Sharm is a very long stretch of Coast Kerriane . The beautiful red sea on one side and desert/dust on the other . Naama Bay is the main town there and most B&B will be centred around here .. however you could easily pay as much here for B&B as you would A/I along the rest of the coast . Many people stay A/I and if then they fancy getting out for a meal or 3 it's easily done by taxi or courtesy bus into NB for a change of scenary .

Over recent years there has been a lot of development and now there are another couple of areas worth considering if you want somewhere to wander . Sharks bay that has soho square http://www.soho-sharm.com/ 10-15 minutes by taxi from Naama bay or Nabq bay a little futher out .

We always stay at the hilton sharks bay but the list is endless with more constantly being added as those established hotels extend their own away from the beach front and give new sections yet another name !

Because we always stay in the same hotel I've kinda lost track on those currently being recommended . Hopefully somebody will be along in a bit to other some more . The LTI grand azure is always popular too . Please do check reviews carefully though as all of them will give a high star rating but that doesnt mean it's going to be good !!!

Do you have a short list for us to help you with , that could be a good starting point if you have been looking ??

lyn

I've stayed in four hotels in Sharm all in different areas plus am familiar with Naama Bay so if as Lyn says you give us any particular. Thing you like we might be able to recommend a part to suit. Basically from top to bottom it over s about 40 kilometres of coast line, but doe s not spread very deep inland as it is all dessert.

I think the Royal Grand Azure seems to have taken over a bit from the one Lyn mentions as it is a new build, that is in the Nabq area which is about 25 mins in cab/shuttle from Naama bay.

Yes I spoke to people that had just stayed at the Royal grand Azure in april and they said it was Fab.

I heard that as well Lyn I think the only people who it wouldn't suit is those who like something small and intimate as apparently it is massive. But then I guess people would realise that from the amount of rooms and make their own judgements as to if it would suit. I think Phyll went there. Also I believe that the Conrad has has a total refurb and is called the a Sensatori so that would be a good one for folk who want a nice AI on a good beach.

We stayed at the Sofitel now Movenpick at the far end of Naama Bay. It was excellent. We went b&b only as there are so many places to eat you are spoilt for choice.

Perhaps a wee bit more info would help, do you want to be able to go out a walk in to the resort centre or are you happy to take a taxi all the time? do you like large hotels or smaller? is direct access to a beach required? would you like a pool with slides etc on site?

Doe is right in saying that i have been to both RGA and in April this year i stayed at the now fabulous Sensatori formerly the Conrad.Of the two i preferred the Sensatori for several reasons,the beach is lovely and the sea shelves very gently,there is a dedicated adults only pool and also a dedicated eating area in the main restaurant.
Also although there is music it is muted unlike the RGA where it did intrude on the peace us "oldies" seek! there are plenty or beds and umbrellas again the RGA was short on these.
For me the big plus was that for the first time in my many holidays to Sharm i was not ill at all which was wonderful, oh and the alcohol is the best i have ever enjoyed in Egypt.
Any more questions dont hestitate to ask
Phyll

Can you tell me who you booked the RGA or the sensatori through so i can check prices. We dont know anything about sharm so dont really know where to go but the naama bay area sounds nice. We like somewhere quite lively and in the centre of things with not too far to walk as my husband is unable to walk long distances. We also like somewhere where the food is reasonable and the drinks are good if we go AI if you have any other suggestions i would be grateful

The Sensatori might be exclusive to Thomson in the UK, as I think Sensatori is one of their brand names.

Not 100% certain but the Royal Grand Azure might be with First Choice and I think I have seen it on Travel Republic's site if you are prepared to go with a dynamic package rather than a standard package holiday company.

RGA used to be available to book with FC, but according to TA the hotel had been trying to regotiate a new contract with FC which apparently has fallen through. Last year it wasd also available to book with Inspired Luxury Escapes and a couple of other companies.

We stayed at the RGA last Aug/Sept (end of Ramadan) and if I'm honest would not return .... we had a holiday from hell! Due to low occupancy the hotel opened up to the Egyptians/Israelis and it was like hell let loose! They let their children run riot through the hotel, which in turn nearly come to blows a couple of times with other guests (I witnessed this myself) man handling food in the buffet and returning it, children messing in the pools. We also actually had our room cleaner standing on our patio shouting my husband out of the pool because he used a towel to wipe up a coffee stain from the floor with a towel .... I kid you not! On top of that we had a lot of trouble getting booked into the a la cartes. Yes, our Junior Suite was beautiful and the majority of the staff were lovely and worked extremely, but that is where the good points ended for us!

Regards,
Pat

Yes I definatley think it is worth avoiding Eid in most hotels in Egypt, the hotels cant afford or work out how to to take on extra staff (guess they have to come from Cairo) for it, so the existing staff have to just get on with things and can barely cope. With the best will in the world I don't think many of them are well trained and normally it doesn't matter as they are so kind, helpful and willing it's not an issue. I think there are actually two Eid festivals a year and I would always check that I wasn't away at either of them, you can normally just google for the dates, as obvioulsy Eid changes every year.

Hi Doe,

Yes, the are 2 a year. Due to similar problems which the RGA was having a few month before we went, I actually contacted them to air my concerns and was assured that they had no intention of reopening up to them again, which was not the case as we found out when we got there.

However, I will give FC it's due .... after writing a lengthy letter of complaint to them we were compensated within 3 weeks (albeit with vouchers) and they adviced at the time that they were also dealing with many other complaints regarding the same problem from th RGA.

Regards,
Pat

Hi Pat
Nice to see you around, I think that the second Eid festival this year is 26th October plus or minus a day. I noticed on Thomas Cooks site that the dates that encorporated the Eid festival the prices sky rocketed, so it isn't only Brits that suffer from price hikes during their holidays.