Relaxation personified

We arrived late on Christmas Day after a long couple of days getting here - we live in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands and were greeted like long lost friends off the coach. Having stayed at the Hilton earlier in the year we knew what to expect - no bright lights, themed pubs, discos etc and the main reason we chose the Swisscare was we had had a sneak preview when we had visited to snorkel the reef (more of that later). If your type of place is one of the big multi national hotels that litter the coast hereabouts then the Swisscare is not for you. However if you want a more personal experience then the Swisscare is. The rooms are large, clean and comfortable. A welcoming bottle of wine, cookies, fresh fruit and chocolates greeted us when we were guided to our rooms by Walid and the House staff carrying our cases. Food was excellent and we never had any stomach problems (unlike many people we spoke to on the few excursions we managed to stir ourselves to book). We can't speak highly enough of the staff, who were all friendly, polite and couldn't do enough for you. The house reef is one of the best that we have snorkelled in the area (evidenced by the visit of the boat from the Hilton) and you can see a wide range of fish, corals and other invertebrates. We saw Emperor Angels, slate pencil anemones, barracuda.........and one of our fellow guests saw a turtle. If you're lucky you may see the local Osprey or even be visited by a flock of Flamingoes, but if all else fails there's always the antics of the local Bedouin boys on their camels and horses to entertain.

Service mit 5 Sternchen

Wir waren über Sylvester für 11 Tage im Nuweiba Swisscare und können dieses Hotel ohne Einschränkung empfehlen.

Die Zimmer sind gross und gut eingerichtet, der Strandbereich ist wohl der schönste und gepflegteste in der ganzen Region und der Service ist unglaublich - jeder Wunsch wird einem von den Augen abgelesen und erfüllt.

Für alle Ausflüge im Sinai (z.B. Katharinenkloster, Mosesberg, Colored Canyon, White Canyon) ist Nuweiba der ideale Ausgangsort und zum Schnorcheln liegt das Riff direkt vor dem Hotelstrand (wir hatten das Glück beim Schnorcheln eine Schlidkröte zu sehen).

Für alle die einen Urlaub abseits von Hektik und Trubel suchen ist das Swisscare ein idealer Zielort.

Swisscare really does care!

My partner and I spent the last week of October (2006) in the heavenly Swisscare resort in Nuweiba where we experienced service and accomodation beyond our expectations! Situated away from tacky tourist areas, we enjoyed what I certainly prefer, a more traditional egyptian experience with a personal service second to none!

Candlelit evening meals on the beach or breakfast by the pool, the manager certainly knows how to make you feel special... and the staff are professional, cheerful, unimposing, polite and friendly.

With a bathroom to myself I felt like a movie star (two bathrooms per suite), the rooms were immaculate, decorated tastefully with the biggest bed I've ever seen!

If you forget your snorkel, don't worry, you can hire one on the beach as the resort has it's own bustling reef directly off the beach with an array of fish, eels, sea snakes, urchins, crabs, sea cucumbers etc... with superb visibility, a pre-breakfast early morning snorkel is the best way to start the day! The beach is kept clear of debris by the staff, the sun shelters (wooden with palms) are in keeping with nature and overlook the mountains of Saudi Arabia!

The food is of a good quality and of generous proportions. Most people I spoke to from other hotels (whilst on excursions) told me of horrendous buffet stampedes, no such problems at the Swisscare! A four course evening meal is cooked at your preferred time and is always tasty. As a non-meat eater my needs were met and exceeded with various fish dishes (one caught fresh off the reef that day I was told by my host!)

The hotel is quite remote. There are a few hotels nearby but none that you would notice or visit for a drink so you really must be happy to just kick back and relax where you are! The small market of Terra Bin (query spelling?) is an interesting visit on an evening (staff will organise a taxi) various excursions to local areas of interest can be organised too (The Coloured Canyon is near by).

Anyway, I really could go on and on as we had an incredible break with Alvin and his wonderful staff team in an idyllic location for rest and relaxation! I never usually plan to re-visit the same place twice, what with so many places to see... I intend on making an exception here!!!

Relaxation in a fabulous location with superb service

We would echo everything that the other reviewers have written - this hotel is a real gem. It is very difficult to sum up exactly what it is about this place that makes it SO special. Alvin, who owns it, says that he has built it and runs it just the way he personally would like to stay and to be treated. And that extends to every detail of the place and the service.

The great thing is that his enthusiasm has rubbed off on his staff, who all give really good service - not the kind of service that comes from training courses and saying 'have a nice day' but the kind that comes from the heart.

Don't want to repeat everything that everyone else has said, but will just add a few examples and a few more facts:

- we looked on Google Earth to check that there was no adjacent building work (there isn't - the hotels each side already existed before the Swisscare) and then worked out the size of the hotel based on the sun shades on the beach. But we got it wrong. Alvin doesn't think people want to keep moving their sunbeds around to stay in the shade during the day.......so pavilion would be a better term than sun shade, they must be 15' diameter. As a consequence of our Googling, we underestimated the size of everything. The pool, the grounds, and the suites are all generous in size.

- It's great to stay in a place with a 7' bed with a comfortable mattress and pillows.

- There are lots of little 5* hotel touches - like flannels provided, the rooms all have blackout curtains to ensure that lovely sun doesn't wake you, there is heaps of storage space.

- the food is really well presented as well as being good (don't miss the Oriental Meze). And there are always two teabags in a pot of tea for one person.

- Alvin organised our transfers (we just booked flights to Taba), and then sent along his manager as well as the taxi driver to meet us, along with a supply of complimentary cold drinks to keep us going until we got to the hotel.

- The service is superb. If they are quiet, they will offer to organise meals on the beach for you. Not as an extra chargeable add on, but just because they want you to enjoy your holiday as much as possible. On our last night it was a bit windy, so they set up a table by the pool for us. But then the wind dropped, and they just moved everything to the beach before we came down. Nobody asked them, they just knew we'd enjoy it that way.

This is a great place for a quiet 'recharge the batteries' holiday on an excellent sandy beach with good snorkelling (and, yes, Alvin took us out snorkelling himself to make sure that we saw the best bits of the reef).

We intend to return to Swisscare and its lovely staff as soon as we can.

Fabulous!!

We have traveled all over the world and lived on 4 continents, and this was by far one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in. The personal care by the staff was unsurpassed, the food could not have been better, the facilities immaculate, the beach and snorkeling first-rate. If you are looking for a quiet place to visit in Egypt, this far surpasses Sharm el-Sheikh. And, you will not find a better price for a 5 star hotel...anywhere. We could not recommend this hotel any more highly.

Total Relaxation

If you want to get away from people and totally relax, if you want to do nothing but snorkel, read, lay in the sun, eat, drink and sleep, if you simply don't want to think about anything, even about what to eat, then this hotel comes highly recommended.

The hotel is just over a year old, has 48 suites - that's a large bedroom with TV, large bathroom and balcony with sea view, plus a separate lounge with two sofabeds, TV, mini-bar, safe, tea/coffee/kettle, bathroom and balcony. It's a lot of space for a couple and more than adequate for a family of four. The furnishings are good, the rooms clean and bright. The suites are adjacent a large pristine swimming pool and gardens which lead to the beach, off of which is the coral reef. For a couple it represents extremely good value with the half-board deal.

The staff are polite, efficient and friendly without being intrusive, and the amiable boss, Alvin, is also friendly and helpful. He is also given to spontaneous suggestions - stargazing out in the desert (superb sky unadulterated by lights), dinner on the beach, snorkelling round coral islands off the main reef, etc.

The food is good with a sizeable breakfast of whatever you want that they 've got, and the evening meal is a four course affair. The local beer is okay (they also have imported beers) but avoid the local wine (despite many trips to Egypt, I've yet to find a bottle of Egyptian wine that doesn't taste like toilet cleaner. I suppose a decent bottle must exist somewhere in the country......).

The beach is clean and wide, the reef very interesting with plenty of fish. I spent a few hours every day snorkelling, and the more exceptional sights included a ray, a lobster, an octopus, white eels, lion fish, scorpion fish, large unicorn and parrot fish, and of course plenty of the more usual colourful fishes and coral. One interesting sight was seeing three birds flying in together and landing on a sandbank when the tide was out. Nothing unusual in that, except one was an osprey, another a spoonbill, and the third a flamingo. The osprey didn't stick around for long but did live in the area. The other two, however, stayed for the week we were there, always in each others' company, flying up and down the coast like an inseparable odd couple, their presence apparently a first for Nuweiba. Nature plays it part, too.

Regarding medical cover, there is a hospital in Nuweiba, and a good doctor who works at the Hilton down the road. I mention this because my wife fell off a bike and damaged her leg. The doctor was good, giving a correct diagnosis which was eventually confirmed back in England. He was courteous, provided medication etc, and did a follow-up visit, all for a reasonable fee. Interestingly, he also supported Hull City football club.

All-in-all a good place to spend a week, maybe two if you plan to do a few excursions etc. Whatever you want, Alvin would probably be able to sort it out for you. Recommended.

Ultimate Care at the SwissCare Nuweiba

My Nebraska family of five came to SwissCare for four days of sun and snorkeling. The place is a jewel in the deseret. Alvin, the owner and manager keeps the place spotless and visits with guests at each meal and on the beach! The rooms are very spacious with excellent beds, bath and balconies! The place is like a 5-Star hotel with the feel of a small family home. It's a great place. Breakfast and dinner is included and the cuisine is delicious. There is a beautiful coral reef right off the beach. If you book for five days you can stay for two more days free. What a deal! In the photo, Alivin is the handsome, tall guy in the blue t-shirt and shorts.

Family vacation

My family (My wife, 3 daughters and myself) stayed for 4 evening in early December. As a father of three young daughters who is always concerned for their well being and safety, the things that stood out where:

- My family felt safe, and comfortable while staying at this hotel.

- My entire family enjoyed the food.

- The place was clean and well maintained.

- It's seemed to be an owner-operated establishment.

- The staff was not over bearing and never pestered us for a tip. However, I do believe in and did tip them well when I left (it was well deserved).

If you have any question about my experience at this hotel or my trip in Egypt (11 days with a cruise; self planned) I can be reached at jmontejano@hotmail.com.

I plan on stopping back in and visiting the Swisscare Nuweiba Resort Hotel for a few days on our next trip to Petra.

The Montejano Family

High Swiss Standards in the vast desert wilderness of the Sinai, Egypt

We stayed a week at the Swisscare, Nuweiba Hotel and enjoyed every minute of our vacation.

The Swisscare is made up of large "Suite" rooms and since we were two adults and two children, this fact made the perfect vacation even better as anyone can imagine. Other hotels rooms get pretty small when two adults and two children occupy them, this is not the case at the Swisscare.

The hotel is located in a perfect spot where the desert meets the Red Sea offering beautiful snorkelling right in front of the hotel's beach!

The service and food was of very high European standards and I guess this is because the owner is Swiss and he is there everyday making sure things run the way they should be!

The food was delicious and one can really tell the difference in the fresh ingredients and taste of the food which was prepared fresh for us every morning and evening.

We also ordered pizzas and sandwhiches for lunch at very reasonable prices.

The pool was very nice and not too deep which was nice for us and the kids, the pool had an ocean-type feeling also because of it's unique shape.

The staff were very nice and friendly while we never had to wait a long time for anything we needed.

We definately recommend this hotel to couples or couples with children as the perfect "Get-Away" for relaxation and rest in one of the most beautiful spots in the Sinai Penninsula.

A great hotel in nuweiba

Last month we have visited Nuweiba and stayed at the new "Swisscare" hotel. It was amazing. It is a brand new hotel, built on one of the most beautiful coral riffs. It has a huge swiming pool, great food and a very very friendly staff. Prices are very raesonable, for the opening campaign. Highly recomended!