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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Talking myself out of sharm el sheik in October and my reasons are ridiculous.

31 replies

Crutchlow35 · 26/05/2013 17:04

We want a good weather holiday for the October holidays so 12th for 2 weeks. Our preference is Tenerife but we want good weather and I know we can't get that guaranteed in October so are looking and almost booking sharm. 31 degrees and thomsons kids club for DS. Reviews are good however, we need inoculations, food positioning and the shits all put me off.

I don't want to spend £2600 to have 2 weeks with my arse or head in the toilet. Worse still I don't want ds to be ill. I want him to have a brilliant time.

So tell me I am being stupid and give me your good stories about sharm or recommend somewhere with fabulous weather and kids club for ds. I know lots frown on kids club but our family is the three of us. We have very little help babysitting wise so DH and I need a few hours to reacquaint ourselves also! DS is 5.

OP posts:
Twitterqueen · 26/05/2013 17:12

Food positioning is a good one! Smile

Have been to Egypt 3 times and only once had food p. and that was 30 years ago on a Nile cruise (avoid).

Sharm is a great place as long as you stay on campus. Dont' think you can go wandering off and exploring as you can with Mediterranean countries as you will be bombarded with people trying to sell you things (they are very poor). And you can't wander along a seafront and pick your restaurant.

Two weeks might be pushing it tbh. A week for us was fantastic. Go all-inclusive. We went to one of the water park hotels (terrible news about the little firl who died just this last week - sympathies to the families).

But water slides etc will keep the DCs entertained. (Except I had to go on every single slide because 2 of the DDs wouldn't do anything and the third DD was desperate for someone to go with her. ) And I'm really not built for slides!

We did the scuba diving too, which was fab.

Don't be put off by the injections. The food in hotels now is great.

We sat for 3 hours in the plane before tak-off on the way back because the airport had run out of fuel (seriously). the DCs were in a really bad panic because it was first day of term next day and they didn't want to miss it.

Twitterqueen · 26/05/2013 17:17

I've just read that your DS is only 5. I would say Tenerife or one of the other islands becuase you hire a car (Lanzarote is good becuse it's a bit quieter). And it's a lot more relaxed.

You might feel a bit claustrophobic if you're in one hotel for 2 weeks.

Original poster
Crutchlow35 · 26/05/2013 17:17

Bloody iPad!

Thanks for responding. We really need a 2 week break. Not had time together since February 2012 so it won't be far off 2 years before we go.

Ds is utterly terrified of needles after his preschool jabs went a bit wrong but I would hope that he won't need any additional jabs.

OP posts:
amothersplaceisinthewrong · 26/05/2013 17:23

I went to Teneriife in October about three years ago. The Weather was fab.

TheRealFellatio · 26/05/2013 17:37

I was the illest I have ever been in my life in Sharm El Sheikh. I could not stand up for two days, was very delicate for about a week, and my bowel habits did not get back to normal for about a month. Shock I don't know WTF it was, but it was baaaaad.

Hotel was lovely, but the main town (Naama Bay) was a hole - like Blackpool but with pushier, letchier shopkeepers and horrible taxi drivers. Hmm

I went for the same reasons as you - we just wanted guaranteed sunshine. But it was February for me, I really don't think you need to do that in October. Tenerife (or even Greece or Turkey) will be just fine.

DrGoogleWillSeeYouNow · 26/05/2013 17:46

We've stayed in the Sensatori in Sharm twice now, once in December and once in April.

Weather is guaranteed and the hotel itself was amazing. DS (age 9) loves it, says it is his favourite place ever. No dodgy tummies (I'm obsessive about hand washing) and didn't hear of anyone else in the hotel being unwell, however the hotel is immaculately clean and they are scrupulous about hygiene.

If you want two relaxing weeks of sun with the odd bit of snorkelling or water sports then I'd highly recommend it. If you're the type that likes to be out and about all the time then it's not the place for you.

specialsubject · 26/05/2013 17:47

northern Greece may not be fine in October - you take your chances. Go further south.

what's wrong with kids club? Your child gets to have fun with other children! The umbilical cord was cut at birth and it is actually OK to have some time apart. :-)

DrGoogleWillSeeYouNow · 26/05/2013 17:49

Meant to say we've never had inoculations for Egypt.

suburbophobe · 26/05/2013 18:02

I've heard Sharm being described as a concrete block in a sandpit Smile but some of the best diving in the world is there. You could do that (or snorkel) while DS is in the kids club.

You could also look into some of the islands like Malta or Cyprus, I'm sure the weather is guaranteed then.

VivaLeBeaver · 26/05/2013 18:14

I'm sure you don't need inoculations. We didn't have any and looked into it.

Dd got the shits and so did I. It was bad, came on suddenly. Dd ran from the pool to our room with shit running down her legs the whole way. Every family I spoke to at least one person had it. Didn't seem to last long though.....you can buy special shits antibiotics from the local chemists for about £1 which seem to work well. It was 40degrees when we went in Oct.

I preferred Tenerife though. Personally I thought there was more to do in Tenerife but if its a pool and sunlounger holiday you want then go to Sharm. I've been to Tenerife in oct and it was cloudy and drizzling most of the week, too cool to be sat around by the pool. Still had a fab holiday.

Original poster
Crutchlow35 · 26/05/2013 18:28

Cloudy and drizzly we don't want that. Had that on our last holiday to Tenerife in February 2012.

OP posts:
Sidge · 26/05/2013 18:42

Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for Egypt, even for children.

I went to Sharm last April - I thought it was a hole but if you are planning on spending two weeks in a hotel and not do much else then you might be OK, if a little bored.

VivaLeBeaver · 26/05/2013 19:02

Looks like the hep a vaccine is a new thing due to increased cases. Didn't need it when I went. I love Tenerife and would go back like a shot even if it was cooler. The locals said I was very unlucky when we went, and I had friends who were here the week before so had great weather. Weather was also much better the week after we were there.

I thought Sharm was a total dump.

Flossbert · 26/05/2013 19:09

We went to the jaz mirabel in 2008, pre DC. I took plenty of flora-stimulating tablets for about 2 weeks before we went and did not suffer although DH and our two friends did.

We had a wonderful time (shits notwithstanding) and I would do it again when the DC are a little older.

TheRealFellatio · 27/05/2013 05:23

But February is a notoriously tricky month everywhere - even where I live in the middle east. October is pretty cast iron in places that are winter sun destinations. Tenerife will be fine!

Awakeagain · 27/05/2013 05:52

Me and dh have both had 'Pharos revenge' when we've been to sharm twice
Just get yourself to the chemist out there as Imodium doesn't touch the sides
We have done AI and b&b when we went out just to dive
Had lovely food in Nama bay

TheRealFellatio · 27/05/2013 06:02

To be honest, apart from the weather and the diving there is little to recommend Sharm imho, and if your main reservation is that you don't want to get ill, then I'd say AVOID. Of course not everyone is ill, but all of Egypt is absolutely notorious for it - the chances are much higher there than just about anywhere else you are likely to go. Why risk it?

I had some sort of amoebic dysentery type thing and it was AWFUL.

thylarctosplummetus · 27/05/2013 06:07

I've heard Sharm being described as a concrete block in a sandpit

More like a concrete block in a cat litter tray.

Maybe my trip to Sharm was coloured by the fact that both me and DH had food poisoning, felt trapped in the hotel complex surrounded by a wasteland of rubbish and decaying animals, felt like I nearly died in several road accidents, and found out that the conference complex next to our hotel was bombed two weeks after we left.

I would never go there again, and I would certainly not take any children there willingly.

conorsrockers · 27/05/2013 06:13

You will have to have jabs (assuming you haven't had any recently).
We went last year. Family of 5. None of us were ill at all.
11 days, by the pool. Loved it. Thomson kids club were excellent!
Did 3 excursions. Bedouin trip was the best.
Food isn't great whatever hotel you go to, but it's edible.
We did go 'off campus' quite alot. Just make sure your little one doesn't touch anything offered to him and be firm. They will go away. Eventually!!!!
We really had a great family holiday, with lots of time together. I'd highly recommend it. Enjoy Grin.

Original poster
Crutchlow35 · 27/05/2013 18:44

we have decided against it. looks like feurtuventura or visiting family in thailand.

OP posts:
Coconutty · 30/05/2013 22:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bunbaker · 01/06/2013 16:34

What about Cape Verde?

acceptableinthe80s · 01/06/2013 16:58

I took ds (3 at the time) to Fuerteventura in October. Weather was great, bit cooler/overcast some mornings but sunny by mid morning. We also got a 4 day heatwave where temperatures reached 40c but average is 25c at that time of year. We stayed in a resort called caleta which had lovely beaches (not the main one, it's rocky) but the ones near the big shopping centre/cinema were really lovely. Lots of nice restaurants and play parks dotted all over the place. There are also outdoor trampolines in the town centre which ds used to bounce on for half an hour every night after dinner, he would consequently crash out as soon as we got in and slept brilliantly.
We stayed in a house but there were lots of very nice hotels.

Lighthousekeeping · 01/06/2013 17:05

My friend took her six year old to Cape Verde came back and immediately booked again. Said it was the best holiday ever.

saintmerryweather · 01/06/2013 17:06

i went to tenerife in early october and the weather was gorgeous, between 25 and 30 every day