Where to Go - Bargout

This edition of Where to Go is a chocolate lovers paradise.

As many who read my blog know, I'm a baking enthusiast (no really?! :-0) One of my dreams has been to learn how to make fondant, but there was always an elusive ingredient in the form of sugar glycerin. Fortunately, a friend of mine here runs the Hurghada "Home Made" Bakery, and I noticed her using fondant. I immediately had to ask where she was getting the stuff to make the goodies with.

Bargout is located in Dahar, about 500 metres past the Post Office, and has virtually everything you could hope to find for baking. For a country that consumes so many baked goods, finding the ingredients is nigh on impossible!!

Oh, and did I forget to mention this:

Yes ... that is all chocolate! 

A veritable smorgasbord sure to satisfy even the pickiest chocolate eater. 


Among the goodies you'll be able to find here are sugar glycerin, glucose, baking powder, food colourings, food essences (just on display was banana, pineapple, strawberry, orange, coconut...and the girl working has stock-loads more in the back), and more.

So the next time you are looking for that elusive ingredient in the supermarkets in Hurghada, be sure to check out Bargout where you're almost certain to find it! 

Where to Go - Lips 4 U

I'm sure this is a grievance that many women, particularly expat women, have living in Hurghada. It is nigh on impossible to find decent make up without paying through the nose for it. Sure, the pharmacies dotted on virtually every street corner throughout the city offer cheap knock-offs and 5 LE mascara, but for those looking for make-up that will actually last past the first application, these are out of the question.

When you do find shops that sell brand make-up, such as Max Factor, L'Oreal, or Estee Lauder, the prices are astronomical. I understand mark-ups for importation prices, but I am not willing to pay close to $40 for what would normally cost $15 dollars outside of Egypt.

With this in mind, I was pleasantly surprised to find Lips 4 U. Located on the street parallel to Sheraton Road, between Central Street and Metro Market, Lips 4 U offers a wide range of make-up and beauty products both imported and local to Egypt. Not only this, but their prices are extremely fair!

I managed to find a bargain deal on a new Max Factor mascara, marked at 70 LE. Considering I have seen this same mascara for sale priced at 150 LE, you can't go wrong.

Lips 4 U is owned and operated by Taru, who has recently moved to Hurghada from Sweden. Taru speaks excellent English and is more than willing to let you browse and look around. I loved this, as so often in stores here you feel that the sales associates have to act like your shadow, making the entire shopping experience far more stressful than it needs to be. For me personally, when I want to browse I like to be left alone :p

Taru also offers appointments for manicures (Gel nails), and hopes to eventually branch out with Lips 4 U. I wish you all the best!

For more information, contact Taru on 0106-617-2608. 

Where to Go - Golden Pet

Golden Pet is among the few pet shops in Hurghada worth recommending. Located just behind the Metro on Sheraton Street, Golden Pet offers a wide variety of pet accessories, food, and toys.

Image courtesy of Golden Pet

What sets this shop aside from the multitude of other pet stores around Hurghada is their strict policy against selling pets. Many Hurghada residents will abide by a boycott of any shops that sell animals due to the fact that these often come from breeders who neither care about the welfare of their animal, nor where it eventually ends up. Golden Pet offers birds for sale, kept in spacious cages, and that is it.

Some of the items they offer include dog leads and harness, cat accessories, dog and cat beds, and a wide array of food. They offer imported pet food from Italy, the Egyptian brand Canido (which I would never recommend), and the popular Pro Pac and Sport Mix blend that many owners feed here. Alongside this they offer bird seed and wet and dry cat food.

Staffed by friendly individuals always willing to help, Golden Pet truly offer pet owners in Hurghada a wide range to choose from. Another great aspect is for those looking to travel with their dogs outside of Egypt, Golden Pet can custom order dog crates of any size for you, and ask only for a 10 day period for delivery.

Their hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 11:00 - 22:00, Saturday from 18:00 - 23:00, and Sunday's from 11:00 - 22:00 .

For more information or to find out if Golden Pet has what you're looking for, contact them at goldenpet.store@gmail.com OR by phone on 011-4885-3833. You can also check out their facebook page here.

Where to Go - Ban Sabai

Recently, I have read more and more about beauty spas and massage parlours being shut down throughout Egypt and the Middle East. Often seen as 'inappropriate,' the perception of most massage parlours is one of quiet tips and off-menu services. This is not always the case however.

Ban Sabai is a wonderful little massage parlour located just across the road from Old Vic. Run by two ladies who moved to Egypt from Thailand, Ban Sabai boasts a wide array of traditional Thai massages, with all ingredients that are used directly imported from Thailand. 

I decided to splurge the other day and went for an Aromatherapy Thai massage. It was absolutely divine. Pisan, the massage therapist, was the epitome of professional. I would highly recommend anyone looking for a massage to check out Ban Sabai. 

Among massages they offer are: 

Thai massage, 60 min. for 200 LE. 

Thai salt scrub massage, 75 min. for 250 LE. 

Pain relief massage, 50 min. for 200 LE. 

Not to mention the traditional aromatherapy massages and foot reflexology! For more information or to book an appointment call: 0127 8392 336.

Where to Go - Dahab edition

I know, I know, it's taken me a while to get to this blog. It feels like January has just flown by! I think everyone in Egypt has been on pins and needles waiting to see what the 25th of January would bring that everything else has somewhat fallen by the wayside. I'll post a blog later on my own impressions of the 25th January anniversary, but that's not what this blog is about.

So, as I previously posted, K and I headed to Dahab for the Christmas break to meet up with my family. It was absolutely wonderful, and there are so many wonderful things to do and see there. For anyone who has never visited the Sinai resort town, I would highly recommend it. Generally it is known for being a dive town, with some of the world's top dive destinations located in and around the Sinai Peninsula. But even for those who aren't divers, Dahab has a great deal to offer.

Conveniently located surrounded by both mountains and sea, you'll find things like Kite surfing and wind surfing to mountain hiking and desert trips are all offered in the Dahab area. For this first edition of Where to Go Dahab, I want to recommend one of the highlights of our trips - quadbiking.

Now living in Hurghada there are a lot of places that offer quad biking, but for some reason we'd just never gotten around to doing it. My mum suggested we try it in Dahab, and I am so so glad we did. Not only do you get fantastic panoramic views of the area, you're taken into the mountain passes to a little Bedouin camp for a cup of tea. And I highly recommend the Bedouin tea, there's something very earthy about it - it's even more evident with no sugar.

For less than 50 dollars we were able to rent 2 quadbikes for the four of us, and rotated drivers throughout the two hour trip. We crossed desert terrain, up into the mountains, drove on the roads (hair-raising!!) and down along the beach. It's a great family outing and ideal for adventure "enthusiasts." We used the Quad Trax company based in the Yasmina Hotel. If you want more information you can contact them via email at dahabquadtrax@yahoo.com or on telephone number 012 872 5054.

Happy trails!!

Where to Go - Glow

Christmas in Egypt is unique, to say the least. Whereas in Europe and the U.S. you are bombarded by lights, music, carolers, trees, santas, elves, etc. pretty much wherever you go, here you're lucky to find a small Christmas display in certain shops. These displays inevitably involve the same tinsel, the same Christmas ornaments, and the same big bottles of "champagne" stuffed with chocolates. Ah, I can't forget, the 'fizzy non-alcoholic wine' of course.

As a result, as friends start posting pictures of their trees on facebook and elsewhere, a strange pattern emerges. "Hey...I have those EXACT same decorations on my tree!" Coincidence? Not really, as there's likely only one manufacturer of ornaments in Egypt / importing into Egypt.

This means that Christmas shopping for people at this time of year, or looking for that unique ornament to set your tree aside becomes very difficult. While Senzo mall has a decent array of Christmas supplies, they are limited in what you can give as seasonal gifts for this time of year.

Even more difficult than the hunt for gifts? The search for Christmas wrapping paper. I cannot tell you how many places I went to before I was able to find wrapping paper that wouldn't run out after wrapping one present!

Glow is located right behind the Sheraton street Metro, and is a great place to go to get niff-nacks throughout the year. I know that Glow has ribbons for sale, and throughout the year standard wrapping paper, so I thought I would give it a try.

I was pleasantly surprised. Glow is jam packed with Christmas goodies. Ranging from light up snowmen you won't find elsewhere in Hurghada, to stockings, to Christmas decorations, to multitudes of wrapping paper, to perfect stocking stuffers and fillers for crackers, I'm sure my eyes popped out of my head a little upon walking in.

Wrapping paper is sold by the sheet, and although a little bit on the expensive side at 7 LE for one, I purchased 5 sheets and had plenty left over to spare. Alongside wrapping paper, they have perfect stars to stick to pressies, little "to and from" tags, Christmas gag gifts, ornamental displays, table covers, Christmas candles, gifts ideal for youngsters, and so on. Really I cannot detail everything on here, so instead I recommend that you head out there yourself and get your Christmas shopping spirit lifted!

Glow's opens at 11 a.m, in the morning, shuts for an afternoon break and then re-opens at 5 p.m. Pass by and check out their Christmas array for yourself, they are located just behind the Metro on Sheraton Street, Hadaba.

Merry Christmas! 

Where to Go - Continental Stables

This weeks Where to Go falls into the sports and outdoorsy categories, the Continental Stables.

Located at the Continental Hotel, on Mamsha in Hurghada, the Continental Stables is sure to offer you the perfect horse riding experience. Their location puts them in the perfect locale to arrange desert rides or beach rides, and they have a menage ideal for lessons or working on your own skills and techniques. For the rider craving a little bit more adventure, day rides into the mountains surrounding Hurghada are also offered. Although, for those who are not used to riding - five hours in the saddle will render you incapable of walking the next day; consider yourself warned ;)

Our little celebrity Chico - Is always a hit with experienced
riders!

The Continental Stables are run and managed by Claire and Mohammed, who have been working together in the equine industry for many years. Claire is a certified British Horse Association trainer, and offers lessons in a wide range of disciplines. Always yearned to learn how to jump? Or fancy taking on some 'horse ballet' more commonly known as dressage? The Continental Stables have the horse suited to your skills and needs.

Desert rides

One thing that the stables are doing to make a name for themselves is throwing themselves into the world of Hurghada kids. Busy Bees Nursery holds a monthly flea market (with the next one scheduled for the 9th of December), where the Continental Stables also participates. They offer pony rides to the younger children, moulding the next generation of horse enthusiasts.

Programmes offered through the stable include leasing and livery, or simply riding lessons or riding out with experienced guides. Also in the works is a children's educational programme, whereby the young riders will be taught how to hone their riding skills, basic care and maintenance of a horse, how to tack up and general horse care. The objective is to ensure that lessons with the Continental Stables guarantee a well-rounded programme.

And yes, for those wondering, this is the same location as the rescue barn :) Added bonus: Develop your riding skills, and meet the new rescue cases brought in by the stable and their dedicated team.

For more information contact Mohammed on: 018-365-2325. Horses are available for all levels of riders, camel rides are also available. Groups are welcome. If you have any other questions you may hit the 'contact me' button above.

Happy trails! 

Where to Go - Harbour Restaurant

Last week K and I decided to go out for dinner. Originally we had planned to head to the "American Restaurant" on the Marina. Upon arrival however, we found it gutted from the inside out and evidently in the midst of renovations. So we improvised, and went to the restaurant right next door, Harbour Restaurant.

Located on the Hurghada New Marina, Harbour Restaurant offers great views of the surrounding area. The advantage to dining here is that we were able to bring Orien along for the night. There's something so nice about going out for dinner together, and Orien was so well behaved it made it all the better.

The prices at Harbour Restaurant are very fair, considering its location on the New Marina. Generally I will avoid eating at many places there, as the prices are usually extortionate. (Although in defense of the restaurants, they don't have a choice when they are being charged thousands of dollars in rent...) Our total bill ended up less than 40 $ for everything, making Harbour Restaurant an ideal place for a date night on a budget.

The menu is fairly diverse, offering a variety of pasta dishes, grilled chicken, steaks and seafood. K inquired about the Barbeque Chicken, specifically how it was grilled. He was told it's not done on a Barbeque...so I'm not quite sure how it can be marketed as such, but... yeah. It ended up being grilled chicken, and was quite tasty!

I ordered the Tomato Soup and Caesar Salad, and between the two of us we shared a Spaghetti Bolognese. As far as the quality of the food goes, well it left some things to be desired. My Tomato Soup was very watery, and I would not be surprised if it had come out of a packet. I had to add a great deal of salt and pepper to flavour it up, as it had very little taste to it. The Caesar Salad was smaller than what I had expected, and if you are looking to make a salad your main course, you'd better order two. The salad was also very rich, and was dripping in dressing on the bottom, making it quite a heavy 'light' meal. Next time I will be ordering the dressing on the side.

The Spaghetti Bolognese was tasty, but it wasn't anything unique. It was the a-typical Egyptian style Spaghetti Bolognese (read: seasoned with what was most likely cinnamon and a nutmeggy blend of spices - so it is slightly sweet). K quite enjoyed his chicken, which was garnished with quite a lot of rosemary that he ended up having to scrape off. Served with French Fries, the BBQ chicken is definitely satisfactory for a single person meal.

We arrived at the restaurant around 18:45. There was one other couple there alongside us. Despite being the only ones there, we waited almost 40 minutes for our food, making me wonder how long you would have to wait were the restaurant busy! Seeing as how we arrived at what should be dinner time, I was disappointed with the speed of the service. Our waiter was more than pleasurable, but again, the speed left much to be desired.

If you are looking for a family dinner out on a budget, Harbour Restaurant is a good place to go. I would rate the food a 7 out of 10, location was definitely a 10, and service a 5 out of 10. Overall, I would rate Harbour Restaurant a 6.5 out of 10.

Where to Go - Planet Animal

Firstly, I apologize for the absence in posting in the past week. It has been a very long, and very stressful past few days for me. I hope to update on how and why in the coming period. Anyhow, moving on!

A few weeks back, I was asked by EgyPuppy, an up and coming company in Egypt, to review their shop. Well, last time I was in Cairo, I went in. The first thing you are met by are sales clerks sat at a computer with revolving monitors, presumably from which you can select your puppy that you plan to import.

They have supplies, but use the excuse that because most of the products are imported they can charge outrageous prices for them. (I saw one pack of Beggin Strips, on sale in the U.S. for under 2 $, marked at a price of close to 15 U.S. dollars. I mean come on, there's costs for importation...and then there's costs for importation. Echs). Needless to say, EgyPuppy, I'm sorry, I cannot recommend your location or services.

I realised that with all my postings on animal rights in Egypt, and where you shouldn't purchase your pet supplies from, I have neglected to suggest any locations that are decent!

To provide a contrast to EgyPuppy, let's look at Planet Animal in Hurghada.

Located on Maderis Street, the first thing that strikes you about Planet Animal is ... wait for it .... there are no animals for sale inside the shop! Three cheers!!

Planet Animal is run by two friends who have dedicated themselves to providing access to reliable and affordable dog toys, cat toys, the average medicine, and supplies.

Orien says "Treat Please!"

In the store you can find dog and cat food of various varieties and price ranges, including locally made Egyptian Kibble to imported Pedigree selections.

They have a good array of dog chew toys and rawhides, as well as cat toys and snacks.

Planet Animal offers dog leads, harnesses, and collars, in a host of materials including nylon and leather. They offer cat houses and the scratching posts.

If you're looking for worming or flea supplies, Planet Animal also has all of this on offer. You can choose from products imported from Germany (and still within a reasonable price range), or even request that a specific product you are looking for be shipped in.

For more information or to find out if Planet Animal has what you're looking for, call 011 211 344 51, or visit their location at 457 Maderis Street. Tell them Egypt Unbound sent you their way, and get a 10 % discount! 

Where to Go - Dolphin House

**Let me first make something very clear, I am not referring to the Dolphinarium in Makadi Bay, nor would I ever recommend going to such a location. **

It was my birthday a few weeks ago, and this year we decided to do something different from the "go out party and get wasted" theme. Instead, K and I decided to do something that has been on my bucket list for years. To swim with dolphins.

I have blogged in here before about how excited I get when I see dolphins from a distance, so you can only imagine how unbelievably excited I was at the prospect of swimming with dolphins. 

The trip that we took goes past what is known as the "Dolphin House" about 2 miles off the Gouna coast. It is called this not because the dolphins actually live there, but because of the frequency with which the dolphins are constantly spotted.

Heading out to our first snorkel spot

One thing that made this trip stand out from any other boat trip, is that our boat actually asked people to be quiet when we saw our first pack of dolphins. Instead of the deafening blowing of the horn, high-pitched whistling and shouting in an attempt to attract the dolphin, our boat cruised along silently. It made all the difference; the dolphins were so curious to come up and see who was around, and were enjoying showing off. We saw tail slaps on the surface, dolphins swimming past the boat sideways to check everyone out, and a total of at least 15 dolphins in the first pod to pass our boat.

Corals and clams! 

The trip includes two snorkelling stops and lunch on the boat. Our first snorkel spot was beautiful, although I have to admit that the corals we snorkelled around did not have as much of a variety of marine life as the corals closer to Giftun island do. So if seeing loads of marine life underwater is your objective, look for snorkel trips around Giftun. If dolphins are your primary goal, this trip is ideal. 

Jellyfish!

After the first snorkel, we got back on the boat to have lunch. The lunch includes meat, fish, fresh salads and veggies, and a variety of potato and rice dishes. Overall the food was good, but not the best food I've had on boats. I would rate the meal at around a 6 out of 10, we had to add salt, and the Kofta tasted like the frozen store variety. 

Following lunch we moved our boats about a half a mile, and anchored to the second snorkel spot. This spot was next to a massive coral, and proved more exciting than the first spot. Our boat had attracted the attention of about four dolphins who swam around our boat on a 50 metre perimeter. At one point they swam directly under the boat, but it seemed that once people got into the water they disappeared. 

The current this day was very very strong, so after debating whether or not I'd actually get in the water for the second snorkel session, I was ready to get out after about ten minutes. While swimming back to the boat a dolphin surfaced about 10 meters to my left. I swam like I've never swum before...and it made everything worth it. The minimal sightings on the coral, the 'just average' food, everything was made acceptable by what transpired next. 

By this point there were only a handful of swimmers in the water, which may have helped in letting the dolphins feel confident enough to get up close and personal. I literally had a dolphin swim directly underneath me, and had I wanted to I could have reached out and touch them. I did not though; it was enough of a privilege simply to be around these incredible animals that I did not feel the need to have to "pet" them.

The curious four

I wish I could describe how it felt to be in the presence of these majestic creatures. To know that they willingly came close enough to check us out. It was a quiet intelligence and a sense of really being "seen" by the dolphins. I cannot imagine that swimming with captive dolphins would even come close. 

Our captain told us that we were very very lucky to actually have been able to swim so closely with the dolphins. Often the trip will include dolphin sightings, but rarely will it actually involve people swimming with the dolphins. It made it so much more special, and this will definitely go down in the books as a birthday to remember. 

No words

The cost of the trip as advertised is 30 Euro per person, however resident rates may apply. For more information you may see here, or contact me for a direct phone number. 

And here is a clip taken during our day out :) I am sorry it is so short, but I was too excited to stay still long enough underwater for a decent video! 

Where to Go - Kams

This week's Where to Go segment is ideal for gamers, board-gamers that is.

I am an avid fan of a decent board gaming night. Anything from Scrabble, to Pictionary, to games like Cluedo. My family tells me this is a habit picked up from my mum, who has always been known as the "gamer" in group environments. Why not, I have to ask. There's nothing quite like a good game of Pictionary to liven up the atmosphere.

Image courtesy of Amazon

In Egypt the problem is finding decent games; in Hurghada this task is rendered almost impossible. Sure, there are a scattering of stores around the Hadaba area that have one or two games, but these are almost always knock offs. We recently invested in Onu, not to be confused with the trademarked Uno. =P.

When you are lucky enough to run into Metro on a day that they are carrying board games (not surprisingly they always seem to pop up right around Christmas), expect to pay an arm and a leg. I have seen Metro offering Monopoly for 500 LE (almost 100 U.S. dollars) because it was "imported." Right.

K and I decided to run to Senzo Mall not too long ago, and entered Kams. I was pleasantly surprised :) Along with the knock off board games (of which we unfortunately purchased a Scrabble...then promptly returned), they have imported games well within reasonable prices. I don't think 300 LE is extortionate for a Pictionary board, and we were able to walk away with a French Scrabble for 150 LE. Very reasonable.

Alongside board games, they have Ravensburger puzzles. I saw small puzzles perfect for children, and puzzles up to 2000 pieces ideal for a rainy day. Like we ever have those in Hurghada haha! They also have models for construction, although I did find these to be quite expensive. This of course along with all the other games they have inside.

So for this week's Where to Go, get a group of friends together and go have some fun! 

Where to Go - Granada

I've decided to add a new segment to the blog, "Where to Go." I plan to update this once weekly, with new spots around Hurghada, restaurants, clubs, sports, the likes. Hopefully you will enjoy it! Now that I'm back from Eid, there's so much I feel I have to update on!

Today, I will begin with posting for the new segment, specifically, a review on the restaurant Granada.

Granada from the front 

Granada is located just after Sunrise Hotel on Sheraton Street. I would pass this restaurant many times before actually stopping. From the outside it is a beautiful looking restaurant, and although every time I would see it I'd remind myself "oh I have to eat there," it was not until last month that we finally decided to reserve a table. And wow was it worth it! 

View from our table.  

Granada's location allows for beautiful views of the Red Sea and Giftun Island right in front of you. Plan for a sunset dinner time, and you can eat while watching the rays bouncing off the emerald waters in front of you, and the cool sea breeze blowing in through the open air seating area.

Granada's seating area is open to the sea breeze

For its location and appearance, Granada is very reasonably priced. A full meal for two adults will not run much more than 100 LE, assuming you are not also ordering beers. Even then, I doubt it would go over 200 LE (less than 35 $)!

Alfredo Pasta. It was delicious! 

Their menu boasts an assortment of various foods, and their portions are enormous. Our first visit, we were expecting the portions to be "average" for Egypt, which can be quite small on certain dishes, particularly salads and pasta dishes. We ordered what we expected to be a small pasta for a starter, and I had the Caesar salad for my main course. Many who have had "Caesar" salads in restaurants throughout Egypt can attest: sometimes what is passed off as Caesar salad is really no more than a few small chunks of chicken on lettuce, and a watered down mayonnaise dressing on top. Blech! At Granada this was not the case; my salad was enormous, and I definitely had more than a fair share of chicken. And the dressing? Most certainly worthy of Caesar.

K's burger

My burger

Our second outing we ordered the burgers. Granada offers a wide variety of foods and beverages, ranging from traditional Egyptian grilled items, to "American-style" items, to pizzas/pastas and seafood dishes. Again my burger was enormous, and for being less than 50 LE for the whole thing, you cannot beat those prices.

Granada's service is also great; their waitstaff are friendly and prompt, and by our second visit the manager was out shaking our hands and asking how the meal was.

My only complaint would be the Ultimate Karaoke style music that was playing, but that is worthy of a blog in its own right.

View from our table on our second visit. Did I mention the great view?  

Overall, I would give Granada an 8.5 out of 10. Reason being, we had problems with flies as a result of the time of day, so I would suggest that Granada invest in some citronella candles, because there's nothing like swatting flies away from your dinner! Other than that, I really cannot find any fault with the place.

To make reservations, contact 011-842-8073.