Swiss Inn Resort, Dahab, Egypt
Hotel Information
Recent Price: £68
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
This attractive hotel, hidden in the majestic mountains of the Sinai is an ideal getaway for those who wish to see the splendours of the Red Sea. The Swiss Inn Golden Beach is the perfect choice for memorable forays into the timeless setting of the Sinai Peninsula. The Swiss Inn Golden Beach will be particularly appealing to any surfing and diving enthusiasts who wish to engage in their chosen activities as well as possibly trying out some new water sports. loading...
Nearby Hotels Viewed by Other Travellers
Swiss Inn Resort Reviews
" I was very wary of booking into a 3... "
Submitted By: Ms A Wilmot
I was very wary of booking into a 3 star hotel in Egypt due to having stayed in a 5 star in Taba a couple of years back, and knowing that the stars as we know them back in the UK are light years ahead of Egyptian standards, but I was pleasantly surprised with the Swiss Inn.
The rooms are functional, tastefully decorated and very comfortable. They are not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination and the balconies a bit short on space, but when you're in Dahab, where you sleep at night should be the last of your worries. The room had a HUGE bed, table and 2 chairs in a "lounge area", nice large bathroom, satellite TV with 2 film channels in English and a good sized bathroom with a pretty impressive marble sink unit. There was also a free safe and fridge which came in very handy.
Dining on a half board basis was good. Breakfast was the usual range of eggs, frankfurters and omelettes cooked to order, with a variation on the theme of waffles and American pancakes. There was an extreme selection of fresh pastries, cakes and breads, along with cold meats and cheese and the good ol' cereal. Coffee at this resort was of an impressive standard (Egyptian coffee can be BAD) and served in copious amounts if required. Dining outside on the patio area by the pool is a must for breakfast, but can get a bit nippy in the winter evenings. As far as the evening meal went it was above average, but as with any buffet dinner, by the 4th day we were bored and went in search of pizza to no avail. HOWEVER, we didn't venture out of the resort until the last night, and the local town of Masbat DOES have a good range of restaurants at very good prices.
The beach is beyond reproach with comfortable sun loungers and accommodating "beach boys". Be warned, the Germans are on form and down bagging the seafront loungers at 6am, but you're safe to do breakfast and tootle down at around 8 to bag yourself one in the 2nd row, which will still give you a sea view. The water is clear and shallow for a fair way, with swimming areas cordoned off for each hotel to protect the boring swimmers from being knocked out by the crazy windsurfers. If you want to swim out further than the cordoned area, I'd recommend you do it before 9am and try to wear something brightly coloured on your arm. The rest of the beach has launching areas for the wakeboarding boats and windsurfers. The wind stays down until about 10am and then the sea turns into something akin to the M25 at rush hour with windsurfers. Watching the beginners is entertaining, but don't laugh cos you'll be the one being laughed out by the time the week is out. Windsurfing is much more fun than it looks to some and MUST be tried. The staff at the windsurf centre 'Fun Station' are very helpful, and out of all the surf centres I checked out it came in as the most competitive for 'walk-in' lesson prices. I paid 35 euros for a one and a half hour group lesson. The maximum size of 3 ensures that you all get individual attention if you have areas that need working on.
The swimming pool is a decent size, but in all the time we were there we never saw more than 2 people in the pool at any one time. Everyone is down on the beach! And why not!!?
The Swiss Inn has it's own Beach Bar with a Bedouin style tent around it where you can relax with a coffee or beer at lunchtime, or watch the volleyball enjoying a game at sunset. Sadly the Beach Bar isn't marketed to it's full potential and we only discovered the gathering of people down there after sunset on the last night. Go down and try the hubbly bubbly pipes after dinner, then take a walk along the beach.
The sun comes up at around 6am and is gone again by 5pm. Be warned: it’s HOT by 8am!! So if you want a tan, get down there and get a couple hours in before heading off surfing at 10 when the wind picks up. We found ourselves rising at 7am most mornings and back in the room come about half 4, then into bed and asleep by 10pm each night. This is totally the opposite to what we're like in the UK, but when it comes to Dahab you're there to enjoy the sun and windsurf, not drink into the early hours of the morning and missing the hottest hours of the day by rising late in the morning. If you intend on doing a 5 day diver course I would advise going for 2 weeks due to the fact that by the time you've done your 4 to 5 hours each day, there's not much daylight time left. But maybe that's just because I enjoy sunbathing so much!
Contrary to the many weather sites I checked out prior to heading out to Dahab, the weather is HOT, and not the 25 degrees advertised. Most days the temperature was 35, but with the wind it was a lot more bearable than expected; probably feeling more like 25. If you're after for some sun to clear up the winter blues, Egypt truly is the best place to be at this time of the year (November).
All in all I would fully recommend the Swiss Inn and will be going back there again next year. The sunloungers are the best out of all of the hotels, and you are ideally situated for the surf centres and horse riding.
If you're after luxury, head to Taba, but for windsurfing and diving, the Swiss Inn offers the best value for money versus the superior and more expensive hotels Iberotel and Hilton.
The rooms are functional, tastefully decorated and very comfortable. They are not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination and the balconies a bit short on space, but when you're in Dahab, where you sleep at night should be the last of your worries. The room had a HUGE bed, table and 2 chairs in a "lounge area", nice large bathroom, satellite TV with 2 film channels in English and a good sized bathroom with a pretty impressive marble sink unit. There was also a free safe and fridge which came in very handy.
Dining on a half board basis was good. Breakfast was the usual range of eggs, frankfurters and omelettes cooked to order, with a variation on the theme of waffles and American pancakes. There was an extreme selection of fresh pastries, cakes and breads, along with cold meats and cheese and the good ol' cereal. Coffee at this resort was of an impressive standard (Egyptian coffee can be BAD) and served in copious amounts if required. Dining outside on the patio area by the pool is a must for breakfast, but can get a bit nippy in the winter evenings. As far as the evening meal went it was above average, but as with any buffet dinner, by the 4th day we were bored and went in search of pizza to no avail. HOWEVER, we didn't venture out of the resort until the last night, and the local town of Masbat DOES have a good range of restaurants at very good prices.
The beach is beyond reproach with comfortable sun loungers and accommodating "beach boys". Be warned, the Germans are on form and down bagging the seafront loungers at 6am, but you're safe to do breakfast and tootle down at around 8 to bag yourself one in the 2nd row, which will still give you a sea view. The water is clear and shallow for a fair way, with swimming areas cordoned off for each hotel to protect the boring swimmers from being knocked out by the crazy windsurfers. If you want to swim out further than the cordoned area, I'd recommend you do it before 9am and try to wear something brightly coloured on your arm. The rest of the beach has launching areas for the wakeboarding boats and windsurfers. The wind stays down until about 10am and then the sea turns into something akin to the M25 at rush hour with windsurfers. Watching the beginners is entertaining, but don't laugh cos you'll be the one being laughed out by the time the week is out. Windsurfing is much more fun than it looks to some and MUST be tried. The staff at the windsurf centre 'Fun Station' are very helpful, and out of all the surf centres I checked out it came in as the most competitive for 'walk-in' lesson prices. I paid 35 euros for a one and a half hour group lesson. The maximum size of 3 ensures that you all get individual attention if you have areas that need working on.
The swimming pool is a decent size, but in all the time we were there we never saw more than 2 people in the pool at any one time. Everyone is down on the beach! And why not!!?
The Swiss Inn has it's own Beach Bar with a Bedouin style tent around it where you can relax with a coffee or beer at lunchtime, or watch the volleyball enjoying a game at sunset. Sadly the Beach Bar isn't marketed to it's full potential and we only discovered the gathering of people down there after sunset on the last night. Go down and try the hubbly bubbly pipes after dinner, then take a walk along the beach.
The sun comes up at around 6am and is gone again by 5pm. Be warned: it’s HOT by 8am!! So if you want a tan, get down there and get a couple hours in before heading off surfing at 10 when the wind picks up. We found ourselves rising at 7am most mornings and back in the room come about half 4, then into bed and asleep by 10pm each night. This is totally the opposite to what we're like in the UK, but when it comes to Dahab you're there to enjoy the sun and windsurf, not drink into the early hours of the morning and missing the hottest hours of the day by rising late in the morning. If you intend on doing a 5 day diver course I would advise going for 2 weeks due to the fact that by the time you've done your 4 to 5 hours each day, there's not much daylight time left. But maybe that's just because I enjoy sunbathing so much!
Contrary to the many weather sites I checked out prior to heading out to Dahab, the weather is HOT, and not the 25 degrees advertised. Most days the temperature was 35, but with the wind it was a lot more bearable than expected; probably feeling more like 25. If you're after for some sun to clear up the winter blues, Egypt truly is the best place to be at this time of the year (November).
All in all I would fully recommend the Swiss Inn and will be going back there again next year. The sunloungers are the best out of all of the hotels, and you are ideally situated for the surf centres and horse riding.
If you're after luxury, head to Taba, but for windsurfing and diving, the Swiss Inn offers the best value for money versus the superior and more expensive hotels Iberotel and Hilton.
-
- Date of Holiday:Nov 2005
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Regal Dive
The overall standard of accommodation is very high for Egypt. The rooms are clean and spacious yet perhaps could also be considered for refurbishing in Western terms. From check in to check out we were very well taken care of.
A sincere note of thanks goes to the executive chef, Mohamed el Sayed, whose culinary expertise is second to none and he personally took care of us when we needed special dietary assistance.
Unlike other parts of Egypt, here you can relax without too much worry from street traders hassling you for custom. In the main town the traders are extremely friendly and welcoming, more pleased to have your company and to share small talk over tea than selling their wares.