Giftun Island, Hurghada

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I've read some enthusiastic reviews about Giftun by other VT members. And the offer sounds great: a few-hour-long boat trip, which combines diving on the reef, a lunch on the boat and sunbathing on a beautiful beach which also offers some underwater treasures just a few meters off the shore. But I don't think I would recommend the trip in winter. At least not to people who are not accustomed to cold. This is how I remember the thing:
I got seriously cold after diving off the boat, I was still cold after we landed on Giftun beach, and the strong, cold wind was driving me crazy. I couldn't sunbathe (I kept my sweater on and was still cold) and most definitely I couldn't swim or dive; and since there were no other attractions on the beach, I spent the whole 2 hours there waiting for the boat to take us back to the mainland, dreaming of a hot mug of tea. There, you can call me a bore.
I don't want to scare anybody off a winter trip to Giftun. There were people on our boat who enjoyed the experience thoroughly and didn't mind the temperature or the wind. But I also noticed that I wasn't the only one who did mind.

Giftun is a beautiful island in the Red Sea off the coast of Hurghada. There are lots of companies offering boat trips out there and while it may not seem worth it , it is. I read somewhere before I went on my vacation that Giftun is awful for snorkeling. That cannot be further from the truth. The best was Giftun.

Be careful though the water is shallow and the coral high. You dont want to cut your legs on it.

Oh and a cultural reminder dont go topless on Giftun. I saw many European tourists doing this. It isnt allowed. Egypt is still a predominantly Moslem country and that should be respected.

A day trip to Giftun Island National Park is hard to skip when you're in Hurghada - you'll probably have it offered by our travel agent, or you can arange with the boats in the harbour. The island doesn't have any vegetation so beware of the sun, but the beach is beautifull, with coral pieces and see shells sparkled on the sand.

Mahmaya Beach is a resort on one side of the Giftun, with nice beach cafe/club. It's nice because it's the only place where you can find shadow, and the view from the "hill" over it is superb.

The beach in hotel Amal.
Near of coast there are in water many beautiful colourful little fishes.
You can take a boat and visit 3 reefs around of Giftun Island. The coral reefs are colourful and very beautiful. If you don`t want to snorke or dive - you can take a boat with glass bottom and you will see too the beautiful fauna and flora. In Red Sea there are many dengerous fishes: baracuda, stone fish, shark...... so be careful when you are on the reef!!!!

Bigger and smaller (I forgot their names, but both are Giftun "and something" Island) Giftun Islands are just across Hurghada. Both are unsettled, which make them more exotic. On the bigger one, there is just one bar (forgot the name) and one bar, which is abandoned, but there are still its parasols. We landed in front of the abandoned one after one hour sailing from Hurghada.