SoSueMe Goes To Egypt!

I love the month of December and the festivities it brings with it, but January on the other hand, not so much! It always seems like such a downer, and while it might not seem like the most obvious time to go away on holiday, I figured a break away would be the perfect solution to those winter blues!

Dylan and I had travelled to Egypt last year and loved it so much that we decided to return again this year. We stayed in the Sensatori 5* Super Luxury Spa Resort in Sharks Bay again this year, which was amazingly beautiful.

It was lovely to just sit back and relax in the Egyptian sun for a week. As any full-time blogger will tell you, a day off is a rarity because it really is full time in every sense of the word, so I absolutely cherished the week we spent in the sun!

December was crazy busy for me! My second book  ‘SoSueMe – What Happened Next’ had entered the bestsellers list so there was a lot of book signings and interviews going on!

It was all go go go! I especially loved the signings and I was so pleased that so many of you found the book inspiring. My goal for the book had been the very same as it was for the blog, to inspire girls and help motivate them to chase their dreams.

As I always say, it doesn’t matter what age you are or what your circumstances are, if you have a plan and work hard at it, you can create a whole new wonderful life for yourself.

Adding to the December madness was a very busy work schedule AND a house move! Dylan and I moved into a fab new place, so you could say things were pretty chaotic!

As you can well imagine, my stress levels were off the scale, so the holiday really couldn’t have come at a better time!

A week in Egypt was such a nice way to kick start the new year, not to mention a great opportunity to reflect on the year gone by. I’m very fortunate to say that last year was absolutely manic for me in terms of work, and this year is looking set to be even busier again, so the week away was the ideal chance for me to gather my thoughts and mentally prepare myself for a crazy busy new year of super exciting opportunities and projects!

Trust me, when the goal is relaxation, Egypt is the perfect destination.

I blogged the entire time I was in Egypt which led to some readers asking why I was still working when I was meant to be on holiday!

The thing is, even though blogging is my business, it doesn’t feel like work! It’s something I love doing and it’s now as much a part of my daily routine as having breakfast! I couldn’t imagine going anywhere and not blogging.

While we were in Egypt, we went swimming with dolphins as it was something I had always wanted to do. The thing is, after I posted the picture on Instagram, a number of people expressed disgust with the idea of swimming with dolphins and went on to mention documentaries called ‘Blackfish’ and ‘The Cove’, both of which I’m told reveal the haorrowing truth about the conditions the dolphins are trained in.

As anyone who knows me will verify, I am a MASSIVE animal lover and would never knowingly support any form of entertainment that involved cruelty to animals. I genuinely didn’t realise that dolphins are trained in such horrible conditions and I have every intention of watching the two documentaries in question and educating myself more on the matter.

I absolutely love and adore animals which is precisely why I wanted to swim with the dolphins in the first place. No way would I promote animal cruelty, and when I read the comments people left about the content of the documentaries, it really opened my eyes.

I hadn’t been aware of the revelations made in those documentaries prior to our day with the dolphins, and I’m truly sorry if people got the wrong impression or thought I was knowingly endorsing such cruelty.

While I was over there  – I was inundated with questions about Egypt as a holiday destination and so today I hope to answer those common questions below!

Is Egypt safe to visit?

Yes, it is very safe! Dylan and I have been there twice now and on both occasions, felt very secure there. Of course, as with any country, there will be areas that have a bad rep, so if you can, try to find out if there are any no-go areas near where you are staying. If you are staying in a resort, ask if it is safe to leave the resort. With us, we had a driver. You can book one through the hotel. So if you want to go to the market or anywhere outside of the resort, your driver takes you and doesn’t leave your side throughout your day. But it is safe and I never felt scared at any time.

Are ladies allowed to show skin and wear shorts and tops, or do they have to cover up?

It depends on what part of Egypt you are visiting. In resorts, you can usually wear what you like. Certain parts of Egypt, such as Cairo, are quite conservative, so you would need to dress appropriately when there, but for the most part, general summer wear is acceptable.

You definitely need to abide by the dress code when visiting religious buildings.

Who did you book your trip with and where did you stay?

We booked our trip with Falcon Holidays and we flew with Thompson. We stayed in the Sensatori 5* Super Luxury Spa Resort. We were so impressed by the resort when we stayed there last year that we decided to return there again this year. The staff there are so lovely. The hotel is spotless, your room is cleaned everyday and bed sheets changed  – I love that. The food is so tasty and I was never sick once. Some people asked me can the food make you sick? Well not in my hotel. The food was 10/10.

How much did it cost?

It was €900 each all inclusive. That is your flights, accommodation, transfers, food and drink! Pretty good price if you ask me!

Is it still hot in Egypt during the winter months?

Yes, the lucky feckers have twelve months of sun! Egypt’s winter is a far cry from the Irish winter! The weather there is really hot during the day but the evenings are very chilly. I always bring loads of shawls and cardigans. Every night I would have a scarf with me when we went out to dinner at night because in the early months of the year, it gets really chilly and cold at night.

If you are travelling there during winter months, I would recommend wearing loose layers. If you are planning on doing a lot of sightseeing, make sure you wear a hat or garments that cover the back of the neck and the head otherwise you are leaving yourself open to the risk of sunstroke. As you can see from the pic below, this is exactly what I did when Dylan and I went camel trekking during last years trip. Sunglasses and comfortable shoes are two other staple items to bring with you also.

Your tan was amazing! What did you use?

I got so many questions about my holiday tan that I posted a blog detailing the products I used! You can find it HERE! I also did a full weekly outfit blog post featuring all of my holiday outfits which you can read here.

Overall – would I recommend Egypt and Sensatori Hotel?

My answer is yes yes yes. You wont be dissapointed.

Have a lovely day guys.

Im laid up in bed sick – dying with the flu 🙁

Sue xxx