Egyptian Currency/using ATM's in Egypt, i'm unsure???

ralphy

thanks Murphy

i'm just hoping the weathers going to be nice and warm!!

HGLTsuperstar

So I dont get a thanks aswell then. Charming!

Murphy_The_Cat

Ralphy

please don't think i'm being nosy, but what board basis are you on at El Gouna ?
The reason I ask is that they have a unique (to me) catering system in the resort that you will (I hope) really enjoy.

The weather will be lovely and warm - while the sun is up. Early in the morning and late afternoon it will cool quite rapidly. Don't think that you will be cold at nights though as they have another great idea that I will share with you.

One word of warning though, the pools will NOT be as warm as they look at first sight ! The nice thing is letting the sun dry you out afterwards.

I am not lying when I say that if I had some holiday time left (& some spare cash) then El Gouna would be by number 1 choice for some winter sun.

MTC

ralphy

sounds interesting!

we're staying at the Panorama resort half board

Murphy_The_Cat

Hi Ralphy

I went 3 years ago and this was the situation then.

On a half board basis the meal plan worked like this. All of the 'prestige' hotels in the resort are graded on a 3/4/5* basis as usual - the difference being that as well as regular dining they all featured a seperate "style" restaurant.
i.e., Italian, Chinese, Indian, etc etc. The absolute clincher for us was that if you are in a 4* hotel (like you are) on 1/2 board then you can eat in any other 4* hotel restaurant for no charge. and if you want to dine in a 5* hotel you just pay a small supplement (& I do mean small). If the restaurant you want to dine in is in a 3* hotel, I cannot remember what the arrangement is, but i THINK that you got a free glass of wine (not positive on this) & still dine for free. I remember at the time that they STRONGLY encourage you to book ahead to guarentee your place. We went from 5th January onwards and it was very quiet and bookinge seemed unnecessary. With your holiday being over the New Year period a different regime may be operating.
The dining plan was superb and was made even easier by buying a weekly minibus pass for about £5.00 which gave you unlimited travel around the resort for 24 hours a day - plus it ran to a time table.
When we returned to our hotel at night we were kept warm in a really nice way. Basically they 1/2 fill a large ceramic pot with sand, add in a "sterno" and top it off with barbecue lumps and you have a easily portable terrace heater which is perfect for helping you while away the hours.

If you get the chance to go downtown please be sure to visit Abu Tig Marina and do a bit of people watching and check out the fantastic selection of private boats & yachts (ships ?). While in the marina I can asolutely recommend the Captains Inn for a superb meal (especially the steaks). It is not covered by the dinearound setup but I did not begrudge paying for my meal in the slightest !

If you are a keen golfer they have 2 x 18 hole golf courses within the resort and the diving is (of course excellant). One word of warning though - if you are fancying a luxor trip (& you should, it is superb) the one day trip is a 19 hour job, starting at 04.30 in the morning. A much better option is a 2 day, or flying to Luxor trip - both are more expensive, but MUCH more relaxing and you'll see a great deal more.

On your original point about ATM's I am going to go against the usual MSE advice and suggest that you book as much to your room as you can and then pay at the end with your credit card. MOST hotels will convert your Egyptian pounds total to US dollars and charge this figure to your credit card, which will then be converted to £'s by your credit card company. Before anyone gets to huffy with me over this, the prices charged by Egyptian hotels is so modest, it's hardly worth the hassle of squeezing out an extra few pence. Also most hotels have a seperate "money exchange" section to change your sterling to Egyptian. On our visits to Egypt they have always exchanged at a better rate than the hotels - but always be sure to check the amount exchanged is what you and the money changer agreed. In our experience the Egyptians were scrupulously honest (of course in the markets if you want to pay £20 for something that is only worth £5.00 they will not refuse you!).

And finally, tip often and in small amounts. These people earn a very small wage (by our standards) and they give a superb service. 10p stering is currently worth 1 pound Egyptian and seemed to be the standard tip - please check with your rep, 10p to us is nowt, to an Egyptian it is wel worth having.
And finally, finally, if you have had very good service from someone in the hotel (or several people), be sure to take they're names and make a point of finding the hotel manager and telling him - i have got a wonderful tale to tell sometime about what happend to 2 blokes who looked after us one holiday in Egypt after I wrote to the Mangaging Director of the international hotel group that they worked for.

MTC

p.s take a jumper for nighttime as it gets chilly !

ralphy

Thanks eversomuch Murphy, your comments and advice have been very helpful, i'm sure we'll have a great time even more so with your kind words!

skr80

Ditto Murphy's comments - I stayed at the Sheretan in El Gouna- very nice (and had a heated pool!!) The curry house in the marina was good - as was the pizza place. Howver, the Chinese restaurant and bar next to it were best value (just out of the main street!) Enjoy....