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Dahab
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Jagged mountains ranged inland of Na'ama Bay accompany the road 95km northwards of Nabeq, providing a magnificent backdrop for
DAHAB
's tawny beaches, from which its Arabic name - "gold" - derives. The resort divides into two localities: a cluster of holiday villages catering for affluent visitors, and the Bedouin settlement of
ASILAH
2.5km up the coast, where younger travellers hang out in a kind of Goa by the Red Sea - though as Asilah moves upmarket, the distinction between them is blurring. A third area is developing to the north of Asilah, near the dive sites of the Canyon and Blue Hole, but most construction was unfinished at time of writing.
Don't be discouraged by DAHAB CITY , a colony of municipal housing and offices 1km inland of the holiday villages. The only reason to go there is to use its facilities: a post office (daily except Fri 8.30am-3pm) and 24-hour telephone exchange (international calls with phonecards); a bank which accepts travellers' cheques and Visa (winter Sat-Thurs 8.30am-2pm & 5-8pm, Fri 8.30-11am & 5-8pm; summer Sat-Thurs 9am-12.30pm & 6.30-8.30pm, Fri 10-11.30am & 6.30-8.30pm), and a supermarket (daily 8am-10pm). The tourist police is conveniently located opposite the Novotel, while the nearest hospital is in Sharm el-Sheikh. Most tourists head straight for Asilah; every bus is met by taxis and pickups that charge A?E1 per person for the journey, A?E5 for solo travellers. Most places aren't more than ten minutes' walk from the taxi drop-off point.
The
holiday villages
around Dahab Bay are self-contained, with private beaches and access to a coral reef on the headland. Their guests have little in common with the crowd drawn to Asilah, although everyone mingles at the two main discos,
El-Zar
in Asilah and the state-of-the-art
Zanzibar
at the
Helnan
(June-Oct; A?E10). The hotels north of the lagoon are covered under Asilah, but some of them are actually closer to the following. The
Ganet Sinai Hotel
(tel 069/640-440, fax 640-441; A?E300-600 / US$100-200) has A/C rooms with TVs and seaviews, a private beach without coral (A?E15 for outside guests to use the beach which includes a soft drink) and a windsurfing centre. Buffet breakfast is included in the price. Next door is the
Swiss Inn Golden Palace Resort
(tel 069/640-471, fax 640-470; A?E150-300 / US$50-100). The newest of the Dahab resorts, the opulent
Hilton Dahab
(tel 069/640-310, fax 640-424; A?E300-600 / US$100-200) is about as far away as you can get from hippy huts and if you transgress its boundaries, they'll want a wopping US$20 to use the beach. The
Novotel Coralia Dahab
(tel 069/640-301, fax 640-305,
rsrv.novotel.dhb@sinainet.com.eg;
A?E150-300 / US$50-100) is a four-star complex with some charm that monopolizes a windswept bay enclosed by a sandbar, providing an ideal spot for learning how to windsurf. Further round the bay the
Helnan Dahab Hotel
(tel 069/640-425, fax 640-428; A?E150-300 / US$50-100), offers five-star facilities along with a good beach. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Egypt,
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