Charming Sharm el Sheik - Egypt

For our wedding anniversary we decided on a week’s holiday to the popular dive resort area of Sharm el Sheik in Egypt. As my husband is a qualified diver, we were able to combine his interest in diving whilst also enjoying the luxury resort at the Royal Grand Sharm hotel. This was our first visit to Egypt and we were delighted by the warmth and friendliness of the hotel staff and locals.

The hotel staff were attentive without being obtrusive and nothing was too much trouble for them. My husband mentioned, in passing, to the head waiter that it was our wedding anniversary and within moments he moved us to a private table on the terrace overlooking the enormous underwater lit pool and offered us a candle lit a la carte meal with wine at no cost. To top it off, the waiters presented us with a small cake and serenaded us in a typical Egyptian style - what a nice touch !!

There was a small sandy beach at the hotel plus a floating pontoon where we could get in to the sea without damaging the protected coral reefs. We spent most of our time either snorkelling and marvelling at the beautiful colours of the many different fish or relaxing by the wonderful pool which had more than enough sun loungers for everyone.

My husband signed up for a days diving by the local Camel Dive centre located on the hotel beach. He had an amazing day diving with sharks, rays and colourful fish and returned with literally hundreds of underwater pictures plus a DVD of his dive. I enjoyed a lovely relaxing massage at the spa followed by a few hours reading and sunbathing by the pool….bliss !!

One evening we booked an excursion on a Camel Safari, with traditional Bedouin Dinner. We were picked up from the hotel by small minibus and taken to the mountain foothills which form the backdrop to Sharm el Sheik. Here we were each assigned a suitable camel - this was an interesting experience as I have never ridden a camel before !! The camels were led by Bedouin people so at least we were not expected to “steer” the camels. As we arrived at the Bedouin camp we witnessed the most spectacular sunset over the mountains. We were welcomed to the camp and treated to a traditional dinner and a show including Bedouin singing and Tanura dancing.

We had a wonderful time in Sharm and can recommend it to anyone looking for a lovely relaxing break and if you like Scuba diving then you are in for a real treat.

The warmth and friendliness of the Egyptian people alone will ensure that we return to Egypt, maybe for a Nile Cruise next time.