The countries of the Middle East offer a wealth of interest to the visitor, from the incredible history of Egypt to the modern metropolis of Dubai. With guaranteed sunshine, top quality hotels and short flight times, it’s no wonder this region is so popular. There’s nowhere quite like Egypt for accessible history, unique sights, amazing diving and guaranteed weather, and its all just a 5 hour flight away! While it’s seen its fair share of change in the last few years, once Egypt is back on its feet it will return to its place as one of the world’s best visitor destinations. A Nile cruise is a superb option for taking in a few thousand years of history in comfort, while the Pyramids and Sphinx should be on  anyone’s ‘must see’ list. Divers flock to the Red Sea and it’s easy to see why, plus there’s loads for non-divers too. Dubai has firmly established itself as one of the world’s leading destinations over the last few years, and offers an incredible range of lu...

In 2012 we did a lot of travel, for research honest! One of Darren's favourites was Oman : “For a spot of winter sunshine late last year I had a long weekend in Oman, where temperatures were in the mid 30's - just perfect for lazy days in the pool! I stayed at the Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz Carlton hotel and a local landmark - there aren't many hotels I've been to where the local Sultan has a floor all to himself (not even the hotel's manager has been to the 9th floor, apparently!) Oman is a beautiful country and Muscat itself is a fascinating town - the area has some beautiful hotels but if you can drag yourself away from the beach then I'd really recommend exploring Muscat for a half a day. The Grand Mosque is a beautiful example of Arabic architecture, while the Downtown area of Mutrah has an excellent Souq that looks like it hasn't changed for hundreds of years - I bought some spices and a rather lovely stained glass light fitting that seemed like a b...

OMAN  hopes to lure more tourists by slashing visa costs by 75%. The new tourist entry visa fee is OMR 5 and is valid for up to 10 days. Cruise arrival visas are free for up to 24 hours or OMR 5 for multiple visits. A fee of OMR 20 for a single entry for up to a month remains in place. Under-secretary of tourism Maitha Al Mahrouqi said: “The government has moved proactively to improve Oman’s competitiveness in stop-over, short-stay and conference tourism. “The changes also encourage travel to Salalah and other regional destinations, and conference organisers to consider Oman as an event location”. The tourism ministry expects a lift in leisure and short stay visits in the short-term as well as growing numbers of airline transit passengers, up by 19% in the year to September 2011 to 787,000. Oman is also seeing an increase in cruise ship activity and the new visa arrangements strengthen the case for lines to consider Muscat for crew and passenger exchanges. “The change...

Hi fellow travellers, This week we have some great holiday offers: Longhaul Holiday Offers This week explore South Africa by fly-drive, go cheetah-spotting on the Masai Mara, party and chill in Thailand or be pampered in Oman - superb holidays across the Globe, all at excellent prices and fully ATOL-protected. Call us on 020 8989 0970 or e-mail us at info@escapeworldwide.co.uk for more details today. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KENYA SAFARI from £1575 MASAI MARA + MOMBASA A one-off special offer saving £150 per couple on the superb 7-night 5* Cheetah Safari, departing 29 April, complete with free Hippo Pool breakfast on the Masai Mara. Combine it with the beaches of Mombasa or Zanzibar, or just do the safari itself. CHEETAH SAFARI   - 7 -  FB -  £1575 pp + INDIAN OC RES MOMBASA 7+7  - HB -  £1845 pp + ROYAL ZANZIBAR RESORT 7+7 -  AI -  £2075 pp See more details at: http://...

Hi fellow travellers! Our latest newsletter focuses on various food experiences our staff have encountered during their travels. From Satay in Malaysia to Lamb and Date stew in Muscat, we’ve had some fun trying out the local grub! Check it out: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/newsletter/top/food.html More details of our various culinary delights can also be found on our website: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/escape/top/food.html Bye for now! Darren