Sharm El Sheikh ..anyone been?
 

Any hints tips etc?

Hotels to go (or not to)

:thumb:

Four seasons the rest are a bit crap. Just bear in ming that 5* is not always 5* in sharm.
Its OK palce for a holiday you can go quad or bike riding in teh desert, go on a motor cross track or go go-carting but the cultural aspect is a little bit lacking unless you fly to Cairo or do some coach trips. Its great for a cheap quick easy break but depends on what you are looking for.

Have you booked the flight yet, if not dont!
The place 'ses' is a total dump

You go there and stay in your hotel - 4 seasons easily the best and caters for kiddies too
Food and especially alcohol prices are sky high

Beaches a bit of a let down and the water isnt that clear

IMHO I'd avoid Egypt unless you fancy doing a Padi course - they are reasonably priced but getting dearer

I found the water pretty clear but had a much better time than I expected while there. The town was good for a few beers on a night out, hot half naked russian chicks everywhere, met some really interesting Egyptian people and the hotel was very nice. It is not spectacular by any means but a good place to go for a cheap holiday, some great seafood in the town and plenty to do if you can be arsed to leave the side of the pool. A MUCH better option than most of the Spanish resorts.

Dan a friend of my parents can back fro there about 3 or 4 weeks ago, VERY ill with the S hits

:lol:

Turkey is good value for money, clean and cheep once out there, you can get some good deals on all inc 5* for about £4-500 for a week :thumb:

Sharm is nice but don't eat rice whilst your there. TGI Fridays is there thats really nice ermmm so is kfc lol.

I do recommend however Hurghada thats really nice and relaxing.

Steph xx

Why not eat rice ? Don't eat in cheap places is a better peice of advice. TGI's is a pile of crap

Full of Egyptians unfortuantely

I just came back from sharm having spent a week diving from this

https://www.pbase.com/michael_toye/i...668/medium.jpg

Fine til the last day - spent in sharm in the Camel Bar and TGIs - where we both got the sharm el sh!tes :rolleyes:


We aren't going through Sharm ever again now :( I thought XL was bad, but Monarch seems to have taken its place as the worst airline ever.

LOL because they cook it early in the morning then leave it uncovered through the day then serve it to you for dinner and then also warm it up for tea too.

Steph xx

Avoid the Pyramisa, a so-called 5*.

I have an ongoing 'situation' with Cosmos, who were about as good as the hotel.

Both my youngest and his then gf got a really bad dose of the sh*ts and sickness there, spent lots of their holiday dosh on medecine:(
To be avoided.

Been there for 2 weeks at a time for the last 2 years - never had any problems with the food......and not staying/eating in very expensive places either - will be going back again later this year :-)

prepare for some speedy weight loss...resort is pretty crap but the water was clear. Ras Mohammed was pretty special with only snorkelling kit :)

We went all inclusive in a 5-star hotel last November and generally found it disappointing. The holiday was nice but just didn't stack up compared to even cheaper holidays in Gran Canaria, etc. The sun and snorkelling/diving were sensational so if you want assured heat and lots of tropical fish to swim amongst then this is the place for you.

However, the Egyptians really bugged me as did being immersed in a muslim country. Cite racism and infract me all you like; but it's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. I don't mean to be derogatory but I found the culture backward, conflicted and illogical.

The hotel was very plush and super-clean but the food just doesn't compare to the UK. Their was loads of choice but the quality and flavour was very lacking and, of course, no matter how careful you are you will almost certainly have a runny bottom at some point.

The biggest failing of all though is the lack of ability to wander. If you go anywhere near the shops you are pestered to death and aside from desert and hotels there is nothing else. When we were in Maspolomas we used to go to a different restraunt most nights for food and then afterwards we'd have a wander, take in the sites, check email, play some arcades/air hocky, browse shops, soak up the atmosphere, etc. During the day you could go off and explore, see new things, do activities. There is hardly any of that in Sharm because there is nothing but sand outside your hotel complex. By the end we were pretty bored to be honest!

IMHO, it's great if you love all inclusive and the crummy sort of activities that these hotels put on plus sunning yourself all day and going in the water. If you like to see new things, explore, wander, etc then go elsewhere IMHO.

Yeah I try to avoid Sharm now.
The airport is ****e. Naama Bay is ****e. The port is a nightmare.
Ras Mohammed and Tiran are superb but they can be done from a liveaboard.

Whirlwind is a great boat. Have you tried the Blue O Two fleet yet?

I highly recommend the Savoy. Well priced and away from Naama Bay. 10 min cab to Naama Bay when you do want to venture there. Savoy features Soho Square with smart bars/restaurants.

Could easily spend a week or two there if you are into diving/snorkeling.

Other activities include a mountain trek to see the sun rise (not for the unfit), quad biking in the desert plus various trips to Cairo (fly), Old Market etc etc.

The locals were very friendly and we felt safe at all times. They welcome tourists and want to be seen as a modern Egypt. If you think the hustle is bad in Egypt then you haven't travelled much.

If you are not an all inc type person OR into diving/snorkeling then I would give it a miss. For diving it is the best nearest place to us.

YOu can do trips to petra, the pyramids, ras mohamed, etc etc so plenty to see but they do require travel. I hired a car while there and driving around the desert is a strange thing indeed, desert roads especially the mountain pass down to taba tested the full limits of my 1.5 hyundai hire car.