Sharm el Sheikh, Conrad Review

Overall Rating

Snorkelling
The Red Sea
Food
Price

Tip tip tip!

Me and my partner stayed in a hotel called the Conrad Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt for a week, from Monday 12th of June to the 19th of June. We had the most amazing holiday, and I hope you enjoy reading my review of what I consider one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited in my life.

I will start by reviewing the actual travel agents etc., then go on to the beautiful Sharm!

Who did you book with?

We booked with a well known travel Agent called First Choice.

How much did it cost and what did it include?

The total cost of the holiday for both of us came to £1058. This was for a week's stay in a four star hotel on an all inclusive basis, including travel insurance, flights and flight meals as well. We paid a £240 deposit, and we paid the rest off in installments. We booked the holiday in December 2005 and the money had to be in by the end of March, 2006.

Were you pleased with First Choice?

YES! They were really good and answered all of our probably annoying questions! On the holiday we constantly had a rep in a foyer to answer any questions about what we may have, and we could book all of our excursions with her too. Both to and from the airport we had a rep on the coach to answer questions, and they told us all about the history of Sharm on the way to the hotel too!

What was your hotel like and where was it situated?

Our hotel was called the Conrad Sharm El Sheikh and it was situated just a fifteen minute drive from the airport, and a 30 minute drive from Naama Bay. Our hotel was absolutely beautiful. It was a four star hotel, and it had everything you could imagine. We were situated on this wonderful beach with clear blue water, white sand and palm trees - absolute paradise! We had a mini shopping centre in our hotel, a large pool and three restaurants. The food was lovely! There were different themes nights every night, from International Night to Tex Mex Night to Italian Night.

What sorts of things are there to do in Sharm?

Where do I start?!

SNORKELING

First of all you MUST go snorkeling. This is the best thing I ever did in Sharm. Luckily we were right on a beach, and I won't lie to you, we went snorkeling every day off the end of our jetty as the different fish you see are amazing. Mind you, this was just a SHALLOW end, and we still saw amazing fish, but we wanted more, so we went to our rep and we booked a proper trip, and it was just the most breathtaking experience I've ever had! It was twenty six English pounds each, and for that we got a lot. A coach picked us up outside our hotel at 9.00am sharp, and then they took us to a really nice white boat. It had leather chairs to sit on, a sunbathing deck, and the 26 pounds each included the full day, snorkeling equipment, food and refreshments as well, until 4 in the afternoon! We were shown all health and safety tips and shown how to wear our gear correctly, then we snorkeled in three different spots in the Red Sea. We saw Rock Fish, Nemos (Clown Fish :), Dorys, and I don't know the names of all of them, but we saw some amazing patterns. We saw jet black fish with tiny red specks, yellow and blue fish, and we even saw a puffer fish! The most amazing bit for me though was seeing dolphins. They are simply the most beautiful creatures ever.

NAAMA BAY

If you're in Sharm VISIT here! The atmosphere in Sharm is brilliant, and although you get a lot of hassle from the shop keepers, it's brilliant to go shopping here. All of the shops sell great rip-offs of things like Prada and Louis Vuitton, for great prices, and they look exactly the same! You can get 200 fags for 10 pounds, a 2 litre bottle of Pepsi for 50 pence! It even has the English favourites of KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald's! Myself and my partner visited the Hard Rock cafe there, and we had a slap-up meal of steak and chips, a coke each and an ice cream each, and it came to TWENTY ENGLISH POUNDS! The food was absolutely gorgeous as well! Naama has a main shopping centre that goes inside too, and sells sports clothes and designer bags etc. The street outside is wonderful. It's got dim lights all down the streets, and all sorts of different restaurants. Walking down there though, you will get a lot of "Please sir come to my restaurant, it is very nice " and they will try to rope you in wherever you go!

STARGAZING

I don't know if all hotels offer this, but try to do this as it's great... Our hotel offered a boat ride late at night for 25 pounds for two people, to go and watch the stars at night with a meal on the boat. It sounds boring, but trust me it isn't. The sky there at night is worlds away from our grey sky in England. There are no clouds, and it's practically jet black with these gorgeous stars dotted all over; so romantic! Myself and my partner even saw a shooting star whilst we were out there!

PYRAMIDS

Myself and my partner did not actually do this. To tell you the truth, we wanted a quiet break with no hustle and bustle, and the price was expensive as it was in Cairo, which is 500 miles away from Sharm. It cost 160 pounds each, and a lot of people told us it wasn't worth it. Apparently, when you get out there you constantly get hassled, and a lot of the Egyptian men are a bit pervy and try to "buy" you with camels! I'm sure it's a good experience, but personally I couldn't hack all of that.

CAMEL RIDING

You just have to do this as it's what Egypt's known for. We did it for a fiver for half an hour! They're big old things, and I felt like I was going to fall off a lot of the time, but it was a laugh and I do recommend it!

QUAD BIKING

I would have loved to have done it, but it was so expensive! It was 50 pounds for an hour or so on a bike, and I simply thought it really wasn't worth that to be honest.

RAS MOHAMMAD

A national park with all sorts of different animals etc. I think this was around 35 pounds for the day each, including the coach trip, which I suppose isn't bad. This did not include refreshments and food etc.

WATERSPORTS

I'm sure at most hotels like ours, they have these on offer. We had jet skis available, which we went on and they are a lot of fun! They were about fifteen pounds for 45 minutes at our hotel. We also had banana boats which are a laugh. You could have two turns on them for 5 English pounds! Our hotel also offered the good old paddle boats, canoes and wind surfing.

What is the nightlife like?

I didn't really have much to do with the night life in Sharm, as I was too tired, but I did notice plenty of bars to entertain in Naama Bay, and we also got given a leaflet about a club called Ministry of Sound by our rep too. :)

What's the weather like in Sharm?

HOT HOT! This country sizzles in June, July and August, and it can go well over 45C! When we went at the start of June, temperatures reached 38 Celsius, but this country is very windy, so make sure you slap on the sun cream as its very deceiving with the wind, as it feels cool, but trust me, the heat is there and you WILL burn! In June we did not see ONE cloud out there for the entire week. You will not see rain out there unless you are very unlucky!

What are the locals like in Sharm?

Very friendly! Though I am sure they are like this because they are after tips! They get very excited when they see you are an English person, and they were always shouting down the street with my partner in his England shirt, ENGLISH MAN, ENGLISH MAN! They are very kind people, and always offer their help, but be prepared to haggle with them when shopping! It's honestly a hobby out there. They will deliberately put the price high to haggle with you, as it's like a game over there!

What is the airport like in Sharm?

A lot of people say it's a nightmare, but we had no real trouble. On arrival it's very small, but I'd say it was very basic. Be aware of the guy by the baggage trolley - he expects 2 pounds for one! Also there will be guys waiting outside your coach, and they will expect a tip for putting it on, so do it yourself! One guy just walked on our coach and did nothing but ask for a tip! On the way back it's very hustle and bustle, and you HAVE to watch them screens, as there is no one around to help you there.

How long does it take to get to Sharm El Sheikh?

It takes five hours to get there! It's a long old trip so make sure you bring a good book!

Do I need a Visa?

If you are not leaving Sharm El Sheikh, no you don't! If you know for certain you are not leaving don't buy it, and don't get pulled into buying it either. When leaving the airport simply go straight to get your passport stamp. The queue for the visa is cleary marked so walk straight past it. You do need a Visa if you're leaving the resort though; like if you're visiting the pyramids. The Visa currently costs 12 English pounds.



My TOP TIPS for Sharm:

* Do take a high factor sun cream. I know it sounds obvious, but as it's so windy a lot of people underestimate how hot it is out there. We use factor 50 out there, and still managed to burn. MAKE sure you protect yourself in the water too. Whilst I was snorkeling I forgot my back was out the water all the time, and I got a bit of redness there.

* Drink plenty of water. This is vital in a place like Sharm. Our bodies are not used to that heat living in rainy England, so make sure you don't get dehydrated.

* Do not drink their water! ALWAYS ask for bottled water (your hotel should provide these) be aware of -

Salad as they wash this in their own water.
Ice cubes obviously as this is out of their tap.
Don't wash your teeth with their water.

* Keep your head covered. It's easy to forget about this, but it's an easy way to get sun stroke.

* Always carry loose change on you - you will get hassled for tips everywhere in Sharm.

* Make sure you bring some mozzie repellant with you - I got bitten to death on my first night!

* Going on from tips - be aware they get paid hardly anything out there, and they work long hours, so it is nice to give them a tip.

*It's best to buy your snorkeling gear over here, as I found it quite pricey out there. I guess they knew a lot of tourists would be buying that!

*Home branded things like Coca Cola and our own chocolate can be expensive out there as its "imported", so if you're a coke addict bring your own bottle or something.

*The drivers are absolute nutcases in Egypt! The roads are totally different to ours. Out there you have to go a mile up the road just to turn around and to get to the next lane, and the bumps are harsh! Seriously though, if you're using a minicab service hold on tight, because they are worse with road rage than we are!

*You do not need any jabs when going out into Sharm.

*BE PREPARED TO HAGGLE! It's a lot of fun too.

*MY TOP TIP FOR TAXIS (Passed on by our First Choice rep)! Always just approach the taxi, especially in Namma Bay when there is just a line of them, and offer your price and that's it. For me and my partner Namma Bay was just a 30 minute drive from the hotel, so we simply went up to the taxi driver and said, "40 Egyptian yes or no?" if they said no we simply walked away and they'd usually call you back once you start walking away!

*Most places in Egypt accept English pounds, US dollars and Euros, as well as their own currency - Egyptian Pound.

*At the moment the Egyptian pound is approximately 10 to one English pound.

*I know our hotel, and a lot of other hotels after seeing them pull up in Naama Bay offer shuttle buses to and from. Ours cost 1.50 English pounds each way, which I thought was quite reasonable, and it stopped at midnight. These are usually the better option if not coming back too late.

*It is highly likely you will get a bad stomach out there. Do NOT bother bringing Immodium! It's rubbish! It doesn't work! Just go to the pharmacy in Naama Bay or your hotel, our hotel had one next door, and tell them you have a bad stomach and they will give you the stuff to help it. It will be gone in the next day or two!

*As requested I am mentioning about security in Sharm. :) Security was tight out there, but it doesn't make you feel awkward; just "safe"! The security are very pleasant, and they are just there to keep you safe. We had security guards and a guard dog guarding our hotel entrance 24/7. There was strict security at Sharm airport too. There were police guards outside the airport, and your reps are not allowed into the airport with you. You have more security inside, and your bags and luggage are checked thorougly. When passing hotels on coach trips I also noticed nearly every single hotel was protected by security guards. I think most of this stems off from the bombs that went off in Naama Bay not long ago. Do NOT let this put you off however. It really is a very safe country, and Naama Bay shows no sign of damage by the attacks. The residents are friendly and polite, and as said before, they do get very excited when they see you are English!


Out of five I defintely rate Sharm 5! One of the most stunning places you will ever visit.