Rehab Saad guides you through the options for a memorable Easter Perhaps it is too early to plan your Easter vacations. Copts in particular need not make provisions for Easter for a while yet (Coptic Easter will be a month later than Protestant or Catholic Easter). Yet the earlier the better, especially as all Egyptians, Muslims and Christians alike, will be celebrating the ancient spring feast of Sham Al-Nessim at the same time; the recent boom in tourism, too, makes it necessary to book well in advance, since room rates are already going up. And notwithstanding the tradition of spending the day in a public garden or by the riverbank, Egyptians are increasingly turning to the Red Sea coast -- Hurghada, Safaga, Marsa Alam, Qusair -- as well as Alexandria and the Mediterranean. Sinai provides yet another set of temptations: Sharm El-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba, Taba... So do the Suez Canal resort spots -- Ismailia, Fayed and Abu Sultan -- and the Upper Egyptian cities of Luxor and Aswan. Even those who plan on staying in Cairo need not resort to traditional public spaces, for, thanks to a thriving tourist industry, there are more options than ever for celebrating Easter in style. And now is the time to do so. You will be surprised, indeed, by the number of possibilities available. Most major Cairo hotels will make special provisions for Sham Al-Nessim, with many offering festive brunches featuring feseekh (salt-cured fish traditionally consumed on the day), coloured eggs and Coptic Easter cakes. InterContinental Heliopolis (+202 480 0100), for example, introduces its Easter breakfast buffet as of 27 March (with a second bout of festivities starting on 2 May to mark Coptic Easter), offering coloured eggs, cross buns and chocolate rabbits, among other seasonal delicacies, with a live band playing in the lobby area for a significant portion of the day, and several pool-side activities including face painting for children. The hotel has also introduced a special Easter rate of LE600 for a double room with breakfast. Mövenpick Media City (+202 840 1001) likewise offers a double room for LE550 on a bed and breakfast basis; up to two children under 12 are accommodated free of charge, in addition, and charged only 50 per cent of the price of the buffet breakfast. After 2 May rates will drop to LE502 for a double room. (All rates quoted above are inclusive of service charge and taxes). Also in Heliopolis, the luxurious JW Marriott (+202 411 5588) offers double rooms for $100 not including breakfast or service charge, but children under 14 are accommodated free of charge. At the foot of the Pyramids, on the other hand, the Mena House Oberoi (+202 383 3222) offers a double room for LE450 without breakfast, inclusive of service charge and taxes for Egyptians and foreign residents (non-residents pay $220). Le Meridien Pyramids (+202 383 0383) offers a double room with breakfast for LE550 on condition that you spend at least three nights at the hotel; once again, children under 12 are accommodated free of charge and receive a 50 per cent discount on meals. For a salt-sprayed Easter not far from Cairo, Ain Al-Sokhna and Ras Sedr offer by far the most attractive options. For Egyptians and foreigners alike, a double room in the Ain Al-Sokhna resort of Stella di Mare (+2062 325 0100) -- overlooking the Gulf of Suez, with a view of the mountains -- costs LE92 if booked prior to 1 May (the rate rises dramatically to LE570 after that date). Also in Ain Al-Sokhna, Emeco Travel (+202 574 9360) offers three nights in Palmera Beach Resort for LE735 per person in a double room half board (valid from 28 April to 2 May). A little further from Cairo, 60km south of the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel, the Ras Sedr Ramada Resort (+2010 171 7840/46) offers a two-night deal including day use with Sham Al-Nessim brunch for LE400 per person; you can also book a single night plus day use for LE260 per person. Children under six are accommodated free of charge, while children from six to 12 years old receive a 50 per cent discount on room rate. The Concorde Royal Beach Resort (+2069 340 0101) offers Egyptians and foreigners rooms for LE310, half board, while the three-star Moon Beach Resort (+2069 340 1501) offers half-board accommodation at LE260 for Egyptians and $70 for foreigners; the latter features an Oriental show on 2 May. Even further from the madding crowd, in the ancient Mediterranean city of Alexandria, bargains can be had at, among other places, the Sheraton Montazah (+203 548 0550): LE450 for a double room including buffet breakfast, service charge and taxes. Rates are subject to availability, however, and it is strongly advised to make advance reservations. Children under six can share their parents' rooms. Once again, Emeco Travel (+202 574 9360) makes an attractive offer: three nights at the Hilton Green Plaza for LE675 per person in a double room with; or else a double room with breakfast at the Mercure Alexandria Romance Hotel for LE480 per person per night (valid from 28 April to 2 May). Further still, in the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada, Qusseir and Marsa Alam, it is possible to combine Easter with snorkelling, diving and even adventure travel. Excellent deals abound: the Hilton Hurghada Plaza (19009) offers double rooms, half board, for LE550; the Hilton Long Beach Resort on 30 April offers double rooms, full board, for LE900 -- a rate that drops by one-third on 1 May. Children under six are accommodated free of charge, while six- to 12-year-olds receive a 50 per cent discount on dinner. Less expensive is the Desert Rose Resort (+2010 669 9382), which costs LE250 per person, half board. Even more stylish -- and equally far -- are the Makadi and Soma Bay options. Sun-drenched and remote, they offer an intimate, largely novel experience of the Red Sea and plenty of opportunities for water sports. A double room overlooking the mountains at Le Meridien Makadi costs LE300 per person, half board; you may upgrade to a prettier "lagoon room" for an extra LE50. For full board accommodation you pay another LE50 per person per night. At the Iberotel Makadi Sun Resort (+2065 590 070), on the other hand, a double room with a view of the garden costs LE600 on an all-inclusive basis: this means you have free access to food and drink all day. For a view of the sea, the rate goes up to LE700. On a half-board basis, the Sheraton Soma Bay (+202 303 3401) offers double rooms, executive, beach and royal suites for LE1,000, LE1,300, LE1,450 and LE2,400 per night, respectively. Emeco Travel (+202 574 9360) offers three nights, half board, at the InterContinental Abu Soma for LE1,425 per person in a double room (valid from 28 April to 2 May). In the opposite direction, 20km north of Hurghada, the virtual city state of El-Gouna provides yet another possibility for a salt-sprayed Easter. (All offers quoted below are valid from 28 April to 2 May and apply equally to Egyptians and foreign residents). The Mövenpick Resort (+202 418 2282) offers double rooms with breakfast for LE700; the rate goes up to LE1,000 with half-board accommodation, while a sea view requires a supplement of LE100. The Steigenberger Golf Resort (+2065 544 501) and Sheraton Miramar (+202 303 3401) both offer double rooms with breakfast for LE650, with the latter providing the added option of triple rooms for LE885. Less expensive accommodation is available at Sultan Bey (+2065 580 077) and Dawar Al-Omda (+2065 580 064), which offer double rooms, half board, for LE340 and LE300, respectively. The Rihana and Rihana Inn resorts, finally, offer double rooms with breakfast for LE312 and LE230, respectively; the rates go up to LE426 and LE346 respectively for half-board accommodation. Many Sinai hotels are already booked out for Easter, but a vacation on the breathtaking peninsula is still possible. Taba, Nuweiba and Dahab -- three towns overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba -- are as far away from Cairo as you are likely to get; and they have the advantage of being cheaper than the vast majority of holiday venues elsewhere in the country. The stretch of coastline linking Taba and Nuweiba is famous as a camping site. Eighty-seven kilometres northeast of Dahab, Nuweiba offers an abundance of one- to four-star beach accommodation. The four-star Bawaki Beach Hotel (+2069 350 0470), for example, costs Egyptians LE120, and foreigners $35, for half-board accommodation through Easter, while the two-star Al-Waha Village (+2069 350 0420) offers a special half-board three-night deal for LE295 per person, whether Egyptian or foreign. On Easter day, the latter holds a galabeya party. Dahab, Sinai's treasure house of serenity, offers a two-mile stretch of bazaars, cafés, hotels and beach camps -- and the most magnificent weather in Egypt. This year many hotels and camps are celebrating Easter with Oriental and folklore shows as well as animation and children's programmes. As of May, the five-star Hilton Dahab Resort (+2069 364 0310) is offering Egyptian guests LE500, half board; foreigners receive a $25 discount on the normal rate, with a double room costing them $105 with breakfast. Easter might prove even more alluring at a beach camp, however -- a cheaper, less insular option. (The prices quoted below apply equally to Egyptians and foreigners). The Green Valley Camp, (+2069 364 0097), for example, offers bungalows for LE40, while rooms at the Dolphin and Ali Baba Camps, respectively, cost LE20-70 and LE100-150. For an Easter under water, the Crazy Camel Camp, an affiliate of the Desert Diver and Poseidon diving centres, provides free accommodation. At the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, Taba comprises a pleasant -- and somewhat unusual -- alternative. A snorkelling paradise with turquoise water and an abundance of coral, it also makes an ideal base for excursions to St Catherine and the Coloured Canyon. Once again, room rates are invitingly reasonable: From 21 April to 2 May, the Hyatt Regency Taba Heights Hotel (+2069 358 0234) provides Egyptians and foreign residents with double rooms, half board, for LE300; a sea view requires an extra LE50, while "sea front rooms" are a full LE100 extra. From 8 April to 2 May, the Marriott Taba Heights provides garden, sea and beach front rooms, half board, for LE360, LE400 and LE440, respectively. Even more unforgettable, perhaps, would be an Easter holiday at the southern tip of Sinai -- in Sharm El-Sheikh. An expensive option, it is nonetheless worth it. And far from the hubbub of Neama Bay, in the Gardens Bay the Hyatt Regency Sharm El-Sheikh (+2069 360 1234) offers Egyptians and foreigners rooms with breakfast for LE975 and $400, respectively; while the four-star Queen Sharm Vera Club (+202 795 3341/+2069 366 2300), on Um Al-Sid Hill, offers all-inclusive rooms for LE700 and $70 for Egyptians and foreigners respectively. At Neama Bay, on the other hand, the three-star New Fantazia Hotel (+2069 360 1415) accommodates Egyptians and foreigners, half board, for LE520 and $105, respectively. For Sharm El-Sheikh Easter packages, Excel Travel Services (+202 418 2165/75) offer, respectively, three nights in a double room with breakfast at the Savoy, Baron and Mövenpick hotels for LE999, LE1,444 and LE1,450 per person. Additional reporting by Rasha Sadek Please note that all prices quoted are correct at the time of printing. This newspaper will not be held responsible for subsequent changes in price.
