Sharm El Sheikh: More Than Just “All Inclusive”. A Guide for Beginners and Pros
Egypt was and remains the number one beach destination for Ukrainians. This article is about holidays in Sharm El Sheikh. This resort is a chameleon. For some it is a “lazy” beach and a buffet, for others world-class diving, and for others luxury service. So Sharm should not be seen as a one-size-fits-all holiday.
The aim of this article is to help beginners avoid spoiling their first impression, and experienced tourists to look at a familiar resort from a new angle.
Geography decides everything: wind, reefs and seasonality
The most important rule, which travel agents often keep quiet about: your holiday in Sharm El Sheikh depends on the bay.
· For beginners (mind the season): Sharm stretches along the coast, and different areas have different microclimates. If you are planning a trip in winter or early spring, avoid the Nabq area. Strong winds often blow there, and swimming from the pontoon can be banned for days in a row (the “red flag”).
Tip: For a winter tourist debut, choose the bays of Naama Bay or Sharks Bay. They are sheltered from the wind by the mountains, so it is comfortable to sunbathe there even in January.
· For the experienced (a change of perspective): You already know about the peculiarities of Nabq and may have got used to ignoring this area because of the winds and long pontoons? A mistake. In summer and autumn it is here that it becomes more comfortable than in Sharm’s scorching, windless bays. It is no coincidence that the new premium-class hotels (Rixos, Steigenberger, Riu, Movenpick and others) are concentrated in Nabq, with huge green grounds that cannot be fitted into the cramped old bays. Looking for European space and new standards of service? This is the place. But mind the season.
The grounds of the Rixos Premium Seagate hotel
The reef matters.
· For beginners: If you are a poor swimmer, choose hotels with a gradual entry into the sea (a sandy bottom). There are few of these (mostly in Naama Bay and the Old Town), since Sharm is a coral resort.
· For the experienced: Look for hotels in the Ras Um Sid (Hadaba) area. This is home to one of the most beautiful “house” reefs, which can compete even with the Ras Mohammed reserve. It is a chance to see moray eels and rays right by the pier of your hotel.
Hotels: the evolution of concepts
Sharm El Sheikh is changing. The shift of emphasis towards the quality of the experience continues. But that is a separate big topic for discussion. Here we will note just one important trend
· Family vs Adults Only. If Sharm El Sheikh used to be mainly a family resort, now more and more zones and entire “adults only” hotels are appearing. This is the ideal option for couples who want quiet, chill-out music and no noise by the pool.
Life hacks
To make your holiday in Sharm El Sheikh brighter, use these tips:
· Internet and connection. Do not rely on hotel Wi-Fi. Buy a SIM card from a local operator (Vodafone, Orange, We, Etisalat) at the airport right after arrival. It is cheap and guarantees that you will stay connected even on the beach.
· Taxis without haggling. Forget the exhausting negotiations with taxi drivers on the street. Apps (Uber or InDrive) work well in Sharm. The price will be fixed and lower.
Atmosphere and places: where to catch the “vibe”
To get the most out of Sharm El Sheikh, it is worth knowing where to look for emotions and flavours beyond the hotel buffet.
Sharm can be loud and bright, or it can be meditative and authentic. Choose your format:
· For beginners (Must See): The magic of Farsha Mountain Lounge.
This place in the Hadaba area is the resort’s most “Instagrammable” spot. The café is cut into the rock above the sea, “piled high” with vintage lamps, carpets and antiques.
Life hack: Come here an hour before sunset (around 16:30 in winter, 17:30 in summer). You will have time to take a good spot and see how the atmosphere changes: from golden dusk to the mystical evening light of thousands of lanterns.
· For the experienced (a change of scenery): An escape to Dahab.
If you are tired of the “package” gloss and fenced-off beaches of Sharm, set aside one day for a trip to Dahab (100 km from Sharm).
This is a completely different Egypt: a town of divers and downshifters. There is no pretension here, the cafés stand right on the water without fences, and the atmosphere recalls relaxed Goa. It is the ideal “reboot” for those who think they have seen everything in Egypt.
The Blue Hole — an underwater vertical cave not far from Dahab
The tour-buying procedure: a proven strategy
Most people buy so-called “package tours”. This is convenient, because the price includes: flights both ways, transfer (airport–hotel–airport), accommodation, meals (All Inclusive) and medical insurance. And it is cheaper than “assembling” a tour from building blocks.
Where to look at prices?
There are many operators, airports and hotels (in Sharm alone there are 350+). So there is no point simply searching for hot tours to Sharm El Sheikh from Warsaw. Prices are very dynamic. Today’s hot tours to Sharm El Sheikh may be higher than early-booking or low-season prices or, for example, those departing from Chișinău. So we look at them on websites that, according to the chosen parameters, query the operators’ databases and show all the offers on the market. For example, on the website of the Tours & Tickets travel agency network. This page has prices for holiday packages to Sharm El Sheikh. The search is carried out by all possible parameters and convenient filters. Everything is here — descriptions, photos, ratings, recommendations, reviews, and a block of hot tours to Sharm El Sheikh.
This is what the search screen for tours to Sharm El Sheikh from Warsaw looks like: hotels rated above 8, 7–9 nights, only 4* and 5*, first line, for two adults.
When to buy?
Two opposite strategies apply here:
1. Early booking (3–6 months ahead).
o Who it suits: Those who want a specific, quality hotel. The best hotels (in terms of price/quality) are snapped up first. It is a guarantee that you will fly exactly where you want and lock in the price in your currency.
2. Hot tours to Sharm El Sheikh (2–5 days before departure).
o Who it suits: People who are ready to drop everything at any moment.
o Risk: The choice of hotels will be limited to what “has not sold”. It may be either very expensive luxury or a budget option with compromises.
A golden tip when choosing:
Pay attention not only to the price but also to the departure time. Cheaper tours often have inconvenient slots (an evening departure there, a morning departure back), because of which you effectively lose two days of holiday. Sometimes paying an extra $20–30 lets you choose a flight that gives you full days by the sea.
A holiday in Sharm El Sheikh is a construction set. If you choose the pieces correctly (season, bay, type of hotel), you will put together your ideal holiday, whether you are flying for the first time or the tenth.
