26th of July Hotel & Apartments

We were for sure the only Westerners - and we got a lot of stares. But after everyone got used to the 16 of us, it was great. There is a hotel on the right side, but we rented the apartments on the left. We got great value for our money. Spacious apartments (much better than the pictures on Booking.com) with Egyptian furnishings. Bedrooms have AC that worked, or we could open the windows and catch the breeze. Great views of the beach. Breakfast was satisfactory. This place is where conservative Egyptian families will come for their vacation. The beach itself was not great. We only spent 10 minutes there and felt completely out of place. The water was great, but the shore was small and crowded. We felt really out of place - the ladies in our group wore modest 1-piece bathing suits, and we were allowed to swim, but they felt really out of place. All of the Egyptian women were covered and only swam with head coverings and dresses on. So we didn't stay long. The staff was great - very helpful. We tipped a few people, but it seemed like they weren't expecting it (unlike everywhere else we went in Egypt that catered to Western tourists where it was demanded). The apartments were short on towels, but we were able to get an extra one for each apartment when we asked. Downstairs in the courtyard, families would gather for entertainment on the stage, ping pong or trampoline for the kids and several restaurants. If you go in with an open mind, you can enjoy these apartments too.