Entries Tagged 'Marsa Alam' ↓

15 Day/13 Night Itinerary: Cairo, Luxor with 7 Night Southern Red Sea Liveaboard -Simply the Best with Blue O Two aboard the M/V Sea Sound

Darlene and Afiffi, I wanted to thank you BOTH so much for such a wonderful trip and for all the extras you do that make things special. This trip was full of them and I felt like royalty! And of course for each of you for taking such good care of my mother both in the business class upgrade and Afiffi taking her shopping and looking out for her.  She has a blast and considers this the trip of her lifetime. I am so glad that I could take her…er…more correctly that she would finally go on one of my trips…and that it was yours! She has been showing her pictures to everyone and has been like a little kid. She may have even sold the trip to her doctor…I will try to follow up. Hey word of mouth business is the best.

In any event you both exceeded my expectations and the trip was magnificent. I hope to book another group for you soon and another trip for us to Egypt in 2012. I will also look at the other options you have sent for variety. Thank you both again! It was amazing!

Kamala Shadduck

Founder SingleDivers.com

One of the top dive operators in the Red Sea, Blue O’ Two is proud to announce that their flagship vessel M/Y blue Horizon has won ‘liveaboard of the year’ in the 2009 Diver Awards! Thank you to everyone who voted for us!! SEE MORE OF M/Y BLUE HORIZON >>>http://www.blueotwo.com/my_blue_horizon.htm

Diving from New hotels in Port Ghalib (Just North of Marsa Alam, Egypt)

Emperor Divers has recently signed a contract to provide diving and watersports services at three new Intercontinental Hotels.     We will have a kiosk outlet accessible to the guest in these hotels and the full service dive centre will remain at the Marina Lodge Hotel Port Ghalib.    We have two fast RIB’s in place making the Palace House Reef  accessible for guests to dive directly in front of the hotel.

The first is the Intercontinental Palace, Port Ghalib; the hotel artfully integrates lavish landscaping, water features and cascading greenery that transports guests into another world for a true taste of paradise.  A refined feel of the Orient marries gracefully with Arabic gardens and water pavilions.   The expansive salt-water lagoon was designed with a cultural identity that is uniquely Egyptian. Water lovers won’t want to miss our exceptional scuba diving opportunities where sightings of spinner dolphins, dugongs and hammerhead sharks are a frequent occurrence.   Marsa Alam International Airport is less than five minutes drive from the heart of Port Ghalib.

Follow the link for more information: http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/overview/port-ghalib

The second is the Crowne Plaza Sahara Oasis, Port Ghalib, located along the man-made saltwater lagoon.  The hotel is styled with limestone floors, mosaics, arched windows which accentuate the ambiance. This home from home is the most relaxed and the most casual of all the Port Ghalib hotels, offering informal yet delightful accommodation.   It’s ideal for families with its various configurations, styles and themed areas, Crowne Plaza Sahara Oasis Port Ghalib offers rooms that are adorned in brightly covered fabrics, and the hand-painted decorative work sets the tone for individual, family and group stays alike. Crowne Plaza Sahara Oasis Port Ghalib features rooms that face the gardens, lagoon or the seafront. Here guests are sure to find comfortable accommodation to meet their every need in rooms that are spaciously laid out with a bedroom, bathroom with shower unit and cupboard space. The suites are more spacious and include a bedroom and bathroom with a separate bath and shower. The positioning of the rooms allows guests access to most public areas and facilities at a short distance. http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/PTGSO?hotelCode=PTGSO  

The third is the Crowne Plaza Sahara Sands Port Ghalib Resort is located along the western shore of the lagoon and comprises four soaring wings: Dallah, Sarab, Gamali and Sado. Each is styled in distinct desert tones of white, amber, ochre and tourmaline. The hotel is elegant yet informal as it is home to the business traveler, thrill-seekers and families; all of whom have come to awaken new senses in Port Ghalib’s myriad activities.  An Arabian retreat set along one of the largest man-made saltwater lagoon on the Red Sea and amidst ornate Arabic gardens. It’s an idyllic setting that offers a wonderful array of activities for the whole family. Follow the link for more information:  http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/PTGSS?hotelCode=PTGSS

Blue O Two Liveaboard Fleet and Pharaoh Dive Club added to Stable of Dive Operators

Learning Through Travel, an innovator in developing awe-inspiring itineraries to exotic destinations celebrates their most successful DEMA show ever by announcing new partnerships with prestigious Red Sea dive operators.  “The Red Sea is more popular than ever with Americans and there was a definite need to expand our choice of operators who serve the Red Sea.  We also needed to increase the number of resort locations to cater to divers with different preferences.  Our newest Red Sea dive operators exhibited at DEMA this year and now have a clear understanding of the American dive market,” says Darlene Buonauro, President of Learning Through Travel.  Blue O Two and Pharaoh Dive Club are added to Learning Through Travel’s select list of Red Sea dive operators that currently include Emperor Divers, Sinai Divers, Sub Sinai Divers and the Royal Diving Club.

Blue O Two owns three luxury liveaboard dive boats that sail both Northern and Southern Red Sea itineraries and offer clients 5 star service and amenities.  Blue Horizon, Blue Fin and Blue Melody are luxurious boats all less than 3 years old and hold 24-26 passengers in a mix of double and twin cabin accommodations.  (http://www.blueotwo.com)
Pharaoh Dive Club is a PADI 5 Star Gold Palm IDC Centre based in El Quseir, Egypt who offers a mix of shore and land based diving on pristine reefs in an extremely relaxed environment.  El Quseir is an authentic Red Sea resort town that has yet to see the western developments of more popular Red Sea destinations of Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam. (http://www.pharaohdiveclub.com)

Are you interested in joining a fun group already planning a trip to dive the Red Sea? Stop by the booths of our group travel partners at Beneath the Sea.  Each group partner is offering a unique Egypt-Red Sea trip on different dates in 2009.  You can find Learning Through Travel’s group travel partners (dive shops and dive clubs) at the following booths at Beneath The Sea March 27-29, 2009:

SCUBA Connection: Egypt Trip Dates: April 17-May 2, 2009: Booth #’s 402 to 408

Oceanblue Divers: Egypt Trip Dates: May 22-June 3, 2009: Booth # 108

Indian Valley SCUBA: Egypt Trip Dates:Sept 22-Oct 3, 2009: Booth #’s 228 & 230

For Beneath The Sea Dive & Travel Expo information, go to: www.beneaththesea.org

Traveling to Egypt soon? Diving the Red Sea? Check out our recommended guides and books below that will get you fully informed before you next trip to Egypt and the Red Sea.  The Sinai Diving Guide by Siliotti is one of the best dive guides I have seen for any destination anywhere.

Travel Guides:

Egypt, Knopf Guides (revised 2005) (excellent history, pictures and drawings)

Egypt, Lonely Planet (2006) (modern travel guide with reviews and travel tips)

Egypt Pocket Guides, Alberto Siliotti, The American University Press in Cairo, (2002)

-Luxor, Karnak and the Theban Temples

-Sinai

-Islamic Cairo

-Abu Simbel and the Nubian Temples

-The Valley of the Kings and the Theban Tombs

-The Pyramids

-Aswan

-Alexandria and the North Coast

 Red Sea Dive Books:

The Sinai Diving Guide, Vol. 1, Alberto Siliotti, Geodia (2005)

Diving Guide to the Red Sea Wrecks, Swan Hill Press (1996)

Diving Snorkeling Guide to the Red Sea, John Ratterree, Pisces Books (1995)

The Great Shipwrecks of the Red Sea, Alberto Siliotti, Geodia (2006)

 Red Sea Fish ID:

Coral Reef Guide: Red Sea, “The Definitive Guide to over 1200 Species of Underwater Life,” Ewald Lieske and Robert F Myers, HarperCollins (Osiris Office) (2004)

14 Day/12 Night Itinerary: Cairo, Luxor with 7 Night Southern Red Sea Liveaboard -Simply the Best with Emperor Divers

“It was a truly amazing trip…one of the my top 10 ever! Thank you again and give my best to Afifi in Cairo.”

     -Kamala Shadduck

    Single Divers.com

    Dallas, Texas

Egypt: The Pyramids, King Tut and The Red Sea

Pictures and Stories from an Ancient Land and a Salty Sea

July 2006: I just returned from a grand tour of Egypt and all the great sites that make that country famous.  Since my a return a few days ago, the consensus questions has been, how were the Pyramids? The Pyramids are impressive and the biggest of the three structures, the Great Pyramid is the last remaining of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World.  However, the Pyramids of Giza outside Cairo represent only a small chapter in 5000 years of ancient Egyptian history.  Growing up in country that has maybe 500 years of history made it hard for me to comprehend the greatness of early Egyptian civilizations.  The most impressive part of ancient Egypt is the grand style and meticulous detail in which structures and temples were built.  Every temple covers enough ground to host a large concert and are as tall as a 10 story building.  The 500 foot Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest structure in all of Egypt for nearly 4600 years and was only passed by the skyscrapers of Cairo in the last 100 years.  Afifii and Menal, our native Egyptian tour guides, ensured that we traveled safely, saw all the great sites and gave us enough information on Egypt to win on Jeopardy.

I also paid a visit the the Valley of the Kings and the tomb of King Tut.  Surprisingly, the tomb of Tutankhamen is unimpressive in size compared to the other tombs of great Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings.  King Tut died at a young age of suspicious circumstances so a grand tomb was not ready for the boy king. In Egyptian history, King Tut had no major significance and the Pharaoh was only made famous in 1922 when Howard Carter discovered the king’s tomb completely intact with all the treasure buried with the Pharaoh.  All other tombs of the great Pharaohs of Egypt were plundered by grave robbers before being discovered by modern Egyptologists.  The treasure from King Tut’s tomb takes up a entire wing in the Museum of Cairo and there is even a separate secure room just to display the famous jewelry buried with the boy king.  Besides viewing the Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings, I toured all the great temples of ancient Egypt along the Nile River including The Temples of Karnak, Luxor, Kom Ombo, Esna, Edfu, and Abu Simbel.  Each temple was as impressive as the next standing tall after thousands of years of history.  I also had time to take a break from temple sightseeing to visit the famous marketplaces and bazaars of Egypt which are a mecca for shoppers.

The rest of my trip in Egypt was spent diving the Red Sea, the second saltiest sea in the world.  The Red Sea is the European Caribbean and hosts some of the best diving I ever experienced. On every dive I experienced “gin clear” warm water, vibrant pastel colors and unique species of fish that are unfamiliar to the Caribbean. I even saw my first Whale Shark and Hammerhead Shark diving the Red Sea.  I never see any articles on the Red Sea in American dive publications which makes the Red Sea the best kept secret in diving on our side of the pond.  Europeans dive the Red Sea in droves and kept asking me, “Americans..what are you doing here?”  I answered, “having a great time diving and finding ways to bring Americans to dive the Red Sea by the boatload!!”  The Red Sea is truly a special place to dive and Sharm el-Sheikh, our dive location, is a fantastic resort town that offers plenty to do both on land and underwater.

Besides diving and sightseeing, I spent my time in Egypt inspecting hotels, cruise ships and restaurants to finalize the best possible accommodations and itinerary for a group adventure tour next summer. I have been planning my Egypt trip since October of 2005 and the final pieces to the itinerary are just now falling into place. The intention of this newsletter is to pique your interest in joining us in Egypt next year and to show you some breathtaking pictures of my journey.  My August SCUBA newsletter will feature complete itinerary details and trip package pricing for the Egypt-Red Sea trip in the early summer of next year.  Here is just a few highlights of our Egypt adventure tour for next summer: 4 Day Nile Cruise (Agatha Christie style) with stops in Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Aswan, The Valley of the Kings (tomb of King Tut) and extra time to check out the ancient city of Luxor and the biggest temples in the world. We will spend some time in Cairo to experience the culture of this great city and to visit the The Sphinx and The Great Pyramids of Giza, see the Cairo Museum and shop at city bazaars. A short flight to Sharm el-Sheikh will bring the group to the Sinai Peninsula and the shores of the Red Sea. In Sharm, the SCUBA divers of our group will take day charters to experience the underwater beauty of the Red Sea and Ras Mohammed National Park.  Snorkeling and shore diving will also be available right in front of our resort in Sharm. We plan to have a separate land itinerary while in Sharm so non-divers are more than welcome on our Egypt tour. The adventure tour to Egypt next summer will truly be a trip of a lifetime!

Please check out some of the highlight pictures of Egypt and the Red Sea: Egypt-Red Sea Photo Gallery (click here)