How chav is Sharm el Sheikh?

[sorry4]

We are looking for some winter sun. Looking at Sharm el Sheikh for a week all inclusive. We’ve never done a mass scale tourism hotel before.

Usually we stay in small family run hotels or rent a villa or apartment. Rent a car. Go to restaurants and explore an area.

However we are looking for somewhere very relaxing and an AI 5* seems very attractive.

In house entertainment is our idea of hell - but we could simply not participate.

I’m sorry for the question, but how “Brits Abroad” or “Chav” is Sharm el Sheikh? It’s just not our vibe.

We went to Sharm in March 2022. I was recovering from cancer and had just finished my treatment. For us it was just what we needed.

We stayed All Inclusive in a decent hotel. Good food, couple of Al La carte restaurants, staff were lovely and we just relaxed and chilled. Never queued once for a drink. It was lovely weather although cool at night.

The airport was intense but we weren't put off and are going to Hurgada in April.

We went to Cape Verde this April but not much to see or do but an ok holiday for winter sun.

I would completely agree with this. Sharm felt a bit seedy outwith the hotel, I didnt feel wholly safe. Lanzarote on the other hand was great.

We went to Sharm last year for the first time and had a wonderful time at the Tui Blue Sharm, excellent hotel, wonderful staff. Food was outstanding and we enjoyed going into town - to Soho Square, old town and the amazing Farsha Cafe. Took my very beautiful DD with us, and didn't feel threatened at all.

We are going back to Hurghada this year (next week!) to our favourite place of all, Makadi Bay. We've done Christmas there too, and loved it.

I think no Egypt in general gets a raw deal here. Maybe look at few hotels you fancy then join the FB pages for them and see what people who have actually been there are saying.

Hilton in sharks bay is lovely but the food is shit! Tbh the food is shit everywhere in Egypt 🤷‍♀️

Why would you not feel safe? Because they were Muslim?
No but because:

Terrorism is a real issue, and vehicles going in and out of hotels get checked for bombs, some hotels also have security checks, when you go in through the doors due to threats.
Terrorists may or may not belong to a different religious group, but they pose a threat globally, are a pain in the arse, and taken seriously in many touristy areas including some of the Red Sea resorts.
Op I loved Egypt (it's a big country) I didn't do Sharm, so can't give advice on that, but have done other areas on the Sinai Peninsula. I found the local people to be incredibly friendly, helpful and informative. I didn't come across any problems.
A trip to St. Cathrines Monastery, reputed to be built on the sight of the burning bush, is worth a visit. I didn't barter, as poverty is huge, instead I always asked for 'best price'.
If you do venture out of your resort, it worth being aware that donkeys and horses don't have an easy life, but bear in mind nor do many people, Cario, feels very different from the more rural areas.
Egypt is very much a country on contrasts and idiosyncrasies. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Very. That said it’s very hotel dependent. Ours was ok, quite a mixed well behaved crowd. Can’t remember what it was called though (helpful).
trip advisor reviews will help, avoid the ones with English only reviews!

Oh and yes re reefs and beaches- ours had a crappy reef beach but had a jetty and the snorkelling just off the shore was outstanding.

I doubt she’d have chosen to go to Egypt on holiday if that was the issue.

I spent a week AI in Sharm several years ago. Adults only so chav free ( as they tend to be in my experience )
Faultless hotel and staff. Food lovely and my vegan diet enthusiastically well catered for
However, the town was grim. Live animal markets and full of stray cats with their kittens. Spent a chunk of the holiday feeding them 😭
Prior to Sharm spent several consecutive years in Taba Heights. Sofitel Hotel. Lovely place. The usual seriously drunk Russians but as I remember relatively chav free ( not adults only )

I don’t remember ever eating shit food in the five or so times I’ve been to Egypt. We were just saying yesterday that one of the best meals we ever had was in Egypt last year.

I’m not sure the food is shit everywhere in Egypt, we had great food in Cairo. Food in AI s can be crap though…

They are not 'horrible generalisations'. They are people's lived experiences. If yours has been different then by all means tell your story, but don't dismiss other people's as 'horrible generalisations'. If they seem like generalisations to you, then perhaps that's because they are forming the general consensus of opinion, as opposed to the more favourable outlying opinions such yours, which appear to be in the minority.

I'm glad you have enjoyed Egypt. Good for you. Clearly many of us didn't, we thought it was a shithole full of unpleasant people (well, unpleasant men anyway. Egyptian women are conspicuous by their absence) and we have no desire to go back. And as you said, you haven't even been to Sharm, but you feel qualified to talk about people making 'horrible generalisations'. There is plenty of room for both viewpoints without one side needing to get huffy about it.

@2024intake lucky you! I've literally been ill every single time I've been there with a dodgy stomach. The food leaves a lot to be desired ime.

So did I. I never, ever want to experience that again. It took three months for my bowels to be properly back to normal. Although weirdly, as awful as it was, its not the main reason I would never go back to Egypt.

@2024intake I agree with you about the food in Egypt and I think Egyptian food is very under rated. I'm sure that the food in many all inclusive hotels is awful, but then it is in many hotels in Europe. We've only ever eaten in our hotel on a handful of occasions, and have found some really wonderful restaurants tucked away down side streets.

People are very quick to blame the food for stomach upsets in Egypt when in many cases, germs are picked up from handling Egyptian money, which is crawling with bacteria. Before we went to Egypt for the first time we were advised to always use antibacterial cleanser on our hands after handling money; have have always done this religiously and in six visits, have never had an upset stomach of any kind. My daughter lived in Cairo for nine months and did the same, and was also never ill.

Can you recommend a specific area and resort or hotel in Lanzarote please? I am liking the sound of it. I've been to Gran Canaria and Fuertaventura but didn't especially like them, but I keep hearing people say good things about Lanzarote.

Thanks.

I’ve noticed over the years we’ve been travelling there that there are an increasing number of Egyptian woman working in the tourist industry.
I had two brilliant female Egyptologists as tour guides in Cairo and Luxor. I’ve met Egyptian women while out diving.
So while you’re right that there are still less women, I can see that slowly changing.

Look up the meaning of generalisations.

I have no issue at all with people sharing their own negative experiences. I do have an issue with people extrapolating from their own personal experiences to make sweeping statements about entire populations.

Some posters on this thread have managed to share their own experiences without generalising. My comments do not apply to them.

It's like only ever having been to Magaluf or Benidorm and deciding all Spanish food is shit.

Lanzarote - you want the North rather than the south, it’s much more beautiful and chilled with so much to see and do.

Check out Lanzarote Retreats. They have some lovely properties including an eco holiday village. Owned and run by a fab British family. When we went a few years ago, they picked us up from the airport (with lovely cold drinks to sip on the journey), settled us into our accommodation and also provided an electric car for the week, all included in the accommodation price.

Yes I was thinking similar that whilst some people I’m sure have had food poisoning and I’m not arguing that they are wrong, it’s also vital wherever you go and whatever you eat to ensure that your hands are kept clean and you use antibac before eating with your hands etc. If you pick up a burger or kebab or piece of toast and you’ve touched the door handles / lift button / chairs / money / taxi whatever on the way to your meal that’s pretty likely to be where the germs come from and not the food itself.

Apologies, I’ve just seen the responses. It doesn’t matter where you stay in Lanzarote - you can drive the whole island in an hour! We stayed more southerly (Playa de Papagayo is a beautiful cove excellent for little ones, so clam clear and no jellyfish), but you can stay wherever really. We found the northern beaches a bit rough for our 2yr old, but did a lot of paddling. Everywhere is so close, I didn’t like the Eastern side as much for beaches but the underground concert hall was impressive. Definitely visit the volcanic national park.

We prefer a Villa holiday as I like a pool to myself and don’t really enjoy holidaying with strangers (I’m sure this will change when or child is older and wants more activities with their peers), but there seems to be a few AI hotels. It’s not as built up as the other Canary Islands. I would definitely go back again for some cheap winter sun.

Dahab was dreadful when I went. Little infrastructure. Filthy and run down.

Egypt was horrible in general. Everyone in the tour got sick. The food is awful. Check points on the roads with armed guards (in Sinai) anyway.

I wouldn't go back.

I've been to Sharm a couple of times and I always felt safe. People were friendly, weather was beautiful. I enjoyed the food. Spent a lot of time snorkelling and scuba diving. The towns werent really my bag but the country has some beautiful sights, stargazing in the desert, St Catherine's, Farsha Cafe. If you like diving or snorkelling, it's a must see. Sharks aren't as much of an issue as you hear, they don't take you out at the times of day that sharks come close. Driving is dodgy.
i never felt afraid of terrorism threats, every hotel has security on the door and at the gates

Go to iberotel palace in Sharm if it's kids free you're after