January 25th, 2008
Egypt | Sharm El Sheikh, Divers Paradise | All Year Round Resort
Egypt | Sharm El Sheikh, Divers Paradise | All Year Round Resort
By Viola Woolcott
Are you looking for something a little different? Have you ever been to Egypt? If you haven’t, and with the wet weather continuing in the UK, why not take a trip out there and discover the gift of some guaranteed sunshine with 8 hours of sun in the winter and a massive12 hours throughout the day in summer. That makes Sharm El Sheikh a fantastic all year round destination and the perfect location for the beach, diving for the once who enjoy it, or just to relax and pamper yourself. To keep the more adventurous entertained, there are plenty of activities as well as awesome beaches. Sharm can be as lazy or as hectic as you please and is also a great base for sightseeing. How about a trip to the historic city of Cairo? Visiting the breath taking Pyramids is a MUST!
Sharm El Sheikh consists of three main holiday resorts:
Na’ama Bay, which means “pleasant” in Hebrew is the main resort and is best known as the heart of Sharm El Sheikh. Here is where most, nice hotels are located. Plenty of the hotels and dive centres overlook the sandy, shelved beach. And you find shops, cafés, bars and restaurants behind the promenade.
The hotels include several Hiltons, Sonesta Hotels, a Marriott, the Movenpick, and the “less” expensive Ghazala. Nearer to the airport, just a little up the coast, you can find some of the “newer”, exclusive hotels which include the Four Seasons, Hyatt, Intercontinental, another Hilton, Sheraton, Movenpick Golf Hotel, and others such as the Holiday Inn. There are also a number of other hotels available which are a little scattered about. They include the Ritz Carlton and the Hilton Waterfalls. They are more to the south of Na’ama Bay and nearer to downtown. There are also a great number of other fine hotels that are not part of any major chains, as well as more affordable once, some of them are private and some chain, for example, the Days Inn.
Ras Um Sid is located next to the local lighthouse and situated at the cliff top area that joins Naama Bay and the bay of Sharm El Maya. Ras Um Sid has a nice, but small beach that often becomes one of the most crowded of all at Sharm El Sheikh. If you are a fan of corals, the reef of the beach is really good and there are also an innumerable variations of fish.
Ras Um Sid is named for the head or cape - “ras” in Arabic - which sticks out the sea. It is quite central and located 7km (4.3 miles) south of Na’ama Bay and borders on Sharm El Sheikh.
Sharm El Maya (Moya) is the name that has been given to the bay area old town of Sharm El Sheikh. It is not large, but there is a various number of restaurants and nightspots. Places like the Hard Rock Café and a good number of well known food chains.
The bay is a picturesque, natural harbour and home to many small boats. Here you can also find the fishing and diving boat jetty.
There is an abundance of palm trees by the excellent sandy beach providing natural shade for the sun loungers. It is an ideal place for those who like to spend their holidays relaxing and yet still have access to the nearby action if they choose to.
You will find bazaars, banks, as well as one of the three hospitals located in the area and also a number of other facilities. The bazaar is great for those holiday bargains - far cheaper than Na’ama.
Sharm El Sheikh really is the holiday destination with something for everyone!
For those who are interested in Holiday - Apartment Lettings:
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