This is a bit of a paint-by-numbers place, but it’s none the worse for that. The architecture is generically Mediterranean, with high white walls and domes combined with touches of wood. The center of the compound is a wide lagoon, with a relatively modest pool set into a platform in the middle. Given the length of the beach available a 30-second walk away, however, it seems unlikely that there are too
many complaints about the pool. Rooms are spacious and follow the stylistic lead of the rest of the hotel, with white walls, earth-tone curtains, and dark wood trim. Bathrooms are fitted with the kind of high-end fixtures you expect at this price, and beds, sofas, and chairs are as comfy as they are stylish.
Archive for April, 2009
Hilton Dahab
Friday, April 17th, 2009Hotels in Dahab
Friday, April 17th, 2009With a laid-back atmosphere left over from the days when the only restaurant in town was a kiosk on the beach named the Hard Rock Cafe and the nicest hotel for miles had grass walls, Dahab is still the favorite vacation spot of expats and well-off Egyptians looking for something a little more low key than the sun and party scene in Sharm el Sheikh. Even 10 years ago, life was still a little rough around the edges here— unsophisticated food and hard beds were the price visitors paid for the spectacular scenery and even more spectacular diving. Nowadays, however, things are a little different. Not only have the attractions branched out into windsurfing and kitesurfing, but years of investment and some of the better urban planning on the Red Sea coast have paid off in making this town, if not elegant, at least pleasant to walk around. You can get some of the best food in the Sinai here, not to mention a very decent hotel at a good price, all with very little sacrifice in atmosphere and charm.
Almost everywhere that’s worth staying in Dahab fronts the sea. In the older parts of town, what was once a rough, unlit path along the foreshore has been replaced by an attractive and well-lit brick walkway that stretches the entire 3km (13⁄4-mile) length of the town.
Dahab Snorkeling
Thursday, April 16th, 2009Even if you’re not ready to don tanks of air and bulky strapping stuffed with lead weights, you can experience the stunning underwater life around Dahab. The reef that runs parallel to Mashrab and Masbat is still worth snorkeling despite a decade of insensitive use, and the reef around Blue Hole is simply stunning. Many of the dive sites listed above are also accessible to snorkelers, depending on their level of fitness and swimming ability.
Dahab Diving
Thursday, April 16th, 2009Despite its mellow style, however, Dahab is serious about its diving and its professional standards. There are lots of PADI-certified, high-quality dive businesses to choose from.
Because of the year-round warmth of the water in the Red Sea, rich coral reefs abound. Everyone who visits the area should experience the richness of the life that teems just below the surface of the crystal-clear waters. At first sight, it’s easy to imagine that these rocky outcroppings are tough and impervious tohuman touch, but this is far from the case. Touching the coral or walking on it will break and kill it, leaving behind a dead, gray wall and a hole in a complex ecosystem that can take decades or longer to heal.
Reef Island is a lovely concentration of brain and cabbage corals just off the shoulder of the bay that protects the lagoon in front of Dahab City. The aftermath of an earthquake has made some interesting passages through some of the corals.
Eel Garden is a colony of garden eels, which make their home in burrows on the sandy sea bed. Swimming above them, you see them extended vertically from their burrows like a little forest, bent a little into the current as they collect food from the passing water.
Ras Abu Galum is a popular spot to make a diving trek; arrive by camel or jeep, and spend a night or two at the Bedouin camp there. The reef has a variety of fire, brain, and table corals, and hosts a rich variety of sea life from emperor and puffer fish to turtles. What makes Abu Galum special, though, is the local population of sea cows, or manatee.