RICHARD EDEN: OUR BEACH BREAK IN EGYPT WAS CHEAP COMPARED TO THE MED WITH APARTMENTS UNDER £100 PER NIGHT AND FAMILY MEALS COSTING JUST £30

Richard Eden checks into Somabay along the Red Sea Riviera in Egypt
Its coral reefs are considered one of the seven wonders of the underwater world
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We set off with some trepidation, given the hostilities in the Middle East. But the Foreign Office advice was that Egypt was safe — and still is.

So, we (my wife, Montserrat, and our younger daughter, Sofia, 15) decided to keep calm and carry on with our trip to Somabay, near Hurghada on the Red Sea Riviera.

Our Wizz Air flight from Luton was nearly full, so it was reassuring that many British travellers felt the same.

Security at Somabay is a top priority.

It’s a gated, guarded resort on a privately-owned peninsula 40 mins from Hurghada airport, accessible only by road, for which a pass is needed to enter.

Somabay has five hotels, but we stayed in a newly-built, two-bedroom, serviced Stayr apartment with sea views and a big swimming pool shared with other residents.

The company has one-bedroom apartments from as little as £94 per night.

There is golf, go-karting, paintballing, kite-surfing and a water park on offer, but the greatest activity was free — a 1,500ft wooden jetty with an ‘end-of-the-pier show’.

You don’t need a ticket to enter, just a swimming costume, snorkel and mask.

The Red Sea coral reefs are considered one of the seven wonders of the underwater world, with hundreds of colourful sea creatures, from clownfish to shoals of sergeant major damselfish.

While Montserrat and I snorkelled, Sofia enrolled in a three-hour diving class that saw her plunge to 22ft. ‘Amazing,’ she said.

Although our apartment had self-catering facilities, we ate most meals at the restaurants near the marina.

In Hurghada, a meal for a family of four cost about £30.

While some have cancelled after the Gaza conflict almost 300 miles away, numbers have been boosted by the recent devaluation of the Egyptian pound.

So go ahead with your holiday. You’re in for a bargain.

TRAVEL FACTS

A one-bedroom apartment at Stayr costs from £94 per night (somabayholidays.com/stayr/). Flights to Hurghada from £135 return (easyjet.com or wizzair.com).

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