View Full Version : Sharm El Sheikh
brokencross
19-Jan-08, 19:13
My eldest daughter has booked a holiday to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. Have any Orgers been there, and if so what are their opinions of the place. Be honest now, good and bad reports.
I have been to Egypt (not a touristy bit though) and I was not overly impressed.
yes we have been there for a diving holiday which was good i did get a dodgy tummy for a few days which put a bit of a dampner on things though!
The water sports are good, the sea is clear, the excursions we went on were fun though i wouldnt go on a camel again but we didnt spend that much daytime on land the nightlife was what you wanted to make of it (ie as much or as little as you wanted) but shopping was a hassle with pushy stallholders and bartering oh and the shopping area we were in was bombed two weeks after we came home which was a bit scary!
Mmm not my favourite place booked the Hilton Sharks Bay Resort a total nightmare from beg to end was there at xmas & new year I think 2004 same time as our premier and family T Blair the resort was All Inclusive but we wanted a wee change went into the town for a chinese as food so bad in resort closed down premier and family there !!!went to fish restaurant a few nights later closed down same old story he is there !!! the story got worse not going to bore you with it and it would take up 6 pages
having said that had a ab fab holiday to Gisa Cairo 7 day cruise on the nile back to cairo and loved every moment would cruise the Nile again anyday but Sharm that be a No then , but in its favour friends have been and go back year after year so each to there own so to speak
I hope they have a lovely time
Been to Sharm about half a dozen times. Great base for a diving holiday and has pretty good facilites, and a range of accomodation and eating establishments to suit all budgets.
STUDMUFFIN
19-Jan-08, 20:03
we went to park inn in sharm , egyptians very friendly. invited us for egyptian tea, hotel was brilliant, service , food etc.stallholders can be pushy but they are paid absolute peanuts to stand there for 15hrs a day everyday but are friendly if you stop and chat. the red sea is beautiful and full of parrot fish that swim right up to you. also went quadding in the desert and it was such a good day out we went again a few days later. you're daughter won't be bored but she'll need quite a bit of money if she's spending time away from the hotel. also be careful in naama bay as the locals can be very pushy.
flew in into and out off sharma Airport, not a place id be in a hurry to revisit, place was packed, and when heading home, it was hard to hear announcements or get to the gates due to so many people tryingto get though at once. but we went from there to a cruise on the red sea, that was great, visited the pyrimids, wasnt impressed, didnt help that another cruise passenger had a heart attack while going into the pyrimid, and was laid on the ground with a blue face as we came out.(heard later he didnt make it!!) having an armed escort when traveling by coach from airport to ship and ship to pyrimids was a novelty to say the least!!!! also heard of bombings couple of weeks after we got back.
northener
20-Jan-08, 00:01
Sharm's fine.
Your daughter will be safer walking the main areas of Sharm than she would be in any British town centre on a Saturday night.
The traders will push for a sale, but they aren't what i'd call aggressive sellers, bear in mind that touting is a way of life to them. On the whole they are very polite.
Most of the workers in Sharm are from Cairo or other big towns, you'll soon realise that they don't have their families with them. So you don't get the local 'slum' areas or badgered by hordes of kids.
Food? Cheap and good, the Sinai Star is a good spot in the old town but any of the open air spots on the Naama bay front are cheap and tasty.
The Camel bar and the Tavern are very popular with the diving types - I had the pleasure of watching England beat the Aussies in the Rugby World cup in the Tavern bar!:D
Sharms' popular with the Italians and the Russians. To be honest, a lot of the Russians (the older end) are rather surly but the younger ones are mainly fine. They do like to have disco aerobics on the beach....at full volume.
The airport is Ok going in but a bit disorganised going back home, checking in can take some time - usually because divers have overloaded with kit!!!!
Would I go back? Yes, but if you're not into diving or just being a sun lizard you could run out of things to do, unless you slope off on organised trips.
Nice people, secure, good weather/food.
If you are into diving, there's plenty of options available from Try-Dives up to liva aboard dive boats. For me, swimming out 'into the blue' where the sea bed falls away to a good couple of hundred meters was an amazing experience - like space walking. Talk about disorientation!:eek:
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percy toboggan
20-Jan-08, 09:52
Why go to places which have recent history of terrorist activity?
I wouldn't go anywhere near the place myself.
brokencross
20-Jan-08, 10:44
Thanks to you all for your responses, I shall be passing them on to my daughter along with any more that come along.
However when she told me about her plans my thoughts were along the same lines of percy toboggan regarding terrorism, bombings and instability.
whitewitch
20-Jan-08, 12:00
yes we have been there for a diving holiday which was good i did get a dodgy tummy for a few days which put a bit of a dampner on things though!
The water sports are good, the sea is clear, the excursions we went on were fun though i wouldnt go on a camel again but we didnt spend that much daytime on land the nightlife was what you wanted to make of it (ie as much or as little as you wanted) but shopping was a hassle with pushy stallholders and bartering oh and the shopping area we were in was bombed two weeks after we came home which was a bit scary!
by any chance was that bombing in 2006?? we were supposed to go there for our honeymoon but i cancelled it and went somewhere else, i hav heard from a few people that you are nagged all the time. glad we changed though as i would be on egg shells on our honeymoon, but instead we had a fantastic time in greece
no it was a bit earlier than that i wasnt even pregnant with lauren at the time she was born in june 06 we were in bulgaria start of 06 so 04/05 sounds about right?
percy toboggan
20-Jan-08, 16:10
My own feelings which stem partly from experience and partly from a measure of common sense are....if we are mere tourists and are not trying to change the world, revel in its unfairness, or help in anyway then we should avoid the third world.
The unfortunate people who live there think we, as westerners are all minted and as one poster said they are often to be found mithering, or begging for money. The occasional trinkets they may offer in return are seldom worth owt and I can't blame 'em for that.
There are now obviously elements that want to do us physical harm...for that reason, and primarily for that reason I'd stay away, especially from Islamic areas. I have no wish to flaunt relative wealth in the faces of folk less fortunate than I.
Furthermore I expect sharm-el-shiek pampers to western tastes for a good drink-up. Another reason for hard line elements to take umbrage...not to mention mini-skirts on the dance floor, and on the streets.
When in Rome do as the Romans do - or don't go in the first place.
northener
20-Jan-08, 17:26
Well Percy, I suggest you avoid the following places then:
Glasgow Airport, the whole of Northern Ireland, London, Guildford, Birmingham, Manchester, New York, Madrid, Paris.
Also, we have a lot of Islamic Fundamentalists in the UK as a whole - what if one of them decides to become a martyr in a previously un-targeted location?
You'd better get behind the sofa, Percy.
Sharm is a resort that originally was purely a diving destination, not long ago it consisted of a couple of sheds. I't became so popular with divers that the Egyptians (being a forward thinking bunch) decided to expand the facilities to cater for Western divers - and make some much-needed money.
Sharm doesn't offend the Egyptians as it is on the edge of the Sinai desert - well away from the Egyptian population. Egyptians who go to Sharm are either going for employment or on holiday - no one has foisted Western values on an indegenous population - because there never was one.
How do you think the tourist industry starts in any country? The southern coast of Spain consisted of a few donkeys and a bloke called Juan up until the 1960's! Perhaps we should avoid Spain as well then?
Get a grip, Percy!:D
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percy toboggan
20-Jan-08, 19:25
Get a grip, Percy!:D
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whilst dismissing much of your riposte as tripe, I will however get a grip...a firm one on my own holiday baggage when I leave for north-west France.
percy toboggan
20-Jan-08, 19:31
oh...and whoever said "east is east and west is west, and never the twain shall meet" was of course establishing an enduring adage. Funny thing adages, they usually represent truth, in one way or another.
northener
20-Jan-08, 20:51
whilst dismissing much of your riposte as tripe, I will however get a grip...a firm one on my own holiday baggage when I leave for north-west France.
Watch out for French neo-nazis, French communists, ETA, anybody looking dodgy on the train/plane/ferry, North African Islamist extremists (there's a lot in France, Percy), rioting students and/or the rioting underclass. That's if you can get past the truckers and farmers blockading everything.
How are you getting there? Armoured car?:lol:
It's a lot quieter in Sharm.....
However, I will agree with you regarding inappropriate behaviour and dress code when in foreign climes. A lot of people treat different cultures as an inconvenience whilst abroad and, at best, look down on their hosts. Totally abhorrent behaviour, if you ask me.
Don't forget your Union Flag shorts and copy of the Sun;)
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northener
20-Jan-08, 20:56
oh...and whoever said "east is east and west is west, and never the twain shall meet" was of course establishing an enduring adage. Funny thing adages, they usually represent truth, in one way or another.
"in one way or another"
That's rather a vague statement, Percy?
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dragonfly
20-Jan-08, 21:00
my parents have been going to Sharm for the last 5 years. All inclusive holiday in the sun, outstanding service, luxurious hotels and a heck of a lot cheaper than a self catering hol in Spain where all you have are brits abroad being catered for like they are in a hotter Blackpool!
We will soon be discovering Egypt ourselves as going to the resort of Taba - can't wait :cool::cool:
percy toboggan
21-Jan-08, 18:47
................Don't forget your Union Flag shorts and copy of the Sun;)
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Northerner: your knockabout and bantering humour is appreciated, I'd have thought you'd have sensed though that it's the Daily Mail I'll miss most.
Not too many Islamic fanatics where I'm bound but if I come across any it should make for a good chinwag, I assume they'll speak good English of course ;)
northener
21-Jan-08, 19:52
It is every furriners duty to speak good English. I personally find that speaking loudly and slowly reminds them that they should try harder to make themselves understood.
Have a good holiday Percy, a bottle of Calvados would be appreciated!
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I have had two really great holidays here. No tummy trouble, the food is good and plentiful, no matter that it might be a bit different. Diving is brill. even if you only snorkle, like me. Sun is hot, everything is done for you - wish I could go back right now.
The only problem and there is always a problem, is the Russian tourists they are quite horrid. Think they own the place ( and as most of the hotels are owned by Russian companies (in a round about way)) I supose they do. That aside it is lovely. Just remember it is Egypt not Scoltand and you will have agreat time
percy toboggan
22-Jan-08, 16:19
The only problem and there is always a problem, is the Russian tourists they are quite horrid.
One can say this then?
Good.
It is the truth Percy Toboggan. They were horrid. great fat old men with very young skinny women. And could they ever put away the booze!
It is the truth Percy Toboggan. They were horrid. great fat old men with very young skinny women. And could they ever put away the booze!
Once saw a table of Russian men, sitting around the pool bar at a hotel in Dubai, the main man (yes they were those kind of Russians) ordered a bottle of vodka and some food. The vodka was drunk by the 7 or so of them sitting round the table in minutes, so another bottle was ordered - then his food arrived, a plate containing 10 fried eggs and half a loaf of bread!! I kid you not, he then proceeded to eat the eggs in between downing vodkas.
northener
22-Jan-08, 20:03
It is the truth Percy Toboggan. They were horrid. great fat old men with very young skinny women. And could they ever put away the booze!
Sorry veekay, that wasn't a Russian....it was me and the wife.
northener
22-Jan-08, 20:07
Once saw a table of Russian men, sitting around the pool bar at a hotel in Dubai, the main man (yes they were those kind of Russians) ordered a bottle of vodka and some food. The vodka was drunk by the 7 or so of them sitting round the table in minutes, so another bottle was ordered - then his food arrived, a plate containing 10 fried eggs and half a loaf of bread!! I kid you not, he then proceeded to eat the eggs in between downing vodkas.
Just for info: Russian manners dictate that in company, a bottle should be left open until it is emptied. Replacing the cap implies that you have had enough of the company and wish them to leave. Which is considered a great offence.
Thinking about the above incident Scotsboy, are you sure you weren't in Wick?:lol:
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Ghastly ghastly place and the airport is the worst I have ever been to
as I said in previous posts each to there own friends of ours love it for the diving etc etc
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