mytravelbugbite

The Radisson Blu El Queseir is located on the Red Sea about an hours drive South of Hurghada airport. The transfer was no problem though as we were picked up by our driver and taken straight to the hotel, where we were greeted with a welcome drink.

The hotel is made up of 2 storey buildings spread along the banks of the Red Sea. Our room was a sea view room, although it was set a little back from the beach. The bed was super comfy, it was all very well equipped and we had a cute little verandah to sit on in the evening.

There was the option to go all inclusive, which limited all meals to the buffet, or half board which was the option we picked. The breakfast was amazing, although not great for the bikini body. There was fresh fruit but my favourite were the freshly made waffles with Nutella. Other than that the food options were a bit limited considering it is an isolated resort.

There are 3 pools as well as the sea for guests; a salt water one, a large but freezing pool and the bar pool. Every morning the staff did an aqua aerobics session in the bar pool which was good fun. We were there outside peak season so there was no problem in getting a sun lounger.

There were plenty of activities organised through the hotel, although Fraser and I seemed to be the only ones participating in these. We went snorkelling at a sight just along the coast which wasn’t as spectacular as some places but was a nice little get away and we saw a few cool fish.

We went horseback riding around the area and along the beach. This was pretty sedate as we never went faster than a walk, not quite fulfilling my fantasies of galloping along the sand but was a nice way to see the surrounding area.

We took a cycle tour into the local town of El Quseir for a bit of sightseeing. This is a good way to get about as it is a pretty small town. However, as a girl cycling in a hot country I wanted to wear shorts so I didn’t overheat. This is not advisable due to the religion in the area!

My favourite activity by far was going quad biking through the local sand dunes directly inland from the hotel. This was so much fun and we were able to see some spectacular scenery including a ghost town. I would definitely recommend this.

The tennis courts were pretty poorly maintained with huge cracks in the middle of the courts. Not great for a 5* resort.

The local town of El Quseir is pretty small but very busy. As a majority Muslim country it is advisable to keep well covered, I mainly kept my head covered otherwise I attracted a lot of attention! We got a taxi into the town one evening and were shown some sights by a local, who seemed to be arranged by the taxi man. Having him there did help us to find somewhere to eat however it did mean he then took us into ALL his friends’ shops where we couldn’t seem to leave until we had bought something. This pushy tourism is common but doesn’t make it any more bearable anywhere.

The resort was a great choice for some winter (February) sun and to get away from work stresses. It is quiet compared to Sharm El Sheikh so if you want to go to Egypt but escape the crowds it is a good option. Any problems we had were dealt with promptly and we were provided with excellent customer service throughout our stay.

P.s. A big shout out to the onsite doctor who was a massive help to me at 2am when he had to set up a make shift drip!!