Me and my partner visited back in June this year for a week: we bought the whole package on Ebookers for just under £400 each which included flights and all inclusive accomodation. We flew with Monarch and had no problems at all with the check in, flight or baggage collection. We chose to stay in the Hilton's Sharks Bay Hotel in Sharm El Sheikh. The hotel was lovely: it had 4 swimming pools, its own private beach and hosted alot of activites for the young and old!
We usually started the day with a buffet breakfast in the hotel resturant and they provide a wide range of food from cakes and doughnuts to a traditional english breakfast! We would then make our way down to the pool and grab a couple of sunbeds and spend the morning soaking up the VERY strong rays! (Defnitely have your factor 30 at the ready!) Once the heat got too much, it was nice to jump in the pool and cool off with a beverage at the pool bar! We found ourselves to be quite hungry around midday most days so we helped ourselves to either burgers/hot dogs and chips or buffet style lunch again from the resturant. We usually opted for the former, as alot of the buffett food at lunch was similar in the evening. In the afternoon we would spend a bit more time at the pool or go for a walk around the resort or for a relaxing massage!! Early evening we retired to our room for a bit and then got ourselves ready for the evening meal, which you can choose from the buffet or a 3 course set menu which was very nice. After dinner we usually made our way down to the Sunset bar for a few cocktails and a puff on a shisha! As I said before the hotel offers a wide range of activities, the best one we found to be Quad Biking. As far as we know, this can be arranged at most of the hotels in the area and costs around £25 each. We had a quad bike to ourselves but you could double up if you are a bit dubious! The trip consists of driving into the desert, with a few breaks for water etc and ending up at a camp site style area where there are Egyptians serving up bedouin tea. It is usually dark by the time you turn around to go back so this is quite fun! I would just advise to take a scarf to cover your mouth and glasses because the sand really flicks into your eyes and it does hurt, as I learnt!
The majority of hotels in Sharm El Sheikh are situated along the coastline: ours was in quite a secluded area but if you make your way further up there is a town called Naama Bay which is a little bit more lively. There are a good selection of restuarants, including the Hard Rock Cafe and there are lots of shops and market stalls to look at. Just beware this is Hagglers Row, it will take you a long time to get through all the stall holders so beware!! For the younger generation, or the older of course (!) there is Pacha so get your dancing shoes on!!
Our main experience whilst in Egypt was the pyramids in Cairo! What an amazing sight and a MUST if you are contemplating a trip to Egypt! We booked ours through a seperate company at our hotel but can also be booked through your tour operator - however we did discover from our group on the trip that we had all paid quite different prices for the trip so its probably a good idea to shop around before you make your final decision. We ended up paying around £300 for the whole trip. We opted for the short 40min flight over to Cairo; you can take the coach journey but we didnt fancy sitting on a coach for 6 hours. We were picked up at 4:30am but it has to be done if you want a full day in the city. On arrival at the airport, we were given a ticket for the flight, but the seats aren't allocated so you sit where you like! On arrival at Cairo airport, we were met by our tour operator and boarded our coach for a journey through the city to the Egyptian museum. Take interest in this journey as you can really get to grips with the culture of the city! After this we made our way to the pyramids. I was imagining them to be quite far away from everything else but was surprised to find them literally on the edge of the city. The best place for a photo is literally as you jump off the coach as you can get yourself and the main pyramid in the photo! We took a huge amount of photos of us posing etc (!) and also visited the Sphynx which was very cool!! Again there are alot of 'salesman' trying to flog your their gifts and children who look as young as 2 trying the technique too! They may be cute but dont be fooled! The rest of our day consisted of a trip to a perfumery and we had lunch in a resurant which was included in the price. The day was brought to a quick close when our tour guide dropped us back at Cairo airport over 3 hours early! So we spent a long time waiting around and there wasnt really a lot there except a pizzeria and a couple of shops. Just also be aware that their short internal flights operate very differently from any other i've been on...there appeared to be no sort of system and it was all a bit chaotic! But we arrived back out our hotel shattered but in one piece!
So all in all, I very much enjoyed our trip to Egypt....we were very pleased with our hotel, although possibly next time we would stay somewhere a bit more lively. The food was of a high standard and the staff were all very friendly and cared greatly for the guests.
A few pointers just to remember: - tips are very commonplace in Egypt - any waiter/waitress/concierge assistant/clerk will expect a tip from you, nothing major, just something as an acknowledgment. - following on from this, there will always be people out to offer their services to you - even if just to carry your bag to your room upon arrival. They dont give up easily, but as long as you are dominiant and confident they will leave you be! - don't pick up a taxi on the street, your hotel will have number for a recommended cab company so book a cab to your destination and a return one from your hotel. - it is extremely hot - especially at the time we went so make sure you are careful with the heat and keep drinking lots of fluids!
If you are reading this review and thinking it sounds like a good holiday, you're correct! You will have an amazing time so book now!!
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Advantages: a testament to the genius/talent/skill of the ancient people. Lovely weather Disadvantages: the men are extremely rude, the temples are not given the respect they deserve
sekhmetscat 07.12.2002 ·
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