Thanks Val (fellow Libran)
Will have a look at Oonas online.

Do you know aqua blu hotel and water park?? just book there for July

J

If I had the first clue how to post a link I would show you the thread all about it where you can read reviews etc.
Perhaps someone would do it for me (pretty please..you all know i am a complete spanner at owt like that).

is this the link Val http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=141809&hilit=aqua+blu+hotel

Julian..I think it might be whittled down to Emporer..seems to be one we all agree on!!!

Thanks guys, do you have a Web link for Emporer?

Here you go julian . They do give a discount for advance bookings and many seem to do it that way

http://www.emperordivers.com/

Thanks Lyn,

July seems SUCH a long way away!

HI
We are looking for a deal in Sharm at the moment and really want a hotel that is near a dive centre..or is there a specific area that is better ie naama bay?. can anyone recommend any good ones (hotels/resorts nr dive centres!!) however as I will not be diving all the time with my son and husband (both divemasters + etc etc) i would also like some decent facilities at hotel and nearby!! any suggestions would be welcome plse..have currently found deals with St Georges three corners / sol y mar /sharm grand plaza resort/ oriental resort. ... read reviews but nothing on the nr by dive centres?? ......... oh and i would like some decent beach ...for me when I am abandoned all day every day!!!
Chilly

The hilton at sharks bay has an excellent on site dive club(sinai dive club) http://www.dive-club.com. It's not just a rep selling here , there is a fully staffed dive club and good diving directly from here, either on the house reef , rib-boat or the bigger boat from naama bay. Plenty of facilities there but I'm afraid the beach isn't up to much . They do have sunbathing terraces in sand and plenty of pool choices . If you snorkel the reef here is very good .

If you want to be in Naama bay you could look at the sonesta beach club . Their on site dive club doesnt look very impressive but Oonas is next door . Again beach not brilliant and being as you are actually in Naama bay the quality of sealife and sea in General relatively poor to what you get further along the coast .

I'd say the best beach is at what used to be the conrad/coral sea Imperial but I believe that has now closed for refurb . You could have a look at the Nabq end i.e coral sea resort, holiday village, tropicana Grand oasis , laguna vista . I believe although not 100% sure that this end has some good beaches .

Just to throw you a little if you like peace and quiet and a good on site dive club (Used to be Emperor but not sure if it still is) have a look at the coral hilton in nuweiba (again A/I)(flights to taba) The beach and sea is an oasis here.

lyn

thanks for prompt and informative response Lin I am just soo confused!! wish i was one of thosw who could just chance it!! and not be so fussy reading your post and looking online i think Nabq end might be better
chilly

If you want to be in Naama bay you could look at the sonesta beach club

Just a wee point, Oonas is next door to The Sonesta Beach Resort (not Club) which is it's sister hotel.

Oonas Dive Club - http://www.oonasdiveclub.com/

The Nabq end is the furthest away from Naama Bay but there is an area to have a stroll around with shops/bars etc at this end . Not too sure how the dive centres operate at this end . At the worst diving will be available and you will be collected from your hotel to be taken down into Naama bay for the dive boats from there.Can be a bit chaotic though and thats why my hubby prefers it from the hilton at sharks bay as he can go off straight from there with the boys on a rib boat a couple of times a day or choose a day to go with the big boat from Naama .

If he goes directly from HSB he will leave around 9-10am and be back a couple of hours later for lunch with me and a bit of sunbed then back out at 2pm. It just makes it more bearable for me as I dont have to spend all day on my own . If you could find a similar setup that would be ideal for you. I think for any of the big boats out of NB ,what with transfers etc it's a long day on your own . I usually spend 3/4 days on my own and I know the feeling well.

Just a wee point, Oonas is next door to The Sonesta Beach Resort (not Club) which is it's sister hotel.

Yep sorry Graham , thats where I meant and where we stayed . trying to type too fast this morning .

just done a search but unfortunately nothing coming up for the Hilton sharks bay or sonesta beach resort on our dates...obviously cos they are good!! liked the sound of the diving arrangements from The Hilton too ... definitely prefer the sound of Naama bay now...any other ideas plse
thanks Chilly

hmm . I think the only A/Is available in NB are the sonesta beach and club . There may be others where this is available as an upgrade once there but unfortunately I don't know of any . NB is mostly made up of B+B/HB . These usually come at a higher price because of the location but of course you can choose to eat out in NB this way . what you are up against though is the possibility of getting an A/I along the coast at a similar price as what you would pay for HB in NB.

Taxi's are cheap , most hotels provide a courtesy coach and most are within 15 minutes drive . Nabq possibly a little further . Have you looked at the Aqua Blu is it . I think it's Graham that has stayed there , or maybe Gray (madcaravaner) but not sure of the location. possibly you need a transfer to the beach. .

You do need to be careful as quality of the food and standards of preparation is very important in Egypt particularly in the hotter months . You dont want to be running to the toilet every 5 minutes

lyn

Hi Lin
I have gone through so many reviews now i am just totally confused!!! and when i find a good hotel (? reviews vary wildly!!) its in the wrong place or naff rooms on offer Aqua blu gets great reviews but price is coming up very exp... plodding on!! thanks for help, nothing can beat personal experiences/advice which is where HT is such a boon!!
chilly

Yep keep going chilly , your head will be spinning wildly by tonight but I wouldnt take too much of a chance in Egypt . As you say there really is a vast amount to choose from and reviews vary a lot . A compromise may be needed to get a good hotel at a keen price .

Chilly , just another thought . Sharm is very easy to DIY as the airport is only 10 /20 minutes away .

ummm that puts a different light on things??!!
chilly

I usually book direct with the hilton at http://www.hilton.co.uk. There are 3/4 hiltons in sharm + the one in Nuweiba although Sharks bay and Nuweiba I believe are the only ones A/I.

If you can get a cheap flight with easyjet or whoever Sometimes sites like hotelopia (thomsons) and http://www.hotels.com can throw up some bargains . Thomas cook hotels only seem fairly competetive at the moment too.

is sharks bay near naama?? sorry but i am sooo confused now!! been at this all day!!
chilly

sorry just another query, the sonesta beach club is coming up... you say this is the sister hotel is it next door/nearby?to sonesta beach resort?
chilly ...sorry to be a pain!!