Sharm El Sheikh

[LadyBeagleEyes]

I'm looking at last minute deals for next month.
All inclusive.
Has anybody got any recommendations?
There appears to be a lot of places available but have no idea of the lay out of the place.
Ideally I want somewhere where I can just chill, I want quiet, but want to be within walking distance when I need a break from the complex.
I'll be going with my ds 16, and there appears to be loads of water sports to keep him happy.
Also, is it possible to do an excursion to Luxor?
I keep finding nice places, then as usual, there are brilliant reviews and awful ones.
Is it really full of drunk, unfriendly Russians and is there really a Macdonalds?
Then there's Sharks Bay, Naquab Bay etc.
Where is the nicest part?

We are going in the summer - impulse booking, but I can't wait to get some sun! We have never been to Sharm before (have been to other bits of Egypt twice), but various friends have been in the summer. Everyone says their hotel was great We read reviews on Trip Advisor, but it's hard to really know - fingers crossed!

It is a really long way from Luxor.

Oh well, maybe I'll just have to take a risk, and go for one I like the look of.
Thanks bigTilly.
Where in Sharm are you going, there seems to be so many different areas?

We are going to the Maritime Jolie - got a good AI deal and we stayed at the sister hotel in Luxor last year which was lovely.

DH says we should take earplugs as it's near the airport, but I can't imagine the planes are all that frequent and as we live in London we are used to noise

Well I've booked Concorde El Salam, trip adviser had the usual mixed bag of reviews for every place I looked at, so I just went for it.
I keep reading about rude Russians
I can't believe that every Russian tourist is rude, I'm sure there's some nice ones too., I think a lot of people on trip adviser just expect to go abroad and only encounter Brits.

Just back from Nabaq bay. The beach is lovely, fantastic for snorkeling and diving, some lovely beach bars.

The resort itself isnt great, nothing wrong per se, just still very much in the building stage. There is a TGI's, Starbucks etc but nothing much else.

Nama bay is a lot more touristy, more bars etc. if you can get into the Sensatori, that looked fab. So quiet and right on the beach.

I would go back, weather was fab, everything was really cheap, just have to pick hotel carefully.

Sharm is a hole.

Choose your hotel carefully, ours was 99% Italians and Russians (the Russians were ok, the Italians very rude generally and the two groups apparently got pissed and fought in the bar fairly regularly!) which wasn't a big deal really but meant that the children had no English speaking children to play with, and all activities were in Italian or Russian.

Be prepared to be harassed to buy stuff, spend money on boat trips/diving trips and spa treatments. I was unimpressed to be hassled in the hotel (expected it outside).

bigTillymint we were near the airport, the noise wasn't really a problem but there are LOTS of flights from early until late.

The weather was nice...

Check out the temperature. We went early August and the heat was unbearable, even the Egyptians struggle in August. There is no let up in the evening and you can be quite unwell from the 40 degree heat. Also remember that their idea of a four star hotel is not the same as ours. Do not eat anything that is not cooked in front of you and be very careful with the water

Well I was looking forward to getting a bit of sun and heat, but now....

Sidge when is quite early? before 7? Late is less of a problem.

LS64, I am hoping that the air con works

i agree with sidge,its horrible now.i wouldnt venture into town,get hassled loads.

Yes, I'm expecting it will be hotel-based. Hopefully with a lot of water sports!

My friend and her DP went one year and neither was racially abused AFAIK - maybe different hotels are better?

I'd recommend the Hilton Sharks Bay have been twice. We didn't leave the complex as the house reef was fab for snorkelling but there is an area of shops, bars etc 5min walk away.

I've been to Sharm 3 times. Stayed once in Naama bay, once in Sharks Bays and once in Nabq bay.
Naama bay is the centre of Sharm so very busy and touristy. Sharks bay is quieter but close to the airport, although we didn't have any problems with the noise. Nabq bay is still under development so quieter and further out.
We tended to spend the majority of the holiday in the hotel and then went in to Naama bay for the odd evening/night out.

The reef was definitely best in Sharks bay for snorkling but Nabq bay was good too.

ladyBeagle We've been to Concorde el Salam, was really nice when we went. The best out of the three times in Sharm. Their reef was fab but you had to get straight off the jetty in to 5m deep water

When reading reviews, pay attention to what time of year as Sharm definitely has different nationalities descending in at different times of the year. July/august is cheap for a reason - very hot!!!! Also is the italian season... The stereotype (told by locals) is that they dont like to quietly sit on beach andread a book... They expect entertainment, so hotels often cater for their tastes by blaring music on the beach, employing dj type animators, etc. Good news is you put on your snorkel gear, go in the water and silence :-). 5 star is really3-4 star elsewhere in the world. Best bet is hotel with several pool areas so if you have a loud crowd in one area, you can find a quieter spot.

Are there sharks in Sharks Bay [nervous]
Didn't someone get killed by a shark last year?
Thanks Fatima, that's good to hear. We're going next week wheeeeeeee.