Menaville Hotel Safaga !?

[Guest]

Has been anyone of you kitsurfing in Safaga at the Hotel Menaville yet?
We plan to go there end of September.
Any information would help: Wind-direction, Beach-access, etc.

Or, any other recommendations for Hurghada or Safaga? We try to avoid the Colona and the Friedl Surf Center.

Thanks
Stevie

[kruzlifix]

what is wrong with colona and tommy friedl?
too crowded?
andreas

[Colona]

Hi,

Menaville in Safaga is run by CNS and Yann, a really nice guy and a good friend.

Mail him directly on windsurf@hurghada.ie-eg.com and he can answer all your questions.

Please explain why you are trying to avoid Colona? Just very interesting to know for us.

Best regards,

Bengan
bengan@colonawatersports.com

[vestel]

Hi Steve,

Please let us know if you had any bad experience or if somebody had any with these people in Egypt, this is the oportunity to share with the rest of the comunity to make sure that these people keep on doing a good job. If you think that by sharing this info it will make a difference, it is your duty but after all it is up to you.

I am sure that Colona and Friedel people will agree with me.

Vestel out.

[Colona]

Vestel, Stevie,

Good point! I especially would like to know if anyone had a bad experience with us.

We have only been open since June and never had more than 8 kites on the water at the same time so it's not really crowded and there is no windsurfers here.

Thank you,

Bengan
Colona Watersports
http://www.colonawatersports.com

[Guest]

Hi guys,

Sorry I didn’t mean to make your Kite and/or Windsurfschools down at all. How should I, as I haven’t been there myself yet? The word “avoidâ€

[Colona]

Hi Stevie,

Just to explain a few things.

At Colona Watersports we (and the Hotel) require every kiteboarder to register with us before going out kiteboarding. This is because we need to make sure that everyone on the water is safe. This is also good for you because you will to know that the persons around you are under our "control".

We do an orientation of our place and riding areas before going to the beach together where we help and assists with your set-up and launch. When we see that you and your equipment is fine we leave you alone to do what you want. This does not cost anything, it's a service to you as a kiteboarder.

We do not let a person with no knowledge and / or control of their equipment go out on our beach without supervision.

We have had a person here coming with a 11.8 Airblast and a board that have never flown a kite, passed us and gone to the beach, managed to set the kite up and launched in the powerzone and getting badly dragged with scraped body and brand new equipment as a result. Luckily there was no sunbathers or swimmers in the area to get in the way or hurt.

Now, for the basic fees, you will find that at almost any Hotel in Egypt there is a basic fee just to step on the beach for swimming and sunbathing etc. This fee is normally 20 Egyptian Pounds (€ 4.5) per day and person.

If you cross another hotels beach to get to a better beach area, you will get stopped and charged, just for walking there. That is the way in Egypt, Hurghada and Safaga alike.

At Colona we charge a basic minimum kite fee for the Rescue Package including storgage and cleaning. This fee is USD 32.- per week, that comes to USD 4.57.- per day and for this you have the security of a rescue boat, storage and cleaning AND free beach use for anyone with you.

If you decide not to store your equipment we charge USD 24.- per week.

If you rent any equipment from us, the rescue is included. You might break something. It can happen. We have a guy here now that broke his board and he is renting for two weeks.

Another guy punctured a bladder, we helped him fix it and patched it for him with our kit. We did not charge him for that.

There is more than the money involved in using and kiting with a center.

I hope this makes sence.

And for a lot of unhappy people, I can just say it's impossible becasue since we opened we have not had many kiteboarders coming here with own equipment. Max 30 in total over the summer and a few have had use for the rescue boat and been very grateful for that.

Please mail me direct if you have any questions.


Best regards,

Bengan
Colona Watersports
bengan@colonawatersports

[Rolie]

I think Bengen is right. I was last year in Egypt and this hotel had no good beach and when I walk to launch my kite I have to pay 20 punds and my girlfriend to help me with the kite. I had no rescue so I stay close to land.

Also in many place in Safaga there is no beach for kite so you have to go with the boat for an island and is very expensive too.

Rolie

[vestel]

Hi Bengan,

thanks for the explanation, I totaly agree about evey point you mentioned, and I think that the money envolved as compared to the services is nothing. it makes perfectly sense to go to centers where one can benefit from all the advantages and even more imporatnt is other peoples experiences.

thanks.
Vestel Aloha.

[Detlef]

Hi,

the best beach for kite- and windsurfing in Safaga is at Hotel Shams Safaga with a kite- and windsurfing-school from Club Mistral. We have been there 8 times.

Detlef