Sharm El Sheikh

The jewel of the Sinai

The Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh is a beautiful leisure village perching on the most southerly point of the Sinai peninsula. It lies snugly between the Red Sea one side and the mountain range of which Mount Sinai forms a part.

It has a broad selection of superb-quality hotels, world-class restaurants, energetic water sports and fabulous golf courses.  It’s a place to explore the exotic marine-life of the Red Sea and for families to have a fantastic amount of fun.

Na’ama Bay is the where most tourists find their accommodation and nightlife.  It’s home to the main international chains of hotels and sparks into life every evening.

The pedestrian promenade is choked with small cafes, exciting night clubs such as Pacha or Space, excellent restaurants and authentic bazaars selling local products and enchanting souvenirs.

Slightly less developed but still worth consideration when it comes to planning a vacation are the areas of Hadaba and Ras Om El Seed which have grown from two separate areas into one.

Hadaba is where most of the locals and ex-patriots reside.  Ras Om El Seed has a decent selection of hotels dotted along its coastline and is home to the shopping mall Il Mercato where you’ll find outlets for familiar brands such as Timberland, Levi’s and Adidas as well as fast food names like McDonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC.

The old town of Sharm El Sheikh is situated at the western end of the resort and is known as Old Market.  It is here where you’ll find cruise ships docking and ferries that transport people to other destinations along the Red Seas coastline.  There are a few hotels and developments here but this area is mainly for the local inhabitants.

Sharm el-Sheikh Airport is the largest in the Sinai region and easily the best way to get to the resort.  It receives hundreds of tourists every day from all the largest airline services.

Once you’ve settled into the holiday routine, it is well worth your while to take a guided trip into the desert.  You’ll find guided tours to the Bedouins, the incredible Coloured Canyon and breath-taking Mount Sinai.  You can even take a camel trek through the desert valleys, staying overnight near an oasis and sleeping under skies that will literally take your breath away.

Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the most popular spots in the world for diving.  The calm and clear Red Sea conceals under its surface a diverse and colourful world of marine life that has to be witnessed to be truly appreciated.  You can see the reefs at Tiran and Ras Mohammed and the wreck of SS Thistlegorm.  Make sure you book your diving experience early though as these areas are tremendously popular.

For your children and the child in you, you visit Cleo Park, the self-dubbed Pharaonic Water Park, the first themed water park to open in Sharm El Sheikh.  It’s the perfect location for those you enjoy the thrill of huge slides such as the ‘Scorpion’s Attack’ or a lazy float down the ‘Nile Discovery Cruise’.  There are special areas for very young children as well.

Sharm el-Sheikh has grown in a spectacular fashion over the past twenty years to become one of the most popular holiday destinations in Egypt.  Book your vacation at this resort and you’ll soon appreciated why.