Kite Life

I went to the Intercontinental at Abu Soma 9th to 17th September.  We had an excellent time and a special thank you to Simon (from waveriders) who organised everything.  He was so friendly and helpful and got genuinely excited for us about the trip.
The place is fantastic and unbelievable value for money.  Everything was excellent from the food to the friendly staff.  Next time tho I would definitely stock up on duty frees and supplies from outside as anything you have to buy there was too expensive and we felt a little fleeced
sometime: £2 for a can of coke, £15 for suntan oil, etc.  Anyway, I know it’s the same wherever you stay in the world in 5 star places.
The best thing there was the kiting conditions and the Mark Warner kite surf team.  We had perfect conditions every day and the kite lads: Dan, Oli and Euan could not have been better.  They were very helpful, cheerful and friendly and gave top rate instruction to us all.  They were also very enthusiastic and got excited to see us learn new stuff which you don’t always get with kitesurf instructors who you sometimes feel are bored by you.  Anyway, when I booked your advice was that the Surf Motion Centre may be better.  I would say the opposite as we had a couple come to us mid way through the week and they said it was not a patch on the Mark Warner guys.

The holiday was fantastic. It was a bit of a delayed start with the bomb scare at Manchester and then having technical problems with the plane just before take off (doesn’t help the nerves at all). I arrived in Hurgharda really early on Saturday morning, and had a pleasant transfer to the Captains Inn. The hotel was a great place to stay, and the staff were very friendly and helpful.
 
The kite staff at Movenpick were a bit disappointing to be honest. We ended up launching our own kites as they would only launch with the kite from the beach with the rider in the water (even though it clearly stated on the rules board not to do this). If found this very unnerving, as there was no room if something went wrong. The same applied when coming back in after a session. You literally had to fly the kite into the hands of the staff member no matter how strong or gusty the wind was. I was amazed no one got hurt. I also had a few long walks back upwind which would have been much easier and safer with a helping hand. In short, they just were not bothered.
 
On the second week, the kite hut changed hands to a group called Kitepeople run by a guy called Matthias (can’t remember the spelling, but everyone called him Mattie). This group were really on the ball. The previous group had taken every single item from the hut which was theirs, including some green matting which was really useful to rig your kite on (the course sand was a bit harsh on the kites), even down to the sand bags, which I thought was a bit petty. Within a day, the hut was filled with Egyptian mats, new sand bags, they had put shelves up for all the kit in the storage area, coffee and tea if you wanted it, and most of all, probably the most cheerful and helpful attitudes you could wish for. This completely changed everyone’s (well people who had been there the previous week) holiday. They had a guy who would come into the water to help you with the kite if you were downwind. You could be launched from the beach or the water depending on your preference. I even borrowed some kit on the days when I didn’t have the right kites.
I was so impressed, I even ended up buying some kit whilst I was out there to change my whole quiver to Slingshot (I’d taken a new 13m Slingshot kite with me). There was always someone ready to help with launches and landings. When one of my friends got into a bit of trouble very close to the shore, everything was dropped to come to his aid. If this group are staying, I could not recommend a better place to learn or improve. I ended up a good mile downwind on one of my last days due to thinking I could get back ok (instead of walking in when I had the chance). One of the guys called Marco, kited out to see if I was ok, offered to kite with me to try and help me get upwind (I was to tired by then), and then realising that I just wanted to get back to the beach, he kited into the spot where I had chosen to see if it was safe, before releasing his kite and waiting for me to come in. He then landed my kite, made sure I was ok, got his kit relaunched and kited back off upwind. No that’s service.
 
I think more information needs to be given on the website to indicate tide times etc. I think I was quite lucky on the dates my holiday fell, but if you got it wrong it would be a nightmare. I didn’t get the impression from your website that the tides have such a great effect on your kiting time at Movenpick beach. There is no rescue cover after 5pm, so if it’s a late tide, you ride at your own risk.
I thought there would be a larger area to kite in (shallow water), and found the stones and coral a little bit intimidating. If you make a mistake when coming over the reef, it normally ended in a nasty injury or a bad scrape.
 
I did take a day out and kited at Magawish beach which was great fun as they have no problem with tides etc. The centre was English run, and they were really on the ball with safety and assistance (two safety boats in the water at all times checking on the kiter’s). If I went back, I would be very tempted to kite here, and then stay somewhere else (the resort itself was a bit rough, and had a permanent smell of something unpleasant).
 
The safety boat at Movenpick could be greatly improved. It takes a very long time for it to appear, and they don’t really have anything that can cope with the shallow water. My worst injury came on the last day and it was inflicted by a broken cleat on the safety boat which took a sizeable chunk of skin off of my leg.
 
I really enjoyed my holiday and would definitely go back. I think the kiting is growing in popularity and the resorts seem to be realising that the kiting area could be easily improved. It would have been good to have kited at Mangroovy Beach, but it was just too crowded.
Hopefully with a few more kite schools further up the beach, this situation will improve.
 

The Intercontinental, Abu Soma - Egypt 

Pete and I had an amazing time in Egypt. The whole trip was so well organised and the hotel was really good. Now the best part, the kiting was amazing!!!!!  We had our own kit and so didn’t use Mark Warner and so chose the wind surf/kite surf centre. 

They have a perfect location but their attitude SUCKSSSSS. I have been traveling around the world and surfed and kited in many places and always met chilled out , relaxed and hip people. The people who run this centre are the complete opposite. I wont go on as it will detract from a great holiday and kite surf trip. Please steer anyone you send away from here. 

The wind was great and unfortuneltly I left my 9m at home and so missed out on a few sessions as the wind was HOWLING. The bay is beautiful and water crystal clear. My mate Pete who is a still learning really cracked it in Egypt and he is still smiling.

Club Nathelie Simone CNS Safaga, Egypt (September 2006)

I’m currently in DEEP depression … had yet another AWESOME holiday … wish I was still in Egypt … the holiday probably topped my last WaveRiders holiday in Hurghada. 

The holiday went without a hitch (apart from me taking on the infamous Kreazy Reef !!), everyone at CNS in Safaga was very friendly and helpful.  

I found the Menaville Hotel excellent … I paid for a Superior room and would recommend that to everyone … was only an extra £35 … well worth it.  I found the rooms to be of a higher quality than the Sofitel in Hurghada !! 

The instruction I got from CNS was great … I’m up and riding now. 

I’d appreciate it if you could pass on my thanks to ALL at CNS Safaga, Philippe, Yann and the all the kite hands.  Nothing was too much bother an extremely friendly school with high quality tuition. 

In a nut shell we had a fantastic holiday , apart from the flights (I will move onto that later) 

The transfer was on time , a big concern for me as we were 25 hours late getting out. When we arrived at the hotel Sylvain was there to meet us and show us around. The first day was great out on the boards and into the lessons straight away. All the crew at the kite school were fantastic and ‘Diaa’ our instructor was very…..patient. The golf buggy worked well. The hotel staff were very attentive and bent over backwards to do things for us……I really feel they are trying to move into the ‘package’ market and they seem to be getting there ……slowly in true Egyptian style. 2 nights we had food out , organised by the hotel, a BBQ and Egyptian night…both great fun and a little different. 

Kiting……as beginners we wanted to get up on boards and travel right to left and left to right by the end of the week…we did this and were very pleased with the progress we had made. The location is ideal for beginners and experts alike…loads of different kites and board combinations to use. Big lagoon….and plenty of people around to help with launch and landing….talking to the other people there it appears to be a much more ‘chilled out’ and quieter place than others…this suited us fine.. 

Flights…I realise that you are not directly responsible but you should be made aware of what went on…..Simon is aware of the ‘outbound’ saga but I will detail both again for you. 

Manchester- Sharm… Flyjet 

Delayed 25 hours due to technical fault on plane….sat on plane for 2 hours on Tarmac while they decided what to do , back into terminal and eventually went home at 4pm to return next day at 8am…flight eventually left at 10am on Sunday 

Sharm- Manchester…Flyjet…31 hour delay 

Left Ras at 11.30 am and arrived at Sharm 3pm…..notice on board to say flight cancelled and return next day at 3pm….bussed off to a hotel in Sharm which was ok. Got back to airport at 3pm on Sunday and flight showed as on-time….get all the way through to gate and started to wait and wait and wait…..eventually told at 8pm that the plane had broken down again and that there was a plane coming from Newcastle and supposedly going back to Newcastle that we would have…eventually take off at 11.30pm and get back to manchester at 3am on Monday morning….. 

The flight was the worst experience I have ever had travelling and suggest you never use them again………despite the great holiday we had, the getting there and back really left a sour taste…

Please warn all tourists (especially women), that the Egyptians are a total nightmare in terms of harassment.  It is constant and becomes totally wearing by the end of the hols.  I thought I understood the Arabic culture having lived in it for 10 years but I have never experienced anything like it.  It was just as bad in the 5 star hotel in Luxor.  The waiters were constantly coming on to us - not what you’d expect at breakfast in the Meridien Hotel. 

Please warn all tourists to make sure they get a fair deal on taxis etc as the Egyptians will rip you off at every opportunity.  Make sure they negotiate the price prior to the trip and have the money ready in your hand.  They will try to tell you that a 100 pound notes is a 10 pound note (they will switch it when you aren’t looking!!!) 

We realise it’s not a 5 star hotel but it is sold as an ideal spot for sporty, water sport type people.  This is definitely NOT the case.  Magawish has great facilities for kiting and other water sports but the actual hotel and accommodation is on a par with a family holiday camp.  (Hi di hi campers springs to mind) No single people - mainly set up for Arabic and Eastern European families.  Can be a bit off putting for the kite boarding types. 

The food at Magawish has to be some of the worst that I have experienced.  Over 60% of it was totally inedible and I’m certainly not a fussy eater.  We spoke to many people who said the same.  Please warn all tourists that the food is very basic and leaves a lot to be desired!!  It’s a shame that they don’t offer B&B because we ate out on several occasions as we just couldn’t face the food or the dining experience.  It was like feeding time at the zoo. 

On three occasions, we came back from the beach around 5.30pm/6pm in the evenings and found that we had no water in the room.  We had to wait from between 45mins to 1 hours before it was turned on again. 

Unfortunately there was only any real wind on 2 days out of our 6 so we spent a lot of time hanging around and didn’t really achieve everything that we had hoped  There should be a way of sorting out a refund for other people in the same position.  :Luckily we were also able to wake board so they took this off the money that would have been owed to us.  Initially they said that we would have had to come to you for a refund.    Thankfully, we got up on the board on the last day so I’m sure with some practise, I’ll be riding in no time. 

The gym facilities at Magawish were unusable - as they Gym instructor actually admitted - “this equipment should be in a museum”. 

Having said all of this, personally I was just desperate for a holiday and despite everything, I had a brilliant time.  I have to congratulate you on Misr Travel who were exceptional on their time keeping and made it so easy for us to pass through customs in Luxor on both occasions.  Fantastic. 

It was extremely well organised and I can’t complain about any of the organisation from Waveriders.  Absolutely 5 star service.  Well done.   

I would certainly recommend Hurghada to those who want to learn kite boarding because the safety facilities were superb,  I would just make it very clear what to expect from Magawish and not to be so sure that it will be windy everyday. 

Thanks again for all your help, I know it wasn’t easy as we were travelling from Dubai. 

I will definitely also recommend friends to come through Wave Riders.  Unfortunately, in my haste to start my holiday, I left my new camera at home so no photos. 

Shame.

Happy to give a few lines of feedback on my holiday in Safaga last week. Sorry but I have real techno fear and if I had a digital camera I would probably not be able to send it to you anyway so no photo’s. The flight and transfer were fine and there was a man with a Waveriders sign and my name waiting at the airport on my arrival in Egypt which is always a relief.

Funkite were great and the equipment and tuition were first class all week, I would have no hesitation in recommending them especially good for a total beginner like myself. 

The weather was just perfect, every day is the same blue sky and wind real groundhog day stuff. The hotel to be fair is just OK the room was clean but the food in the restaurant was basic and by the end of the week I had had enough of rice and either chicken or meat ( no further info was offered ) every nite.The hotel was almost exclusively full of Russians so as well as the new kite skills I can also now say hi and goodbye in Russian so that was a bonus.

Overall would happily return to Safaga and use Funkite but probably choose a different hotel just to be difficult.   

However it was awesome. The wind blew really hard (34 Knots on Sunday p.m.). I had taken a 10m and 11.5 m kites and only got them out of the bag once as I had to resort to borrowing a 7.5m for the rest of the week. Even the fat lads were only able to hold down 10m. 

In addition the wind blew from early morning until it was so late it was getting dark as we were getting back. 

The centre was as always helpful and a great source of entertainment. With no other English there (just one couple in the hotel who were diving) they really looked after me. 

For time on the water this has to be the best spot I have been to. In 4 trips I have only had 1 day without wind which is a pretty impressive statistic. 

The Waveriders service was good as always and gets the job done (even with a couple of minor scares in the middle). 

Overall this was an excellent trip.

I just need somewhere else with the same wind stats! 

Already looking forward to the next trip back to Safaga 

My experience with booking through Waveriders was absolutely faultless. When I arrived in Egypt, I was met airside by the rep who whizzed me through obtaining my tourist stamps and straight through immigration and onto a waiting taxi to the Magawish hotel where he sorted out the check in. 

The kitesurfing lessons given by Valta at Colona Watersports was brilliant and by the time I had finished my lessons I was pretty confident and had managed the basics enough to just about get going whilst staying safe (which Valta drummed into us!) 

My return trip was equally as smooth, being met again by the same rep and directed to all the right places - brilliant. 

My criticisms are that the Magawish is not a four star hotel by any means, it has the facilities (pools, tennis courts etc) but the place is very tired looking and the food is awful and the hot meals would be warmer if they had been left out in the sun. I, along with others soon decided to eat in town to try and get over our stomach problems. 

The second criticism is about the management of Colona, by keeping my mouth shut and my ears open, it soon became very apparent that they are more interested in the money making aspect of kiting rather than the customers and are very quick to try and screw some money out of someone rather than look after their needs. Appreciate they are a business, but no customers, no business. 

In short, great holiday, excellent tuition in an ideal teaching environment slightly tarnished by second rate hotel and a  watersports centre with a not very well hidden second agenda

Paradise hotel is fine… everything you could need after a hard days kiting though they can be cheeky with trying to charge for nonexistent mini bar purchases. Also their credit card machine is temperamental. As there are no cash facilities nearby then i would advise travellers arrive with sufficient cash for the week( they had no probs accepting UK sterling)
Ras Sudr is quiet…. the bbqs egyptian nights were good fun and broke up the week however if you don’t speak french or don’t want to mingle then you might have a quiet time… I was very lucky to meet Steve and Dave who proved to be awesome company.
Fun kite are very good. Well organised, excellent friendly instruction from Liv and Manu. The beach is never too busy and the relaunch/water boat service is awesome…  Sylvain and Stephanie are very welcoming and provide an excellent service with a mellow environment (especially when my foot got infected). The lagoon is ideal for all levels and i never saw more than ten kites up and it never felt crowded.
Overall i was very happy with the service from waveriders, MISR travel, and Sylvain and his team- i have no trouble recommending any of them (and already have done)… and will be looking to go there again!