When somebody dreams of their first trip to Egypt, images of grandiose pyramids and ancient pharaoh tombs iare the first things that come to mind. But there is another equally enchanting side of Egypt that many have yet to discover.
Fellow filmmaker friend, Francois Stephens, and myself were lucky enough to explore the gem of the Egyptian coast -Sharm El Sheikh. Situated on the Southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula and surrounded by the red sea, it comes at no surprise that it’s Arab name directly translates into Leader of the Beautiful Bay. To give you a taste of what this Zion oasis has to offer, I’ve complied a daily diary of what myself and Francis got up to.
Day One – Breakfast & The Pool
Our first day on the retreat was all about getting to know our expansive home for the next 6 days, Sentido Reef Oasis Senses Resort. But first – BREAKFAST. Serving full buffet breakfast, I decided to indulge in what I referred to as ‘Triple Threat
Eggs’ which is essentially just three eggs cooked in three different ways (Oh, and with a side of flapjacks) – just because I could! We then had a little one on one with our charming Thomas Cook representative who gave us the run down on all the activities on offer. This proved to be one of the most convenient aspects of booking with Thomas Cook as once you have arrived, they help you plan and organize your holiday excursions according to your specific desires. With our excursions booked for the week it was time to get rinsed and explore the resort’s 23 pools. Oh and did I mention the resort has it’s very own water park!?!
Day Two – Exotic Fish, Coral & Cocktails
Today I learnt that Sharm El Sheikh was built up as a tourist destination specifically due to its incredibly magical under-water marine life. As a famous diving destination ,expect the clearest water, exotic coral, and the rarest fish and sea creatures. Our first activity was jam packed with of all this – a snorkeling day trip with CamelDive club around the straights of Tiran Island. Lead by diving expert Simone Pelucchi, this intimate snorkeling session was a great introduction to the beautiful mystery that is the red sea. Later that evening we were invited to a sunset cocktail party at the Sentido Giza Lounge. Over looking the bay we sat with our cocktails and sushi watching the sun dip below the rocky.
Day Three – Snorkeling & Boat BBQ
After yesterday’s introduction to the wondrous marine life of the red sea we were ready for a full day exploring the ocean. We woke up early for our second excursion, a day trip to Ras Mohammed, a national park and one of the best diving spots in the world. The Thomas Cook team took care of our every need including snorkeling gear, personal guides to lead us through the various reef’s, as well as a delicious seafood BBQ on the boat. Frank and I lazed on the sun beds at the front of captain Philipes deck while we sailed from one spot to the next.
After visiting 3 sites we had already managed to spot parrot fish, puffer fish, (chocolate dip), and striped butterflyfish. Taking advantage of the all-inclusive drinks at Sentido Reef Oasis, we decided to have a cocktail (or 3!) by the pool before we headed to the main restaurant, Mo, to see how far we could stretch our bellies with the full service buffet.
Day Four – Exploring The Old Market
Feeling a tad sluggish after our previous evening’s indulgence I decided to make use of the hotel’s free gym facility and was even offered a free work out with their on-site personal trainer. Steamed and cleaned and ready for the day, we decided to make our way to the resort’s private beach to spend the day lazing and dazing. With water sports available as well as full snorkeling and diving facilities at the beach you don’t need to look further than the shore to keep yourself entertained. Barter!, Barter!, Barter! – was our mantra for our evening’s next expedition to the Old Market. From cinnamon sticks, to tortoise shell statues of Horus, the market is filled with the most curious trinkets and is an absolute must for treasure-seekers like myself.
Day Five – Seascope Submarine
Our next early morning adventure took place on a submarine – and yes, a yellow one at that! The Seascope submarine trip is a voyage under the sea where you can experience the extraordinary marine life and coral through your very own window in air conditioned comfort without getting wet. Our evening was spent under the night stars in a cactus garden at the resorts very own open air BBQ restaurant. You get to pick your meat; beef, chicken or seafood (or all 3!) and cook it yourself on your very own barbeque. Or if you feeling lazy just get the private chef to do it for you – What a treat!
Day Six – Full Body Egyptian massage
Being our last day on Pleasure Island we wanted to keep things very relaxed. What better way to do so then start it off with a full body Egyptian massage?
To our absolute delight, the resort has it’s own leisure spa, the Reef Oasis Spa Collection, with a ridiculous amount of treatments to chose from. Wanting to try something different we opted for the Nefertari 4 Hands massage, which has you feeling like an Egyptian goddess. With four women massaging a different area of your body harmoniously – let’s just say you are taken to a very special spiritual nirvana. All this body therapy had made us hungry so we headed to the hotel’s very own Italian restaurant for some culinary delights. With only a few hours left to spare before we boarded the Thomas Cook airline, we spend the rest of the afternoon lazing by the pool sipping on cocktails to our rested hearts delight.
This post was brought to you as part of the #RedSeaStories blog trip in partnership with Thomas Cook. TravMonkey.com maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site.
