Was so very lucky to find a really inexpensive charter holiday for 17 days with unspecified hotel I wont find out which will be before my arrival! So already here I have a good level of excitement.
This will by my travel diary with daily impressions, thoughts, ideas of what to do, explore and see in Hurghada. Good places to eat, shop, hang out. Exciting things to do etc.
Was a little late out of the door from home which coincided with a late bus. Still arrived at the Copenhagen airport in due good time before my flight. Here I'm sitting in front of a random airport terminal cafe with overpriced stuff.
Placed in a crammed charter flight. Almost full plane full of optimistic sun craving scandinavians. Plane landed and everyone hurried out of the plane to a scorching runway towards the 2 awaiting bus driving us to the terminal. Was a very hot day. 35 degrees celsius sunshine saluted us on the short way from the stairs of the plane to the bus.
After getting my luggage i hurried out of the airport terminal to get saluted by a Spies travel agent guide telling me my hotel the next 16 day will be Grand Hotel which I were happily surprised about. What I wasn't so happy about was the news that I'd have to find
Then she also added that I shouldn't py more than 50 egp for the short taxi fare from the airport to my hotel, which became my first haggling about prices. The taxi driver started out with 150 egp which were kind of funny. Then when I tol him my travel agency guide told me it were only max 50 egp he finally let go. Think I haggled for 5 minutes just to get out of there in the burning sun.
Hotel showed up to be a lovely experience. Was marble and beautiful plants in the foyer of the hotel although it looked kind of dated with the furniture scattered around there. Was being told to wait for my room as the concierge wasn't informed that there would be guests from my flight.
When I got called up there was an "upgrade" to a better room than what they originally had in mind. Was being led to my room by a bell boy who took my suitcase. A nice big room with aircon, hair dryer, tv, fridge a small balcony (see pics*)
Wasn't until later that I found out that the bathroom ceiling leaked water, apparently right under where the aircon to the bedroom were situated, awesome!
Also there were no plugs for either bathtub nor bathroom sink so I went to the lobby and asked for it at the helpdesk/concierge, since I had planned to take care of my own clothes washing as half of my clothes I brough on my holidays were dirty as it was quite an unplanned trip to begin with...
They told me a guy would find the plugs for me and I waited for him in my room. He found 3 plugs where only 1 fitted both outlets. Was happy never the less. I felt dirty and sweaty from the journey so I took a shower and the water got out very slow from the shower faucet.
Aircondition in room was very noisy. Must have been a really old Honey Well aircon since it leaked water, which I got fixed fortunately.
Another problem arose as I wanted to go on the internet in the free wifi lounge which were also used as a billiard room and discoteque as there also seemed to be some kinda fancy lighting in the ceiling for other former purposes. Half of the times it works. And theres no support. So I just unplug and replug the wireless router when I'm in there and I can't get it to work.
Now it was this run down place with bottomless armchairs and sofas as when you removed the pillows there were this crisscrossed flat ropes/bands which seemed homemade and like the weight from its users had made holes in the pillows so when you sat on it you sank down and your buttgot stuck so you couldn't get up.
Grand Hotel is really big. It's like a small city in itself. Got everything in there. 5 restaurants 5 bars where 2 are pool bars. Its own small marina, kite surfing, scuba diving center, snorkle trip company, spa, tennis courts, A lot of russian clientele when I'm here. Also a lot of germans. Few brits and scandinavians. Evening entertainment is presented in russian. Yesterday it was a belly dancer which were really crappy. And no atmosphere there at all.
