Sharm El Sheikh

[woodythehibee]

Has anybody ever been?

Care to share any experiences?

I am heading there on the 9th of July to the Hilton at Shark's Bay which I believe is near Soho Sq. Looking to go on many day trips i.e to Cairo, the waterpark, trips to the desert, quad biking etc... Is it best to buy these trips in Egypt or at this kind of website http://www.sharm-club.com ?

Any tips for the hotel and Egypt in general would be appreciated

Cheers

[Future17]

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Has anybody ever been?

Care to share any experiences?

I am heading there on the 9th of July to the Hilton at Shark's Bay which I believe is near Soho Sq. Looking to go on many day trips i.e to Cairo, the waterpark, trips to the desert, quad biking etc... Is it best to buy these trips in Egypt or at this kind of website http://www.sharm-club.com ?

Any tips for the hotel and Egypt in general would be appreciated

Cheers

Hi mate,

I was there (Sharm, not your specific hotel) in July 2010 and really enjoyed it. Cairo was really good, although take plenty water and be prepared for chaos in relation to the airports for the internal flights (assuming your flying of course).

Quad-biking was brilliant, although you will not be able to wear the same clothes for the remainder of the holiday as they will be caked in desert dust. If you're going in the first week, it might be worth taking something to wear that you can bin afterwards.

For booking trips, I used http://www.sharmexcursions.com/ and can't recommend them highly enough. Their website is great, you can contact them easily and their rep will come to your hotel to book the trips and take payment. I booked three trips, but had to cancel the last trip at short notice due to illness. I was only entitled to a 50% refund, but they gave me 100% back (again, they came to the hotel to do so).

The only trip I didn't book through them was to Cairo, which I booked through Thomson - mainly because I thought their reps would be more recognisable in the chaos.

It will be unbelievably hot, so be prepared!

Enjoy it!

[Holmesdale Hibs]

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Has anybody ever been?

Care to share any experiences?

I am heading there on the 9th of July to the Hilton at Shark's Bay which I believe is near Soho Sq. Looking to go on many day trips i.e to Cairo, the waterpark, trips to the desert, quad biking etc... Is it best to buy these trips in Egypt or at this kind of website http://www.sharm-club.com ?

Any tips for the hotel and Egypt in general would be appreciated

Cheers

I went to Egypt in 2006 and spent a week seeing the sights and a week diving in Dahab, which is more of a back-packer place (I had just finished uni at the time) and Sharm is a bit nicer and more family orientated. Tourism was suffering quite badly at the time because of a bomb attack in the region but sure that's been forgotten about now. The beaches a all pretty good (and I imagine Sharm will have some really nice ones I didn't see) and the water is warm. They all speak English and form what I can remember, things are pretty cheap although be prepared to negotiate with taxi drivers.

If you're into diving, the red sea is a great place to do it. Only advice would be to pay more for a certified (see lonely planet or something) instructor and don't worry to much about getting your padi license as you need to do a refresher after a few months anyway.

Cairo is good for a day trip but I didn't enjoy staying there - really hot, polluted and there is always someone with a bull**** story trying to get your money. The pyramids are impressive but again, it's hard to enjoy the beauty of ancient Egypt when modern-day Egypt is asking for money or 'backsheesh', which is like a tip for them doing you a favour, everywhere you go. The evening show at the pyramids was good and boat trip down the Nile in the evening is pretty cool.

Personally, I didn't think the valley of the kings was worth the effort of getting there.

It might be a bit far but I'd recommend a trip to Petra in Jordan. You can see the best bits in a day but could easily spend 2-3 days there.

[1two]

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Has anybody ever been?

Care to share any experiences?

I am heading there on the 9th of July to the Hilton at Shark's Bay which I believe is near Soho Sq. Looking to go on many day trips i.e to Cairo, the waterpark, trips to the desert, quad biking etc... Is it best to buy these trips in Egypt or at this kind of website http://www.sharm-club.com ?

Any tips for the hotel and Egypt in general would be appreciated

Cheers

Even if you're never gave diving a though, do a try dive from the shore (maybe cost £30), it's amazing

Cairos worth seeing to experience it but it's the type of place you wouldnt do again after once. The pyramids are spoiled by constantly being asked for money. A couple on our tour were asked by a police man if they wanted him to take a photo of them, he then wouldn't give their camera back until they paid him.

Quad biking is fun

Just be warned - it's ****** hot constantly

[stage2]

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Has anybody ever been?

Care to share any experiences?

I am heading there on the 9th of July to the Hilton at Shark's Bay which I believe is near Soho Sq. Looking to go on many day trips i.e to Cairo, the waterpark, trips to the desert, quad biking etc... Is it best to buy these trips in Egypt or at this kind of website http://www.sharm-club.com ?

Any tips for the hotel and Egypt in general would be appreciated

Cheers

Hi Mate
Hibs net lurker but pretty well versed in Sharm, for diving purposes

Both excursion companies mentioned are good, used them both for flight and quad excursions.
Personally I preferred Luxor excursion to Cairo mainly for Karnak , Luxor and Hatshepsut Temples which were jaw dropping .
2 water parks, Cleopark and Aquapark, Aquapark is def better,it's in the Hadaba part of town which also has a cracking council beach at Ras um Sidd.
Snorkelling at Ras Mohammed National PArk is a must , but use one of the Uk diving companies boats eg Emperor Divers or Oonas Dive club bookable from here before you go.
Day trip to Dahab /Blue hole for snorkelling is good, about an hour up in the coast in an air con mini bus,going through Dahab town centre is proper middle east, way different to Sharm, Saudi visible over the Gulf.
Its a training area for freedivers there so you might luck out and see something spectacular - (google William Trubridge Freedive Blue Hole)

Any Air excursion or Ras Mohammed Trip you will need to get an Egyptian Visa on Landing.
They cost $15 each if you buy your own at a desk straight ahead of you after baggage pick up which is easy to do.They are well signposted.
If anyone "assists" you in this , you will pay more than $15.

If you are not travelling with a tour operator EG Thomsons, Thomas cook etc, prebook a taxi through either of the excursion companies or Resort Hoppa , if you get a taxi at the airport you will get fleeced.

In Sharm Camel Dive Bar for bar food and drinks on the roof terrace is great , Dananeer is also great for food, Both on the same Street as Pasha Nightclub.

NEVER pay a taxi driver his first quoted price, half it and shift slightly up, haggling is a national sport, it is their duty to lighten your wallet in any way possible.

The normal gag is to get you into their shop to give you a business card, it can be tricky to get back out unfleeced.
Just be polite , be firm but don't be rude, they get that in spades from the Russian Tourists (uk tourists are in the minority after Russians and Italians),.
Bit of humour can go a long way

Stay hydrated - it really will be hotter than your average summer holiday
Do not drop below factor 30 unless you are naturally dark skinned.
If you get Pharoahs revenge, the local stuff , Antinal, is an antibiotic which does work.
You will get a better Exchange rate out there for uk pounds

Feel free to ask for any other specifics

[Benny Brazil]

Was in Sharm el Sheikh last summer in July but in Nabq Bay in the Jaz Mirabel Beach.
As has been said it is hot - very hot - even at night. Keep hydrated, plenty of suncream - the usual precautions.

On the Pharoahs revenge - lots of people seem to suffer from it - but we didnt last year at all (me, the wife and 2 kids) - we did take some probiotic tablets (Lactobacillus acidophilus I think it was) for a few weeks before going so whether it was that or we were just lucky I dont know - but as stage2 said Antinal is supposed to be very effective in stopping the effects. Make sure you wash you hands regularly and take some hand gel or wipes as well - some people say just touching the Egyptian money can bring on a dose of the runs.

Try the Trip Advisor site / forums which has plenty of info on Sharm el Sheikh:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowFor...and_Sinai.html

[down-the-slope]

I love when a bit of holiday advice turns into the requirement for a special forces boot camp pre holiday just to survive

[woodythehibee]

Cheers everyone.

How did you deal with tipping staff inside and out of the resort?