THE docile dugong munches on the swaying grasses covering the seabed, kicking up billows of sand as it lazily grazes.
Just a few feet above, I’m snorkelling in the warm waters of the Red Sea and fascinated by this gentle giant, also known as a sea cow.
But it isn’t long before my attention is diverted by a magnificent green turtle gliding effortlessly to the surface for air.
And then there are the reefs, where shoals of vibrant fish dart between the thickly-carpeted colourful corals mere feet below me.
Best of all, this stunning marine life is just steps from my hotel, the beachfront 5H Jaz Elite Amara in the Egyptian resort of Marsa Alam.
This hot new winter-sun destination for tour giant Tui offers the chance to swim in the Marsa Mubarak reef in the bay right by the hotel, with a long pier bringing you to within metres of the natural wonders.
Further south than Hurghada on the Red Sea coast, direct flights to Marsa Alam this winter mean less time travelling and more time relaxing.
And I can’t think of somewhere more suited to that than the all-inclusive Jaz Elite Amara.
This sprawling resort features four huge pools fringed by loungers and over-water sunbeds as well as the largest outdoor whirlpool in Egypt.
And that’s before you get to the vast swathe of sand looking out on to the Marsa Mubarak reef, complete with a relaxed beach bar.
The 272 spacious rooms are set in six two-storey blocks around the pools amidst swaying palms and manicured gardens.
My second-floor room was cool (nice, quiet air con), calm and very comfortable, with two queen beds, a sofa and bathroom with twin sinks and huge rainfall shower.
The roomy terrace was perfect for relaxing, day or night.
You can upgrade to a sea view but I was perfectly happy with my room overlooking the pools. And you can also splash out a little extra on swim-up pool rooms.
Kids are well catered for with their own club space as well as dedicated pools, ideal for allowing Mum and Dad a chance to enjoy the gym and spa, with its sauna, steam room and range of treatments.
But the natural wonders of this environment are not to be missed.
The resort’s 5H PADI dive centre offers the chance to learn to scuba dive in gloriously warm waters with so much to see.
And while the desert landscape is stark, jumping onto a quad bike to roar through the wilderness is another thrilling way to explore.
The landscape — and the driving — are surprisingly varied.
One minute we’re whizzing along flat, sun-baked plains, the next we are bouncing over rocky tracks along dry river beds.
It’s full throttle through narrow paths surrounded by towering sandstone cliffs, then we’re kicking up plumes of golden dust as we bank around dunes.
Do as we did and book a late-afternoon safari for the piece de resistance, though.
After an hour weaving our way through the desert, nothing could prepare me for the view as we crested a hill and looked down upon the glistening Red Sea as the sun began to set.
With the desert falling into the water, we paused to watch as the sky turned brilliant orange.
Making our way back to the Bedouin camp where we’d started as dusk fell, there were more treats to come with a generous buffet of lamb, chicken, vegetables, rice and salads.
Bellies full, we took a walk away from the bright lights of the camp with a guide to look skywards.
Free from light pollution, we were soon spotting stars and planets aplenty in the vast desert skies.
Back at the Jaz Elite Amara, there was still time for a nightcap and a little live entertainment on the hotel lobby’s generous terrace before bed.
And refuelling was never an issue with the all-inclusive hotel offering a huge buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with live cooking stations and a vast amount of choice.
Breakfast featured all your usual hot favourites — with fresh omelettes and pancakes — as well as a vast array of fresh fruit and vegetables.
GO: MARSA ALAM
GETTING/STAYING THERE: Seven nights’ all-inclusive at the 5H Jaz Amara Elite, Marsa Alam, is from £975pp including flights from Gatwick on January 10, 20kg checked luggage and transfers.
See tui.co.uk.
OUT & ABOUT: Snorkelling cruise from Port Ghalib, Marsa Alam, with lunch and drinks, £62 per adult.
Quad Bike Morning Safari with Bedouin Tea Tasting, £43; Desert Sunset with Stargazing and Bedouin dinner, £53.
See tuimusement.com.
Lunch and dinner sees more choice, with meat and fresh fish cooked to order in front of you as well as a huge choice of salads, dips and mezze delights.
Hotel guests also get one a la carte meal a week in the hotel’s Tao Tao Asian restaurant, and day and night, fresh pizzas, burgers and salads are also served at the pool snack bar and Bay View beach restaurant.
My short stay proved just the tonic after a few long winter months — and even in February, when I went, we enjoyed temperatures in the mid to high 20s every day and glorious blue skies.
Add in the ease of flying directly into Marsa Alam, just a ten-minute drive from the Jaz Elite Amara, and you get a fuss-free, luxury sunshine break.
And after all that wonderful food, I possibly returned home looking not a little unlike my dugong friend.
IF YOU MISS THIS TOMB THEN TUT TUT
HE lies to one side of the tomb in a simple, clear glass box. Covered in a white shroud with just his head and feet visible, is the mummy of Tutankhamun.
The boy king died more than 3,300 years ago. Yet seeing him resting so quietly in his underground tomb in the Valley of the Kings was the absolute highlight of my trip to Luxor.
While the sparkling treasures discovered by Howard Carter in the tomb are now in the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, standing just inches from the king himself feels far more atmospheric.
The setting is surprisingly modest compared to the colourful, intricately decorated tombs of other pharaohs nearby – and all the more otherworldly for it.
And the best part is you can easily tick off a bucket-list wonder like this from your Red Sea beach holiday.
Staying in Marsa Alam, holidaymakers can book a tour to visit Luxor, the bustling city on the banks of the Nile, at the heart of the ancient Egyptian empire.
It’s an early start and a long drive – around four to five hours each way across the desert – but worth every single minute.
Accompanied by an expert Egyptologist, we kicked off our whistlestop tour at Karnak Temple.
The scale is astonishing – columns soar skywards and endless sphinxes stretch out before you.
From there, we clambered aboard a traditional felucca open-decked boat for a trip along – and across – the Nile to the west bank where waiting coaches ferried us to the Valley of the Kings.
You’ll have time to access three of the incredible 63 tombs that lie beneath the desert landscape.
Visiting Tutankhamun’s tomb requires a separate ticket – bought at the main visitor centre for around £11 – but coming all this way and skipping it would be a crime.
The scale of the tombs can take your breath away.
From the unique paintings of everyday ancient Egyptian life in Ramses III’s final resting place to the grand pillared hall and huge granite sarcophagus lid in the tomb of Merenptah, it’s almost too much to take in.
Emerging into the bright sunshine we made our way onwards to the equally impressive terraced Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, carved dramatically out of the cliff-face, and the mortuary temple of Ramses III, the second largest ancient temple in Egypt.
Our last gem sits unassumingly at the side of a road alongside a jumble of cafes and touristy shops.
The Colossi of Memnon are two huge, quartzite sandstone statues.
Nearly 60ft high, they depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III and once stood as guardians of the entrance to a vast mortuary temple complex and Egypt’s greatest ancient temple.
Time and man have ravaged the ancient wonder and just the two Colossi remain – standing guard in the shadow of the sun-baked cliffs of the Theban Hills.
The long journey back to Marsa Alam saw me quickly nodding off – my head full of the day’s adventures and still marvelling at the astonishing mummy at rest in his tomb.
LISA MINOT
- Ancient Luxor tour from Marsa Alam with private Egyptologist guide, from £195pp, see tuimusement.com.