I have just returned from a 7day stay in the Royal Plaza Hotel in Sharm El Sheikh, Located near Naama Bay.
Location / FOOD (my main focus, lol)
The location of the hotel was excellent, it was a quick walk to the beach (around 8 mins). It is a 2 min walk from Naama Bay which has a whole host of places to eat, Hard Rock Cafe, TGI Fridays, KFC, Pizza Hut as well as many local restaurants and also services offered by the hotels in the naama bay area (crepes, pizza's ice cream etc) There are many bars in the area and also a big club (pacha).
Family Holiday?
I went with one of my friends and we wanted a relaxing holiday and it was perfect for us. Don't be fooled though, as relaxing as it can be there also seems to be a lot of things people can do who are up for a good time. Sharm is a good location for family fun, relaxing or boozing it up. It just depends ont he time you choose to be out.
Food
The only problem I had with the hotel we stayed in was the food, the breakfast was OK but dinner and lunch was horrible which meant i had to go elsewhere to eat. this was not a problem though as the food over there was SO CHEAP! £2.50 for medium margerhita in pizza hut. £2.70 for a burger and chips on Hard Roack cafe. Alcohol was probably just as expensive as the UK maybe because it is a Muslim country.
Harrasment
Do be prepared to be hassled by the locals to go into there shops. I ended up politely refusing each offer as I wasn't interested. They are very friendly people. At times perhaps a little to friendly (the men anyway). As black females me and my friend were bombarded with male attention, people shouting out "my colour, beautiful" and telling us how many camels we are worth, lol. No one was ever threatening though so we felt very safe.
Excursions
Excursions are available to take you to cairoto see the pyramids, snorkelling etc. Although we opted not to do these things we have heard they were great fun. Do ensure if you take part in any excursions they are with a reputable company (namely YOUR HOTEL!) Others that may try to get you to take part may not be insured and may not even pick you up and just take your money. So you have been warned.
Hotel
I would probably advise anyone to stay in a more reputable hotel int he area such as the Hilton (naama bay resort, not sharks bay) or the Marriot, they are both in good locations the hilton being the best. I ahve heard nothing but good reviews from friends that have stayed int hese places and WHEN I return, which I intend to I'll stay in one of those hotels, probably the Hilton.
Temperature
i would like to end by commenting on the FANTASTIC weather. it can get extremely hot int he middle of the day so ensure you are protected. We went there between the 26th and ther 3rd of April and tempertures reached 35 degrees on some days. the weather is good here practically all year through so you're guaranteed a tan (if you're the burning type to avoid lobster syndrome STACK UP on the highest factor available)
All in all it was a fab holiday. i loved it, I'm going back next year.
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Advantages: very cheap, beautiful beaches, different experience, very nice food, UNIQUE scenery Disadvantages: extremely kitch, gastroenderitis, people are asking for money all the time, taxi drivers drive extremely dangerously
demetrak 12.04.2006 (14.04.2006)
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Review of Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt)
Advantages: clean, friendly, some of the best diving/snorkling sites in the world Disadvantages: Not many! Maybe a bit too touristy as it is purpose built for tourists. Tipping.
May 10th, 2007
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