Dazzling powdery white sand sifted my toes as I watched an ideal blues symphony; a turquoise and azure ocean so clear that it gave the crystal a run for its cash.
The shoreline I had landed on had all of the hallmarks of the Maldives, with every seaside feeling such as you had entered a screensaver. But, in contrast to the Maldives, this seaside shouldn’t be an 11-hour flight plus seaplane away (and 5 time zones). As a substitute, it solely takes 5 hours and, remarkably, it is proper on the sting of the Mediterranean.
That is Egypt’s northern coast of Marassi, a luxurious resort with 11 resorts and a stunning new vacation spot so as to add to the radar of these looking for winter solar. And whereas temperatures do not fairly attain the Maldivian highs of 30 levels throughout our winter months, they often hover round a really respectable begin of 20 levels; excellent for lounging by the pool or on the seaside – though chances are you’ll want a sweater or jacket after darkish.
Egypt’s greatest saved secret: the playground of the wealthy
The resort is a 90-minute switch from Alexandria, however we selected to cease first in Cairo – only a three-hour drive. Right here we spent a whirlwind day visiting the Giza Pyramids and the unimaginable Grand Egyptian Museum. Each native we spoke to was shocked to study that – as a bunch of Brits overseas – we weren’t heading to the favored Purple Sea locations of Sharmel Sheik or Hurghada, however slightly to the northern coast of Marassi.
This a part of the coast is historically the protect of locals, significantly Cairians who search to flee the hustle and bustle of town to loosen up on seashores uncrowded by overseas vacationers. In brief, it is the very best saved secret of the native wealthy.
What’s so particular about Marassi?
Thought-about the flagship resort of Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, positioned near the city of El Alamein and overlooking the attractive bay of Sidi Abdel Rahman, Marassi is an nearly totally self-contained vacation spot. Located alongside 4 miles of shoreline, it is simple to get from vacation spot to vacation spot through unique golf carts and you’ll even hire turquoise convertible Mini Coopers to get round.
I discovered it harking back to the posh all-inclusive resorts discovered within the Center East, reminiscent of Dubai, however a lot much less well-known. Marassi additionally leaves you spoiled for alternative relating to actions, from an 18-hole golf course to a marina and yacht membership with luxurious boutiques; then there is a water park, The Hub and a large out of doors youth membership with bowling alleys and arcades.
I spent a very memorable afternoon making seaside baskets and straw hats, and loved a golf lesson on the Tackle Marassi Golf Resort, which had a really laid-back nation membership vibe that made me really feel like I used to be in Southern California.
Egypt meets Los Angeles
Certainly, I could not assist however touch upon how a lot I felt like I used to be on the Beverly Hills Resort as I walked across the resort’s oldest and most well-known resort and seaside membership, The Al Alamein. This historic resort – whose design is clearly impressed by the well-known “Pink Palace” in Los Angeles – was inbuilt 1960 (it underwent a renovation in 2018) and has develop into well-known for internet hosting many Egyptian movie stars. Their well-known faces, captured in black and white images, now adorn the partitions.
Dishes definitely worth the detour
Maybe my favourite factor about Marassi is the unimaginable vary of eating places. Such is the resort’s recognition with locals that common supervisor Nicolas Khairallah advised me that the majority eating places are nonetheless engaged on their menus to cater to Western palates. This implies, fortunately, that you just will not discover laminated menus with fish and chips or full English breakfasts, however slightly native dishes: suppose recent fish, grilled meats, limitless salads, hummus and baba ganoush. Basically the very best of Mediterranean and Center Japanese delicacies. Egyptian wines reminiscent of Jardin du Nil and Omar Khayyam are additionally current and I discovered each extraordinarily nice to drink.
An exception to the native taste is Vida Marina Resort’s new SoCal Asian restaurant. It will not be Egyptian delicacies, nevertheless it’s nonetheless nice sushi.
There are in fact additionally quite a few spa services dotted across the resort. After a whirlwind journey round Cairo, I selected to take issues sluggish and handled myself to a soul- and body-nourishing one-hour therapeutic massage on the newly opened Palace Seaside Resort.
Previous meets new
On the subject of interiors, Palace Seaside is an excellent mix of grand and lavish Center Japanese-style design with a modern, modern coastal vibe. The attractive foyer with its marble flooring and assertion chandeliers contrasts with the modern, fashionable rooms which really feel ethereal and calming with excessive ceilings and sea views. My room had a terrace that seemed instantly onto the attractive gardens and there have been additionally three giant out of doors swimming swimming pools overlooking the ocean.
A world removed from Cairo
Marassi North Coast is the proper place to recuperate from the wonders of bustling Cairo. Which, for these seeking to delve into the historical past of this unimaginable, historic nation and go to one of many pyramids at Giza, is a must-visit.
My fleeting go to to the capital included a two-night keep on the 4 Seasons Cairo on the First Residence. Positioned on the banks of the Nile, I used to be impressed after I drew my curtains the primary morning to see the traditional pyramids within the distance.
The luxurious resort, which exudes Egyptian grandeur (and in addition serves, for my part, some of the wonderful breakfast buffets), is positioned on the Nile. It’s only a 20-minute drive from the pyramids and the world-class Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which is at present some of the talked about museums on the planet. Seeing Tutankhamun’s tomb took me proper again to high school initiatives and I used to be impressed by the small print of it.
A tour information worthy of a star
In case you are new to town, it might take in depth planning and several other days to see every part. To make issues simpler, I opted for a tour information. Tarek Sarhan, who additionally lately guided Sir Mick Jagger, gave essentially the most extremely informative tour of each websites. This was undoubtedly an funding I’d suggest making.
© Grand Egyptian MuseumAnd the pyramids? Wow. It is unimaginable to suppose that the world’s main students of Egyptology nonetheless aren’t capable of decipher exactly how people constructed them greater than 4,500 years in the past. Locals say of them that “the thriller is the present”. However I’d say it goes past town: Egypt itself is an infinitely stunning present.
How you can e-book it: Double rooms in Palace Seaside Resort in Marassi from £876; to the 4 Seasons First Residence Cairo from £315. If you’d like one thing extra personalised, you possibly can uncover Egypt with Emeco (+20 2 25749360); providing expert-guided excursions of the Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Extra data: Marassi
Emily was a visitor on the Marassi Palace Seaside Resort and the 4 Seasons. All resorts and experiences have been independently reviewed by our skilled editors, who’re normally hosted freed from cost, however this by no means impacts our evaluation course of.