The Luxury Beach
Today, I spent the day at Mahmya Beach, a private retreat where crystal-clear waters, soft music, and attentive service created a truly luxurious experience. Between the white sand, coral reefs, exquisite lunch, and pure comfort, this was a day to remember.
07:00
It’s interesting—I’ve been sleeping through the nights for the past month. And for the past month, I haven’t been sleeping in my usual bed in France.
07:24
I don’t feel like getting up, let alone heading out. But okay, I’ll use the beach as my motivation.
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08:08
I should make this a habit—leftover mango, raisins, and pomegranate in a breakfast bowl.
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08:37
It’s striking how often discussions focus on men being violent. I’ve seen this music video before—the husband is abusive, and the wife struggles before getting into a car with her child. The clip ends with her turning off the engine before even driving away.
10:12
I take a local minibus to Sheraton Road at the southern end of the city—apparently, this is where the nicer beaches are.
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10:15
I’ve discovered the true meaning of honking: it means “Get out of my way.” At least for today’s driver, this seems to be the only traffic rule that exists—an extremely effective one, from his perspective.
10:20
It’s probably not surprising, but I rarely see traffic signs. There’s no such thing as a traffic cop here—though I do see heavily armed officers standing guard in the streets.
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10:22
So, our vehicle is a beat-up but souped-up Toyota van, something reminiscent of an old socialist Barkas. From what I know, these models are practically indestructible.
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10:24
Pricing still isn’t clear to me—I hand over 20 pounds, and the driver takes it without question. I’m certain he charges me several times what locals pay, but at less than half a euro per ride, we both win. As long as the overcharging doesn’t become outright extortion, I don’t mind. The gap between his quality of life and mine is starkly evident.
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10:26
While I love adventure, improvisation, and spontaneity, I’m realizing—once again on my last day—that sometimes it pays to research in advance. It wouldn’t have hurt to look up “best beaches” or “must-see sights” on my first day here. But of course, that would have made things too easy.
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10:39
During casual conversations while taking panoramic shots, I have to be mindful of what I say about politics. Criticizing my home country’s government for being overly friendly with Russian politics feels out of place here—because, well, there are a lot of Russians.
That said, I have nothing against being surrounded by Russian people. The issue isn’t with ordinary citizens, and here, I’m just among travelers, not politicians.
But enough about politics—let’s focus on this incredible landscape. Maybe this is what an equatorial paradise looks like: white sands bordering an unreal blue sea. The thin light-blue stripe on the horizon is pure genius. Yesterday, a fellow traveler commented, “This place looks like Bora Bora.”
10:50
Mahmya Beach is not a public beach—it’s a private resort. Entrance costs 570 pounds (about 10 euros), whereas public beaches charge around 50 pounds.
Here, I receive a bottle of water, a towel, and personalized service. A staff member thoughtfully adjusts my lounge chair to my preferred position and even brings a small table for my book.
Needless to say, it’s clean, the music is soft, and a wall of bushes shields the beach from street noise, leaving only a view of the mountains beyond.
It’s not a big beach. To the right, there’s a pier where their private boat departs for another beach on Giftun Island.
The terrace restaurant serves drinks directly to my spot. Between the pier and the beach, a small coral reef lies beneath the water—if I had a diving mask, I could watch the marine life more closely.
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12:50
Some scattered thoughts while reading:
- The world doesn’t change; it just repeats itself.
- Something only has value when it’s used.
- Some people hate being treated like fools. But if you talk to certain people as if they were children, they’ll actually understand you better.
Personally, I don’t mind when people simplify things for me—as long as they do it respectfully.
At the moment, I’m sitting in the middle of a desert, where the sea merges into the sand.
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13:28
“I found the desert to be the first place that felt like home,” wrote Márton Simon in Valami mentse meg az életem (Something Save My Life).
I grin as I read these words to the rhythm of the smooth “lounge jazz” playing in the background.
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14:00
If I’m going to splurge, I might as well do it properly! I order the most expensive beef dish on the menu, paired with a crisp white wine for the full experience.
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14:33
At one table, people are speaking French. At another, German. The waiter speaks English.
I understand them all. 🙂
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15:30
All in all, I pay 32 euros at the exit.
For a place of this quality, I would have paid 40 euros just for the main dish in Montpellier. There, beaches are free—no fences, no entry fees—but if you want a sun lounger, that’s another 10 euros. Then there’s the drinks, the towel, the water, the attentive service…
16:08
The city-facing side of the Marriott Hotel is a perfect example of security-conscious design. It looks like a fortress from this angle, but I bet—no, I remember—that from the beach side, there are no fortifications, only luxury.
Once again, one wall separates two entirely different worlds.
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16:45
Flagging down a taxi takes two minutes—which, in this city, is considered slow. Another two minutes of negotiation, and we settle on a 300-pound fare.
At the airport, they’ll ask for 500 pounds for the same ride—this is exactly why I haggled in advance. Realistically, 500 is a fair price for a 20-minute drive.
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Hurghada, January 11, 2025, Saturday
A luxus strand
