Youssef Rakha sings the praises of a little-known paradise If you are contemplating a quiet seaside holiday, with plentiful supplies of wonderful seafood and a quiet, distraction-free atmosphere, the Red Sea south of Sinai contains some of the most unspoilt beaches remaining in Egypt today: a profusion of bays around which largely functional if still luxurious hotels have been built to afford the prospect of coral reefs, some of the world's richest, most fascinating marine life -- which you can explore, along with the occasional sunken ship, by snorkelling or, even better, scuba diving -- as well as some historical interest, with architectural monuments and local lore, and a full range of water sports: surfing, sailing, fishing... For Egyptian holidaymakers, especially, this part of the country, with the exception of Hurghada and its immediate surroundings, remains virtually unexplored, a sad state of affairs considering its intense beauty, its variety and wide-ranging appeal. Nor is it off the beaten track, all things considered: the newly opened Marsa Alam Airport, especially, provides unprecedented access to the southernmost stretch of the Red Sea coast within Egypt's borders; and from Hurghada Airport, both Safaga and Qusseir, not to mention the many resort-based stops in the vicinity -- the relatively well-known, self-sufficient resort town of El-Gouna, north of Hurghada, being perhaps the most accomplished example -- are all within a two-hour drive. Besides the short if somewhat expensive flight to Hurghada or Marsa Alam (a return ticket costs LE600-LE1,000, depending on the season and the operating company), Cairo's newly refurbished bus depot in Torgoman near Ramses, housing many companies with regular services all over the country, offers (at LE40-LE150) direct journeys to all four destinations, with Hurghada boasting the widest range of options and the most frequent services. (For direct, air-conditioned journeys to Safaga, Qusseir and Marsa Alam, check with the Upper Egypt Bus Company: 02 576 0261/573 6700). From Hurghada, however, your resort can arrange a free pick-up to wherever you have booked a room, whether from the airport or the bus station. The road is interesting in itself, with desert views and mountain-studded horizons, and seeing that the direct journey can be extremely exhausting, perhaps the best option in lieu of a plane is to take the bus to Hurghada -- continuing by hotel pick-up. The attractions of Safaga, including deep-sea fishing, have been covered on the pages of this supplement. More subtle is the smaller town of Qusseir, further south on the way to the Sudanese border but some 68km north of Marsa Alam on the road. Three major resorts exist in Qusseir, the Flamenco, the Radisson and the Mövenpick, with the last two patronised mainly by European package-tour clientele who arrive and leave by chartered flight, and all three staffed by people originally or actually from Upper Egypt, especially Qena governorate -- a road extends from Qusseir, via Qena to Luxor -- with the exception of the middle management (who, bearing the latest tourism qualifications, tend to come from Cairo and Alexandria) and the top management (generally European). This writer was fortunate enough to be offered a room at the Mövenpick Resort Al-Qusseir, which is representative of the ecological and entertainment interest of the area. In very general terms, it also affords a particularly impressive example of the architectural approach to tourism adopted all along the Red Sea coast south of Sinai, which is both horizontal (as opposed to vertical) and environmentally inspired, making excellent practical use of the combination of desert, sea and heavens. THE STORY OF A HOTEL: The Mövenpick was designed by Rami El-Dahan, a Cairo-based architect who had worked with the legendary creator of Luxor's New Gourna and the author of Architecture for the Poor (1973), Egypt's best-known architect, Hassan Fathi. His answer to the question posited by the drive to create something that seems to be "emerging from the beige desert hills beside the Red Sea and set on the fine sandy bay of Al-Quadim... a resort whose style and ambiance embody the concept of desert vacationing" -- such is the description with which the hotel brochure opens for one of the area's least spoilt, thanks in part to the policy Mövenpick has adopted since the resort came into being in 1995 -- was to reapply the idea of the domed, self-contained bungalow, which Fathi invented, and tried out in mud brick, for the benefit of the fellahin on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor. Here, however -- in line with the required durability and daily maintenance imperatives of a 250-room hotel, the air-conditioning and, most importantly, the local environment -- the bungalows are built in sandstone and, spread out from the shore (where a magnificent coral reef graces the space with its presence) to the Hurghada road, they completely surround the natural bay. The "low set Nubian design combines low key functionality and comfort. The rooms are in individual courtyards interconnected by paths shaded by cascading bougainvillea, frangipani and palm trees". The flora is significant: it adds an extra element, not quite as "native" but just as engaging, and gives the guests the impression that they may indeed be in a home away from home -- the motto of Mövenpick everywhere, fondly affirmed by General Manager Alfred Portenschlager. The very concept of the Mövenpick Resort Al-Qusseir, as Portenschlager explains it, resorting to simplicity by way of emphasis, is "a genuinely relaxing time". An Austrian who has brought decades of experience to the Red Sea -- Southeast Asia, the Pacific and South Africa are only some of the places where Portenschlager worked before finding unexpected solace at Al-Quadim bay, to which he brings environmental awareness and an initiative- driven employment philosophy, telling staff that, rather than employees, they are ambassadors of Egypt -- he waxes lyrical about dining in the open air, accepting the gift of the ocean while gazing at the stars, and appreciating the cleanliness of the atmosphere, the simplicity of the living conditions, the health-oriented daily routine. To the chagrin of a few members of staff, indeed -- in this and other contexts the good manager's dictum is that there will always be opinions: "I believe everyone should be entitled to their opinion, and that is the way it should be," and, well, no doubt Portenschlager is evidently a very good manager -- the Mövenpick offers little in the way of either extravagance or entertainment, in the sense in which such terms are most commonly understood. The rooms are not big, for example, but rather functionally comfortable. Messages point the guests' attention to the difficulty of obtaining potable water -- indeed, elsewhere in the Red Sea governorate, this is one of the most pressing issues plaguing lives today -- and asking them to use water sparingly by re-using the towels, for example. Sipping his morning coffee on the terrace adjoining the main restaurant area, Portenschlager proudly asserts that the resort has its own desalinisation plant and, in case of a power cut, its own generators too. Self-sufficiency seems to be an important consideration. EAT, PLAY AND EAT SOME MORE: The meals you will have at the Mövenpick are likely to be the most extravagant aspect of your stay. For breakfast and dinner, the main restaurant, the Orangerie, offers an abundant buffet with a mixture of European, Levantine and fusion fare. Breakfast, open from 6.15-10am to suit the widest range of schedules possible, is a particularly satisfying treat, what with fuul sitting side by side with pain au chocolat, as much -- free -- caffeine as you care to infuse your blood with, prepared according to your taste (Turkish coffee and espresso are available alongside the filtered brew) and everything else you might think of. Only the beef bacon proved profoundly unappetising. Then again, one could only appreciate the resort's respect for Islam, considering the fact that the vast majority of its clientele are European. Policies such as the prohibition of pork, though imposed by the company itself, are often undertaken in the best interests of the staff, who, coming from Upper Egypt, in particular, are more likely than not to be conventional and traditional, and the vast majority of whom are Muslim. Portenschlager explains that topless bathing, for example, is not allowed. "Some people attempt it," he says, "but we go up to them and politely explain that it is not permitted in our resort. It is as much as anything for the benefit of our staff, yes, but why tell the customer that? We as Mövenpick, as the company, we back up our staff. And so we say that it is the resort's policy. We don't bring our staff up at all. No," he repeats, "no. The headquarters of Mövenpick don't have a problem with it at all. They say, Go ahead..." Besides the Orangerie and poolside meals, the Mövenpick has three restaurants: the Seagulls, a secluded corner overlooking the beach, offers à la carte menus of the greatest variety; the open-air terrace Al Fresco, Italian-based, showcases a range of elaborately cooked fish and pasta; and Ahmed's, the "fisherman's hut", is a traditional grill located on the beach itself. There is also the Top of the Rocks bar, candle-lit after sunset, overlooking a promontory. For a truly memorable experience stop at Ahmed's for dinner -- just you try and count the stars. Unlike other resorts, the Mövenpick offers very few live shows, whether with the meals or without, and they are always relatively quiet, the idea being that people come here to relax, not to be disturbed by animators or loud music. Portenschlager explained that, in view of the imperative to protect nature and to live in harmony with it, people are encouraged to pursue other pastimes. Alongside the reef is a jogging track, with signs indicating distance. There is a fairly large multilingual library, well-stocked by any standards. A Children's Centre, complete with elaborate playground and a day care service to free the parents from concern, caters to those eminently important visitors. One of the place's more fascinating attractions is "garden chess", with almost human-sized chess pieces arranged on a board of tiles. MOTHER NATURE: With rather more passion, Portenschlager delineated the resort's water sports policy, designed, first and foremost, to protect the reef -- described as "the house reef", this is also the hotel's own, unavailable to anyone from outside. "Every 10 years, the coral grows that much," the chubby, amiable impresario indicated a few centimetres with his fingers, "and if you disturb it too much, it stops growing; it curves in on itself. We don't allow ourselves to disturb it too much because our approach to everything is to think not only about ourselves but more importantly about the future. We certainly want to enjoy the beautiful nature here and now, but we also want to leave something for those who will be coming after us, and we don't want to be disturbing the very delicate balance of nature. As you can see from the way the place is designed, its colours and shapes, we simply want to be part of nature, fully integrated." In this spirit, there are no surfing or fishing facilities in the resort; only one machine-powered boat is used, and that is to transport the divers to where they can scale the depths, but the number of divers allowed in the water at any one time is limited. "This is not only about us," Portenschlager elaborates, "not only for us. It is also and more importantly for the future." Activity centres on the Subex Red Sea Diving Centre, a Swiss-managed outlet peopled by divers of all nationalities and offering opportunities for learning and certificates as well as practising this most fascinating of pastimes. The centre is well-equipped and open to divers of all levels and persuasions, offering the full range of opportunities from the most casual snorkelling to the most serious deep-sea diving. It is worth mentioning, in this connection, that Al-Quadim bay is home to over 200 varieties of coral alone, not to mention some 1,000 species of sea life of astonishing beauty and diversity. Hotel shops stock detailed guides to marine life in the Red Sea. Alternatively, the resort offers an altogether drier range of leisure opportunities. One of the most interesting aspects of a Red Sea holiday is the Eastern Desert which, in the absence of oases like those found in the Western Desert, is both majestic and infinitely more forbidding. In its Jeep safari service category, the Recreation Centre offers you the opportunity for a foray into that astonishing wilderness, especially during sunset -- an encounter not to be missed. Everything operates under the expert supervision of experienced guides, of course, but, with quads and bikes, you have the chance to engage in a less structured experience of the mountains, no less safe for being so. The hotel keeps its own stables, and, besides the opportunity for regular horse riding practice, the desert can be explored on horseback, too, or, perhaps most appropriately of all, on camelback. Besides the beach and the two swimming pools -- one of which doubles as a snack bar and grill as well as a Mövenpick ice- cream outlet -- there are two concrete tennis courts, flood-lit on demand, a number of squash courts, a volleyball and basketball court. The conglomerate of Jacuzzi, sauna and massage parlour, Portenschlager hopes to develop into a fully-fledged spa. "But the real thing," he says. "There are so many so-called spas around but people have forgotten what the real thing used to be, what it should be. You know," he confides, having interrupted himself to chat with one of the guests, in German, "a very high percentage of our guests are returning customers, and older people from Europe say that, when they come here, their health improves very significantly. Of course, that spa would be a very big project, so we have not started planning it quite yet..." What Portenschlager is planning, rather, is a comprehensive upgrade of existing facilities. But he is careful to indicate this does not mean bigger, rather better: a complete review of the infrastructure itself, with new ideas as to how to make a stay even more comfortable and enjoyable by, for example, eventually introducing wireless Internet access into all of the guest rooms. BEYOND THE RESORT: There is far more to Qusseir than resort life, and with a daily shuttle service to town and limousines on demand, the visitor should explore the town itself (seven kilometres away from the Mövenpick) -- the increasingly seamless, integrated site of sandstone façades and cobbled passageways. Attractions include a 16th-century fort, the site of layers of excavations, an extensive bazaar area and seaside restaurants and cafés.
