Ant

Anyone been this year ?

Is it ok with all the troubles at the moment?

and i've read some articles saying the red sea resort is ok but would like to know from someone on here hopefully we're looking at booking for this september

Ant

doesnt matter now this was enought to put me off http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...sharm-el-sheik

500

Why, You are fine if you are going to Sharm.

I know a few that have been in the last 2 months with no issues whatsoever

Cpt Jack Sparrow

iTrader: (14)

Work colleague just got back from there this week all ok

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

Talking to someone yesterday who has just returned from sharm, he was telling me there is now a lot of armed guards on the beach. I was also told they have stopped bookings for Christmas time in sharm as well.

Evolution Stu

iTrader: (2)

I'm going for two weeks in early September. I know a few dive guides out there and they assure me it's just business as usual in Sharm.

dpb

Ghazala Gardens .......

Boro

iTrader: (1)

A friend of mine went last xmas when things were a bit tense and I think the advice is the same, stay in the resort area and all is ok. That's the same advice being offered now by travel agents and the various organisations in the industry.

Cheap holiday if I remember right?

Ant

Yeah, they're going cheap at the moment which got me interested in the coral resort with the water park , you guys may have persuaded me to go now.

Stu if you could let me know how you get on that would be great

Evolution Stu

iTrader: (2)

No problem mate, I'm going to sensatori for 2 weeks, flying out on the 8th so BTTT this on the 22nd if I haven't remembered to reply while out there.

I think we are closer to trouble in Northern Ireland here than Sharm is to Cairo.

Ant

yeah i had read that we'll looking at going around the 22nd to 25th so that'll be good cheers

mrmadcap

My daughter who's cabin crew has flown there a few times over the last couple of weeks and has nothing bad to report, seems business as usual so far.

Matteeboy

The usual controversial statement but what do people see in the place?!

Dingdongler

It's not controversial and I haven't been for about seven years because it's a bit too commercailised but I assume the attraction would be

1) Shortish flying time

2) Guaranteed weather even in our winter months

3) The best diving you'll find so close to the UK.

4) When you could make the trip to Cairo then of course endless cultural things of interest.

Out of interest Mattee, whens the last time you travelled out of Europe?

Ant

Main attraction for us was the more or less guaranteed weather.

Also interested in diving, can beginners do it?

Any excursions people can recommend ?

Matteeboy

Just doesn't appeal at all. Looks charmless, clinical, very man made and at the moment, it must be a bloody risky place to go.

Apart from the Canaries which are Spanish but sort of not Europe, the last time was 2000 when we spent five months in Oz and NZ.

You could argue that the Canaries (been in Feb - very warm) offer similar things but with a lot more character. Or Morocco. Or Croatia. Or Turkey. etc.

Dingdongler

Sharm is quite characterless but it offers diving that Morocco, Croatia etc can't.

The reason I asked you about travelling outside Europe was that looking around people at work I was observing their travel habits. People seem to split into two groups one of which being europhiles. These people seem to love going to France etc over and over again and love eating smelly cheeses and drinking wine.

I'm in the opposite camp and avoid Europe at all costs, for example there is no part of Spain (inc the Canaries) that holds any fascination for me. Just the food in Spain is enough to put me off, its disgusting.

Horses for courses though I suppose.

Matteeboy

Until June this year, we hadn't been to France for about five years. We've only ever returned to one resort because it was an easy set up for kids (inlaws moored nearby, decent apartment, etc) but it's almost always somewhere new.

I love France because it has mountains, surf beaches, Med beaches, the language and food are great and they hate the Americans (!). Spain is less accessible but the Canaries offer great surf and decent weather while the Balearics have very warm water. Italy appeals in many ways too, the Alps (been to Austrian, French and Swiss Alps) have obvious charm, Portugal is great for waves and old style culture; Finland was fascinating, Sweden has many great things going for it (beer prices are NOT one of them) the list goes on.

We loved NZ and Oz (although hardly "hardcore" travelling outside Europe) but they are a bit far - with young kids, Europe is pretty amazing and offers most things we need.

Places like Florida, Sharm, Dubai and similar just seem the obvious choice for the working classes with a few bob. And with that sentence, I shall don my flamesuit and run rather quickly...

mrmadcap

Hate the Americans, interesting, last time I was in France came across cemeteries containing thousands of dead US servicemen killed during D-day. Thousands of crosses as far as the eye could see, makes you think.

Matteeboy

So the French should be eternally grateful? What about all the people killed by American troops? Thousands and thousands, usually fuelled by oil grabbing.

Makes you think too...

tony de wonderful

I don't really get the appeal either although I've never been. I've worked a lot in the Middle East so that is one reason I have no interest in holidaying there, especially places like Dubai which seem to offer a sort of plastic luxury to people who crave that sort of thing. I did want to visit Israel at some point though and Petra in Jordan.

Sharm is Tony Blairs favourite holiday destination IIRC?

hodgy0_2

This is not the first time the placement of America's war dead has been the subject of rancor. In the 1960s, France, under Charles DeGaulle, bolted from the NATO Nuclear Planning Group and established their own nuclear deterrent, an act which strained French relations with the United States. In 1966, DeGaulle asked that all American soldiers be removed from France. "Does that include the dead Americans in military cemeteries as well?" U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk reportedly asked.

Matteeboy

And this is David Cameron's - he was here again last week for the FOURTH time this year!

I'd like to see some of the Middle East, India, Indonesia (for obvious reasons!) and many other places but no strong desire to go beyond Europe for now.

tony de wonderful

There's tons in Europe to see and do and less hassle with visas and long flights which would be a nightmare with young kids.

You're not missing much in the Middle East unless your idea of a holiday is to have a sort of philistine luxury experience with lots of sun, the 'place' itself being a kind of irrelevance; dubai being the exemplar. I can't think of a single place in the gulf states really worth visiting to be honest.

Matteeboy

Will cross that off the list then

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Absolutely amazing country - diverse cultures, scenery, people.... well worth sticking on the to do list

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Couldn't agree more. That and it attracts the very worst type of Brits!

Matteeboy

And it has the best surf in the World... We were booked to go there after our 5 months in Oz/NZ in 2000 but the East Timor war got nasty and we were advised to avoid Indo. We drove down to the Alps (after flying back) and spent a few weeks there instead.

Canaries have a bad rep but just like Majorca, there are some stunning bits if you avoid a few obvious tourist traps. Last trip to Lanzarote was spent in a very old fishing village with a huge beach full of locals (almost Brit free), backed by stunning mountains. Places like Playa del Carmen are properly hideous though.

hodgy0_2

The Canaries are fantastic if you know where to go, especially for winter sun

Fuerta, unspoilt and great wind/surf, Lanzagrotty, some parts are fantastic

My Fav though is Tenerife, - El Medano, great wind/surf and the ride up Mt Teide is good for a non windy day

tony de wonderful

Cheeky git, I was going to go to Valancia/Alicante next month lol. Anyway spain isn't just Benidorm and 'Torrie', there is tons of history there too.

Anyway I thought you were moving to Perth which isn't exactly Venice lol. Incidentally I was checking out cost of living in Australia, rents in Perth have been going up 14% year on year and house prices might be same as Sydney IIRC. Australia has had continuous 'growth' of property for 20 years. Could be the biggest bubble in property ever. I was seeing if I could afford to move back there out of interest but it looks beyond me, unless I stretch a great deal and I'm not comfortable with that.