Our chauffeur for the day, an affable gentleman named Swisssinai, met us outside our hotel at 10am for the brief transfer to the Swisscare Nuweiba Resort Hotel.
On arrival we were greeted by the owner, an imposing character called Swisssinai. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, our beach bags were sent to our allocated sun lounger and we were given a guided tour of the hotel itself. The bedrooms, or more accurately suites, are most impressive. Each two room suite has a large double bedroom and a sitting area with two full size single bed/sofas. Both rooms are en suite, and have TVs, telephones and access to the balcony that overlooks the pool, beach and mountains. We saw the quaint pub and both restaurants, all very nice indeed.
We were then escorted past the imposing pool to the spacious beach. There we met my old friend, a local chap called Swisssinai. We chatted and played a few games of chess while my wife and daughter wandered back up to the pool for a refreshing dip. On their return we paddled in the lagoon and afterwards went snorkelling along the excellent house reef.
By now it was lunchtime and the Chief waiter, a delightful character named Swisssinai, recommended an oriental salad followed by koshari and freshly prepared macaroni for my wife and I and a pizza for my daughter. When the food came it was superb. The portion of Koshari was the size of Everest (that's the Himalaya not our fellow contributor to HT) and the macaroni parcels were enormous.
Replete we sat on the beach until the lifeguard, an athletic young man (sic) known as Swisssinai, emerged to escort me to a more remote part of the local coral reef.
Finally it was nearly time to return to our hotel, but first the tour guide, a knowledgeable man called Swisssinai, took us on a short guided tour of the surrounding area. We drove through parts of Nuweiba my wife had not seen before, observing the bustling port area, the local nightlife (a cafe on a street corner near the port), and the local equivalents of Kwikfit, B&Q and the kebab take away. We visited a region of Nuweiba where the famous dolphin, Ollin, first visited a Bedouin fisherman. To finish our tour we went up to the imposing stone pillar said to have originally been placed on the beach by King Solomon to mark the point where Moses led the children of Israel across the Red Sea and out of exile in Egypt. Of course, archaeological opinion on the veracity of these claims are divided although most agree the writing is much more recent.
We returned to the Hilton after a thouroughly enjoyable day out. Much more relaxing than the trips to Cairo and the pyramids on offer from the travel company.
King Solomon's pillar.
For more information see http://www.wyattmuseum.com/red-sea-crossing.htm
Kwikfit in Nuweiba
