We stayed at Iberotel Coraya Beach in Marsa Alam for a week in May. I would recommend this holiday for anyone looking for a relaxing break (not nightlife) in lovely surroundings, particularly those who are interested in snorkelling, diving and water based activities.
The hotel is a 10 minute drive from Marsa Alam airport. The surrounding scenery is just desert and mountains, striking but barren. The hotel is situated on one side of a bay, the Lamaya is on the opposite side.
On arrival we were greeted with a welcome drink and shown to our rooms. The hotel is laid out well, although there are around 300 rooms it never felt crowded or like you were in a 'complex'.
As already stated the staff are a real credit to this hotel, so friendly and charming, always a smile and warm greeting - we wanted to bring them back with us! And yes they seem to like the English a lot.
Everything is kept immaculately clean, including the 3 attractive pools and surrounding areas. They do amazing things with your towels, we loved going back to our room and seeing what that day's 'creation' was.
Rooms are spacious and pleasant, it was lovely to relax on our balcony with a glass of wine looking out to sea. Showers are powerful, taps in bathroom less so as they have water conservers attached.
After reading some reviews about the Egyptian wine we smuggled in a case of our own (can't go without good wine for a week!). However the Egyptian wine served in El Maha - the main buffet restaurant - was perfectly drinkable. The Obelisk wine is also quite nice. However when we tried the wine in a couple of the bars it was a different story! My boyfriend said the Egyptian beer was perfectly pleasant.
The food was absolutely delicious, we found ourselves having 3 course breakfasts every day. All manner of pastries, fresh fruit, salad and yes eggs eggs and eggs. Lovely to have a leisurely breakfast on the veranda looking out to sea and contemplate the day ahead.
In the evening as well as a range of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes there is fresh pasta etc. There is also a barbeque each evening with all manner of meat and fish. There are local dishes, themed evenings and each Friday there is a gala dinner where they really push the boat out.
There is an ala carte restaurant which does a stunning 5 course seafood menu for 35 euros - it was magnificent, but dont eat the bread as you wont be able to finish the meal!Also does nice lunches if you are half board like us. No tummy troubles at all during our trip thankfully!
The sea was lovely in May (wetsuits advised for longer spells in deeper water - can be hired locally), the pools were kept at a nice cool temperature, and the weather was sunshine every day and around 35 degrees at midday. Wouldn't have liked it any hotter, but there are plenty of shady areas to retreat to. It was a dry, as opposed to humid heat, which never got uncomfortable.
Snorkelling in the hotel bay is good but get out early as by midday the visibility is a bit poorer. However if snorkelling is your thing you must go on some of the excursions - we saw the dugong and sea turtles at Abu Dabab where there is also a stunning reef and the beach is much nicer than the hotel beach. We also went to the Dolphin House (you will need to find your sea legs for this journey!) and swam with dolphins (although there were a few too many doing the same thing for my liking!) and also snorkelled another fantastic reef. The coral isjust stunning.
I would advise you to book your excursions with Tiger Dives - the hotel's own company which is situated on the beach near the beach snack hut. This is about half the price of Thompson and the local guides are fantastic.
By the way there were lots of jellyfish in the bay but only moon jellies so won't do you any harm. We saw moray eels, pufferfish, cuttlefish, stingrays, triggerfish and much more in the bay too. There is a raft you can swim out to and practice your diving if so inclined!
There is a health club and gym in the hotel as well as floodlit tennis courts and squash courts. You can have massages (the Egyptian Loufah massage with fresh coconuts was lovely but not for the shy!) and there is also a beauty salon. Extra charges apply for these.
Evening entertainment was not great but the kids seemed to like the mini disco (but really, I did not travel to Egypt to hear Aga Doo every evening!). You can play billiards and drink in the Night and Day Bar. There is a lovely bar in a courtyard where you can smoke the Hookah pipes and sit on cushions gazing at the stars. Very relaxing. Saw lots of shooting stars - the sky's were amazingly clear.
You can buy guides to the various reef fish in the shops in the hotel. There isn't much to buy, tshirts, jewellry and glass. If you make the 15 minute walk to the small row of shops near the hotel you'll find it all cheaper.
A big plus for me was that there were no mosquitos! So much easier to relax on the veranda, balcony etc without having to worry. Only nice creatures such as geckos! I even saw a beautiful white owl.
Would definitely climb up to the tower to watch the sunset.
The less said about Excel Airways the better, but at 5 hours the flight was just bearable.
All in all we totally fell in love with Egypt and the people, the hotel was lovely and the holiday offered great value for money. Get to Marsa Alam quick while it's still relatively undiscovered - I lost count of the number of hotels in construction along the coast. Would love to go back for longer and maybe take in the Pyramids and Luxor along the way.
Feel free to ask any questions.
