Due to the ever increasing popularity of El Gouna and Taba Heights there is a surge of hotel developments in these Red Sea resorts.

El Gouna

El Gouna has over 6 miles of coastline, complete with hotels, spa and fitness facilities, restaurants, bars, marinas and an 18-hole golf course. The resort is home to the first hotels in Egypt to be awarded the Green Star Hotel Certification.

In El Gouna there are two new Orascom Development boutique hotels due to open in November and a new Four Seasons hotel is due to open in 2014.

Orascom Developments already operate 21 hotels with more than 5,000 rooms in El Gouna and Taba Heights. They already have 14 established hotels in the resort of El Gouna. The two new four star hotels, Fanadir and Mosaique, will be located on the resort’s new marina. Every hotel room will have a private terrace and will overlook either the marina or the hotel swimming pool.

When the new Four Seasons hotel opens in 2014 it will have 150 rooms and will offer guests pure luxury.

Taba Heights

The beautiful Taba Heights overlooks four countries, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Saudi Arabia and has over 3 miles of natural beaches. The resort offers excellent diving sites and an 18-hole championship golf course.

A fourth new hotel is due to open in December and will be located in Taba Heights.

The multi-million pound Club Med in Taba Heights is it’s sixth luxury hotel and will come complete with a spa, fitness centre, restaurant and two bars.

Summer temperatures here are always in the 30′s during the summer months, hitting the high 20′s and enjoying 7 to 8 hours of constant sunshine a day during the winter months. Because of it’s great all year round weather package holidays to Egypt can be taken whenever you desire. The Red Sea resorts boast some of the warmest waters and best beaches in Egypt.

For bargain late deals the internet is the place to look, you won’t be disappointed.

Nuweiba (bubbling springs) is a small, traditional town on the east coast of the Sinai Peninsula between Taba and Dahab. The town stretches for about 4 miles along the Gulf of Aqaba with a backdrop of the Sinai Mountains. The

Nuweiba Beach

 beaches here are regarded as some of the most beautiful and the safest in the Sinai. The town itself is lively with restaurants, cafes, shops and spice bazaars. As this is a new resort there are not any historical attractions but the town does have some interesting Israeli and Egyptian architecture. 

As Nuweiba is a fairly new resort there are only a few hotels here but there are plenty of beach camps which are popular with backpackers and those travelling on a tight budget.

Nuweiba Diving

For diving enthusiasts, those who wish to learn to dive (the waters are very calm here), snorkellers and underwater photograpers, Nuweiba is the ideal location. The coastline here has hard and soft coral reefs, with canyons, ravines, drop-offs and wrecks. All kinds of marine life can be seen here, including turtles, moray eels, seahorses, barracuda, snappers and razorfish. For those who prefer the dry option, this wide array of marine life can be viewed from a glass bottom boat.

Excursions from the town include trips to Mount Sinai and St Katherines Monastery, trips to Coloured Canyon and White Canyon, jeep and camel trips and not to be missed is an evening trip to the desert where you can

Ain um Ahmed

 enjoy a tradition Bedouin dinner. A camel ride will take you into the desert where you can see the magnificent watering holes of Ain um Ahmed and Ain Hudra. It is also possible to take the ferry from the port in Nuweiba to spend time in Jordan and Petra.

The climate here is hot and dry with very little rainfall. In the summer temperatures average between 32C and 38C with around 10 hours of sunshine a day. Winter temperatures average between 18C and 22C with around 6 hours of sunshine a day.

There are lots of last minute holidays around if you want to enjoy some winter sunshine and a spot of diving in waters that are still warm in the winter.

The internet has lots of travel deals available to Egypt throughout the year.

Dahab, which means gold in Arabic, was originally a Bedouin fishing village and is located on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula, about 50 miles from Sharm el Sheikh.

Dahab Bay

Originally a fishing village Dahab is now a thriving resort with hotels, campsites, restaurants, cafes, bars and of course its wonderful beaches.

Dahab consists of two distinct parts. In the north is the old Bedouin Village of Assalah which caters mainly for backpackers, with cheap accommodation. In the south is Laguna (also known as Dahab City/Medina) where you will find the more upmarket hotels.
 

Things to Do

The main attractions of Dahab are its white sandy beaches where you can relax in the sun and take a dip in the wonderful, crystal clear waters of the Red Sea.
When you want a change from soaking up the sun you can take a dessert safari, enjoy a quad bike ride in the desert, go mountain climbing, horse riding and camel riding or you can enjoy when of the many tours that are on offer. These tours include visits to The Old Port of Dahab, Ein Khudra (a Bedouin oasis), Wadi Gnay (a Bedouin oasis), Mount Sinai and St Catherines, Jerusalem (Israel), Petra (Jordan) and many more. 
There are excellent diving sites in the Dahab area, including Sinai’s best site, Blue Hole. There are more than 50 dive centres located in the Dahab area. Dahab is also great for windsurfing, kitesurfing, kayaking and snorkelling.
To the south of Dahab are Qnai el-Rayan and Qnai el-Atschan which are wadis (dry valleys) where there is some great rock climbing on offer. 

Dining

As Dahab is surrounded by water, there is lots of fresh fish and seafood served in its many restaurants. The restaurants located further inland tend to much less expensive than those nearer the beach.

With lots of cheap holidays on offer, Dahab is an excellent choice for your holidays, especially as the weather here is pleasant all year round and it has an abundance of cheap accommodation.

Watch out for the last minute holidays deals as Dahab is the place to visit anytime of the year, even in the winter when there is very little rain.

Bordered by the Red Sea, on the east coast of Egypt, Hurghada is the perfect destination for family holidays.

The resort has everything, including glorious golden sands and crystal clear waters, a wide range of watersports, first class diving facilities, restaurants, bars, markets, bazaars, waterparks and plenty more for all the family.

I have just come across this interesting and informative destination guide to Hurghada which will give you an insight into this perfect holiday destination.

Hurghada is situated close to the Equator which means that the temperature is constantly hovering around the thirty degree mark, just perfect for lazing on the beach and topping up your tan.

Trevor Butler set up his first ‘travel’ related business in 2004 and has written many other destination articles with tips and information. I have found these articles both interesting and helpful, hope you do too.

Taba is located on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, 200kms north of Sharm el Sheikh and 50 minutes from Taba airport. With 5kms of prime beachfront with white beaches, pristine waters, stunning desert scenery and luxurious 5 star hotels, Taba is the perfect resort, for perfect last minute holidays.

PLACES TO VISIT

The Monastery of St Catherine

The most popular excursion destinations are The Monastery of St Catherine, The Mountain of Moses (Mount Sinai), and Pharaoh’s Island and Salah El Din Citadel.
The Monastery of St Catherine is one of the oldest monasteries in the world and has the second largest collection of illuminated manuscripts after the Vatican.
Mount Sinai is sacred to Jews, Christiansand Muslims alike. It is best to visit Mt Sinai during sunrise or sunset to enjoy the fantastic view. A climb up the 3000 Steps of Repentance will explain why it is so aptly named!
Pharaoh’s Island and Salah El Din Citadel is an island fort that was built to protect pilgrims who traveled to get to the Monastery of St Catherine. Here you can also dive and explore the reefs surrounding the island.
Other popular excursions include the Canyon Desert Quad Safari, Castle Zaman Day Trip, Colored Canyon Hike, Petra Treasury in Jordan, Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock, Dead Sea, Cairo Metropolis, Luxor’s Ancient Temples, Alexandria’s Cosmopolitan Port, and the Sharm El Sheikh Nightlife Scene.

National Park of Nabq

Apart from the historical sites, there are two national parks in Taba Heights, the National Park of Nabq and the National Park of Ras Abu Galum. Both are wildlife preserves where you can see herons, foxes, Nubian ibexes, hyraxes, ospreys and gazelles.

ACTIVITIES
On the beach there is snorkelling, windsurfing, diving, sailing, canoeing, glass bottom boat trips and banana boat rides.
Waterworld, based at Taba heights, is a 5-star Padi dive centre, offering a wide range of activities, including introductory dives, National Geographic open water course and PADI certification. Other water activities available at the Waterworld centre include windsurfing, diving, wakeboarding, snorkelling, pedaloes, water-skiing and para-sailing.

GOLF
Taba Heights has an 18-hole US-championship level golf course in a fantastic location, with a backdrop of the Sinai Mountains on the East coast of the Sinai Peninsula and glorious views over the crystal clear blue waters of the Red Sea and Taba Heights. Three other countries can be seen from the course, the coastlines of Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

DIVING
Diving and snorkelling are one of main attractions of Taba Heights, with most hotels having direct access to the stunning coral reef of the red sea. As well as the snorkeling directly from the hotel beaches, Waterworld Taba Heights water activity centre allows divers the opportunity to discover the underworld garden coral of the red sea.

Pharaoh's Island

Other places to dive in Taba are Salah-El-Din Citadel and Pharaoh’s Island. The Pharaoh’s Island was known as Phoenician port and was constructed to provide protection to pilgrims during their pilgrimage to the St Catherine’s Monastery. In earlier days the port was used as place of toll collection from Arab merchants.
The Picasso Reef is an underwater mountain located about 200 meters from the sea shore. A famous fish called Picasso Trigger Fish can be seen here.