Al-Ahram Weekly | Travel | A world of weekends

		4 - 10 July 2002 Issue No. 593 Travel	Current issue Previous issue Site map
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Recommend this page

A world of weekends
Trapped in the city over the summer? Rehab Saad explains how to get away from it all

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Hurghada; Sharm El-Sheikh; Al-Qusseir
A long holiday is not a privilege that is available to everyone. While some Cairenes are free to head off for weeks, even months, over the summer, business obligations keep many families trapped in the city. Their only vacations are their weekends -- and even those, they have to spend in Cairo.
In the past, such unfortunates would enjoy the traditional, time-honoured forms of escape. They would head for the sports clubs, or the parks -- the Zoo, Orman or Andalus -- or they would drive out to the Giza plateau to marvel once again at the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Some would board a boat or a microbus to the Barrages (Qanatir); some would bravely ascend the Cairo Tower; while yet others would make the ritual day trips to Fayed and Ismailia.
Now, however, the picture is somewhat different. Over the last few years, Cairo has learned to cater for those who are forced to spend their vacations in the capital. The new satellite cities -- Sixth of October to the west (20 minutes from Mohandessin), New Cairo to the east (10 minutes by the Ring Road from Nasr City), and Obour City, to the north east (20 minutes off the Cairo-Ismailia Road) -- are now home to a growing number of resorts, golf courses, theme parks and amusement parks that offer tremendous entertainment facilities. Today's Cairene is just a short drive away from a total break with daily life and the urban routine.
Most of the resorts in the satellite cities, are built on extensive grounds and boast vast green areas, as well as swimming pools, mini zoos, kids' corners, and sometimes even golf courses. The same is true of some of the grander resorts and hotels that line the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, or lie hidden within the suburb of Heliopolis.
Some of these offer day-use facilities, while others propose weekend packages specifically designed to attract Cairo residents who want to get away from it all for a couple of nights. And some are very well located, especially those in Sixth of October City, and can serve as a base for further excursions, which will add variety to even the briefest holiday.
In Sixth of October City, the recently opened Movenpick Hotel Cairo Media City (02-8401001), located within the Media Production City, offers special weekend deals. For LE225 a night for single rooms and LE275 for doubles, including breakfast, you can enjoy a wonderful stay in a five- star property, that is home to an array of restaurants and swimming pools, as well as an extensive health club, spa and tennis courts.
Hotel guests can also take the opportunity to tour one of Egypt's most ambitious entertainment projects. The Media Production City contains a number of open air shooting areas, as well as the Mubarak studio complex and its own dedicated theme park, Magic Land. Children are sure to love Magic Land, where they can watch the dolphin and seal shows, then tour the Dinosaurs' Jungle that depicts a prehistoric environment complete with tyrannosaurus rex, exotic birds and even primitive humans. Visitors travel back in time on boats that patrol the waterways surrounding Dinosaur Island. The park also has both outdoor and indoor game centres, which will appeal to adults as well as children. Visits to the Media Production City are open to all, not just Movenpick guests, and cost LE35 per person.
Only 10 minutes' drive from Media Production City, is the Dream Land Amusement Park (02-8400887). This huge park was designed by the same company that built Disney Land in Florida. Here you will find games to suit all members of the family. The park is open all week: an all-inclusive ticket costs LE39, or there is a cheaper option, which limits the number of games you have access to, at only LE15.
If you are a golf fan, then you should head to the Dreamland 18-hole golf course (02-8400887), which boasts a world-class layout designed by renowned golf architect Karl Litten. The picturesque landscape embraces lakes, ridges and valleys. Guests have access to the golf academy and clubhouse, with its various dining facilities, as well as lawn games, tennis facilities, a swimming pool, fitness gym and sauna.
Like the resorts in Sixth of October City, those on the Desert Road have more to offer holiday makers, thanks to their attractive location close to the Pyramids.
Le Meridien Pyramids (02-3830383) offers a single room for LE200 and doubles for LE220, including breakfast. If you don't want to stay overnight, just spend a day by the swimming pool, you can book a cabana for up to four people for LE250, or a room for LE180 (excluding meals, but including service charge and taxes).
Pyramids Park Intercontinental (02-3838666), a spacious resort with lush landscaped gardens, offers a double room for LE325 including breakfast. Day-users can take a cabana, that will accommodate two adults and two children, from 10am to 8pm for LE250 (excluding meals). Access to the gym and the massage facilities are also charged extra. However, free access to the "Scoobi Zoo" children's centre is included. Situated near the main swimming pool area, this mini zoo features monkeys, flamingos, gazelles, hamsters, a pony and a horse. Face painting, slides, swings, miniature cars, seesaws and other toys will help keep your child entertained for hours.
At the recently renovated Movenpick Resort Cairo Pyramids (02-3852555), day-users have access not only to the swimming pool, but also to the gym, sauna and Jacuzzi at no extra charge. A room for day-use costs LE250 from 10am to 8pm, for four persons. If you want to stay overnight, there is a special weekend offer: LE275 for single rooms and LE312 for doubles, including breakfast, service charge and taxes.
The Sofitel Le Sphinx Hotel (02-3837444) offers a cheaper option. For LE280, you can stay in a double room with breakfast for the weekend, while a room for two persons for day-use is LE200. Gym access is included in these prices. Day-use of the swimming pool only is available separately for LE60.
The Oasis Hotel (02-3830686) is even more tempting for the budget-conscious. There, a double room will only cost you LE180 including breakfast, and if you stay for more than four nights in a row, the nightly rate drops to a mere LE165. Alternatively, if all you want to do is spend the day lounging by the pool, a room for day-use will cost LE140 for four persons, excluding meals.
The Mena House Oberoi Hotel and Casino (02-3833222) is located on the Pyramids road, and of all the resorts in this area is the nearest to the Pyramids plateau. This former royal palace provides an elegant and stylish weekend choice. For LE300 per night per double room, you can enjoy the grandeur of the past combined with the modern facilities of the present. A day-use option offers a cabana from 9am to 7pm for LE175, including access to the mini gym inside the hotel. Another attraction of the Mena House Hotel is the 18-hole golf course hidden within its grounds.
The Cataract Pyramids Resort (02-7406220) on Saqqara Road is a luxury destination, replete with gardens and palm trees, in addition to its various swimming pools and restaurants. Rooms with garden view cost LE99 per night per person in a double room with breakfast. For LE21 extra, you can have a bigger room overlooking the swimming pool. There are two options regarding day-use facilities at this resort. Either you pay LE200 for a room for two persons from 10am to 8pm, excluding meals: this will give you access to the pool, gym and health club; or you pay only LE99 per person for use of the pool, without a room. This last option is particularly good value, as it includes a healthy meal, as well as free access to the gym and health club.
All the above mentioned hotels and resorts could form the starting point for various excursions in this area. A day trip to the Pyramids plateau or to Saqqara are only two of the better known possibilities. Other, less traditional excursions could take you to such recently opened attractions as the Sun Bird cultural garden, the Soleimania Resort or the Fagnoon art school.
Set in 2000 acres of greenery and man-made lagoons, Soleimania Resort (02-7493866) is a wonderful day out for both adults and children. At weekends, they host special lunch buffets and gala nights. Children can ride a boat across the lagoons and feed the ducks swimming round them. They will also enjoy the mini zoo with its exotic animals.
Fagnoon art school is located on the Saqqara Road, approximately four kilometres after the turnoff to Saqqara Country Club (010-1586715). It is a great place if you want to spend a whole day outdoors in a typically rural environment. The name, Fagnoon, is a cross between funoon (arts) and magnoon (mad). Here, you and your children can discover your hidden talents for pottery, drawing, metal work and carpentry, as well as watching true professionals at work. The school is open from 10am to 7pm, and the entrance fee is LE25 per person. Light snacks are available, at extra cost.
If you want to show your children how the environment has influenced the agricultural life style and traditions of Egypt, then you should visit the Sun Bird garden at Mansouriya (012-2117552), south-west of Cairo. Spread over two feddans, the centre showcases traditional crafts, such as pottery, weaving and the production of honey. There are also displays illustrating the life of Egypt's various governorates, of which Fayoum and Sinai are particularly interesting, as well as sections dedicated to local crafts and customs: wedding parties, the arrival of a new baby, and festivals. Visits are by appointment, so be sure to call ahead.
The lazy, however, should head for New Cairo City, where they can enjoy a day at "The Beach". This is a real sandy beach, created by the Marriott at Mirage City, for those who want to relax under the sun without leaving the bounds of the metropolis. But the Beach (02-4125041) is more than just a lot of sand: it is also a swimming complex, with fascinating waterfalls, fountains, and real waves crashing onto the shore, all combined to create the illusion of a natural atmosphere. There is a swimming lagoon, an interactive fun house, a wave pool and water slides. However, as well as lazy, you also need to be well-organised, or well-connected, as the facilities are only open to members and their guests.
Mirage City itself is also home to one of the most challenging 18-hole golf courses in Egypt. As well as a test of skill, the course is also a feast for the eyes: here you can chase your ball down plush tree lined fairways, strewn with flowers, past countless lakes, streams, waterfalls and ponds, as if you were gamboling through some idyllic nature.
Heliopolis also has a number of wonderful weekend escape options to offer. At the Movenpick Hotel & Casino (02- 2919400) on Cairo Airport Road, a double room costs LE275 a night excluding meals. If you decide to extend your stay for two nights, the charge is LE456 for the two nights, and includes a buffet breakfast. If you only want day-use by the pool, you will be charged LE200 for a room for four persons from 10am to 8pm, excluding meals. The gym and massage centre are included in this fee.
The Sheraton Heliopolis Hotel (02-2677730) on Oruba Road offers double rooms for LE395 per night in July and LE365 per night in August (excluding meals). For LE280, you can spend a day in a cabana by the pool from 10am to 7pm.
Nor is Heliopolis devoid of other attractions. The Merryland (02-4512313) is a large outdoor area covering some 20 feddans, and encompassing countless restaurants offering different cuisines, ranged around a man-made lake. It also has many attractions to please the children, including a dolphin and seal show, a small amusement park, and a water park, where they will enjoy the slides and wave pools.
Golf fans will not be disappointed by Heliopolis either, as they are only a short trip away from Golf City (02-2662811) in Obour City. This 18-hole course is said by many who know it, to have the finest manicured greens and fairways in the country -- if not the world.

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