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

Original poster

Sharm el sheik is it safe?

21 replies

Wheretogoonholiday · 26/12/2013 23:51

Considering Egypt for half term break for some winter sun, FCO website says ok but anyone been there recently?

Trying to decide between Egypt abd Tunisia.

OP posts:
Climbingthewalls12 · 27/12/2013 21:52

Egypt is a wonderful country and Sharm is likely to be perfectly safe. Just use your initiative and common sense.

ihatethecold · 29/12/2013 13:54

Its not somewhere i would take my kids.
not worth the risk.
Its also a country that treats women as second class citizens.
there are so many places in the world to see. egypt is one that will never get my vote.

Minnieisthechristmasmouse · 29/12/2013 14:01

Rather poppycock from above. Egypt is lovely. It is having troubles but not in sharm. I presume it's the politics that's concerning you? Check the consulate perhaps.

Otherwise, if you mean what are resorts like, then they are fine. I wouldn't think of sharm as less safe than Greece. Not for families anyway. You should be aware of your self though, eg bikini wearing or being very western in an eastern place. But again only as you would in any other eastern place.

Augustwedding · 29/12/2013 15:30

Yes I meant political situation. FCO said sharm was fine. I was actually at travel agents yesterday and they showed me a hotel in tunisia, I loved it so booked there! However would love to go to Egypt another time.

Augustwedding · 29/12/2013 15:31

Meant to also say thank you for advice!

scaevola · 29/12/2013 15:34

The Egyptian army will go to great lengths to protect Sharm and the tourist trade.

But the classification of the Muslim Brotherhood (whose candidate won the presidential election) as a terrorist organisation is already having repurcussions in major cities. I think it's unlikey resorts will get caught up, but no-one would rule out isolated incidents (thought that's true of a number of other places too).

Climbingthewalls12 · 29/12/2013 20:29

ihate Not exactly helpful. Egypt is a beautiful country speaking as someone who has actually stepped foot in it as are plenty of other countries that "will never get your vote" Hmm

ThistletoeAndWine · 29/12/2013 20:30

In going to sharm on Wednesday! I'll let u know :-)

beeny · 29/12/2013 20:31

I have been two winters running and its safe.

thenightsky · 29/12/2013 20:33

I'd avoid Sharm and other places in Sinai, given what I've read recently.

I'd go further south... Marsa Alam etc. as far as you can get from Cairo.

Marylou2 · 04/01/2014 19:17

Some lovely hotels in Sharm but the town is ghastly now. El Gouna much more pleasant.

Lighthousekeeping · 05/01/2014 10:01

What's Tunisia like?

Lucyhanco · 06/02/2014 20:08

Yes. Just returned and have been 5 times in the last 3 years!
100% safe and have had no problems which are confined to Cairo and North Sinai near the border with Israel.
If you want winter sun then nowhere better than Sharm if you are just looking for sun with good cheap hotels!

bzoo · 06/02/2014 20:11

My MIL lives in Sharm. She is confident it's safe there. Been there 8 years Smile

TimothyClaypoleLover · 07/02/2014 17:10

Agree that hotels are lovely but town ghastly. Went a couple of years back with inlaws who love the place. Restaurants were hit and miss (the bad ones were awful), half the group were struck with an upset stomach and I just didn't like the way thousands of gallons of water are wasted every day just to keep the hotel gardens green and pretty for the tourists. I would not return but that is just my opinion, the inlaws go every year so it must be doing something right.

thepartysover · 11/02/2014 10:45

Hi there,

Jumping on the bandwagon here and hoping someone can share some knowledge. We'd decided on Egypt for a family trip away with the in-laws (it's our turn to choose) but MIL said she wouldn't be happy taking the kids there, as it's dirty - or at least not up to our standards. We'd be taking a three year old and a one year old - what is the general feeling about water, food etc?

Thanks!

lj123 · 11/02/2014 10:56

Bottled water will be fine, food is generally ok, plenty of bread, meat, fish etc potatoes as chips.
I went for 10days and I'm regretting having not been back!
I went in October and the sun was just what I needed Grin

CatsAreLikeChocolates · 11/02/2014 11:05

We love Egypt and have been to the Red Sea resorts (Sharks Bay, Naama Bay, Sharm, about half a dozen times, as a couple as well as with a baby/toddler. We're off again in a week or so with our soon to be six year old DD. It makes me really cross to hear the casual racism about this beautiful country. There are good and bad hotels here, as there are all over the world. The difference is that in Egypt the 4 or 5 star hotels are more reasonably priced than they would be in the Med or the Carribean. We have never suffered food poisoning in Egypt or found the hotels to have poor standards on hygiene (we have both had salmonella from a Michelin-starred joint in St Tropez though, but that's a whole other thread!). We have found the local people who we have met over the years to be very kind and friendly, always respectful towards me and my daughter, and generally very family orientated. The food at the hotels and restaurants we have visited has been good. We only drink bottled water, as we would in the Med. We love to dive and snorkel and have found the sea life here to be just amazing. This, combined with the 4 hour flight and the great weather, make it a perfect winter sun destination for us. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I do take your point about the endless watering of the lush, green hotel gardens Tim . It didn't sit comfortably with me either. And as others have said the centre of Sharm town is looking increasingly run down. But there are still so many other things to see and do in this amazing country. There has obviously been a great deal of political unrest all over the Middle East recently. We were actually in Sharks Bay during the Arab Spring when the USA were evacuating their citizens. I can't say that we noticed any difference apart from even less of a wait to be served at the swim-up bar! Seriously though, I think the Egyptian government values the revenue raised by tourism in the Red Sea too highly to take any chances with the safety of visitors. Cairo is a very long way from the likes of Sharm, both physically and metaphorically.

thepartysover · 11/02/2014 11:37

CatsAreLikeChocolates - my feeling exactly. I won't repeat what the in-laws said but casual racism definitely covers it...

CatsAreLikeChocolates · 11/02/2014 12:14

I can just imagine theparty . Sad Well, I suggest you don't let it put you off and just go without them!

bonvivant · 12/02/2014 11:37

Red Sea is a fabulous sun destination if you like snorkelling/diving etc which really is amongst the best in the world. If you're not interested in snorkelling/diving, then there's not a lot else to do other than what is offered by the hotel.

If I were to go to Egypt at the moment, I think I'd probably head towards the Hurghada area.

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