Where just twenty years ago visitors to Sharm el Sheikh would have found a sleepy desert settlement on the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, a modern, sprawling resort with sumptuous hotel complexes lining bustling sandy beaches and looking out over butterfly blue seas that contain some of the most highly regarded dive sites in the world now awaits. Despite massive development and some fairly brash commercialisation, Sharm el Sheikh has managed to retain a sense of its original Bedouin identity. Sharm el Sheikh is set apart from other tourist destinations by its starkly beautiful landscape, with jagged, terracotta mountains providing the backcloth to its elegant white-washed hotels. With a wide variety of excursions and activities for energetic holidaymakers, an abundance of shops and restaurants and a year-round guarantee of sunshine, Sharm el Sheikh certainly looks to tick all the boxes. Also, since the ‘Red Sea Riviera’ is outside the eurozone, cheap holidays to Sharm el Sheikh are a more realistic possibility than you might expect.
Diving
Few visitors to Sharm el Sheikh refuse the opportunity to explore the Red Sea’s coral reefs, which teem with thousands of different species of fish and coral. It’s well worth picking up a guide to the dozens of different dive sites off the Sinai Peninsula, and although the most popular, such as Ras Mohammed and Tiran, can get pretty busy during peak season, there are still plenty of hidden treasures to be explored. More experienced divers can enjoy night or shipwreck dives, while beginners can take advantage of relatively cheap lessons available as part of some all inclusive holidays to Sharm el Sheikh.
Eating out
Visitors needn’t worry about finding a place to satisfy the hunger worked up during a day spent exploring the reefs, since there’s no shortage of good quality and reasonably priced restaurants in Sharm el Sheikh and its neighbouring resorts. Whilst Na’ama Bay and Sharm might not have managed to escape the gastronomic hegemony imposed by ubiquitous chain restaurants, it is possible to come across traditional Egyptian and Bedouin fare. Head to the Old Market and you’ll find various Beirut-style cafes and restaurants serving hearty Bedouin dishes and some deliciously fresh seafood.
Shopping in Sharm Old Town
Another highlight of Sharm el Maya is its market with dozens of stalls selling intricately crafted jewellery and handicrafts, leather goods and some fairly gaudy souvenirs. All of the guidebooks mention the value in driving a hard bargain and having a good haggle with the shopkeepers.
It isn’t hard to work out why cheap holidays to Sharm el Sheikh have become such a popular resort: its austere beauty, superb coastline and fantastic climate make up a package that’s equally attractive to both well-heeled and budget holidaymakers.