Four hours' flight, 24 degrees in January and Europe's best snorkelling waters on the doorstep – the Red Sea is the cheapest winter destination.
Photo: Jayde Keroi (Unsplash)
Full disclosure: I haven't made it to the Red Sea myself yet – Morocco and Andalusia were always closer. But among my friends Egypt is the winter destination par excellence: Hurghada or Marsa Alam, an all-inclusive hotel right on the reef, a week for the price the hotel alone would cost elsewhere.
The Red Sea is the argument: a water temperature of 22 degrees in winter, coral and fish straight off the house reef, dive schools in every hotel. Marsa Alam in the south is quieter and has the better reefs; Hurghada has more choice and shorter transfers.
From Hurghada, Luxor is a day trip: the Valley of the Kings, the Karnak Temple, three hours' drive each way – long, but everyone says you have to have done it. If you want more, add on a Nile cruise; that's on the cruises page.
Hurghada (Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh) for choice; Marsa Alam for reefs and peace and quiet; El Gouna for a well-kept lagoon village.
I almost always compare hotels, apartments and guesthouses on Booking.com – with genuine reviews and usually free cancellation.
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