come to the holiday village with us late june.

its a first choice only hotel all inclusive and massive.
the reports on it are out of this world.
we go june 23rd

Hi Emma

i havent actually been to egypt but im booked to go the 25th june and i had the exact same problem as you have with the vast choice of hotels. when i consulted trip advisor i just felt worse. i must say i found it hard to find a well rated hotel (on trip advisor) in the centre of naama bay which does all inclusive, the choice seems to be quite sparse. however if you branch out to areas such as nabq bay you will find some lovely 5 star luxury all inclusive hotels. im quite sure the hotels up the coast from naama bay will have just as good dive centres as would the centre of naama bay. i ended up choosing the tropicana grand azure for my holiday, i got it quite a reasonable price that i was happy with and i have been told its very large so plenty of sunbeds, own private beach and quite a few restaurants to choose from to eat in. i hope you find a suitable hotel for your holiday!

General speaking most of the true five star hotels in Sharm only offer bed and breakfast and have four or five a la carte restaurants that you can choose to eat in or you can go into Namma Bay or Old Market to use the restaurants there. Places like the Hyatt, the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton etc

Most of the AI hotels really seem to be what the rest of the world would considered 4* but for some reason the Tour Operators, sending people to Sharm categorise them as 5T (Thomson) or 5A (Airtours) etc or whatever their own clasifications are.

The buildings, swimming pools and gardens are often five star in the AI's but the service can be a bit iffy (people report things like having to clear their own tables at breakfast as the staff cant keep up, even though the staff are very nice) and the buffet food can be a bit hit and miss.

It's better to have realistic expectations and then you tend to have a great holiday.

Doe

If you go to a hotel up in Nabq bay there is no need to go to Naama bay except perhaps once just to look!
The area Nabq has everything you need and hassle tends to be less there.
The Holiday Village is a lovely hotel with massive ground so it never feels overcrowded.
There are lots of shops,bars and restaurants just outside the hotel.
The hotel positions have changed on TA and it is very confusing to find genuine 5 star hotels are lower on the list than some mediocre ones.

Hi Emma
I have been to sharm 3 times going again for a fourth time.We stayed at the Coral Sea Resort twice and Holiday Village ,i'm going to Holiday Village again on 18th june.Both hotels are situated in Nabq Bay and i found them to be excellent,they are owned by the same people.No foreigners in high season either so no Russians!Sorry to seem a bit offish but had some bad experiences with them on previous trips to Tunisia.I would highly recommend this area to anyone ,much nicer than Naama Bay.We visited there a few times and i must say i found it quite run down and in need of a facelift.The Holiday Village is more suited to families,plenty going on for children.There are always beds available on the beach to be had if thats your thing.

Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to thank all of you who took the time to reply to my post, much appreciated. Have started looking at the Holiday Village now. I was just wondering I know that this is a family orientated hotel, are there lots of young children running around?? Or do you not really notice it??
I had initially looked at the Coral Sea Imperial Resort, Jaz Mirabel Beach, Baron Resort and the Sultan Gardens. In comparison, how would you rate the Holiday Village. Or does anyone have any views on those other hotels?? I would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks again.
Lots of Love
Emma
xxxx

I have stayed at the Coral sea Imperial resort when it was the Conrad and the Holiday village.
I enjoyed the Conrad but it is a very quiet area with nothing outside the hotel apart from a parade of shops adjoining the Baron Palms.
It also has a lot of steps and when I was there there was no entertainment on a night apart from a disco.The main reception are where the bar was is very small and not big enough for the amount of guests.The snorkelling here is amazing and it has a lovely sandy beach.
My friend stayed at the Jazz Mirabelle but this hotel is right at the end of the resort and a fair walk from Nabq bay.
The Sultan gardens gets a high place on Trip Advisor but the manager/owner asks people to do reviews and always answers the reviews if they dont tend to be favourable.He is he only manager in Sharm to do this which gives the hotel a false high position in my opinion.The reviews of this hotel havent been that good recently and I think it also in a area where there is nothing much outside the hotel.It also has a small beach and I dont think you can access the sea apart from down a jetty.
I chose to go to the HV because it was new,had decent evening entertainment and was in Nabq bay which is a new area with lots of shops,bars and restaurants outside the hotel.I hate been confined to a hotel and when we stayed at the Conrad we had to get a bus or taxi to Naama bay whereas at the HV we were able to walk from the hotel.
We are a couple and although it is popular with families because of the facilities it is great for all age groups.
It is on a spacious site with beautiful gardens and you can always find a quiet area if you wish.There is lots of sunbeds on the beach which is quiet and there is a long jetty but at the end the water is still only waist deep.
The Coral Sea resort is next door but one to the HV and has great facilities and tends to be less expensive on the First Choice website.
When I return this winter I will go back to the HV or the Coral sea resort.
I hope this helps you make up your mind.

Emma,
As you are divers, recheck the "imperial" (ex Conrad) (or Baron as they share the same reef).
The jetty is relatively short and drops you straight onto one of the best reefs in Sharm. Some guests once told us they used to dive at the Great Barrier Reef but now chose to visit and snorkel at the Conrad as it there was so much to see and it was so accessible.

Not sure about the HV, but we did stay at the LTI Grand Azure which is just along if my map-keeping is accurate. The LTI (now tropicana) jetty was 800m long and still left you 50m short of the coral.
Alongside the 800m was a "natural swimming pool" area mostly sand with a few rocks and a smattering of fish. Now as far as I can tell from looking at google earth, the HV jetty ends in the far side of that area and is not a patch on the actual coral reef, however I have to reiterate, I have not been to the HV and so may be mistaken.
I can only say that after walking 1/2 mile to get to the water and then having to stand and stare as I could not manage to negotiate the rocks for the last 10 metres with flippers and fins, it was extremely disappointing. I looked around at one time and there were well over 20 other people lined up in the same predicament.
Although the Grand Azure was probably a slightly better hotel, edged by the freshly cooked pizzas, we returned to the Conrad/imperial for the last holiday just for ease and joy of snorkeling.

I can't comment on the diving, but an ex professional diver acquaintance holidayed in Sharm and went on a diving trip and his conclusion was that for the effort and cost involved he should have spent the day snorkeling at the hotel!

I agree with Steve. The reef at the Coral Sea Imperial (ex Conrad) is teeming with life and ever so accessible.

Hi again Emma !
I think that if you do decide to go to Holiday Village June/July that you will found quite a few children around and yes indeed they will be noticable.It is quite a lively place to visit and is geared towards children.Fab if you are travelling with children and don't want them bored but not neccessarily ideal if you are a bunch of adults.

I've been to the Coral Sea Imperial twice, both times first two weeks in August and can honestly say we saw very few young kids.

Hi Emma
We stayed at the coral sea imperial ( when it was Conrad) last year.
We didn't see a lot of children. This was in May.
We are going back this June.
Garry

remember you can float quite easily from the Conrad jetty to the Baron. Best I have seen.

Reef Oasis Blue Bay

We went last year, Its an all inclusive with good food options, great snorkelling and good pools.

We booked through Thomson.

Are you set on Sharm??

Why not look at the Movenpick at El Gouna - great dive centre (Divetribe) - although, as it typical away from Sharm, diving is by dayboat with 2 dives and lunch on the boat. The advantage of this however, especially from El Gouna which is too far north for the majority of Hurghada Diveboats, you are freqently the only dive boat on a particular site - no diver soup!! Excellent also for the wrecks at Abu Nuhas.My children have taken advanced qualifications and specialities through the centre and wehave always been impressed by the quality of tuition. (INVALID URL

The Movenpick itself is a great hotel, plenty of space in a "garden" setting with multiple beach areas on the seafront and lagoons and a good selection of pools varying from more family orientated to quieter areas. The spa is superb if you are after a bit of pampering.Apart from Egyptian holidays and festivals the place NEVER seems crowded. Even in July and august there seems to be more than enough sunbeds to go around. - Oh and lovely restaurants too (esp the fish restaurant El Sayadin above the Dive Centre) unless you want to wander into El Gouna itself and visit the numerous restaurants downtown or in the Marina.

Hey everyone,
Thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to post, we greatly appreciate it. At the moment we are toying between the Coral Sea Imperial in Sharm and the Movenpick in El Gouna. I was wondering if anyone had any more thoughts regarding these hotels? I know the Coral Sea Imperial has recently changed hands, has this been an improvement? Also, what are the drinks like? We are very much a Diet Coke drinking family, do they have that there? Were cocktails included on the all inclusive? What was the food like? I know Egypt is renouned for the Deli Belly, did you have an experience of that here? Does anyone have any tips on trying to prevent it? I appreciate your thoughts regarding anything and everything?

Having looked further through the brochures we have come across Thomsons Premier Collection, like the magic life. Has anyone stayed at any of these hotels? By the looks of it, it is quite a lot more money but in your opinions do you think its worth it, because this could be another possible option?

Thanks again everyone.
Lots of Love
Emma
xxxx

Hey Everyone,
Just an update and some advice really. We have initially booked a 2 week holiday with First Choice, staying at the Coral Sea Imperial, for 5 people and 3 rooms, leaving on Sunday 28th June and returning on the 12/13th July. We have also booked car parking at the airport and an overnight stay in a hotel by Gatwick with 2 rooms. It has come to a costing of roughly £1100 per person. My dad has started questioning the price, thinking that it seems very expensive for what and where it is and considering cancelling, what do you think of that pricing?? Too expensive or fair??

Please HELP!!!

Thanks
Emma
xxxx

Hi Emma

The current price for the Coral Sea Imperial, looking on the FC web-site is £1018 per person for 14 nights from Gatwick, with the Holiday Village being slightly more and the Coral Sea Resort slightly less, so as your price includes a hotel and parking it's a comparable deal, infact yours may be slightly better.

The trouble is if you want this particular hotel then really you have little alternative than to pay what FC are asking. It does seem a lot as your 2 weeks do not coincide with any school or bank holidays when they normally hike up the price.

Surely if you cancel now you will lose quite a lot of money ? There are cheaper hotels on the FC site, ie Nubian Village, I guess you could ask them to transfer your booking over but you may have to pay an amendment fee x 5 which could cancel out any savings.

I came back from the Holiday Village Red Sea yesterday (had a great time ) and my Daughter spent 2 days diving with Aquarius. They took her to the Imperial to do this and she said the diving there was fantastic. If you are a diver and like a nice beach my gut reaction is to tell you to stay put, but obviously it's up to you.

Although the Holiday Village and Coral Sea Resort have beaches they are not the best as the sand is coarse and gritty and the sea very shallow and reedy at the HV, so it's hard to snorkel in the way you could at the Imperial. This isn't a problem for most at the Holiday Villager's as they seemed mainly to be Pool people, sunbeds on the beach went last of all.

I don't think you would save much money changing at this point, unless you cancelled completely, forfeit your deposit and booked a much cheaper 3* or 2* hotel with another company, like OTbeach or Travel Republic, but if you want a bit of comfort that doesn't sound like a good idea.

Doe

Great choice (in my opinion )! When we were last there they did have Diet Coke. Not sure about cocktails as I tended to avoid alcohol completely to keep dehydration at bay, we were there in August!