Holiday to Egypt
Written by S:
As you probably know, Chandesh and I had a short break recently to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. With only 4 months left to the due date we decided now would be a good a time as any to take a trip to the Red Sea. We stayed at the Iberotel Palace, a wonderful hotel with it’s own private beach. Although this sounds like a given in Sharm a lot of the hotels are located on cliffs and access to the beach is through a long steep staircase. The hotel itself was extremely well kept, with beautiful gardens and clean, spacious rooms. We went for the B&B option, which we feel was the best option as it allowed us to try out the various restaurants in the area. We ate at the main hotel restaurant one night but were not completely satisfied with the variety on offer and it cost us far more than a meal out in the town. So we’d recommend B&B if you’re thinking of going.
Iberotel Palace is located a stone’s throw away from Old Sharm, which is also know as the Old Market. This is the more traditional, authentic side of Sharm with street markets that stay open until 1am and little cafes scattered around serving authentic Egyptian food. You’ll see a lot of the locals here as it seems to be a popular hang out for them. If you are looking for a nice place to eat try Melodies - an Italian restaurant, with great food, huge portions and small prices. For example our meals here never came to more than £10 for the both of us. This included starters, main course, dessert and drinks. Melodies is situated next to the main entrance of Sharm, just before the arches.
Another great place to eat was Felfela - an Egyptian restaurant again just near the entrance of Old Sharm. Here we ordered a set meal for one and shared it, as the portions were so huge! Have a look at the pictures and you’ll see what I mean. This cost us about £12 for both of us and boy were we stuffed! While you’re out and about don’t forget to taste the local Egyptian drink - Kadkadee - made from the hibiscus plant. It’s supposed to be great for high blood pressure.
Naama Bay is a must see place as well. Although too commercialised for our liking we still enjoyed the two nights we visited this area. Here you will find the more western restaurants and bars. Pizza Hut, McDonalds, KFC, TGIF, Hard Rock!! Alongside this are the outdoor shisha bars which are a sight to be seen… the decor is amazing with low level seating, huge sequined cushions and bean bags and dim lighting. We ate at a Lebanese restaurant called Byblos - if you go here ask for Zofir (the waiter that does magic tricks).
Apart from the eating out at night and sleeping by the beach all day we also had a snorkeling day trip to Tiran Island to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. The Red Sea is known for it’s diving and snorkeling opportunities so don’t miss out on this. We took a boat out to the island which is about an hour away from our hotel. We made a stop near some coral reefs and snorkeled here for a while. The fish were absolutely stunning, with every imaginable colour within your line of vision. The coral was also a sight to be seen. The water was deep and although I’m a confident swimmer even I freaked out a little so it’s best to ask for a life jacket if you’re not too comfortable with deep water. We then had lunch on board the ship and headed back by about 4pm.
The biggest attraction for us was the Egyptian people. We found them to be genuine and caring and always smiling. They seem to understand how much tourism means to the country and go out of their way to make sure you are having a “nice time”. Every conversation would end with them telling us “Have nice time” 
Our 7 nights came to an end too quickly. Sharm is definitely a place worth visiting and as soon as little Papoose is old enough to get on a plane we plan on going back. If in the meantime you decide to go there on holiday have a lovely time and tell us all about it - we’ll never tire of hearing about your holiday experiences.
Click here to see the pics of our holiday (opens in a new window).
