There's still time to book a year-end holiday in any of the country's major tourist resorts. Rasha Sadek helps you choose your authentic Xmas and New Year break Partying is the main feature of Christmas and New Year. Hotels and resorts compete to attract tourists during the holiday breaks by throwing the biggest parties, hosting the most varied entertainment shows and inviting the best bands. As a result, some hotels are already fully booked for the holidays week. Fortunately, there are still plenty of vacancies available if you know where to look. Here are some ideas: Starting with the Sinai Peninsula, you might consider spending your holiday in Dahab. This city on the gulf of Aqaba is a treasure-box of serenity and magnificent weather. A two-mile stretch of bazaars, cafés, hotels and camps lined up along the beach, Dahab can be the perfect venue for your holiday break. Coralia Club Dahab Hotel ([+2069] 364 0301, four stars) offers double rooms with sea view for LE390 for Egyptians and 120 euros for foreigners. Garden view is LE330 for Egyptians and 100 euros for foreigners, half-board basis. The hotel will be celebrating the New Year's Eve with a gala dinner, introducing Russian and oriental shows, a band and sketches. Admission to the party costs LE350 for both Egyptians and foreigners. Lagona Village Dahab Hotel ([+2069] 364 0350, two stars) has two double-room classes: Class A costs LE220 for Egyptians with breakfast, and $45 for foreigners, excluding meals, while Class B costs LE180 and $35 respectively. However, if these prices are still too steep, don't worry: Dahab is famous for its capacity to accommodate those on shoe-string budgets. Just check in at one of the camps. For instance, a night at Al-Salam Camp costs LE50 for Egyptians and LE70 for foreigners, while at Green Valley Camp both Egyptians and foreigners pay LE40, excluding meals. And whatever your prejudices, a camp can be a perfectly good place to while away your holiday. Been tried, been fun. Nuweiba, only 87kms northeast of Dahab, also boasts a wide range of camps, as well as hotels that can offer you a true celebration of the spirit of the New Year. Domina Nuweiba Hotel ( [+2069] 350 0401, three stars) is hosting a folklore (shaabi) show, complete with DJ and gala dinner, which is free of charge for guests of the hotel, and LE25 for non-residents. Each night on a half-board basis in double rooms costs LE260 for Egyptians and $60 for foreigners. Bawaki Beach Hotel ([+2069] 350 0470, three stars) has double rooms for LE160 for Egyptians and $40 for foreigners respectively, including breakfast. The New Year's Eve party will be held by the guests themselves, while the hotel will arrange a DJ and gala dinner. At the southern tip of the Sinai lies the premier resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. Famous for its magnificent diving and snorkelling sites on the Red Sea, such as Ras Mohamed and Tiran Island, Sharm El-Sheikh is the ideal backdrop for an unforgettable getaway. On the eve of the New Year, word has it that the city will be transformed into one giant disco marathon. With all the discotheques and hotels competing to arrange the best of all parties, there should be no problem whatsoever finding one you like. Hotels such as the five-star Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Um Al-Sid Hill, ([+2069] 366 1919) is maintaining the same rate as in November: double rooms will cost $340 for Egyptians and foreigners, and breakfast is $12.50 extra. Minimum stay is one week. A gala dinner will be held in the hotel's main restaurant, while an oriental show entertains the guests at the Lebanese restaurant. Ne'ma Bay, the heart of Sharm El-Sheikh, will be awash with entertainment too on 31 December. At the Cataract Resort Layalina ( [+2069]) 360 1820, four stars) there will be a gala dinner, a belly dancer, DJ, oriental show and a magic programme. Double rooms on a half- board basis cost LE700 for Egyptians and $120 for foreigners, while the charge for attending the party is LE350 and $55 respectively. Moving to the west coast of the Red Sea, Hurghada, about 400kms south of Suez, is famous worldwide for its rare marine life. Hosting a large number of hotels and resorts of many different categories, Hurghada is preparing to welcome in Christmas and the New Year with a huge range of entertainment programmes. For example, the three-star Sea Garden Hotel, ([+2065] 344 7493/4) promises its guests a gala dinner, an oriental show, a DJ and the famous Al-Tanoura whirling dervishes. Double rooms are available at the hotel for LE250 for Egyptians and $80 for foreigners, including breakfast. Even further south is Marsa Alam, 60kms south of Qusseir. The Iberotel Coraya Beach Resort ([+2012]) 391 2055) has double rooms for LE600 half board for Egyptians, or 132 euros including breakfast for foreigners. The gala dinner features an oriental show and is included in the room price. As for Al-Phistone Vera Club ( [+2012] 2189 197), doubles are LE320 for Egyptians, while foreigners pay an extra LE200, all inclusive. And that includes the dinner on New Year's eve, with entertainment provided by the hotel's animation team, a DJ and an oriental show. Still, if you don't fancy spending Christmas and New Year by the seaside in a hotel, and you'd rather connect to the roots of this ancient people, then you should head for Luxor and Aswan. There, too, it's unlikely you'll be disappointed. A cabin on a Nile Cruise between Luxor -- the world's greatest outdoor museum -- and Aswan will give you the chance to tour the Luxor, Hatshepsut and Karnak temples, the museums in Luxor, as well as Elephantine Island, Philae Temple and the Nubian Museum in Aswan. The five-star Al-Nabilatan Nile Cruiser will celebrate Christmas and New Year on its deck with a gala dinner, a belly dancer and an oriental show. The nightly rates for cabins is LE350 for Egyptians and $115 for foreigners. The cruise takes four or seven nights, touring the two historical cities. If you're on a tighter budget, then the four-star Arabella sets sail every Thursday. Cabins cost 31 euros for both Egyptians and foreigners, and trips last three, four or seven nights. Happy New Year!
