Hello and welcome to the Travel section of La Vida Liverpool magazine, where we capture your imagination and invigorate your senses by taking you away to some of the most beautiful places this world has to offer!
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
In this feature we explore Egypt, staying on Makadi Bay — a gorgeous beach resort just outside the city of Hurghada. Located on the Red Sea, Hurghada was founded in the early 20th century as a little fishing village but has now exploded into a popular destination with very warm temperatures all year round and an average temperature in the 20s in January.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
As Owner of La Vida Liverpool I had been working extremely hard throughout 2022, so a January break somewhere warm for my birthday was needed as much as it was desired. I searched far and wide to find that holiday prices had risen dramatically but fortunately La Vida Liverpool’s new travel agent partner managed to secure me a fantastic 4* all inclusive deal on the Egyptian coast — 14 nights for £1,168.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
I flew from Manchester on New Year’s Day morning — heading to Labranda Club Makadi for my amazing 14 night all inclusive deal, a steal given the current climate and some of the other quotes I was getting. Prior to my adventure, I set about asking advice from people who had already been there and got some valuable information and contacts.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
I was travelling solo and wanted a nice blend of relaxation and exploration, vowing to not have one of those crazy holidays where you need another to recover from it! Labranda Club Makadi seemed the perfect choice — with a good range of restaurants, spa and gym facilities, a beautiful beach and plenty of trips and excursions available.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
My friend Graham had visited many times and put me in touch with a legendary tour guide named ‘Elvis’ (real name Mohamed, as so many Egyptian men are called). Having discussed all the options with him, I decided on a boat trip to Giftun Island, a swimming with wild dolphins trip, Luxor and a Quad bike desert safari — four fantastic action packed days built around much needed relaxation and down time.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
The first thing to tell you about Egypt is prepare to be sold to! As soon as I arrived at the airport there were baggage porters waiting to take my suitcase for a fee and I had been at the hotel for less than 5 minutes before one of the boutique shop owners tried his utmost to sell me Egyptian glow in the dark prints (yes, I bought one for £10 in the end).
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
In Egypt they love to haggle and you’ll soon learn to barter for literally everything to want to buy. They are such determined sales people though and I would love to get them over here to sell advertising for this magazine — we’d clear up with the Egyptians on the graft! Oh, and here’s a little tip — get your Egyptian visa (around £20) before you fly, as it saves extra queuing at Hurghada airport upon arrival.
With my excursions pre-booked from a reliable source and for a great price (just £140 for all four trips), I spent my first couple of days taking it easy and appreciating the heat compared to the bitter cold back home. I spoke with the hotel spa manager, another relentless salesperson who I had to hard-haggle with, and booked in a Turkish Hammam & massage plus four further one hour massages for £200.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
I spent the first couple of days creating a nice routine of a morning run along the bay, hitting the outdoor beach gym and then relaxing by the pool, drinking all inclusive cocktails, meeting new friends and sampling the great quality and variety of the hotel restaurants.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
In January it gets light early and dark around 5pm, so I’d recommend waking up early to enjoy as much of the sun as possible (it can get a fair bit cooler in the evenings, so do pack some warmer clothes). I managed to evade the lively hotel nightclub, Coco Loco, for the first few days but that soon changed as I met new friends in the hotel.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
On Wednesday 4th January it was my birthday and what better way to spend it than a visit to the idyllic Giftun Island? Elvis arranged my pick up from the hotel at 7.45am and I was taken with other guests to the departure point for an action packed boat trip that included two snorkelling sessions, dolphin spotting, a couple of hours on the stunning Orange Bay on Giftun Island and a banana boat ride.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
I met some more fantastic new friends and the tour guides Fox, Ahmed and the crew were fun and charismatic — with some amazing photographs supplied for an extra cost. I was a pure novice at snorkelling but the guys were great tutors and I managed to see some incredible sea life amongst the coral reef.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
Witnessing dolphins leaping out of the water alongside our boat was a truly breathtaking thing to experience on my birthday and it was most definitely one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had! There are a couple of different boat trips from Hurghada — to Giftun Island and Paradise Island — and I’d fully recommend them!
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
Although the hotel has a great range of all inclusive restaurants, I couldn’t resist paying extra for the seafood restaurant on the beach as a special meal for my birthday. This proved to be a great choice, as three of us dined for just £25 per head and it included starters, fresh lobster, desserts and unlimited wine — the finest food and unbelievable value!
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
The hotel nightclub, Coco Loco, is situated on its own little island and it soon lured me in, as I met some amazing people and formed some fantastic new friendships with a plethora of different people from different countries. We made some unforgettable memories together.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
This is the thing I love most about travelling — connecting with people from all over the world and proving that contrary to what the media tells us and the wars world leaders create, people are mostly good and we can all live together in harmony. I think that by developing these relationships we are doing our bit for world peace — every positive interaction at a time.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
I actually decided not to go on the wild dolphin swimming trip, as much as I wanted to, as I felt I wasn’t a strong enough swimmer to be able to do it properly — snorkelling was probably my limit. Boat trip guide and photographer, Ahmed, showed me some of his incredible underwater captures though and it was amazing to see what is possible if you’re a decent swimmer.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
Makadi Bay is a superb destination for quality hotels that have a variety of different excursions — in addition to the ones I mentioned, there are trips to Cairo and The Pyramids (both very long days), Nile cruises and more. Elvis is the guy to go to for these trips — with much better prices than the hotel ones and package discounts for booking multiple experiences.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
My next excursion was to Luxor — a long 16 hour day but well worth it! I was picked up at 5am and joined other tourists from different hotels on a coach, again forming new friendships with many other nationalities. Our tour guide, Mimo, was very entertaining and had a wealth of knowledge. During our 5 hour coach journey he wowed us with his great knowledge of Egyptian history, culture and customs.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
Upon arrival at the major city on the banks of The River Nile, we first visited the Karnak Temple — a large historic site with an awe-inspiring series of ancient statues, columns and buildings. We then enjoyed a boat ride and lunch on the banks of The Nile before heading to Hatsheput’s Temple and Valley Of The Kings. Mimo was so knowledgeable throughout — with in depth insights into every subject explored.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
Experiencing some of the historic sites is a must when visiting Egypt and seeing some of the hieroglyphics created centuries ago was fascinating and seeing the burial sites of some of the most iconic Kings and Queens was unbelievable, as I lost myself in the magic and mystery of it all.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
The tour of Luxor finished with a beautiful sunset Nile cruise with fruit and the delicious sugarcane drink, before arriving back at the hotel at 10pm. It’s a long day but without doubt a must — Cairo and The Pyramids are longer days — around 20 hours for those excursions but again, worth it, from what other tourists told me.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
More fun with new friends at the hotel ensued — fully taking advantage of the all inclusive offering. I had a wild night in Hurghada, where I hooked up with Fox and Ahmed from the boat trip and visited one of the top nightclubs there. Hurghada is a very fast paced city that never sleeps and the Marina is highly recommended — with some really cool waterside restaurants and bars.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
After a crazy night in the city, I had a really fun quad bike safari in the desert, Mad Max style! We ventured deep into the desert, where we met the Bedouin people, had tea with them and enjoyed camel rides. This was such a fun and action packed day that was for sure one of the highlights of my holiday!
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
The Bedouin are desert nomads and Bedouin in English means ‘desert dweller’. Interestingly, spoken word is the most popular art form among Bedouins. Having a poet in one’s tribe is highly regarded in society. In addition to serving as a form of art, poetry has been used as a means of conveying information and social control.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
On the Friday night I entered the ‘Mr. Labranda’ competition at the hotel’s Roman amphitheatre events venue. Despite some dazzling stage performances, I regrettably did not win the competition — something that pains me deeply to this day — but it was indeed in great fun and great spirit.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
During the two weeks I attended a few different events there with my holiday friends — including a fire show and acrobatics. The hotel’s ‘animation’ team staff, such as Blackie, Snoop and Mollie, were full of energy and did their best to get everyone involved in the wide range of activities and events.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
The final few days of my holiday were spent relaxing at the hotel and enjoying massages courtesy of the spa masseur Amr — a wonderful man who works hard to send money to his wife and daughter in Alexandria. During our time together we had some profound conversations about life, love, our cultures, his time in the military fighting terrorists in Sinai and more — another new friend for life who I will be keeping in touch with.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
I have visited over 20 different countries in my life and I’ll honestly say that this was one of the best holidays of my life! Egypt has it all — quality hotels and resorts, great food and drink, nightlife, beautiful beaches, relaxation, adventure, culture and wonderful people. It’s fantastic value too — particularly if you master the art of haggling.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
Stay tuned for more epic La Vida Liverpool adventures where we take you away with us to some of the most amazing destinations this world has to offer — from beach holidays to city breaks to the obscure. Here’s to celebrating the diverse and beautiful places and people in this wonderful world of ours.
For a free quote and discount on this holiday and the excursions email lavidaliverpool@gmail.com!
With special thanks to all the fantastic people who helped make this a holiday of a lifetime!
