Sol Y Mar Sea Star Resort, Taba - Great value for money

Description

Location: Taba on the Red Sea

This resort offers fabulous year-round sunshine in an unspoilt and secluded destination on the stunning Red Sea. With 5 kms of idyllic coastline, the resort is surrounded by natural beauty with the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea in front and the amazing desert mountains behind. It is an ideal place for rest and relaxation. Nightlife is low key so it really is a place to re-charge your batteries. The transfer time from Taba airport is approx 40 minutes.

Your holiday price includes: Direct flights and accommodation for your selected number of nights on half board basis, in-resort transfers

Accommodation description

Just 40 minutes transfer from Taba International Airport, the hotel is located in the resort area Taba. Situated on the shores of the Red Sea, cradled by the Gulf of Aqaba and sheltered by the mountains of Sinai, the hotel is surrounded by desert, sea and natural beauty. There is little around the hotels and bars and restaurants are within the hotel.

Note: This hotel is locally graded as a 4* hotel. The tour operator grades it as a good 3*+ hotel with very positive feedback.

Facilities available at the hotel include

• Just a short walk to the private sandy beach
• Outdoor pool
• Free beach towels and sun loungers
• Health club
• Children's pool
• Children's club (min age 4)
• Tennis (payable locally)
• Table tennis
• Billiards
• Shops
• All major credit cards accepted

Room facilities

There are 171 guest rooms and suites all of which are comfortable.

• Room sleeps 2 adults and 1 child
• 171 rooms
• All rooms have air conditioning
• Bathroom with shower
• Hairdryer
• Mini fridge
• Safe
• Telephone
• TV
• Balcony or terrace

Please note: Inter communicating rooms on request. Maximum of 1 extra bed in the room. This will be a camper bed or z-bed, cots available on request

Food and beverage

• 'The Captains Table' Main buffet restaurant for breakfast and dinner
• L'Etoile Steakhouse, a la carte restaurant
• La Luna Italian Restaurant, a la carte restaurant
• The Beach Bar
• Splash pool bar, serves snacks
• Lobby lounge
• Boltaia cafes & snacks
• Crystal lounge
• Octopus Disco & night club

Please note: All meals are served in the main restaurant, a la carte restaurants subject to availability

All inclusive includes:

• All meals served in the main dining room
• Breakfast and dinner are buffet style (from time to time lunch will be a set menu)
• Soft drinks and local alcoholic drinks served in the lobby bar from 10.00 to 23.00 and the beach bar 10.00 to sunset
• Ice cream available in the lobby 10.00 to 23.00
• Afternoon tea with snacks & cake
• Tennis, table tennis & billiards, darts and volleyball are free of charge (subject to availability and may have to be prebooked)
• Use of health club

Drinks served between 10.00 - 23.00 including local beer, local spirits, soft drinks and hot beverages including coffee & tea.

Please note: All drinks are served by the glass & must be collected individually from the designated bars.

Alcoholic drinks for people aged over 18 years only.

All consumptions after 23.00 hours must be paid for.

NOTE: All-inclusive finishes at midday on the day of your departure. Please ensure that you are aware of this if your return flight is later in the day or in the case of any delay.

NOTE: Drinks are not included in New Year Gala dinner and must be paid for locally

In our opinion

'...A good value for money hotel, offering a range of facilities for relaxation....'

• Drinks: A large bottle of still mineral water costs approximately £1.30. A bottle of local beer is approximately £2.70. Branded spirits are approximately £5 per shot.

Please note: Tipping is a way of life in Egypt. People in the service industry rely heavily on tips. Although bills are presented with a service charge or sales tax, this is actually a tax and is not a tip. 10% is customary and much appreciated. It is better to take a handful of US$1 bills wherever you go - they are ideal for tipping.

Useful information

• Local currency: Egyptian pounds
• Language: Arabic, although English is widely spoken
• Visa and passport: Eastern European, Far Eastern, African and South African, passport holders require a full Egyptian visa prior to travelling. All other passport holders should have a full passort with at least six months validity from date of return. If in doubt, please contact the Egyptian Embassy
• Time difference: GMT + 2

Single supplements: From £77

Child prices are only applicable when sharing with 2 full fare paying adults.

Infants: £65

Please note

• There are approximately 10 Egyptian pounds to 1 UK pound. There is a bank at the hotel so it is better to change up small amounts at a time while you are there. Major credit cards are accepted but debit cards may not be. There is an ATM cash machine at the Marriott - please do not rely upon it.
• Electric current is 220 volts AC. an adaptor is necessary (usually 2 pronged)
• Egypt enjoys long hot summers and mild winters. In summer, cool cottons are best and formal wear, including tie and jacket, is not necessary, particularly in Red Sea resorts. In evenings, the temperature can drop in the winter and a warm jacket or alike is recommended. Due to the coral being so nearby, some of the beaches can be shingly near to the sea so take some flip-flops or alike if you want to snorkel from the hotel beach. Shorts and bare shoulders are not appreciated when visiting any holy sites eg. in Cairo
• Please do not sunbathe topless (for women) as this is not appreciated.
• Duty free facilities are cheap but very limited at Taba International Airport. If you do want to be sure of something, ensure you buy it on the aeroplane or at your UK departure airport
• During festivals, for example Ramadan (approx.5.10.05 and 24.09.06) shops are open shorter hours between sunrise and sunset. Alcohol will still be available in the hotels but facilities may be slightly limited during a few hours of the day. This should not affect your holiday in any way, but please respect the Egyptian's customs and way of life.
• Hotels in the Red Sea areas do not generally have tea or coffee facilities in the rooms. Take a travel kettle with you if this is important to you. The way of life in Egypt is much slower than in the UK and you should not expect the service to be the same as at home. You should expect to wait a while for anything that you have ordered - the way of life is slow and different to what you may be used to. If you want the bill, allow plenty of time for it to be brought to you
• We recommend that you do not drink the tap water, but do drink a minimum of 3 litres of bottled water per day in order to avoid dehydration and sunstroke. You should exercise common sense and use plenty of sun creams for protection from the sunshine. Cold beer and hot sunshine are not a good combination
• Pools are not attended by lifeguards. Swimming is at your own risk.
• You should exercise caution not to touch any of the coral when swimming, snorkelling or diving in the sea. Coral is alive and will die when touched by humans. It is also very fragile and sharp, and can cut skin easily.

Excursions

Excursions available at the hotel include are given below. Note that some excursions may be subject to availability and minimum numbers.

• Day trip to Cairo
• 2 Days trip to Cairo with overnight in Cairo
• 3 Days trip to Cairo with 2 overnights in Cairo
• Day trip to the ancient 6th century St.Catherine's Monastery - the supposed site of the 'Burning Bush'
• Day trip to the rose Red City of Petra
• Day trip to Jerusalem
• Jeep Safari into the desert

Please note

Make your holiday extra special by booking the following before you go.

Cairo Excursion - 2 day trip

You can now book your Cairo excursion from Taba Heights, before you go. Transfers are by road and are 5 hours each direction but this is a unique opportunity to see one of Ancient Wonders of the World as well as some incredible sites.

Here’s what’s included

2 day trip

• One night at 5* hotel in Cairo
• Return coach journey Taba-Cairo-Taba
• fully qualified English-speaking guide
• The Pyramids of Giza
• The Sphinx
• The world famous Egyptian Museum housing the treasures of Tutankhamun
• Tour of Old Cairo
• Souvenir shopping time

Please note

• If you intend leave the Taba region to visit areas outside of the Sinai, eg.Cairo, Luxor, Alexandria, you will require a full Egyptian visa. For UK passport holders, this can be purchased on arrival at Taba Airport. It can not be paid for in Egyptian pounds and should be paid for in US dollars, costing approximately US$25 - $30 per person. A full Egyptian visa is required prior to travel to Egypt for holders Eastern European, Southern African and Far Eastern passport holders. Other passport holders should contact the Egyptian Embassy prior to booking their holiday.
• Cost per adult sharing for Cairo trip from January 5 to October 10 on a 2 day trip costs £150.
• Single Supplement for Cairo on a 2 day trip is £33
• Cost per child who is over 6 years of age from January 5 to October 23 for 2 days is £55

  Scuba diving for beginners - 5 days PADI Open Water Course

  Here is a great way to gain your PADI diving qualification by taking the PADI 5 Days Open Water Course in the sensational setting of Taba Heights, in the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea. Minimum age is 10 years.

• Day 1: The course commences with with the instructor completing formalities and participants completing a medical questionnaire. Video and presentation on theory. Students are issued with personal equipment with an explanation. Afternoon session is the shallow water first dive involving a few simple skills and a swim around to experience breathing underwater. Day concludes with video and theory.
• Day 2: Water session, dive, skills and swim.
• Day 3: As with day 2. Days 1-3 are as above with 5 theroy / video sessions and 5 water sessions to complete. After each session, there is a quiz to ensure understanding of the knowledge development. At the end of the 5th session, there is the final exam. All of these are multiple-choice questions.
• Days 4 & 5: The days are spent doing 2 dives per day either by boat or by shore at various dive sites. This then completes the 4 dives needed for qualification as an Open Water Diver.
• Please note: You must not suffer from asthma, lung, heart, ear, nose, eye, throat, breathing, claustrophobia problems. You can not dive within 18 hours of your return / onward flight. Minimum age for diving is 10 years. You can not dive while under the influence of alcohol. You may be required to purchase local insurance. Certification fee (PIC) approx. US$30 to be paid locally. PADI Manuals may also be purchased locally.Always ensure you have taken out travel insurance that covers you for scuba diving before travelling rom the UK. The dive centre reserve the right to refuse you to dive should they believe they have reason.

  Cost per person over 10 years is £189.

  Please note: If you are doing a 5 Days PADI Open Water Course, you will need to be staying for longer duration than 7 nights to take the Cairo excursion as well as there will not be sufficient time to do both.

Discover the Red Sea - a dive experience

A great way to experience in a day what it is like to go scuba diving

• This is designed to give you an experience of what scuba diving is like. It is a 3 part programme including Briefing (theory), Confined Dive and Open Water Dive. During the confined dive, you will get comfortable with breathing underwater and the correct use of equipment. This includes completing basic safety skills underwater and is in a conducted training area. After successful completion of the confined dive, you make the Open Water Dive on an actual dive site in the Red Sea. Maximum depth is 12 metres but is normally no deeper than 5 metres to ensure all students are completely comfortable. Note: You will be subject to a medical form and must suffer from NO problems with: ear, nose, eyes, throat, heart, chest, claustrophobia, asthma or breathing problems. All in all, a wonderful opportunity to experience scuba diving in a day.

Cost per person over 10 years is £60.

Please note

• The following extra charges will apply when booked by credit card: Visa/MasterCard - 2%, Amex - 3%. There is no charge for debit card payments. Visa Electron and Solo cards are NOT accepted.
• For any bookings made within 14 days of departure, there will be an additional charge of £17 per person levied by the tour operator, which will be added on after you have booked by the tour operator and may not show on your confirmation. This will include a ticket on departure if required.

  Health requirements and travelling abroad

  You must have comprehensive travel insurance when travelling abroad and this must cover you for scuba diving where appropriate. The tour operator may decline your booking if you do not have, or do not intend to have, travel insurance. The name of your insurance company will be required.

  Important diving holiday information

  We act as a disclosed agent for third party suppliers of products and/or services. What this means is that the contract for the fulfilment of the diving package is between you and the operator and additional terms and conditions may apply. Please make sure that you have read these terms and conditions before completing your transaction with us. We shall have no contractual liability to you in respect of a diving experience fulfilled by the operator, unless we have been negligent.

  We recommend that you consult your GP for any relevant health requirements.

  Ticketing information: You will be contacted by the tour operator after making your booking.

  NOTE: The tour operator is closed throughout the Bank Holiday period except for Saturday March 22nd. Any bookings made during this Easter period will be contacted upon the office re-opening on March 25th. Thank you for your patience.

  Note: The tour operator is closed over the Bank Holiday weekend. If you book over this period, you will be contacted shortly after the Bank Holiday.

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