Sand Surfing in El Fayoum, Egypt
Following our experience at the Petra Bubble Luxotel, we traveled to Cairo for two nights. We bounced out of our first hotel selection (who’s name we shall not name) for a much cleaner, safer, and all around better hotel the – Conrad Cairo Hotel & Casino Downtown. The folks at this hotel are very welcoming, we chatted with the front desk receptionist for maybe half and hour and even met his wife (who lives in America) via facetime. We didn’t get a chance to explore the hotel like we wanted due to our time in Cairo, but the room service was fast and delicious. Rooms are super clean, the bathroom super sexy, and the bed felt like one large pillow. We won’t think twice of where to stay if we are ever back in Cairo!
We booked an all-day tour with GEM Explore Egypt. They picked us up from our hotel at 7 in the morning and drove us to El Fayoum dessert (about 2 hours) where we went sand surfing, checked out the valley of the whales, took in crazy views of the magic lake, and went dune bashing in a 4X4. If it sounds like a lot, it is and worth every second! Hashtag #BestDayEver vibes. Did we mention after all of that, the GEM team prepared an amazing lunch for us where we ate real cultured food and sipped delicious Bedouin tea. 10/10 experience we can not recommend enough.
When in Cairo, you can’t just skip the pyramids, right? Visiting the pyramids were not our cup of tea, but brunch is! So, what better way to take in amazing views of the pyramids while having a mimosa or two? Before hopping on our flight to Hurghada, we made our way through the Pyramid's gate, hooked the first right, and at the top of the hill you will find Khufu’s Restaurant. Yes, you can visit the pyramids without a guide. Yes, locals are very persistent. Just have very good practice at saying “No thank you” and you will be fine — Just our 2 cents. Anyways, Khufu’s Restaurant brunch selection was just what we needed before making our way to the next and final destination of this trip - Hurghada, Egypt.