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...

Darren checks out Egypt's history from the air!  This month we're celebrating our 10th birthday at  Escape Worldwide , and looking back at 10 years of globetrotting in the name of bringing you great holidays - at least that's our excuse! We're having a look at our personal top 10 favourite travel experiences of the last 10 years. "I'm a huge fan of Egypt's historical sites - I think it dates back to my school days when tales of Pharaoh's and their treasures buried in the desert really captured my imagination! The thing to my mind that's so wonderful about Egypt's history is how accessible it is, and how easy it is to picture the scene thousands of years old - so many temples and other sites are so well preserved, it has to be the best place in the world for any history buff!  Balloon over Luxor at sunrise Luxor probably has the highest concentration of antiquities of any part of Egypt, and the West Bank is pro...

Hi everyone, Our newsletter this week had something a little different, holidays without a beach! Check out the ideas: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/newsletter/offers/May11b2.html A couple of my favorites are: HAVANA CITY BREAK, CUBA from £849 PARQUE CENTRAL HOTEL Soak up the atmosphere of Havana, one of the world's most mesmerising cities, and stay in one of the best hotels, superbly located where Old and New Havana meet and with some of the best facilities in the City. Departures: 12 JUNE 2011 Nights: 3 Prices from: £849 pp Check out more great holidays to Cuba at: http://www.cubaescapes.co.uk/ FAR EAST CITIES from £1079 HONG KONG + KUALA LUMPUR Combine two of the liveliest cities in the Far East in one trip - explore vibrant Hong Kong and cosmopolitan Kuala Lumpur, with amazing food and superb shopping a plenty, saving over £500 per couple too! Departures: 15 JUNE 2011 Nights: 4 + 4 Prices from: £1079 pp Check out more great holidays to t...

Hi all, This weeks travel calendar looks at some great holiday ideas for July to September ( http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/newsletter/top/ideas2011c2.html ): JULY - Great Weather in Bali When much of the Far East is in its rainy season, Bali bucks the trend and is far drier, making it a great time to visit. Spend your time on the beach or include a night or two inland at Ubud, taking in some of the Island's amazing scenery and fascinating culture. Holidays are for 10 nights - it's also possible to include a city stopover on the way to Bali , with Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur all possible! Hotel Ideal For Rating Board Prices from BUMAS -  Family-run friendliness - 3* BB £989 pp MERCURE - Handy for local dining  - 4* BB £1079 pp MELIA BALI - Stylish and spacious - 4+* RO £1195 pp HOLIDAY IDEAS TO BALI AUGUST - Red Sea Family - up to 4 kids The 5* Makadi Palace Family Star is a great option for larger families, as roo...

Karen recently spent a week in Taba , on the shores of the Red Sea – “Taba is a great place for chilling out for a week or two in the sun – there’s very little there apart from some exceptionally nice hotels, mostly situated on the beach, a dive centre and great weather, perfect! We spent a week at the newest hotel in Taba Heights , the 5* Intercontinental, which is an excellent hotel with a great tapas bar on the lagoon, and did a trip to Petra and a trip to Cairo from there, although I would quite happily have done nothing for the week! I think there will be more hotels there in the next few years as it is a purpose-built resort that is growing quickly, so if you are looking for peace and quiet now is the time to go! My friend and I tried our hand at snorkeling, which is fantastic in the Red Sea , and most people there were raving about the diving and reeling off the names of the fish they had seen. Not being a swimmer diving isn’t for me, and I felt I saw a lot of these fish...

He fellow travellers, Egypt is the focus of out latest Holiday Ideas for 2010: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/newsletter/special/2010egyptb.html Egypt is a fascinating mix of sun, beaches and culture and a must see, especially the ancient Pyramids at Giza in Cairo . We've got some great holiday options for you including an fantastic Nile Cruise , which is a great way to see many of Egypt's amazing sites. Short on time then how about a City break to Cairo , home of the amazing Pyramids and also the fascinating Egyptian Museum. Why not see the full range of holidays we offer to Egypt: http://www.redseaescapes.co.uk . Egypt not for you, then check out the range of amazing long-haul holidays we have: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk Happy travelling! Darren

On a trip to Jordan, Mark explored the famed city of Petra. “I’m a huge fan of the Middle East’s history, with locations such as Abu Simbel in Egypt and Crac Des Chevaliers in Syria amongst my favourites. Somewhere like Jordan packs so much history in to such a small country – it’s truly fascinating. Petra has always been on my list of places to see (probably as a result of the Indiana Jones movies!) so when I was in Aqaba, there was no excuse not to visit. Being August, though, high temperatures meant that it was going to be hot going! The entrance to Petra is really breathtaking – you’ve probably seen it on TV, but the narrow gap in the rocks known as the Siq that opens up in to the city itself makes for a spectacular entrance – with 200 metre high cliffs towering above you, the sense of adventure is at its height. Petra itself covers a fairly large area, so I found it useful to break it up in to different areas, to make the most of the location – and to avoid overdoing things in the...