Egypt (Taba) Vs Canaries in January

longwalks1

My girl and I are deciding between Egypt or Canaries in January for a week away. Girl wants to go Egypt but been told Taba (seen a good cheap deal) is quite out the way and not much to do or see, and isnt as hot (about 70degrees) as you'd expect and gets cold at night and dark early.

I prefer Canaries but only ever been in june july when its really hot, are both places pretty similar temp wise and sunlight hours etc? Also, Id expect gran canaria to have more to do even in january?

any advice greatly appreciated

richardw

You can do a trip from Taba to Petra which is good.

xcat_girlx

we're looking at the same thing but for february time. taba seemed really cheap but then we also looked at the temperature. have u considered somewhere like cuba or the dominican republic instead. they are around the same prices.

angelavdavis

Give me Egypt every time!!! Cheaper to travel to and cheaper when you get there. I have always found the Canaries to be expensive and fairly dull if you don't like pubbing it every night.

Nothing to do in Taba!!! You have the best diving sites in the world! Learn to dive! Even if diving isn't your thing - the snorkling should be fantastic. Also, most hotels organise trips too.

As far as weather is concerned, the evenings do get colder so I usually pack a cardigan for the evenings. OH and I are scuba divers and we have dived various sites over the world but always come back to the Red Sea.

A quote from Tripadvisor.com:

"Jerusalem and Petra are both within reach by coach or taxi, Eilat in Israel is no more than an hour away, and tours to Moses Mountain, where it is believed Moses was given the ten commandments are frequent and inexpensive. St. Katherines monastery, in the middle of the desert can be combined with a trip to Moses Mountain where most tourists set off late at night, then climb the mountain in the dark and watch the sunrise over the spectacular Sinai desert. Trips to Dahab, an hour by taxi, will satisfy anyone's shopping needs!

The biggest draw for the area has to be the sea, where diving is superb, both snorkeling and scuba. The area is a national park and the coral is protected, and most of it away from the shore line is very much alive and habitat to all manner of fish, octopus, turtles and the occasional dolphin. "

dwileflunker

Much depends on what you want when you get there. Outside of the hotel complexes there is nothing at Taba. Also whilst the hotels are usually classified as 5* they really only correspond to a 3* in Tenerife, hence the prices, but they are more than adequate providing you're not expecting real 5* service. Everything revolves around the the hotel complexes and the nightlife varies from hotel to hotel but will never be on a par with Tenerife. Having said all that if you just want to sit in the sun and do nothing then it's great, and there shouldn't be a great deal of difference in the weather at that time of year, although of course you can always get a bad week anywhere in the world.

As a previous post says there is a trip to Petra in Jordan and if you you want to see one of the most wonderful sites in the world then it's well worth the visit (have you seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? that's Petra). You can also go into the Siniai desert or to Eilat or Jeruselum in Isreal, but the latter is one very long trip as are trips to Cairo and the pyramids. The thing is the 2 countries (Egypt & Tenerife) are as different as chalk and cheese, but both have things to offer. If you've never travelled outside the normal Med holiday resorts then Taba will certainly be an experience, but whether you'll enjoy it depends on how adventurous you are. My advice would be give Taba a go because you only live once, but research it well first so you know what to expect when you get there, and go on at least one of the trips (I would suggest Petra). You can always go to Tenerife the year after if you don't like it.

skintas_2

im goin sharm at end of feb, thought just soemwhere different than turkey , spain and cyprus

jcorbygas

We went to Taba last Christmas - stayed at the Radisson. Our friends who have been to Sharm and Egypt many times also came with us. They thought it was not good at all compared with the other parts of Egypt and hotels.
We did not enjoy the hotel at all and at that time of year it was windy and chillier than I thought it would be. The best part of the holiday was the day trip to Israel. That was actually worth the dreadful hotel as we would not have considered being able to visit Jerusalem and the Dead Sea on another holiday. The snorkelling was not good compared with other countries we have been but I think it was because of the time of year.
It is difficult to compare Taba with Tenerife - they are completely different.
I was disappointed in the area and would not go again - even if it was really cheap.