egypt’s White Med


The White Med has a more European feel to its resorts and another major draw is that temperatures are cooler than in the Red Sea resorts


into a chic bar after hours. Landmark properties with regal connections are the El Salamlek Palace, which was built in 1892 as a royal hunting lodge and the Helnan Palestine, on the eastern edge of the city facing the Montaza Palace and gardens, which has hosted countless kings, queens and heads of state over the years. In the city centre an iconic institution is the Cecil hotel. Built in 1929 and now a Sofitel property, it has attracted luminaries including Winston Churchill and was headquarters of the British intelligence service during the Second World War.


Along the coast there has been a substantial investment in new hotels but the coastline retains its original character and will appeal to those in search of a quieter, relaxing break. The White Med coast is not as lively as the Red Sea and


much of the nightlife is confined to the area’s hotels.


The main resorts are the former small fishing town of Marsa Matruh, 300 km (186 miles) west of Alexandria and set in a sheltered lagoon with brilliant white sand beaches – one of which is reputed to be where Cleopatra and Mark Antony bathed – and nearby Almaza, also located on powdery sand beaches and where the five-star Jaz Almaza Beach Resort is one of the top places to stay.


Any visitors with an interest in more modern history will want to take in El Alamein, 120 km (74 miles) west of Alexandria, the evocative scene of two crucial Second World War battles between General Montgomery’s


The White Med is Egypt’s newest sunshine destination but the main city and port, Alexandria, has plenty to intrigue anicient and modern history buffs as well


forces and Rommel’s Afrika Korps, which saw Rommel pushed back to Tunis. Some 80,000 troops were killed and wounded and for many the last resting place was in the area’s well-maintained cemeteries. Rashid, once Egypt’s most significant port, is also known as Rosetta and famous as the discovery place of the stone found by French soldiers in 1799 that provided the key to deciphering hieroglyphics.


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