The best hotel I know, is Swisscare [in Nuweiba], has fantastic snorkelling, from the beach, peace and quiet. fab beach-only thing it is not AI--------also Diving School!!! Also prices very reasonable!!

The only other hotel I can think of is Four Seasons, Sharm-------friends of ours have recently come back and are raving about it-------but very expensive , compared to what you can get!!! But not sure if that is AI--------will find out and let you know.

Have you thought of going to El GOuna... it is a very upmarket resort, with a no hassle policy. I think the Three Corners Ocean View which is All Inclusive, would suit you. THere isnt snorkelling directly from the beach as far as i know, but you are situated in the lovely marina area. There are around four beaches to choose from in El GOuna, and as well as the marina area to have a stroll to in the evening, there is also downtown which is a short bus/taxi/tuk tuk ride away - all transport prices are set so you dont have to haggle, which is a big bonus. All hotels have a hospitality rep who will organise snorkelling/diving trips, and they are all reasonably priced. A weekly bus ticket is 90p, taxi is £1.50 to wherever in El GOuna and a tuk tuk is 50p per person. We discovered this gem of a place two years ago and cant imagine spending our annual holiday anywhere else now!

If you wish to be in Sharm, the concensus is that the best hotels are the Four Seasons, the Hyatt Regency and the Ritz Carlton the last two are much cheaper that the first. These are all Bed and Breakfast with a choice of various restaurants to eat in for your meals, Very Best and AI tend not to be good bedfellows. The 5* and AI's tend to serve different markets. If you want a good AI it might be best to read as many reviews as you can and try and take a view from those.

The Rennaisance Golden View Beach where I was this year is very nice, a good 4*plus, but you have to pay for your meals as you go along. It's at Ras um el sid so the snorkelling would suit your requirements. It was very quiet although there were Russians there and someone said they were AI but I didnt notice any wrist-bands and I did look as I couldn't understand how they could be AI when Brits weren't unless they had their own restaurant.

Good Luck, hope you find something to suit.

Thanks for the replies so far - they've all been very helpful! The Four Seasons looks great.... .....and a tad expensive! Maybe one day....!

Off to check out El Gouna now.....

We have booked the Ocean View, El Gouna, 6th May for two weeks. I had a good search and found that through Travel Agents T.Cook were by far the cheapest. Don't know about DIY, first time to Egypt so we did not want to take a chance.
Margaret

Shhhhh, keep El Gouna a big secret, its fab!!!!! Don't tell anyone.

Margaret

El Gouna is the perfect place for a DIY holiday in Egypt. As elledee says there is no hassle . There is an excellent and inexpensive transport network so you are never far away from anything and there is a range of options from apartments to out of this world villas with private pools . There are so many restaurants that you should not consider having to cook for yourself ! Airport transfers can easily be arranged for you and if you provide a shopping list it will be in the apartment for you on your arrival .

I think DIY is the better option as you get the space of a suite for the price of a hotel room .There is much more privacy ,you set your own pace,you can eat and drink where and when you want and I like having the swimming pool all to myself which is often the case at our apartment.

So enjoy your holiday at TCOV and then when you come back (as many people do) .consider the DIY option . That is of couse if you have not decided to buy your own place !

Hi Crombiestone

Who are the most competative people to get flights to El Gouna with? Sorry to take this a bit off-topic.

Doe

Hi Doe

It varies . I use http://www.travelsupermarket.com to get a general idea but remember that some operators have lower luggage allowances than others so its worth checking to see if there are any extras to add on ( the cheapest on the list isnt always actually the cheapest). For February we found Astraeus to be cheapest . Last year it was BA/GB by a long way and we have used XL a few times. It also depends on if you are flexible and able to snap up a last minute deal. There was one from Olympic Holidays yesterday(FLying with BA) leaving on the 4th for £94 ,this isthe cheapest I have seen in ages(its gone now). £250 to £300 seems average outside of school holidays when prices go silly.

Also check out the net for discount codes especially for XL and sign up to quidco or rpoints to save another few quid .After all its better in your pocket .

crombiestone. That's given me a few ideas. Unfortunately I am restriced to school holidays, although by searching hard, I normally manage to come up with something, although it's getting more difficult. Been to Sharm last two Aprils.

cheers, Doe

I think I've fallen for the charms of El Gouna - it looks fantastic!

Has anyone been to the Sheraton there? They say they have a house reef for snorkelling, is this correct?

Locals say that the Sheraton is the best in El GOuna... I havent stayed there personally but it does look nice. I think they may be referring to an area off Zeytona beach... the Sheraton is connected to the idyllic little 'island' beach by bridge, and off the jetty to the right is a pretty good snorkeling area. The guys in the wind surfing bit will point you in the right direction.

Wherever you go you will NOT be disappointed - I haven't heard a bad word on any of the forums regarding this resort/hotels.