiter had intelligence! And how my compatriots just did not persuade me! As soon as they didn’t shame that I corrupted the waiters! And what exactly was their business? The money is mine, and sitting in a stuffy canteen is an extra 15-20 minutes ...

Upon returning to the room, I decided to turn on the TV with the only Russian channel. The remote fell apart in his hands into its component buttons. True, for 1 buck they immediately brought me a new one, in my opinion, taken in a neighboring bungalow (they will also be brought from the next one later). The adventures of the first day did not end there. After drinking Finnish koskinkorva for an Egyptian dinner, tired of the road, he went to bed ...

At 23:00 the air conditioner broke down. There was a pleasant silence. Then came +38... I hardly remember how I survived until the morning - and I don't like the heat and can't stand it well. In the morning - at the reception. They promised to sort it out or relocate - I already agree. Master waited a long time. Not wait. But the cleaner came, showed how to turn on the air conditioner - it turned out that the fuse had blown. I received as much as 2 euros - why are there 2, I would have given him 22! Happinnes exists!

Vacation has begun! But what a morning!

And the view from the balcony to the villas is not poor Egyptians!

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El Gouna - a unique town of rich Egyptians, unlike the restEgypt. It was founded in the 90s by an Arab multibillionaire (a Coptic Christian, by the way). There is almost no pestering on the streets, it is quite calm inhotelx, safe in the dark ... And most importantly - beautiful!
The city is located on the islands, crossed by many channels with amazing bridges. Buildings no higher than 2-3 floors. Purely. Access to ordinary Egyptians in the city is prohibited. You can move around the city both on foot, if not for the heat, and on numerous three-wheeled Indian-made tarantays - tuk-tuks - for $ 1.

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Or by bus (the ticket is valid all day and costs 2 bucks). Each bus is painted differently and looks like an Indian in war paint. The whole town is basically the center - Down Town - where there are a lot of cafes, restaurants, shops and shops, three supermarkets, a village of artisans, shopping arcades.

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Striking unusual forEgyptpurity. True, it began to be diluted with our tourists, who, despite the urns placed everywhere, try to throw cigarette butts in the most prominent place (the janitors immediately remove them).

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A significant area of ​​El Gouna is occupied by hotels and a huge number of expensive villas of the Arab elite. There is also an industrial zone, remote from the city, where there is a brewery and some other factory.
It is worth mentioning golf. El Gouna is the capital of African golf. Fans flock here from all over the world. El Gouna is crammed with neat golf courses, where people roam by no means in Chinese clothes. And private planes constantly land at the small airport of El Gouna, from where people with clubs come out ...

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Although I had a personal beach in the lagoon, I went to the beach almost every dayhotellocated on an island 5 minutes by boat from the pierhotelor 10 minutes between luxury villas on foot.

No, it’s not for nothing that I came after all! You can also put up with temporary inconveniences.

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On the 2nd day of rest after returning from the beach, a surprise awaited in the room. No, the plumbing has not been updated, just a sculpture of a crocodile was molded on the bed from what was. Avid for bucks, the janitor did his best. Having received a buck for cleaning + a buck for being smart, he happily dumped it. The next day, the “sculpture” of an elephant was waiting for me, after which the ingenuity of the “fight” ended and he could no longer earn more than a buck for cleaning.

But on the territoryhotela real hunt was declared on the new arrivals! One of the "friends" - that's what they called themselves, and Russian tourists too - offered massage services. At the same time, he sat down on the trestle bed next to the sunbathing tourist and affectionately began to process. He showed photos of happy, previously massaged tourists, reviews of fellow tourists on their massage. Guaranteed unconditional attractiveness for women, and increased potency for men for a couple of years ahead (and then?).
As a rule, the services offered by Arab peddlers on the beaches and around the pool are far from the cheapest and - that's for sure - not the highest quality. So do not fall for assurances of the perfect professionalism of a tattoo artist, massager, hairdresser, tour manager, etc.
And the books of complaints and suggestions that they slip to every swindler, where only thanks are written, should be read only as a book of jokes. Only in this case you can stay with your money, as well as safe and sound.
The hotel does not bear the responsibility for the activities of tenants to whom it rents premises! So in which case the administration will not be able to complain!

The "friend" sat down with me at the wrong time. At another time, I might have listened to his songs for the sake of gaining experience, but now ... I was just tasting a pre-dinner ouzo (Greek grape vodka of Egyptian origin with a strength of 43 degrees, in May I tried it on Crete and took a liking to koskinkorva). He immediately sent him down the path to far away. But he's not used to losing a client so quickly. And so he builds eyes, and so on! He began to show photos of half-naked girls just dying from massage happiness (I wonder who he shows women?). I especially liked the notes of Russian and Ukrainian (for them, it’s all Russian) tourists, like: “From the massage, I grew smaller for a year!” (given verbatim), or “After two sessions, I wanted a woman” (why would that be?), or “A lot of good massage” ...
It was not possible to combine ouzo with "friend" in any way, so I specifically offered him to write a normal review for 100 bucks. He respectfully clicked his tongue, amazed at the grandeur of the amount, and rolled off, writing me down as an absolutely unpromising vacationer.
A couple more times they tried to drag me into shops on the territoryhotel, but quickly figured out that I was not their client. But how they bred ours! Like rabbits! The people, having reachedhotelfrom the depths of his beloved homeland, sometimes he never went out into the city to at least compare prices. So I cruised between the beach and the canteen ...
Dinner. adjacent table. couple from middleRussiajoyfully talks to the other about making friends with a merchant in the territoryhotel(“It turned out to be a nice guy, Pts loves Russians!”, of course!). We bought unusual T-shirts for only $25 from Versace (!), as well as wonderful hookahs for only $100, and that they say “we can take you to him - he will give you a discount like our friends will do”! For your information, I do not understand hookahs, but I have not seenin EgyptT-shirt is more expensive than $10 (50 pounds), and after haggling you can bring the price down to $6...
Meanwhile, life slowly improved. I went to the city not for plumbing, but for fruit, bought at the same time Egyptian vodka. It's called "Vodka". Surprisingly good quality. And the fruits were just great! Every day I bought nectarines - I have never tasted such delicious ones, peaches, mangoes, melons. And every day I bought some exotic and previously unknown fruit and carefully threw it away, due to inedibility. It was worth every penny, although I suspect that the owner of the shop made a good capital on me, but he was not annoying and cheerful, so it’s not a pity!
After lunch on the 2nd day, I remembered that I urgently needed to rush to the duty free shop, since you can visit it only on the first day of your stay. The nearest store turned out to be in Abu Tig Marina - expensive area and so not very cheap El Gouna

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Got there by tuk-tuk.

After wandering around the store, I realized that I was not drawn to either the Swedish "Absolute" or the Finnish "Finland". No,in Egypt, you have to drink local drinks. He left with nothing, having taken a dozen photographs of yachts of millionaires from all over the world.
Speaking of drinks. More than once I heard reviews of our tourists about the low quality of strong drinks and local draft beer. I really didn't like beer, but I don't like it either. Regarding strong drinks - I do not agree. I may not be a big connoisseur, but they are of sufficient quality. You just don’t need to crack them in the bars at the “friends”, but it’s worth spending a dozen bucks on a bottled product. However, try it, tell this to a Russian tourist, who, once all-inclusive, won’t spend a dime outsidehotelfor drinks and food!
Yes and inhoteldrinks can be obtained normal. Well, give a buck to "friend", so he will never forget you, especially inhotel, where everything is “inclusive” for everyone, and since everyone is mostly Russian, it’s oh so rare to get a tip!

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At the pool barhoteldrinks were poured into plastic glasses. They looked very unpresentable and reusable. And the cleanliness was questionable. However, for those few tourists who gave tips, the glasses turned out to be glass and clean, the drinks were cold and not diluted! True, they were mostly Germans and British, who, although not many, were present inhotel. Well, so am I.

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On the second day, a representative of the travel agency came to spud new arrivals on excursions. At the same time, he intimidated me with the horrors of acquiring vouchers on the side of third-party companies. Here he was partly right. True, he did not receive a client in my face. For the third stayin EgyptI didn’t succeed in getting me started on many things - I had already seen almost everything, I was already being deceived almost everywhere. No matter how he sang like a nightingale, I took only an excursion to the "paradise" island and Coral reefs.

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By the evening of the 2nd day I went to the beach again, since the weather did not indulge in rains, +38. Tested underwater camera. There was quite a strong breeze and the water was cloudy. Although I managed to take a few pictures.
But the main thing I found out - there are fish! So everything is ahead.

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By the evening I got acquainted with the inhabitants of the lagoon under the bungalow. A flock of crabs lived here, where myriads of small (1-2 cm each) crabs, a dozen larger crabs (about 10-15 cm) and one blue godfather the size of a wheel were observed. He was the most timid and rarely showed up. But the middle ones were braver, and they especially liked sausage and eggs from the canteen.

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And of course, there were always a variety of fish in the water, which, during two weeks of three-time feeding by the hour, gathered in flocks near the bungalow and, in case of a delay in the distribution of grub, noisily scandalized.
Also, it is impossible not to say about the Egyptian cats, which lived in the district a lot. Soon, some of them lived at my bungalow ...
In the meantime, my underpants were becoming more and more popular. The unfortunate cotton creations of boring Finns never dreamed that every single day they would be photographed by hundreds of tourists, and even from different countries! The fact is that enterprising Arabs organized daily excursions from Hurghada to the "Egyptian Venice" - El Gouna. And every day, dozens of boats with tourists sailed past the bungalow, carefully fixing both the bungalow and the underpants. Sometimes I also got into the frame, but still cowards - more often. Steamboats are sailing, hello ...

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Day after day passed so smoothly ... Gradually, the body entered the rhythm of rest, became lazy, stopped jumping up out of habit at 4 in the morning and reached 6 in a dream (5 local), or even up to 6-10!

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It dawned only at 8 in the morning (7 local time) and was the first to pull up for breakfast in the twilight. However, not the first. The cats came up first.
It cannot be said that they were hungry. Ate selectively. If the sausage is of a certain variety, but meat is better. By the end of breakfast, you could safely put a piece of sausage on their nose - safety is guaranteed - they could work as guards for chickens, it still didn’t climb any more.
At lunch, the cats almost did not show up, having drunk like a camel in the morning, for future use, before dinner. Yes, and it's hot for them, hairy ...

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In the cat pridehotelthe relationships between the members were built in a simple way, like in people - whoever is stronger, he is on top. Or - I'm the boss - you're a fool ...
The mothers were often dismissive of their duties, so here and there small kittens wandered around, who were not allowed to the restaurant by the elders. They lived on alms from tourists ...
I must say that most tourists did not complain about cats. Another part lisped, but didn’t let them eat, but at least they didn’t kick or throw stones, but there were some. True, there were enthusiasts, like me, who bailed the younger generation.
Soon one such growing one lived in the bushes near the room. Since he was not allowed to go to the restaurant, in the morning he accompanied me to the border allowed to him and waited patiently there. After waiting for a breakfast of 3-4 courses, I ate like a camel so that with difficulty dragging my paws I crawled into the bushes - a siesta before dinner ...

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I can’t help but note the ones lying in the most successful places throughout the territoryhotellogs from palm trees. Apparently, they were scattered by a local traumatologist (like nails next to a tire shop in their beloved homeland).
Since I got up early, and the lighting was somehow not everywhere in the morning, the first time I hurt and insulted a number of body parts already on the second day. After the second stumble - in the evening - I realized - either they ... Or I will leave in a cast ...
On the morning of the third day, vacationers could enjoy the view of the compatriot leader of the proletariat V.I. Lenin, in the sweat of his face pulling logs from the paths near his bungalow.

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Finally, the day came for an excursion to the "paradise" island and coral reefs. The tour was from Hurghada, so at first a few lucky people from El Gouna were taken to Hurghada through a series of garbage dumps and unfinished construction sites, collecting along the way fromhotelsaccompanying tourists.
I rejoiced at the stories of the people of Khurgadin (that's because these malicious creatures are people!) The wind has been blowing here for a week already - “waves”, “the sea is not very”, “muddy”, “sea urchins” ... When one of the couples pleased those present with horror films about several poisonings, tasteless food, missing thingshotel, I realized - my life was a success!
The bus has already entered some slums through a frank garbage dump. The guide took us out of it and led us along a concrete fence over rubbish heaps and thorns. Through some rusty gate - the guard opened at the knock - we got into the territoryhotel. Another thing! It became clean. The people were lying in sun loungers, greenery. Small bay, beach. Half of the beach was occupied by the beach itself, the second - moored yachts and boats.
We boarded the yacht. Everything is fine, the water is the clearest. Beauty. All kinds of fish swim. Lyapota! I even slightly envied the people of Hurghada – what a place! The bottom is visible to a depth of 4-5 meters!
That is, it was visible. Until we started sailing.
The yacht blew the departure and the people on the beach rushed out of the sea with screams - that's right, the propellers raised such turbidity that the water turned yellow-brown. And there were five yachts!
So, spoiling the water, we proudly headed to the first stop, where we were supposed to fish.
The sea was amazing. The weather is great. A bit hot - +38, but the breeze smoothed it out.

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They didn’t take us far - why waste fuel - after 15 minutes they anchored.
Everyone who wished was given skeins of fishing line with hefty hooks, as well as rotten fish trimmings for baits.
The first person to catch is promised a reward. And then came my finest hour! I got it first! To my enthusiastic cry, the whole team came running and all the other would-be fishermen - losers! I became famous, which even the whole team recognized - the old sea wolves!
No one has ever before and, I think, no one since, caught such a small fish on such a big hook! The hook outnumbered the fish, consisting of a mouth and a tail, two times. How this half-wit planted on him remains a mystery. The most annoying thing is that the fish had to be thrown away - it also turned out to be poisonous, and I received a relative reward - a mug, which I immediately gave away! The first prize went to some upstart who caught a fish not much larger, but edible. Well, where is the question of justice?
Interest in fishing was completely lost. Moreover, there was not a single bite. In our river Vorone, in the Voronezh province, there are even more fish than in this Red Sea ... And was Diving so guilty. Everything is beautiful, but they landed us in such a place that it was shallow and there were a huge number of sea urchins in the corals, touching which leads to very unpleasant consequences.
Naturally, no one warned about hedgehogs, so the people who did not take special slippers, but wished to see the corals, took a big risk.
By the way, I recommend buying slippers right away - they will come in handy in El Gouna for sure, since there the beach is interspersed with corals and walking barefoot is not always safe.
I didn't see anything outstanding under water here. In El Gouna, the underwater world is much richer and more populated.
So the "paradise" island did not make much of an impression.
After half an hour in "paradise", everyone was again returned to the yacht, where dinner was ready. Lunch was safe enough - in my opinion - epidemiologically, but damned peppery. Free of charge was issued a bottle of Coca-Cola, for a fee ($ 4) - beer. I, as always, was lucky - I ran out of cold, and I had to pour out the hot one ...
After that, we were taken to the coral reefs, where several yachts were already standing, and a huge number of swimmers and fish were floundering in the water. No one else is known. But, if you sail a little to the side, you can dive alone.
Yes, here the number of fish and its species was such ...
That alone made it worth the trip! True, I was surprised to notice that from our yacht - and there were about 30 tourists, only 5 people dived, the rest just looked from above! Why were they driving? Because of the crush of the "paradise" island?
Again, the guides did not warn of the dangers - dive yourself and dive at your own peril and risk.
I immediately came across a 2-meter moray eel. I don’t know if it poses a danger to a person or not, but for some reason I didn’t want to touch it.
At a depth of 10 meters, some fairly large fish swam, and I, a native of the Voronezh outback, did not like them (what if they would like me?). Although there seems to be no dangerous fish in the Red Sea. But what if?

1 The sailor, after the masks and tubes were handed over by the tourists, washed them in the water in which they washed their feet when leaving the sea (everyone went barefoot on the yacht)! Probably in order to save fresh water?
I also advise you to save boiled eggs for the tour, having dragged them from the restaurant, but do not give them to the guide for public feeding of fish, but dive and crush them in your hand under water, immediately pulling your fingers back! This is cool!
On the way back, they fed the seagulls with leftovers - professional beggars!
Despite some hiccups, overall I enjoyed the tour.
Not so many people would be, so in general everything would be great! Of course, this is not for professional divers, but for those who have never dived, but are naturally curious…
Also, if you are in El Gouna, be sure to wander aroundhotelm "Sheraton ..." and "Movenpick ..." - the territories are well-groomed and turned into real green oases. I especially liked the river in Movenpick…
And in general, if we are to rest here, then it is in thesehotelx - there will be fewer "household" memories ...

It is one thing to view El Gouna from the shore, quite another to sail through the canals! 0

Do not forget that it is best to check the status of your account at the reception in advance, the day before. I didn’t have any troubles, but in the morning, when the bus had already arrived for me, a couple of Russians were ardently proving something, jumping out of their shorts, to a calm Arab. As I understand it, they no longer had money, but they used something, or maybe a mistake, and the bus is here, but the plane is not waiting ...
Goodbye El Gouna! I don't know if I'll still be here. Too quickly she turns into a "normal"Egypt. With the invasion of Russians, more and more merchants from Hurghada and Sharm appear in the city, who “know” Russian and bring here the orders of this “ordinary”Egypt, where you can’t cheat, you won’t live ... But for now, El Gouna is the pearl of the coast and I’m glad that I visited here ...
And yet, if you like noise, discos, clubs, sparkling lights and tavern noise - you are not here. Here you will be bored. You - in Hurghada, Sharm ...
And here is the airport. At the entrance - packing luggage. They take any money - $ 4, or 20 pounds, or 200 rubles! Do not spare the money - pack your favorite suitcase - you will still need it ...
And do not forget that if you exceed the allowed weight on the plane, you will have to pay. On my flight (Transaero) 1 kg overweight = $12. Or $7-8, but in the registrar's pocket. What a drama! A young couple - seemingly intelligent - gained 18 kg overweight. Well, what did they bring? Even interesting! Camel? And the money is gone. Called out to the people! But the people, bashfully hiding their eyes (I also treated the people), were silent. And it’s a pity like them, but their own blood is more pitiful. They assured that they would be met with money upon arrival. Useless. 200 bucks in your pocket is better than the same, but ghostly, and even in St. Petersburg, and even after 5 hours! Someone advised them to break the luggage into smaller bags and distribute them to the lightly loaded. I don’t know how the matter ended, but on the plane they were already happy and cheerful ...
The airport has a huge number of shops, shops. Souvenirs for all colors of the rainbow. However, keep in mind that it is better to buy for dollars. Knowing that tourists are getting rid of the rest of the pounds, the exchange rate here is unpredictable. Asked for coffee - 4 bucks or 30 pounds! This is despite the fact that the official rate of $ 1 = 5 local pounds. And yet, if you give a 100-dollar bill here for a product that costs less, you risk being left without change. The seller may disappear to "change" money and appear only after your plane has departed...
Everyone took off. Goodbye +40, goodbye sea. Hello +12, rain, Peter... And the next day +6, Murmansk...

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“El Gouna (from the Arab. Laguna) is a man-made archipelago located 20 km north of Hurghada, built on islets surrounded on all sides by emerald water. Light "Venetian" bridges are thrown across the canals, along which vacationers walk from hotel to hotel. All hotels in El Gouna are exclusively 4-5-star, which indicates the special elite status of the resort ”(from advertising stories).
Of course, it would be easier and probably more correct to take such an excursion from a tour operator, but my husband and I went the other way ...
Minibuses constantly run between Hurghada and El Gouna, delivering people to their place of work, so why not use local transport ?! Moreover, the route passes just past our hotel, and it is located approximately in the middle between the two towns.
After paying the driver £2 per person, we boarded a bus filled with local residents. The disapproving glances of Arab women fell on my bare shoulders (while at the hotel, I completely forgot about local traditions).
At the entrance to El Gouna, the bus stopped near a security post to check documents. I was already starting to worry - it wasn’t enough for us to be shamefully dropped off in the middle of the desert for the lack of passports, but no one asked us for documents (apparently the check does not apply to tourists). So very soon we safely reached the center of the town.
While we were admiring the tour buses

the people who were traveling with us in the minibus, in the blink of an eye, “spread out” in different directions, and we were left completely alone.
Having carefully, but completely ineffectually studied the map of El Gunna printed from the net, we went at random. We did not have a clear plan for visiting any specific places, just imbued with picturesque stories hotel guide wanted to take a look at the fabulous corner in the middle of the desert." But instead, we got completely deserted dusty streets under the mercilessly scorching sun. It seemed that this was not a city at all, but just scenery forgotten in the desert after some kind of filming. There was no one even to ask where the vaunted "Venetian" channels. Our companions were only wind, dust and sun.
How happy it was to finally see the turquoise expanse of water.

Here they are picturesque channels.

Here are the little boats.

But who will ride in them? Not a soul around.
Looking around again, we are along sandy shore headed towards the supposed sea. I didn’t really want to swim in the canals, the sea is the sea.

The real Venice is famous not only for its canals, but also for its numerous bridges connecting opposite banks. But the builders of the "Egyptian Venice" did not bother with the presence of bridges at all. For more than an hour we wandered along the winding canal, hoping to see the long-awaited bridge around the next turn in order to get to the sea, but there were no bridges - at least swim.
However, one bridge still appeared. Delighted, we rushed to him, but it turned out to be a transition to the rooms of a nearby hotel.

We went to the sea through the Sheraton Miramar - a nice hotel with a large beautiful territory.

There were not only water channels, but also bridges across them. So we moved to the neighboring beach island "Zeytuna" without any problems.
Zeytuna is considered the best of all local beaches. The beach is really good: clean sand on the shore, a convenient sandy entrance to the sea, enough space for those who like to splash in shallow water, and for those who want to admire the water world, there is a long pier leading to corals.

El Gouna has a small historical Museum with copies of the most famous exhibits of Egyptian museums (entry - 10 pounds), but for some reason it was closed.

There is also an aquarium. Information is given on the Internet that you can visit the aquarium for free, but in fact, the entrance to the building was decorated with a sign with a price of 50 pounds. However, a freebie turned up for us - in front of the entrance to the aquarium, the excursion group "Russo Turisto" was just crowding, we quietly clung to them and went into the middle. The woman guide was talking animatedly about the inhabitants of the sea, but there was nothing special to look at - several small kennels with aquariums, and we had already seen almost all of these fish in their natural environment.

El Gouna - modern resort town in Egypt on the Red Sea coast. More recently, it was an unremarkable desert. But there were people who saw the considerable potential of this place.

Several Egyptian businessmen in 1989 decided to organize a resort here, not inferior in beauty to the famous Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada. Yes, while it is inferior to them in size, but the construction of hotels, private villas and tourism infrastructure going on briskly. El Gouna in the future is able to oust other Egyptian resorts.

Where is

El Gouna is located 25 kilometers north of Hurghada on the Red Sea. The town became part of the Red Sea Riviera.

Geographic coordinates 27.383407, 33.677523

The climate and nature of the city of El Gouna

Given the location of the resort, its climate can be attributed to the hot desert. The sun shines here almost all year round. The air temperature is usually in the range of 17-33 o C. It can rarely drop to +9 o C. But it is quite capable of exceeding +35 o C.

Despite the proximity of the sea, the humidity in El Gouna is low, averaging 22%.

Classical desert landscapes are typical for these places. Although combined with the most beautiful beaches and the gentle waters of the Red Sea, the overall atmosphere sets you up for a great vacation.

What does El Gouna look like?

Sandwiched between desert and sea, El Gouna looks like a picture from a tourist ad. But he really is - cozy, inviting, calm.

As soon as it is not called. Little Italy, Egyptian Venice, sometimes you can hear the "toy city".

The coastal zone consists of many islands separated by channels. Hence the resemblance to Venice. You can hardly swim here on gondolas, but on a yacht or boat it is quite possible. The islands are connected to each other by stone bridges.

The city of El Gouna is located on the territory of 36 km 2. The sandy beach stretches for 10 km and is easily accessible from any part of the city.

Luxurious villas are located along the banks of the canals. Almost all of them have access to water. They can be rented or even bought. Both hotels and villas are designed in the same architectural style and range. The construction plan was developed in advance and does not provide for buildings that go beyond its scope.

The hotels, of which there are already 18, perfectly combine European and Oriental styles. At the same time, everything is built taking into account the latest technologies. All hotels have a full range of tourist services and correspond to 3-5 stars of the world classification. The total number of rooms has about 3000 rooms.

Features of the resort of El Gouna

In the center of El Gouna lies the island of Kafr. There are cafes and restaurants, shops and a school, a cinema and discos. The city also houses a small museum. It exhibits about 90 exhibits, including copies of statues and paintings by contemporary Egyptian artist Hussein Bikar. The museum opened in 1996.

El Gouna even has its own radio and magazine. And in 1999, its own TV channel El Gouna TV appeared. In the town there was a place for a brewery and factories for the production of wine and mineral water.

There is also a fully equipped international hospital. She is capable of performing many medical procedures, including dentistry, plastic surgery, and general surgery. In addition, the hospital is equipped with an intensive care unit and even a decompression chamber.

El Gouna is famous water tourism and especially diving. Therefore, a decompression chamber in the hospital will be needed if an emergency situation when immersed.

The transport infrastructure in El Gouna is quite developed. It has its own runway 1600 meters long.

Since it seaside resort, then there are three berths. One of them is able to receive the most modern and large yachts.

The city has its own stadium and its own football team, El Gouna FC. It is now in the Egyptian Premier League.

Since 2017, an annual film festival has been organized in El Gouna. It attracts the stars of Egyptian and even international cinema.

What to do in El Gouna

In addition to the usual beach idleness, in El Gouna you can play tennis and even golf. Go scuba diving and enjoy the underwater beauty of the Red Sea. Go on a desert safari or go down to the bottom of the Red Sea in a small submarine. Off the coast of the resort town you will see sunken ships.

There is little vegetation in the city. But on one of the beaches there are thickets of mango trees. This beach is carefully protected in an attempt to preserve this amazing piece of nature.

If you get bored, you can go on excursions to Cairo or Luxor.

An excursion to the tiny town of El Gouna - the Egyptian Venice - can be advised to tourists vacationing in Hurghada or its suburbs. They will have to get to the place no more than an hour and a half, El Gouna is only 25 km away to the north. Such a loud-speaking name as Venice was given to the resort not by chance.

The point is that this locality was built literally from scratch in just seven years - from 1990 to 1997, which makes it one of the youngest cities in Africa. AND most of The territory of the resort is located on large and small islands on the Red Sea coast. The total length of the coastline reaches 10 km.

We owe the appearance of this man-made pearl to the Egyptian businessman Samih Sawiris. Geographic location Egyptian Venice is unique - between the coral, coastal reefs of the Red Sea from the east and the low ridge of Etbay in the west. That's why it's always here good weather- sandstorms are less common than in neighboring Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, and it rains only 5 mm per year.

El Gouna is reminiscent of its Italian themes and architecture. Several architects, both Egyptian and foreign, worked on the construction. The result - the emergence of beautiful areas of Hill Villas, designed in the Tuscan style, White Villas in the traditional oriental, Nubian Villas in the Nubian style. And today the resort continues to expand rapidly, especially the private sector for wealthy people.

Excursion to El Gouna - Egyptian Venice - is also notable for the fact that this resort has repeatedly been recognized as the cleanest in the country of the pyramids, officially has the status of "the most environmentally friendly city of the Red Sea."

An excursion to Egyptian Venice is only possible for vacationers in Hurghada, from where trips are made almost every day. There are several varieties of them, the differences between which are not in the program and not in the price, which are approximately the same for each travel agency. The difference is in the method of transfer.

First option - bus trip duration 40 minutes. Departure is organized in the morning at 08.30, return to the hotel - at 17.00. During this period, vacationers will have time to ride along the channels of El Gouna, visit the local aquarium, swim in a secluded bay, and make a stop for fishing on the way back. The price of the tour is $ 30 for an adult, for a child under 10 years old - 15$.

The option with departure by ship is more comfortable - departure at 9:00, return to Hurghada - at 17:00, sailing time - 1.5 hours. The program is generally the same, but after sightseeing in Egyptian Venice and lunch, a swim is organized to one of coral islands. Here you can swim and fish. Price sea ​​excursions– $35 for an adult, $16 for a child under 10.

The disadvantage of this excursion to El Gouna is the lack of ancient monuments. But even without the architectural objects of the era of the pharaohs, Egyptian Venice will be remembered by tourists for a long time.

Today I want to tell you about a place that makes a special impression, touches to the depths of the soul with its beauty and grace, and will not leave anyone who has ever visited this place indifferent ... I fell in love at first sight ... Egyptian Venice is full of charm and unearthly beauty ....in my opinion, this place is better than Venice itself...

El Gouna.....the magic of Venice, the magic of Egypt, the exotic of India...
El Gouna (Arabic الجونة‎‎) - tourist resort on the coast of the Red Sea is known as the "Pearl of the Red Sea" or "Venice in the sands."
It is located between the waters of the Red Sea and the Etbay mountain range. El Gouna is managed by Orascom Development, owned by Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris. All hotels and resort buildings in El Gouna are located on small islands connected by bridges and canals. Small boats run along the canals between the islands, which give El Gouna a resemblance to Venice. The resort has beaches, hotels and golf courses. Activities include yachting, fishing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, water skiing and diving.
The city was founded in 1990 and built according to a single plan by Orascom Development. The city is located 22 km north of International Airport Hurghada
The beauty of El Gouna lies in the combination of several styles - Tuscan, Nubian and Egyptian.
In some places, the details of the architectural design resemble Indian motifs and even the arches of the Taj Mahal.

Diving enthusiasts are welcome in El Gouna interesting finds- the largest ships sunk in the Red Sea.
El Gouna was chosen by artists and photographers from all over the world. A special complex has even been built for them, which has become their home and workplace.
El Gouna is also a huge success among wealthy Egyptians: their luxurious villas organically fit into the unified architectural plan of the city.
The heart of El Gouna is Kafr, built in the style of traditional Egyptian architecture.

The climate of El Gouna
Average monthly temperature, °C
day / night / water
January +21/ +10/ +21
February +22 / +11/ +20
March +24/ +13/ +21
April +27/ +18/ +23
May +30/ +21/ +26
June +32/ +24/ +27
July +33/ +26/ +28
August +33/ +26/ +28
September +31/ +24/ +26
October +29/ +20/ +26
November +26/ +15/ +24
December +21/ +12/ +22

Transport

Guests of El Gouna hotels are provided with free travel on minibuses and boats connecting the resort with Kafr. Minibuses run every half an hour and finish their flights at 23:30, boats - every hour and only during the day. After 23:30 you can only get to the hotel by paid shuttle.

From El Gouna it is possible to organize the same excursions as from Hurghada, but the cost will be higher by 5-20 US dollars, depending on the excursion.

Socially significant objects
Own airport in the city, performing international and local flights
An extensive transport system of bus and boat routes, mobile scooters (TOK-TOK)
medical clinic
Golf Club (18 holes)
4 sandy beaches on the Red Sea: Mangroovy, Marina, Buzzha, Zeytouna
3 offshore islands in close proximity to El Gouna: Mahmeya, Tawila, Gobal
10 diving centers
5 kitesurfing centers
tennis school
Stables, karting, yachting and paintball
Christian church and mosque
Post Office (Tamr Henna District)
Aquarium

Art Village (Tamr Henna District) - shops of artists, potters, weavers, photographers
Architectural structure "Breath of the Desert"

On the island in the Red Sea, located on the territory of El Gouna, at the end of November 2004, matches of the first official world championship in beach handball were held. The participants of the championship and the spectators could only get to the island water sports transport. The men's team tournament was won by the hosts - the Egyptian team, and the women's team - by the Russian team.

The architecture of the city combines traditional and modern elements, which were worked on by such famous architects as:
- American Michael Graves - winner of many international awards in the field of architecture, designed the Sheraton Miramar Resort and Steigenberger hotels Golf Resort, as well as areas Golf Apartments and Golf Villas
- Italian architect Alfredo Freda (Alfredo Freda) - designed the area in the Tuscan style - Hill Villas, as well as the area of ​​El Gouna - Abu Tig Marina
- Shehab A. Mazhar - Egyptian architect, designed the White Villas
Nubian Villas are the creation of Egyptian architects Rami el Dahan and Ahmad Hamdy
- golf club designed by Gene Bates and Fred Couples
- The author of the Ancient Sands Golf Resort project is the American architect Karl Litten. The project will be completed at the end of 2012

By the way, they bought villas here: the Beckhams, Jolly and Pitt, Andrei Makarevich and many other celebrities....

Do you know that..

...El Gouna:
…designed on over 20 islands surrounded by sea lagoons and channels
… winner of international awards in the field of architecture
…has a 10 km coastline rich in coral reefs
...as big as central part Moscow
…has the rare title of “most friendly to environment resorts in Egypt

P.S.: amazing photos...here are collected my personal photos, my friends and from the internet....enjoy

The construction covers an area of ​​one hundred thousand square meters and involves the displacement of eight thousand cubic meters of sand. One hundred and seventy-eight conical volumes form two interlocking logarithmic spirals that move from a common center with a phase difference of one hundred and eighty degrees in the same direction of rotation. One helix is ​​made up of concave cones while the others are convex.

The center is an earthen vessel with a W section - the union of a positive and negative cone. If the container is filled with water, the protruding cone in the center will form tiny island at the horizon.

temples/monasteries: Christian church and mosque

museums: A small historical museum, which contains copies of famous Egyptian exhibits
Art Village (Tamr Henna District) - shops of artists, potters, weavers, photographers

theatres: The Red Sea is the main natural attraction of Egypt, and El Gouna, respectively. The quality and diversity of corals, marine flora and fauna of the Red Sea is unrivaled in the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, the peculiarity of the Red Sea is that not a single river flows into it, and rivers usually carry silt and sand with them. Therefore, the water in the Red Sea is unusually transparent and clean. In addition, it is self-cleaning - for a complete exchange of Red Sea water with Indian Ocean it takes only 15 years to cross the Gulf of Aden. The El Arena summer disco in Kafr El Gouna is the most popular night club on the Red Sea and the largest outdoor disco in Egypt.

Undoubtedly, from El Gouna, as well as from Hurghada, most tourists without fail visit the capital of Egypt - the city of Cairo with its famous Pyramids in Giza, as well as an excursion to the south of Egypt - to Luxor with its famous Valley of the Pharaohs:

and some more photos...

Golf club (18 holes),
10 diving centers,
5 kitesurfing centers,
tennis school,
stable, karting, yachting and paintball.

Taxi: buses: An extensive transport system of bus routes

car rental: airports: Own airport in the city, performing mainly local flights. Russian tourists get to El Gouna via Hurghada, to the airport of which enough flights fly every day all year round a large number of charters and regular flights from Moscow and other Russian cities.

railway: ports: The local small port is called Abutik Marina, it hosts luxury yachts from all over the world. A picturesque promenade runs along the port, where there are restaurants with cuisine from different countries.

The resort of El Gouna is located north of Hurghada (towards Cairo), about 30 km, directly on the Red Sea coast. Although El Gouna has its own airport, it is not international, so tour operators deliver tourists to El Gouna hotels via Hurghada, where they arrive from Russia by plane. The distance from Hurghada airport to El Gouna is about 40 km.

and a little more.....awesome place....

Abu Tig Marina(Abu Tig Marina) in El Gouna is a unique and interesting project on the coast of the Red Sea. The marina was designed by the Italian architect Alfred Fried from France. Abu Tig Marina is just a part of the resort - El Gouna. The marina contains two 4-star hotels, 3 small hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, shops and a marina.

El Gouna is Egypt's dream city. By the way, it was with a dream that his story began, when the millionaire-romantic from Egypt Samih Sawiris, who had been looking for a piece of paradise on the Red Sea coast for a long time to build a house for himself, found it here. At first glance, he was simply in love with the ocher-colored mountains of El Gouna, the golden sandbanks of Egypt and the azure lagoons, and in an instant the fate of El Gouna was decided. Very soon, villas began to "grow" in these places, and already in 1991, the first local hotel received its guests. That's where it started tourist history El Gouna, and even then this resort began to gain fame as unusual place like a mirage in the desert.

Today, Egypt allows tourists to find about one and a half dozen hotels belonging to various categories in El Gouna. There are traditional five-star hotels, and apart-hotels that accept tourists with a fairly modest budget, and private villas. El Gouna also has its own small airfield, a huge green golf course and two seaports.
The resort began to develop thanks to foreign investment in Egypt. It was in El Gouna that the six largest companies were built for the first time at the expense of attracted capital, and in addition, private investors own five diving centers and many restaurants, bars and shops. About 30% of investments came from Europe: it is European citizens who today own a third of El Gouna's villas, which is not a standard practice for Egypt.
The beauty of this city is that initially it was created not only as a single tourist centre, but more like a piece of Egyptian design art. El Gouna is unusually elegant and fulfills any requests of tourists, but there is no pathos in it at all.

Water, by the way, is the key to the life of El Gouna. Firstly, the resort itself is located on islands completely surrounded by water, and satisfied tourists are always driving along the canals. Secondly, the water "taxi" has become a real symbol of the city: it is completely free for guests, but its convenience, romantic spirit and unusualness make it simply irreplaceable. In addition, it is an excellent means of transportation from hotel to hotel, which are located at a great distance from each other.
However, despite all this splendor of Egypt, El Gouna still remains a closed place for outsiders. Only direct guests of the resort and, of course, the attendants can get here. Well, those who came here on vacation rarely leave their "Egyptian Venice" for " big land": here for them all the conditions for a great and fun holiday are created.
As you might guess, one of the main entertainments of El Gouna is golf. On the vast golf course, which has as many as 18 holes, members of the largest on the Red Sea coast and the best golf club in the Middle East, whose members are residents of many world states, have a great time. The game is also facilitated by a healthy climate, excellent sunny weather and, of course, excellent instructors who will teach the basics of the game and provide everyone with excellent equipment for the game.

Another feature of the Egyptian El Gouna is the chic green gardens and the amazing fragrance that evergreens and flowering plants spread. The city resembles a magical garden, thus hinting at its extraordinary prestige and wealth: the ancient Egyptians believed that the more greenery in the city, the richer its owner, and El Gouna surpassed all the possibilities of even the most daring rich people in Egypt! Today, this resort resembles an ever-blooming garden, which, however, owes its splendor to water and the painstaking work of hundreds and thousands of workers.

Egypt, El Gouna

El Gouna Egypt