A Sad Christmas in Sinai (Haaretz)

– “In Taba Heights, the area of the luxury hotels, the atmosphere is bleak. The Three Corners has shut down. The other hotels might follow in its footsteps. Their occupancy stands at 8 to 10 percent. The lean-to sites have long been padlocked.

There has never been such a sad Christmas here. A Christmas tree in the lobby of the Tobya glitters with a wealth of lights. Holiday decorations are everywhere. But instead of celebrating the New Year, everything here bespeaks a lamentation for the lost year. The dozens of rooms are spread over 90,000 square meters and I am here alone. In the dining room, beneath the Food Market sign that in the past knew an abundance of dishes, there is not even a single bowl of food. The billiards table is covered, the ping-pong table is folded up and the nargilahs are standing in a line, gathering dust. Most of the staff has been sent home, to Cairo.

The authorities are threatening to cut off the electricity but Nadia Shalaby, the proprietress – a small, smiling and energetic woman – is not ready to give up. She vacationed in the area in the 1990s and fell in love with it. All she wanted was to build a “retirement” home for herself, but the authorities demanded investment in a tourism project. Thus the Tobya Boutique Hotel was born, designed by her artist husband Sadek. He has combined impossible kitsch with unique charm and has created a very sweet and warm familial atmosphere.”

Read more…