Sharm el-Sheikh is not one place but a string of resort areas along the southern Sinai coast, and your choice of bay decides your holiday. Here is how the main areas compare, and where our hotel picks fit.
Naama Bay: walkable and lively
Naama Bay is the centre of the resort strip, with a curved beach and a promenade of cafes, restaurants, shops and dive centres. If you want to step out of your hotel and walk to dinner, this is the place. The budget pick is Camel Dive Club and Hotel, a compact boutique hotel in the middle of the bay with an SSI dive centre, a rooftop restaurant, free breakfast and the beach about a three-minute walk away. Rooms are small and the area is busy in the evening, so it suits divers and independent travellers more than families with young children. Reef Oasis Blue Bay Resort sits near Naama Bay Beach and offers an all-inclusive stay with six pools and a private beach for families and couples.
SOHO Square and Shark's Bay: entertainment on the doorstep
Further up the coast, Shark's Bay is home to SOHO Square, an entertainment and dining complex. The Savoy Sharm El Sheikh sits at SOHO Square, on the Red Sea about 8 km from the airport, with five pools, a private beach with a pier, a Kids' Club and a long list of restaurants. It suits families and groups who want a lively, sociable resort with plenty to do after dark. The trade-off is less of the quiet you get on the hillside.
Nabq Bay: big all-inclusive resorts
North of Naama Bay, Nabq is where the largest resorts stand. Rixos Premium Seagate has 938 rooms, eight outdoor pools, a water park, 14 restaurants and a kids club, and it is about fifteen minutes from the airport by car. It is a self-contained base for families who want everything on site and do not mind taking a taxi to Naama Bay for an evening out. All-inclusive plans simplify the budget, but check the rate you book.
The hillside resort: serene and private
Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh steps down a hillside to a private beach about a kilometre long. It has four outdoor pools, a spa, tennis courts, an on-site dive centre, a dozen restaurants and bars and a collection of suites. It is the splurge pick for couples, honeymooners and families who want space and service, and it is calm rather than lively.
Which area for you?
Divers and independent travellers should pick Naama Bay. Families with young children will like the big pool complexes at Nabq or Shark's Bay. Couples who want serenity should look at the Four Seasons. For sociable groups, SOHO Square is hard to beat.
Practical tips
Excursions pick up from most hotels, but confirm your hotel with the operator, as some outlying resorts can have extra pickup charges. Airport transfers are short from Nabq and Shark's Bay, and a little longer to some other areas. Check the board basis of your rate, as breakfast, half board and all-inclusive options differ, and ask hotels about snorkeling access, since beaches and piers vary. Book restaurants early in high season, from October to April.
Our picks
The splurge is Four Seasons, the budget pick is Camel Dive Club and Hotel, and the three mid-range choices are Rixos Premium Seagate for families, the Savoy for a lively resort and Reef Oasis Blue Bay for an all-inclusive stay close to Naama Bay.
