ESCAPE to the pool

When the summer heat becomes too much this month, take refuge poolside at one of Cairo’s numerous hotels. Ranging from LE 25–225, many hotels offer a day-use option for those in need of a single-day vacation. Bring something to read or just an MP3 player with your favorite playlist and work on evening out your tan. If you’d like to work on something else, bring your gym shoes; most local hotels have exercise facilities as well. To spoil yourself, try the Sofitel El Gezirah’s Nile-level pool (LE 200) or if you’re looking to keep it on budget, try the Pharaoh Hotel’s modest set-up (LE 25) in Sphinx Square. The view from the Pharaoh makes up for the pool’s meager size and you can spend your savings at the roof-top cafe (which even serves veggie burgers!).

Swimming pools aren’t the only way you can drop your body temperature a few degrees this month. Escape the stifling heat and enter the cool haven of the cinema, where you can bask in over-the-top air conditioning along with your choice of romance, action, comedy or drama of course. Stars Cinema, CityStars’ state-of-the-art 16 screen cinema complex, will no doubt have a decent selection for you to choose from.

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And why not splurge a little while you’re at it? Check out the most recent addition to the vast Stars Cinema complex: Golden Stars Cinema, which comprises eight luxury cinema halls providing a first rate cinema experience. Open every day of the week, you can choose between five deluxe or three VIP theatres. The deluxe ticket (LE 40) will get you larger, more comfortable chairs — and no children under 12 in the room. For LE 75, you get all the deluxe perks plus private entrance to the theatre and leather recliner seats. Yes, you’ll feel right at home in your La-Z-Boy, except you won’t have to get up to grab food from the kitchen, as dinner will be served at your request (and for an additional fee of course). The best thing is that you can (for once) forget about Hollywood blockbusters — Golden Stars has begun to screen indie films.

Check out the new H&M in CityStars. Before or after the movies, you can stop by and pick up a few outfits from the ultimate in cheap and chic fashion from Swedish mega retailer H&M. With men, women, teens and children’s sections you will be hard pressed not to find something you need. From tailored suits and shirts to t-shirts and shorts for men, long flowing dresses and the perfect ensemble for work for the girls and maybe even a new pair of jeans for your second cousin’s birthday. Prices are fantastic, starting in the LE 20 range for accessories, LE 60–100 for t-shirts and casual wear, around LE 200 for shirts and formal wear. The best thing about H&M is that it is a haven for basics; from underwear to socks in great quality — they have everything you’ll need to complete your outfit.

How many times have you wished you could prepare a decent meal for your friends instead of calling McDonald’s every time they stop by? If it’s more than the fingers on one hand, then it’s time to get prepared and have some serious fun by getting yourself into a cooking class.

Dina Sarhan, an expert chef who is well known through her work with popular restaurant chains will tell you her secrets about how to convert simple ingredients into amazing mouth-watering dishes of all types. No matter what your favorite dish is, you will find the recipe that will make you look like the perfect cook.

Sarhan’s courses are classified by theme, the most popular being fish dishes, grilled food, Mediterranean cuisine and party food. With world-class quality from a renowned chef, be ready to pay some LE 350 per class. Bear in mind though, it is a good investment that will set you on the way to being a culinary master.

Fortunes are won and lost in a matter of minutes in places like Las Vegas and Monaco. If you’re a risk-taker and don’t mind leaving your bankroll at the mercy of a little white ball or a deck of cards, then head over to the Sofitel El Gezirah’s casino, just opposite the Buddha Bar and see just how lucky (or unlucky) you are.

The casino has several dozen slot machines and a small bar with plasma screens, but for the real action head over to the table games. Roulette and blackjack are the order of the day here and at night the place fills up and comes to life with a wide range of guests.

For blackjack, it’s always best to wait and watch one full round (usually six decks of cards shuffled into one big stack) to see if the table is running hot or cold. And no matter what anyone tells you, it’s all luck. However, you can minimize the house’s advantage by sticking to one game plan and following through all the way. It’s always helpful to read up on the rules and suggested strategies before you go because you never know — it just might save you from losing a lot of cash.

Whether you go to play, to watch a friend play or just for the atmosphere, the casino is well worth a visit. A few tips: Split those Aces and eights, double on 11 and always bet on black.

First rent the movie (The Jane Austen Book Club, 2007) for inspiration. This fun, witty film starring Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, and Kathy Baker will have you desperate to create your own version of their madcap club. It will also cast off any doubts you might have due to the mildly nerdy aura swirling around book clubs. Then make your way to a library or second hand book store, like the BookSpot in Maadi, and leave with an armful of Austen. It might sound like a lot of literature to tackle but it’s actually only six books. Intimidated Jane Austen neophytes can also take heart in the fact that most of her novels are now movies as well — helpful when the prose is getting a bit weighty.

The next step is to find five friends and each pick a book. Set some meeting dates, then get ready to lose yourself in the fanciful world of English society in the late 1700s.

The books make for a beautiful escape from the heat and madness of Cairo, especially with a cup of tea and scone in hand. Once a month, meet up with your literary gang for debates and discussions: Who is the most likeable Austen man of all? Who the most dastardly? It’s a unique way to bond with your friends and expand your mind a bit. If you’re not so keen on so much reading, intersperse the movies in your meetings to keep it light. Also, like they say in the movie: No competitive cooking! Make up some cool English sandwiches, scones with cream, and lemonade — pure Jane Austen refreshment.

Savor some of the best seafood in Egypt at Sha’baan restaurant in Mansheya, Alexandria. The city might be becoming more polished, but there’s still plenty of room for the local seafood restaurants that the city is famous for. Stroll along the Corniche to the Mansheya war memorial, turn inland and you will find Sha’baan behind the Senghor University building. Pick out your fish (there is a selection of the day’s catch on ice) and sit down for the perfect meal. The kitchen also serves up fantastic calamari and shrimps, along with eggplant, tahina and salad. Unlike in Cairo, you can enjoy sitting outside without feeling that you are going to suffocate in a cloud of exhaust fumes, and you might even want to wash all that food down with a cold beer at Cap d’Or on Adib Street. Well worth the drive.

Every year there are comeback seasons and this is the summer of the comeback, with some of the biggest bands and artists returning with quality material. If you don’t fancy the hike to CityStars’ Virgin Megastore, browse iTunes and stock up on new R’n’B and hip-hop releases — Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III or the mellow Here I Stand by Usher are both riddled with collaborations with some of the biggest names in music and will be perfect for chilling out on the beach or rocking out to while you’re getting ready for the summer parties. This is also the season for divas, with new albums from both Madonna and Mariah Carey. Carey returns with her classic, kind-of-addictive cheese on her album E=MC2, while Madonna fights for her reign as queen of pop with huge name collaborations as well, including Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. Both make for perfect, screech-along material on the road to the beach. If indie is more your cup of tea, check out the highly anticipated release from Coldplay. Viva La Vida has become the biggest selling album in the UK, but has had some mixed reviews about the direction they have taken. et