I've been back to the shams hotel on more than one occasion - i like it there!

hotel is good and the staff are friendly and helpful. food is excellent and plenty of choice even if you're a veggie

i've been fairly lucky with the wind but some regulars have reported spells of several days when it hasn't blown (c'est la vie i guess!)

year before last (april 98) no wind at all for the week before i went - but...

my first morning - planing on 278 with a 5.5! and the wind stayed all week with 2 really big days (bft 7+)

not too many guests at Shams (Hurghada looked busier tho')

april 99 3 good days (4.5 - 5m sails) otherwise 6 -7m on bigger boards (flow 284 / explosion)

wolfgang (club mistral) insisted i had the naish 8'11 instead of the flow 276 i'd booked. i have to say that is a **nice** board! so light - soo easy to turn, sooo easy to jump (not that i go that high - it just seems it to me!) - he offered it to me for a good price - i never found out what that was 'cos he went to Maui for a 'busman's holiday' ! 

apparently club mistral will be using north sails next year (as opposed to the naish range) 'spose its to do with the takeover of fanatic...

april 2000 not so windy... not till the last day that is..!!!

due to come home on the friday... the flight times mean that you can spend the morning sailing... it was good! Naish 8'7" with sails smaller than 5m

unfortunately......

the wind really howled when we got to Hurghada airport... so much so that it was a real sandstorm & we had to evacuate (couldn't breathe in the departure lounge) and the plane was diverted to Luxor!!! ... backto a hotel in Hurghada for the night and picked up the plane the next morning...

april 2001 - four good days - managed a 360 for the first time (just the one!) but good fun watching the kitesurfers - do they go high or what?

hotel shams probably overshadowed in the luxury stakes by he holiday inn next door but i still prefer it - its got that slightly worn in homely feel about it a bit of character - you feel able to totally relax

club mistral centre is well maintained and each time i've been they've been very helpful to me. Tobia island was often used for the windsurfing mags testing (boards & windsurf) before they tried Dahab & Moonbeach 'cos of the flat water (makes them look good!)(only joking!)

wind tends to be cross off-shore from the left in the morning and then changes to cross shore mid-day (ish) and may decrease in the afternoon

tend to have more divers than windsurfers but if the wind doesn't blow the snorkelling close to the beach is excellent - but not as good as dahab!

happy to provide more info if anyone wants it

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