Taba - June 2006

sancho proudfoot · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:29 pm Post subject:

We flew with Astraeus - an airline until now unknown to us. A little Web research showed that Astraeus have their drawbacks - a so-so punctuality record, and no in-flight entertainment.

Well, both were true. We left Manchester 1 hour 20 minutes late - the tale was that the previous flight had been to Lourdes and "125 passengers in wheelchairs take longer to disembark"!

There is no in-flight entertainment, no seat back screens, not even drop downs, so we were glad we had the portable DVD player!

On the plus side the in-flight meal was decent, and our pilot was Bruce Dickinson - of Iron Maiden fame!!!

We made up some of the time enroute, and got to Taba Airport about 8.30 that evening.

Baggage reclaim and passport control/customs didn't take long and we were on the way to the resort by 9.15. Taba airport is almost literally in the middle of nowhere; it's on the plateau of the mountains, 800m above sea level and so is cooler than the shore, and there is nothing at all around it - just this airport in the middle of the desert.

It's only a 20 minute transfer to the hotel, so by 9.45 we were checking in to the Sol Y Mar Sea Star Hotel.

The hotel is in six curved blocks arranged in a figure-of-eight around the two pools, each block being only three stories.

Our room was in block 5, on the third floor. Having got into the room, and been quite impressed ( fridge, 20" TV, marble bathroom, balcony with pool view) we decided to leave unpacking and grab a bite to eat as the dining room was still open.

SWMBO then discovered that the TV didn't work, and that we only had one pillow each, so on returning to the main building I asked at reception for two more pillows and mentioned that the TV didn't work.

After a meal, we headed for the bar, and the receptionist called me over. Sorry, he said, there's a problem with the TV aerial in your room, and it can't be fixed - can we move you to another room?

Of course you can! As we hadn't unpacked, switching rooms to one on the floor below was easy AND the TV worked!

We were there on an all-inclusive basis, so all meals drinks and snacks were included. The lobby bar opened at 10.00 am and closed at 11.00pm; the pool bar (swim-up) opened at 10 and closed at 5pm. There is allegedly another bar but we never found it open!

The food was good, but very repetitive. All served, buffet style, there was a soup (generally good) a salad bar, then a beef dish, a chicken dish, a fish dish a pasta corner and a carvery- although the carvery in reality was hack a hunk off a joint and sort of slice it.

The main drawback to Taba is that there is nothing else to do. There is no town at all- just the hotels along the strip, and they are spaced out so you can't walk the next one to have a change of bar. There are no shops, restaurants or bars outside the hotels. Security is very tight - even metal detectors and bag searches at the main gate, and it is strongly recommended that you do not wander.

There are a number of excursions available, some quite pricey. Because of its position where Egypt meets Israel meets Jordan meets Saudi, some fascinating places are get-at-able - like Cairo, Jerusalem, Massada, Eilat and Petra.

Petra has long been on my "must do" list, so we opted for that one. For some reason Longwood Holidays (our TO) price their trips in US $, but on conversion, it cost us £109 each for the day.

it was a very early start - up at 5am, and on our way by 6am.

Until about April this year, the trip to Petra went via Eilat; this not only meant long coach travel, but having to pay Israeli fees on top of the Jordanian ones.

However they now go by ferry straight across the Gulf of Aqaba to Aqaba in Jordan direct. The ferry take about 90 minutes, and after the high heat of Taba it was great to stand on the top deck and have the breeze off the sea.

We docked at the Royal Jordanian Yacht Club's quay. This - it turned out - isn't an offical port of entry into Jordan, so we had to surrender our passports to a Jordanian Policeman; he would then take them to the border crossing at Eilat to have them stamped both in and out of Jordan and then he would return them to us back at the Yacht Club we we arrived to return to Taba.

We met our Jordanian guide Waleed. He spoke excellent colloquial English, and took us the two hour drive to Petra.

There are still many nomadic bedouin living in Jordan and I was surprised to see how small and plain their tents are - you imagine large luxurious multi-roomed palaces, but they aren't!

Before arrival at Petra Waleed warned us that there is a lot of walking involved - roughly a 6km round trip. He pointed out that getting into Petra in downhill, which - of course - meant that getting out is uphill.

On arrival at Petra we began the walk through the Siq - the narrow gorge through the mountains that leads to the ancient city itself.

Four years ago, a Swiss team began clearing the floor of the Siq of all the debris left by centuries of flash floods and at the exit from the Siq, the floor is now some 9 feet lower than it had been 5 years ago.

The Siq winds its way between towering cliffs, sometimes only 8 or 9 feet apart and over 200 foot high, until after 1300m you turn a corner to be confronted by the breathtaking sight of The Treasury, a huge magnificent rock carved building ( used in the finale of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"!)

We wandered around the hot dusty streets of this ancient rock-carved city for an hour and half, before beginning the slow plod back up through the Siq, which drops 68m from the level of the car park.

We had forgotten that Waleed had told us that the last 500m of the return was on horseback - included in the price of the trip, and in the heat and the dust, to sit a horse for the last part was a welcome relief!

Then back to Aqaba for the ferry home. We had a brief coach tour of Aqaba - wished I could have had more time there, it looked an interesting city - before we met the police again, regained our stamped passports, then back to Taba gettng back to the hotel for 10pm.

Of course, The World Cup is on; although the games are available on the TV in your bedroom, they showed the England games on a big screen in the hotel Disco - although the "All-inc" didn't apply in there, but the drinks were cheap enough at £1.40 for a huge bottle of beer. About 70 or so English guests went to cheer England on against Trinidad and Tobago.

In summary:

Great for relaxation, and chill-out. Don't go expecting riotous nightlife, great shopping and a variety of bars to visit - these things don't exist. If you're a swimmer/diver ( I'm not) it's apparently great for that. Food adequate, but very repetitive. Staff excellent, friendly and helpful. Rooms large and comfortable, with twin queen sized beds, excellent air-conditioning and a fridge.

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medot · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:53 pm Post subject:

ooo thanks for that sancho.

that was an excellent report.

i've vaguely thought of taba myself for a holiday...but i think its just too quiet even for me.

i know you say you are not a swimmer...but did either you or your other half snorkel at all?? i wonder what that was like.

Tango Bunny · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 1:03 pm Post subject:

Excellent and informative report Sancho
Not the sort of holiday for me although it does sound lush
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GoldenChippie · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 1:43 pm Post subject:

great Report Sancho

Ive often thought about red sea but it just doesnt grab me enough!!!

sancho proudfoot · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 1:54 pm Post subject:

Hi dottie

No, neither of us snorkeled - I'm not that strong a swimmer and SWMBO has previously tried it and hated the mouthpiece. Others who did snorkel on this holiday loved it, amongst the coral reef and the fish.
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ola12387 · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:15 pm Post subject:

I am off to Taba in just under 3 weeks, the reason I picked it was that it was quiet I don't like busy places
, just want to chill out for 2 weeks.

Even when we were in Icmeler last year we didn't venture far from our hotel we'd much rather just sit and chill by the pool
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sancho proudfoot · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:18 pm Post subject:

Photos now added to the "holiday snaps" forum
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medot · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:20 pm Post subject:

oo oo off for a look

Skyegal · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 4:52 pm Post subject:

Sounds brilliant Sancho. You obviously had a nice relaxing hol.

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