Our trip to Hurghada was definitely a spontaneous one. We were craving a quick break in April, somewhere warm, and Egypt just felt right.
FLIGHTS
There were no direct flights from Dublin, so we booked EasyJet flights from Belfast. At the time, it sounded like a great idea (and honestly, I’m still glad we did it), but coming back to that airport in the middle of the night wasn’t ideal. Next time, I’d definitely book a nearby hotel just to get some sleep before heading home.
As for EasyJet – wow. We expected something similar to Ryanair, but they actually did a much better job. A pleasant surprise!
HOTELS
Originally, we booked our trip for four days, but after a bit of thought, we decided to extend our stay. Unfortunately, the hotel we had booked for the extra nights was unavailable, so we ended up switching to another one closer to the city – and honestly, that turned out to be a great decision.
LONG BEACH RESORT HURGHADA
This is a perfect family-friendly hotel. It’s built like a small village, with several restaurants, pools, activity areas, shops, and its own beach. What we loved most was how convenient everything was.
That said, if you’re travelling as a couple without kids, I’d probably skip it. But if you’re travelling with children, I think you’d really enjoy this place. Please bear in mind, that hotel is situated bit far away from the town so you would not be able to walk anywhere.
We stayed here for four nights in a villa located in a quieter part of the complex, separate from the main hotel. It was peaceful, had lovely views, and even a small pool just for our area. We enjoyed the buffet food, although due to our short stay, we didn’t get a chance to try any of the à la carte restaurants.
THE GRAND RESORT
This hotel was an absolute dream. Yes, it’s a bit more dated than its sister hotel across the road, but we genuinely didn’t mind at all. The whole vibe reminded us of an Arabian palace straight out of a fairytale.
We loved everything about it – the location, the food, the pools, the staff, and of course… the cats 😄
And honestly, how could you not love the view from our balcony?
The resort has several restaurants, both inside and outdoors, and funnily enough, even a Starbucks on-site. If you’re visiting Hurghada and want to stay closer to the city, we can’t recommend this hotel enough.
EXCURSIONS
Our trip to Egypt was meant to be relaxing, but we couldn’t resist exploring a little. We decided to book two one-day trips:
1. Paradise Island & Orange Bay – Private Speedboat Tour
We chose a private tour to get the most out of the experience, and it was absolutely worth it. We were picked up from our hotel and taken to the pier in Hurghada City. From there, we travelled by speedboat to both islands, spending time on each for lunch, drinks, and photos.
Not going to lie – we were completely stunned by how beautiful these places were. After negotiating the price, the whole trip cost us €120.
2. Quad Safari Adventure
For this one, we went with a semi-private option. Again, we were picked up and dropped back at our hotel. The trip included 45 minutes of quad biking, 20 minutes on a spider vehicle, a visit to a Bedouin village, and camel riding. The price was €25 per person.
We also bought the photos and video taken by the team. The quality wasn’t great, but honestly, we still love them as a souvenir.
For both trips, we used the same company – Blue Corner Dive Club El Gouna – and we highly recommend them (this is not an ad).
SUMMARY
We weren’t sure what to expect from our visit to Egypt. We’d heard mixed reviews and were a bit worried about getting sick, but if you’re thinking about going – ust do it.
We absolutely fell in love with Egypt: the culture, the food, and especially the people. We’ll definitely be back.
If you want to see more of our trip, make sure to check my Instagram highlights: EGYPT I and EGYPT II.
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