Into sharm-el-sheikh

Egypt
Gift of the Nile

printable version here

General info
 

SHARM EL-SHEIKH


Sharm El-Sheikh lies at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Sharm El-Sheikh was founded by the Israelis, who felt a need to improve control over the land they occupied in 1967. This is still characterizing the place.


The main area in Sharm El-Sheikh is Na'ama Bay (a central area) which is situated directly on the beach. Na’ama means ‘pleasant in Hebrew
The bay offers a wide selection of restaurants and this gives the area a very cosmopolitan and social atmosphere, particularly in the evenings, when strolling along the bay is a favourite pastime. Our Dive base Diving & Safaris is situated in Na’ama bay


The simplicity of sun, sea and sand. The luxury of five-star hotels, water sports, shopping and entertainment. This is Sharm el-Sheikh, one of the most accessible and developed tourist resort communities on the Sinai Peninsula. All around are Bedouins, colourful tents, mountains and sea. Look in the Folder into the blue for information about our diving sites, pictures of the marine life and much more
There are small, intimate hotels with modern designs, as well as larger hotel complexes belonging to International chains, plus about all the amenities one could expect of a tourist centre, including casinos, discos and nightclubs, golf courses and health facilities. In fact, with diving and snorkeling, windsurfing and other water sports, horses and camel riding, desert safaris, and great nearby antiquities attractions, it is almost impossible for a visitor to ever suffer from boredom.


'Coastal waters so rich in marine life, are rivaled only by Australia's Great Barrier Reef for offering some of the finest dive sites anywhere in the world.'
 
SHOPPING IN SHARM EL-SHEIKH

We give you a short overview of shopping in Sharm El Sheikh because there are numerous shops around.

Sharm El-Sheikh, price-wise, is the best place to buy your: Fish guides, Reef guides, Fish slates, Logbooks, Diving guides, Snorkeling guides, dive site stickers, Maps of the dive sites and dive locations. Name it and they sell it! The trick is to find the right shops with the right prices because there are some huge differences.

For diving equipment you will find a few shops with a good range of diving tools, diving accessories, suits, boots, fins and masks from different labels such as Mares, Scubapro & Tusa. The rule 'shop around' also counts here, or you can ask us to advise you on where you can find the best offers!

Other shopping goods varies from Papyrus, Waterpipes, Clothes, Handcrafts, T-Shirts, Carpets with beautifully and colorfully designs, Jewels, handmade Lamps, Camelbone Letter Openers and much, much more. The prices vary from very expensive to cheap and depends on where you' ld like to buy your gifts and holiday memories.

Sand in a bottle A work of art and patience !

You can also have your own design or logo and even your name!
NIGHTLIFE IN SHARM EL-SHEIKH

Bus Stop: That’s where it all began as a small pub where people gathered together to have a few drinks and chill out. The Bus Stop is located in Sanafir Hotel, the first Egyptian hotel built in 1987 in Sharm El-Sheikh, the main Seaside City of South Sinai, Egypt.
Since then, Sharm El-Sheikh became a bigger city with night life activities located in the heart of the desert and surrounded by nothing but mountains and the stars.
Bus Stop
This is the night club in the Sanafir Hotel. This bar does not fill up until late – around midnight - and goes on until the very early hours.
Every Thursday there is a great and the biggest House Music Party in Sharm. So for those who love to party late - this is the place!
Cactus Disco The place to be late at night in Sharm El-Sheikh! The disco has a bar and large dance floor in the middle surrounded by tables. The remaining seats are dispersed around the room to create a comfortable and cosy atmosphere. It is located in the Jolie Ville Movenpick Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh.
 

The Hard Rock Café is situated at the Southern end of Na’ama Bay.
Quite easily recognised by the guitar built through the main
entrance. It opened about 5 years ago and has become
popular for its night life. It also opens during the day from
about 1pm

The Mexican Bar is a new bar on the Southern end of Na’ama Bay; it is associated with the Na’ama Bay Hotel.
Its location is just across the road from the Hard Rock Café. The set up is laid out as a wooden design with a centre stage with a powerful sound system, which makes it a mixture between a bar and a nightclub.
They do serve food from 2pm with all the normal Mexican dishes on the menu.

The Spot is an American style bar with live entertainment, Karaoke and a late-night disco. The Spot offers a wide variety of cocktails and cordials as well as non-alcoholic beverages and has a daily happy hour from 5:30 to 7:30 P.M. It is located in the Ghazala hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Pirates bar
This popular bar is by the reception of the Hilton Farouz Hotel.
It is popular from after diving at about 6pm with its happy hour
which is until 7:30. With imported beer on draft it tends to get
quite a few local ex-pat dive guides and instructors in. It is also
used as an alternative office in the lunch time. As well as the
drinks they also offer food from snacks to curry. And regularly arrange theme parties with free food and rounds of drinks.
Seagull's Pub A pub with an international ambiance divided into a main bar and a piano/games bar. Live music entertains our guests while they enjoy a fancy drink or cocktail. In summer nearly all the action is on the terrace, where different bands play. Our menu offers dishes from various parts of the world, including Mövenpick specialities such as smoked salmon and ice cream. It is located in the Jolie Ville Movenpick Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh
 
The Tavern
This bar is due to open on the 26th July 2003. Which is one of the proprietors birthday (Monty). The bar is behind the Egypt Air office in Na’ama Bay, very close to the main taxi rank and Pizza Hut. The place has the potential to be very successful.
Cyber Disco. Sharm El-Sheikh's first fully equipped Internet Cafe and discothèque. It is located in the Hilton Sharm El-Sheikh Favrouz Resort.
Cigar Divan. A formal place to relax and enjoy the end of the day. Tuxedo-clad waiters are on hand to help impart an elegant touch in sophistication and style. Chef Amgad El Nemr prepares Tostadas with Chilli Con Carne, Mejillones, Tapas aceitunas and more. Along with signature martinis, this is the place to sip cognac and single-malt whiskeys. Cohibas and Monte Cristo cigars, among others, are on hand for our guests, as well. It is located in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Pavillion This bar caters especially for our sports oriented guests, the tennis players of the Victoria club. You can get your refreshing drink after an exhausting match of tennis here. It is located in the Jolie Ville Movenpick Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh
 
RESTAURANTS IN SHARM EL-SHEIKH
McDonalds is McDonalds; the food is about the same wherever you are in the world.
Kokai (Polynesian) Grill Room and they offer the finest in Polynesian and Chinese specialty cuisine. Here you can enjoy scintillating dishes in the most elegant of atmospheres. Every evening, starting at 6:30, Kokai offers the special treat of our Teppan-yaki Grill show. Watch our master chefs prepare your food at our table grills. It is located in Ghazala Hotel.

Da Franco's
The Italian restaurant of the Ghazala hotel.
It is situated on the beach promenade, which allows you
to watch the world go by and look out over the sea.
The food is pasta and pizza and is reasonably priced.
The restaurant is very popular all day.
 
Blue Ginger It reflects the art, culture and tradition of Asia with its Malaysian, Korean, Chinese, Thai and Japanese menu choices. Chef Raymond delivers signature dishes that include Sashimi, teppanyaki, chilli crab, steamed fish and Tom Yam Kung. In addition to a full bar, Chinese wines, Japanese sake and an extensive selection of cigars are available. It is located in the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh.

El Fanar
The El Fanar (which is Arabic for Lighthouse) is
situated on the cliff of Ras um Sid. It overlooks the sea on this headland giving an excellent view. The restaurant is laid out in a very unusual style. It reminds some people something from the Flintstones but very laid back and relaxing. The food is based on an Italian menu with a separate fish and vegetarian section

 

They also have a beach area on the dive site of Ras um Sid. All set out with hammocks, sitting areas and a beach bar.

As you walk along the beach promenade you'll come across the Bedouin cafés where they serve a wide variety of Tea and Coffee ( pictures below)

 

Waves Restaurant (Korean) - The atmosphere lends an ethereal touch to dining at The Ritz-Carlton, Sharm El-Sheikh. Chef Amgad El Nemr’s menus include popular pub lunches as well as the more unusual offerings of hot stone cooking, tableside charcoal grilling and Korean hot plate “Bulgogi.” Giant frozen drinks and select wines are always on hand. It is located in the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

 

Tam Tam
Is on the main promenade of Na’ma Bay. It serves traditional Egyptian food and is one of the original restaurants of Sharm. It is based in the Ghazala Hotel and still to be situated on the beach until ordered to move off.
Sala Thai (Thai) Classically Thai... rich teak wood, sensuous fabrics, antique art accents and a kitchen theatre. Purity, clarity and restraint... this restaurant offers an evening of grace, refinement and congeniality. Open for dinner.. It is located in the Hyatt Regency in Sharm El-Sheikh
Kona Kai Restaurant (Japanese) Na’ama Bay, is open for dinner. It is located in the Marriott Beach Resort.
Dananeer
This restaurant is upstairs on the corner by McDonalds, at the end of the street, overlooking the Movenpick hotel. The menu is about 10 pages long with a full range of steaks and seafood. The waiters are quite good and the food is good and reasonably priced. The decor is a bit unusual for the European guests as it is very much in the Egyptian style.
The Cafe Fresco Restaurant offers a variety of 'Italian Snapshots' designed to capture Latin spontaneity. This 'Cucina Italiana' predominantly offers a buffet product, which is always seasonal, aromatic and fresh. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is located in the Hyatt Regency
The Orangerie is the main dining room with an informal atmosphere, light materials and open high ceilings. Here we serve breakfast and dinner buffets to hotel guests, local residents and walk-in guests from other hotels. Daily changing themes guarantee our guests a large variety of national and international dishes, catering to everyone's taste. It is located in the Jolie Ville Movenpick Hotel

Sinai Star
A very basic restaurant in Sharm town and for sure one of the best restaurants.

The place does not have a menu and the only drinks it serves is water and Pepsi, but bringing your own drinks is not a problem (there is a liquir store right next door). It is a fish restaurant and one of the most famous ones in the area, certainly one of the most popular, the last time we went it was packed at 17:30 with people queing to get in. It is more like sitting at your table at home than a restaurant.

The food is cheap and excellent; you have a choice of fish, shrimps (recommended), Calamari or lobster. If you force them they will do chicken or even Beef steak, but stick to the seafood. All is served with rice, salad, bread and tahina, which is a dip. Often we order fried chips and this was never a problem.
The seagulls is a snack bar and restaurant on the beach front of the Movenpick hotel. It has an inside bar and the restaurant flows over to outside where they have a live show most evenings, usually Russian dancing girls.
The Safsafa is a fish restaurant in the centre of Na’ma Bay. It is based in the Na’ama Centre shopping complex, next to the Hard Rock Café

 

Peking Chinese Restaurant
This Chinese restaurant has been open on the roof of
the Sanafir Hotel for quite a few years. It started as an
Open-air restaurant and has slowly progressed into a proper
Restaurant. Food and service used to be quite good.

La Fleur in the Movenpick Restaurant is French A La Carte. The service and food is top quality, the portions look a bit on the small side when served on their huge plates. But it is rare that I can manage a dessert, as the food is rich and filling. It is also one of the few places that offer imported wine.
The Indian restaurant at the Sofitel has one of the best views in Na’ama Bay. The restaurant is situated at the North of the bay overlooking the whole of the resort. You can sit outside or inside, but you need to choose this when you book. Bookings can usually be made during that day, so you get an idea of the weather.
 
DRESS CODE
In Sharm the normal clothing is shorts and T- shirts or any other style of loose cotton. With the number of shops here that sell T- shirts you don't need to bring so much luggage yourself.
For the girls you must remember that you are in a Muslim country where the women are usually covered up. The less you wear the more looks or comments you will get.
locality
Ras Mohamed on the Eastern Sinai cost is considered by many to be a living natural laboratory. It is one of the most spectacular dive sights of the world – it certainly gains points over the Great Barrier Reef of Australia by virtue of its accessibility.
Nabek is an oasis resting on the shore of a wide delta stretching 5-7 km from the mountains to the sea. The mangroves, these plants that live in salty water, grow in this area. They provide a breeding area for fish and a home for birds.
Pedestrian street, few meters from the sea, with hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs crosses Na’ama Bay, the downtown of Sharm El-Sheikh.
Sharm El-Sheikh Situated 7 km from Na’ama Bay with a direct desert road of 4 kilometres through the desert of Sinai. What adds more to the place’s greatness is the location embraced by two pyramids shaped Moon Mountains that are the basis of the stage’s charm. From far, you can admire the laser beams sending messages to the sky and projecting colored shapes on the mountains. Projectors and fire to give the place a magical atmosphere and also to lighten the surrounding mountains.
A Pharaonic temple that offers the impression of greatness inspires the entrance and you can imagine the Pharos of ancient Egypt having a smile on their faces
 
tours
 
Coloured Canyon. This canyon is in the middle of the Desert Mountains by Nuweiba. It is where the water has gorged a path over thousands of years into the rock opening up all the different coloured layers. The canyon is very narrow in places and good shoes and reasonable fitness is required, as well as loads of water, as the walk will take you a few hours. Sleeping under the stars in the desert is a near-religious experience, and nothing can compare with sitting around a campfire, smoking a narghile (water pipe), making Bedouin bread, and swapping stories about scorpions in sleeping bags. A full day trip will cost you about £40
 
St. Catherine's. This monastery was built around the 4th century chapel, which is believed to be the site of the burning bush. The fortress that surrounds it was built around the 6th century and is still an operating monastery. So please bare this in mind when visiting the Monastery. A full day trip there will cost about £35. You can often do this trip in conjunction with climbing Mount Sinai overnight to see the sun rise.
Who was St. Catherine?
The year was 294 AD when she was born in Alexandria and carried the Pagan name Dorothea. The name Catherine was given to her when she converted to Christianity.
It was in the rule of Emperor Maximinus, that Catherine succeeded in forcing some of the Roman aristocracy into Christianity. The Emperor even had to witness some of his own family converting before he demanded for her execution. Why Sinai?
The legend tells that the angels brought her body to the highest mountain peak of Sinai. This 2637m high mountain became Mount Catherine. Centuries after her death, in the time of the Roman Empress St. Helena, St. Catherine was seen as a vision on top of the mountain, which by ST. Helena was declared to be Mount Moses (2285m). In honor of St. Catherine a chapel was erected in the 4th century where her vision had been, this chapel is the most sacred part of a pilgrimage.
Christian hermits had in secrecy been living in this region since their escape from the Roman Empire. With their poor means from a long and troublesome journey through the desert, they managed to culture trees, plants, vegetables and fruits.
This is what St. Helena found, and this should be the beginning of The Monastery of St. Catherine.
 
Cairo is over 500Km away from Sharm El-Sheikh and the road journey will take about 6 hours in the bus and a bit quicker by car.
Trips to Cairo can be arranged by yourself or by using one of the local Tour Operators in Sharm El-Sheikh.
The cheapest way to arrange this is to get on the bus, either East Delta or SuperJet, and then get a taxi at the other end. The bus ticket will cost you about 55LE. It is possible to get a hire car with chauffeur to take you. The advantage of this is that the driver will also take you to the sites you want to go to in Cairo.
 
SPORTS
 
Go-Kart The track is at the Northern end of Na’ama Bay.
It’s easily found by the 4 huge spotlight towers that illuminate
the whole area. They have four circuits available, but mainly
they just use the one for what they call 'Arrive & Drive' you can
just show up and have a go, Good Fun! They have three levels
of Karts, one for the kids, the intermediate ones which are 6Hp
and the expert ones which are 13Hp. There is a kiddie’s track where they can have a go from about 8 year old.
Ice Skating Yes this is right, it might be hard to believe, but there is an Ice Skating rink in the Sinai Desert! I’m not sure if of many people know the existence of it but it can be great fun! The rink is 16M x 18M and is real ice! Don’t forget to bring your camera.
Tennis courts are available in the larger of the hotels, where there is usually a couple of courts available. These are outdoor courts so playing during the heat of the day would be a bit tough. They tend to have floodlights, which makes sense, as even then it would be
hot work.

Horse riding
There are a few stables around Sharm, most of them offering
either lessons or trips out into the desert.
They have horses of most levels, from plodders for the beginners
or 'lively ones' if you are an experienced rider.

Sofitel - The stables are right next to the hotel 1 hour within the hotel
grounds and beach $29 (Ideal for kids and beginners)
Desert trek; 1 hour $34 ; 2 hours $50 ; 3 hours $65 ; 4 hours $94
Lessons :- Kids $17: Adult $22 ; Dressage $27 ; Jumping $33
All prices subject to change
El Salam Concorde Hotel - Sharks Bay,
Opened on the 1st Oct 02 and run by Mohamed Dardiery.
1 hour trip $27; 2 hours $45 ; 3 hours $55 ; 4 hours $80 :
5 hours = $100; Overnight $130 Lessons: - Kids $15; Adults $20 ; Dressage $25
All prices subject to change.
Bungee Jumpping Based at the end of Na’ama Bay by the main car park is a Reverse Bungee Jump. Reverse in that they launch you in a steel cage from two bungee cords into the air and you bounce from those. Looks like an adrenaline rush. It looks like a huge catapult, as the two steel towers are about 40m high. Realise this is all at your own risk!

Golf courses The 18 hole Championship Golf Course has introduced a new dimension to this fantastic destination. Located 5 Km from all hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh.

The Bermuda grass course has 18 lakes, which attract a variety of exotic birds. Excellent practice facilities are available including Driving Range and Par 3 Course. The Golf Course is 6021 meters, playing to a par 72. Weekly Golf tournaments and Golf schools are arranged for hotel guests.
The Clubhouse hosts a state of the art conference facility, equipped with all the latest technology including simultaneous translation booths.
The Pro Shop is stocked with leading brands of Golf merchandise. There is a 19th Hole Bar and Restaurant and Jolino Restaurant. The luxury 5 star Golf Hotel located next to the Golf Course has a fantastic water park