Egypt Sharm el Sheik.

rovers2001

Hi Guys
Just wondering has anyone been or planning to go to Sharm el Sheik.Thinking of going in June and looking for some info to help us along.Its quite expensive from Ireland but can find a decent deal going through Manchester.Because of the recent unrest deals are to be had and by all accounts things are alot better now.Any info on Hotels, food,drink,money, vaccinations etc greatly appreciated.
Thanks

It will be VERY HOT in june,circa 40c+!
Are you sure you want to be there in that kind of heat?

There was never any unrest in Sharm el Sheikh,it's very peacefull and serene.

Your hotel will depend on your budget but have a look on expedia dot ie and choose flights plus hotel for your dates.
Go for 5 star hotels and don't choose anything lower than four star.

A dummy booking gave the ritz carlton for a week including flights at €754 per person [see below] including a weeks accommodation.
Thats good value for the quality you'll be getting,it's the 3rd best hotel in the area in my opinion.
[ http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/SharmElSheikh/Default.htm ]-you'd get just 3 nights at the R-C powerscourt for that money and no flights for example!!
Some of the tripadvisor reviews there say it's over priced for food and beverages,but thats the thing,eat off site,theres plenty of places in Nama bay.When in Egypt,I'd strongly avoid 3 star and below establishments unless you want delly belly.
Take the concierge's advice on where to eat in the town.We had no problems.
Also when reading trip advisor reviews,read the ones where the reviewer has more than 10 reviews and ignore those with just 1 review.

As for food and drink,thats very cheap over there.
Bring €400 worth of Egyptian plus your credit cards and you'll be grand !

You don't need any visa if you are not leaving the sharm el sheikh area,you will [purchasable in the airport on arrival] if you want to go to Cairo for the day or something.

Flight + Hotel Trip

The Ritz-Carlton, Sharm El Sheikh
This beachfront luxury hotel is located in Sharm el Sheikh, close to Hadaba Beach and Naama Bay Beach. Nearby attractions also include Sharm El Sheikh Golf ... More lodging info

Booked separately: €1.556 Trip Savings: - €49 Total Price: €1.507
€754 per person includes: Flight + Hotel, Taxes & Fees Select and Continue


Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Deluxe room Check in: 16-Jun
Check out: 22-Jun Traveller Opinion
3.4 out of 5
10+ reviews
Flight Information
[SIZE=-2]Dublin (DUB) to Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) [/SIZE] [SIZE=-2]Depart:15-Jun 19:30 - 05:15 (+1 day) [/SIZE] [SIZE=-2]bmi Egyptair[/SIZE] [SIZE=-2]Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) to Dublin (DUB) [/SIZE] [SIZE=-2]Return:22-Jun 16:00 - 08:00 (+1 day) [/SIZE] [SIZE=-2]Egyptair bmi[/SIZE]

JackPerry

But is'nt Sharm el Sheikh where the "deposed" President of Egypt is now living?Bound to have some security issues. Also, I believed Sharm el Sheikh has had some terrorist bombings in the past.

There were bombings there years ago,more than a decade iirc and nothing to do with the current situation.
You cannot enter a hotel there today without going through a metal detector like an airport and cars going in are stopped at a security gate and examined for explosives.
It's the same at land mark hotels in cairo and has been for years before the current situation.
There was never any trouble in Sharm el Sheikh,though I understand there were protesters outside mubaraks house once or twice.

Mubarak was there when I was there a month ago and you'd never have known.
He's currently in hospital in Cairo and under arrest afaik.

rovers2001

Hi Black Briar
Thanks for the info.Yeah it will be very hot alright but thats when i get my holidays.Did you get any hassle out there?I believe Naama bay can get quite intimidating esp towards women.Would you recoomend Naama or Sharks bay..im in two minds now after reading tripadvisor reviews.

rovers2001

rovers2001 wrote: »

Hi Black Briar
Thanks for the info.Yeah it will be very hot alright but thats when i get my holidays.Did you get any hassle out there?I believe Naama bay can get quite intimidating esp towards women.Would you recoomend Naama or Sharks bay..im in two minds now after reading tripadvisor reviews.

No hassle at all once you don't entertain the people trying to sell you stuff.Just look away and carry on past them in the street.
It's the same as in Cairo.
If you keep a stiff upper lip and don't look at them then it's ok.There are loads of them,you gotta remember you are essentially in a poor country compared to home and it's how they make some money.
Dress for women was completely western.I was there last year and this year.
It was much busier last year as people shy away... thinking it's libya :rolleyes:

Nama bay for sure.
It's lively at night with tonne's of bars and *cough* bong houses.

I'd highly recommend the camel bar.The roof terrace there is good and theres lots of cold Sakhara beer [one of the best things in Egypt ]
Theres a hard rock cafe too which becomes a night club at night time and a fairly good one.
Ladies beware of Egyptian men though,they will try and ask you out...but they won't approach you if you are with someone.

Have a look around the Trip advisor forum for more information.
But if you want to know anything more - just ask

Bigcheeze

Close to a hundred people were killed there in a terrorist attack in 2005. I think that may have been some al-qaeda linked group. The airport style security suggests the threat is high and is not the sort of atmosphere I would personally want for a holiday.

What is it with the female harassment in Nth African and Middle East countries...are western women seen as meal tickets ?

Al Q variants bombed london and madrid and new york,killing many more than were done in the one incident at Sharm-those are on your never go list too are they?
It takes 5 seconds to go through a metal detector at a hotel lobby and about 30 seconds for your car to be examined by a bomb detector outside a hotel.
They are there,thats all and they are quaint but a safety precaution and worth it.

I'd feel very confident going there.In fact,if you travelled based on incidents,you'd go nowhere,not omagh anyway..

partyatmygaff

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Close to a hundred people were killed there in a terrorist attack in 2005. I think that may have been some al-qaeda linked group. The airport style security suggests the threat is high and is not the sort of atmosphere I would personally want for a holiday.

Security is no tighter than at all major international airports like New York or London. There is no "high" threat of terror attacks in Egypt. If you ask me, the chance of a terrorist attack is higher in the likes of New York than Egypt.

Egypt is perfectly safe for tourists.

What is it with the female harassment in Nth African and Middle East countries...are western women seen as meal tickets ?

In Sharm-el-Sheikh you'll be hardly noticed let alone harassed. It's a major tourist destination so people are not at all unaccustomed to seeing tourists. If you visit Cairo or Alexandria however you may get people staring at you or making comments if you're wearing revealing clothes. That's a problem moreso in Cairo than in Alexandria though.


Be warned though... in June the weather will be very hot. In built-up city areas the air temperature can go to 50C at noon.

Bigcheeze

I don't have a "no go list"

The concept of having metal detectors in hotels and car bomb checks does not appeal me as a destination for a holiday. It's not as if there's any shortage of these sun destinations to choose from within 3-4 hours flying time.

partyatmygaff

So I take it you'll never visit London or New York?

Bigcheeze

partyatmygaff wrote: »

So I take it you'll never visit London or New York?

I've never seen a UK or US hotel with a metal detector.

Bigcheeze

Bigcheeze wrote: »

I don't have a "no go list"

The concept of having metal detectors in hotels and car bomb checks does not appeal me as a destination for a holiday. It's not as if there's any shortage of these sun destinations to choose from within 3-4 hours flying time.

You won't want to go to istanbul either then..
pity because it's a nice city.

I'll take pictures.

tatli_lokma

I've not been to Egypt myself, so my advise on this is limited, however, my sister ahd bro-in-law have been many times, and their advice is to book a decent hotel which does All inc, but only book B&B. In duty free buy a few bottles of whiskey, and then when you arrive a bottle of whiskey and about €50 will entitle you to an All Inc armband, and save you around €200 on the travel agent price!

this is what she has done many times, and when we were originally thinking of going to Egypt this was her advice to us.

HTH

Pythia

partyatmygaff wrote: »

In Sharm-el-Sheikh you'll be hardly noticed let alone harassed. It's a major tourist destination so people are not at all unaccustomed to seeing tourists.

Not necessarily true. I found I got a lot of attention from men in Sharm, even with my boyfriend standing beside me. For example, a police officer in Sharm Airport saying a pervy comment. You can't escape it in Egypt.

Naked Lepper

i was there in march just gone
amazing place - one of my faves ever
diving is stunning, people are sound and food is lovely
its cheap too

no threats of terrorists etc now

stayed in the hilton in naama bay - got good deal with thomas cook from belfast for the wk

will definitely go back some time!

some people are idiots - nothing to be afraid of by going there at all!