Holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh – 2022: personal review, prices and tips

White Knight (White Knight) is a mixed beach, you need to go down the stairs. Safe areas-pools without corals are fenced with pontoons. In addition to the reef, you can admire underwater caves and a sunken ship.

Nabk (Nabk) – there are wide sandy beaches, many small lagoons, convenient for swimming children in warm season. It is windy in winter, which attracts kitesurfers.

And one more thing: as a rule, all cool beaches belong to hotels. If you want to pass from outside without being a guest, you will have to pay a certain amount – approximately 100 Egyptian pounds ($6-$7). There are also simply paid public beaches, these cost $2–$3.

The cost of tours to Sharm el-Sheikh is 2022

What kind of tour operator does not sell tours to Egypt now. In order not to get lost in this variety of hotels and amounts, watch tours directly on aggregators:

• Travelata
• Level.Travel
• or on Onlinetours

They work only with proven and reliable tour operators and without extra charges. Each service has the most convenient website: check the boxes in the filter column and a smart algorithm will quickly sort the tours according to your wishes. But first of all, I love these sites because I can book a tour in a few clicks – right from the phone, without getting out from under the covers (although no, you still have to reach for the map).

So, we are counting tour budget for different appetites and types of holidays, but with a departure from Moscow (for prices for departures from your city, see the links above):

— In the low season(from December to March) the resort is the cheapest to rest: tours to Sharm el-Sheikh start from 35,000 rubles for two for 7 days! But remember, cheap=probably a windy hotel=cold.
— In the higher season (April-November) a ticket will cost from 70,000 rubles.
— You need a 5-star hotel, a high rating and reviews? For this they will ask from 100,000 rubles for two for a week and from 130,000 rubles for 10 days.
– A family vacation in Sharm el-Sheikh for three people (mother, father, child) costs from 50,000 rubles for a week in the off-season and from 80,000 rubles when the sea is hot and warm.

Prices in Sharm el-Sheikh

Egypt has Egyptian pounds. 1 egp = 4.5 rubles, 100 egp = $6.5. Please note that in shops and menus in cafes, the local currency is indicated by L.E.

Tips for tourists to save some money.

First:bargain everywhere. Feel free to call the price 5 times lower, and watch the traders fake a heart attack. As a result, you will agree on a cost 2-3 times less, and the locals will still remain in the fat. I bought some silver jewelry for three times the original price.

Second: pay with local money (Egyptian pounds). They accept both euros and dollars, but with an uneven score, the Egyptians always round in their favor, so do not be too lazy to look at the currency exchange.

Third:for mobile internet, take a local sim card. For example, a 16 gigabyte plan from Orange costs just 150 pounds ($10). For abroad, this is really everything.

What about snorkeling? Should you bring a mask with you? Or buy locally? Look, there is a mini market on every corner in Sharm. Plus, hotel shops. Prices are indicative:

• Coral slippers – from $3
• Snorkeling mask – from $5 to $10
• Swimming goggles – $3
• Flippers – $10

In the markets, you can bargain for a dollar or two. Is it worth it to carry equipment in a suitcase (hello, Pobeda :))? Probably not.

Tourists love to buy souvenirs and gizmos for all relatives:

– in special stores, the names of which are passed from mouth to mouth at dinner in a hotel restaurant. One of these is George Clooney's store in Nabq Bay (don't laugh, the place is interesting); Like our fixed price, only at the checkout they can inadvertently raise the price up to 10 pounds;
And in the markets. There are a lot of magnets, pseudo-gold coins, figurines, oils, spices, Arabic perfumes and other stuff for $1-$2. There are many more hookahs, but, of course, you can’t buy them for a dollar … In the market rows, the level of obsession is such that you will regret a hundred times that you came (went).

Food prices in a cafe

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Most tourists choose Egypt precisely because of the buffet system and almost never eat outside of hotels. I am no exception, but visiting a foreign country and not trying authentic cuisine in local restaurants is not about me.

Of course, in the tourist Sharm el-Sheikh, most cafes are designed for vacationers, which means prices and menus relevant here. I wanted to go to a place where the locals go. According to reviews, the most famous was the seafood restaurant Fares in the Old City (although it looks like a canteen). On his example, I will indicate the prices.

In ordinary, non-luxury places, food costs plus or minus the same:

• Large assortment of seafood – 400 pounds (1800 rubles)
• Grilled lobster – 560 pounds (2550 rubles) )
• Salad – from 30 pounds (from 136 rubles)
• Soups – from 28 pounds (from 127 rubles)
• Pasta – from 25 pounds (from 113 rubles)
• A bottle of water – from 10 pounds (from 45 rubles)
• Tea – 12 pounds (54 rubles)
• Coffee – from 14 pounds (from 63 rubles)
• Juice – from 17 pounds (from 77 rubles)

I got the seafood platter. The portion is not huge, but enough for two. I can’t say that I liked it – it’s a bit dry, but you can try it once. Still, the best seafood is cooked in Thailand and Vietnam, in my opinion.

I ran into grocery supermarkets and shops only for water. I didn’t really look at the prices, but from what I remember:

• Mango, kg – $ 2–$ 3 (135-160 rubles)
• Water – 3 pounds (14 rubles) )
• Small shrimps, kg – 100 pounds (450 rubles)
• Melon, kg – 12 pounds (55 rubles)
• Fresh – 10–15 pounds (45–68 rubles)

All inclusive in Egypt is most often average and below average (unless you check into a super-expensive hotel). In terms of price-quality ratio, Egypt and Turkey are usually compared, and here opinions differ diametrically. I will share my thoughts on this. In my opinion, nothing better than the Turkish “all inclusive” in the middle price segment has come up with anything yet. I can’t speak for a luxury vacation in the Maldives or the Seychelles, but most Russians don’t spend half of Togliatti’s annual budget on holidays. The culinary delights of the Egyptians – both on the buffet and in the establishments – did not impress me, and I was done with the local cuisine.

The question remained urgent for many Russian tourists: like in Sharm el-Sheikh dealing with alcohol?After all, Egypt is a Muslim country, and there is an opinion that you will have to encode for the duration of your vacation. But more humane Egyptians live in tourist Sharm, so you can buy alcohol here and there.

The first way: in an all-inclusive hotel. The easiest and “already paid.”

Second method: in duty-free – at the airport or in the city in the first 2 days of rest on the passport. You will be marked and more than a certain dose per person will not be sold (2 liters or 4 bottles of strong alcohol per person). I saw the following prices: champagne for $15, whiskey for $25, a pack of Corona for $20.

Method three: in alcohol stores without a passport and restrictions. You will find the lowest prices in the Hadaba microdistrict. In Naama Bay, the Old City and Soho – where all the tourists are more expensive, but you can bargain.

Prices in Sharm el-Sheikh in 2022 for alcoholic drinks in special markets:

• Local wine, red or white – 135 pounds (610 rubles)
• Beer 0.5 l – from 20 pounds (from 90 rubles)
• Whisky and all strong alcohol – from 70 pounds (from 315 rubles)

Transport prices in Sharm

The most popular transport in Sharm is a taxi. It can be caught by simply waving your hand. The standard “tax” for drivers is $ 10, it’s easy to negotiate half the price in the city itself. For a trip from Sharm airport to the center during the day, you can bargain up to 5-7 dollars. A little trick on how to calculate the cost of your trip and how much to trade with the driver: landing in Sharm costs 10 pounds, and each km costs 5 pounds (this is from the official paper in the taxi salon). Estimate the distance, count it – and stand your ground!

Still minibuses travel around Sharm el-Sheikh, costing from a minimum of 2.5 pounds to a maximum of 5.75 pounds (11–27 rubles).

Many tourists arrive at Cairo airport, so the question arises how to get to Sharm el-Sheikh and not go broke:

• It is convenient to travel around Egypt by intercity buses. On the Go Bus and High Jet services, you can find out the schedule and cost, buy a ticket and be sure to print it – they will check it several times during the trip. Many buses are equipped with toilets, and on long journeys, like to Sharm (7-8 hours), they make a 20-minute stop at a cafe. Ticket price depending on the class: 250-500 pounds (1150-2265 rubles).
• Taxi Cairo-Sharm will cost $170-$250 per car (12,000-18,000 rubles).

< li>Pre-booked transfer from KiwiTaxi (international aggregator) – 20,000 rubles in comfort class.

• If you have an international driver's license and a desire to drive around other cities on your own, you can also rent a car in Egypt. By car, Sharm can be reached in 5 hours. On the Rentalcars service, car prices start at 4,000 rubles per day, in local offices you can bargain a little cheaper, but waste your time.

Gasoline in Sharm el-Sheikh costs in the range of 7–9 pounds ( 30-40 rubles).

The best hotels to stay in Sharm el-Sheikh

The range of hotels in Sharm is not just huge, it's endless!

I chose a simple 4 * Oriental Rivoli Hotel & Spa in Naama Bay on the second line – I liked the territory and oriental-style rooms with huge bathrooms. The food was repetitive and the pools cool for April. The hotel's beach is across the road, with a good entrance to the water without pontoons and corals and hidden from the wind (which still blew in April). In general, I can recommend for a trip with the setting “only the sea is important to me.”

The best hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh are scattered throughout the resort, so I picked up some of the most interesting ones on the recommendations of both acquaintances and tourists. Great cheat sheet for your future :)

Good 4-star hotels:

• 4* Aqua Blu Resort (Ras Umm El Sid) – a hotel with 11 swimming pools, a water park and several restaurants with different cuisines. The territory, animation and food are thought out for families with children of any age. Buses take guests to the beach every half an hour, it takes about 10 minutes to walk to it. The entrance to the sea is gentle, sandy, without a pontoon. The bay where the beach is located is suitable for relaxing in winter, several pools in the hotel are heated.
  The cost of the tour for 7 nights is from 95,000 rubles for two
• 4 * Fayrouz Resort (Naama Bay) is a good hotel with a very green area, bright and clean, but not new rooms. The entrance to the sea is gentle, it is warm to swim in winter.
  The cost of the tour for 7 nights is from 85,000 rubles for two
• 4 * Jaz Fanara Resort (Ras Umm el Sid) – a hotel on a cliff with an excellent panorama. Food and service at the level, the rooms are clean and new, the staff is not intrusive. Gentle entrance to the sea without a pontoon, although some guests note that it would not interfere with the approach to the reef. The hotel beach is sheltered from the wind.
  The cost of the tour for 7 nights is from 120,000 rubles for two

Good 5 star hotels:

• 5 * Reef Oasis Beach Resort (Ras Umm el Sid) – well-groomed territory, decent children's animation and varied food, but rooms and Wi-Fi are not the strongest points of this hotel. The beach is mixed: both sand and reef. You can enter the sea both from the shore and from the pontoon. The bay is windless, suitable for winter holidays.
  The cost of the tour for 7 nights is from 100,000 rubles for two
• 5* Stella Di Mare Beach Hotel & Spa (Naama Bay) is a luxury hotel that evokes one word from tourists: “WOW!”. It's clean, tasty and sincere, a lot of Russian-speaking staff, 1 line. It will be an excellent choice for a relaxing holiday, but without children: there is no children's infrastructure, and the entrance to the sea from two short pontoons is more suitable for adults. In winter it is comfortable to swim, including in heated pools.
  The cost of the tour for 7 nights is from 90,000 rubles for two
• 5 * Sentido Reef Oasis Senses Resort (Ras Umm el Sid) is a stylish hotel with a good selection of pools, restaurants and its own water park. There are many vacationing families with children, because you can enter the sea directly from the shore. If you need depth, corals and fish, there is also a pontoon. The bay is windless, quiet even in a storm, warm in winter.
  The cost of the tour for 7 nights is from 120,000 rubles for two
• 5* Coral Sea Sensatori Resort (Ras Nasrani) is a luxurious hotel away from the center, opposite Tiran Island is visible. Nearby is a wild beach with a sandy entrance – a godsend for children. There is also a rich coral reef and a long pontoon. True, in winter it is windy and uncomfortable on the beach.
  The cost of the tour for 7 nights is from 130,000 rubles for two
• 5 * Novotel Sharm El-Sheikh (Naama Bay) – an inexpensive hotel with two buildings to choose from: cheaper on the second line (across the road) and more expensive on the first. Green territory, herons and hoopoes live. The beach is wide sandy, without pontoons. There are fish in the sea, the reef is nearby. It will be good in winter.
  The cost of the tour for 7 nights is from 80,000 rubles for two
• 5 * Naama Bay Promenade Resort (Naama Bay) – a comfortable hotel in the heart of the bay. Food without variety but fresh and tasty. Convenient entrance to the sea without corals, no need for a pontoon, in the winter months it doesn’t blow here and you can swim.
  The cost of a tour for 7 nights is from 70,000 rubles for two
• 5* Baron Palms Adults only (Ras Nasrani) – firstly, only for adults; secondly, this is the rare hotel where the reef is beautiful and accessible, and the beach, like the entrance to the water, is more or less sandy. Refurbished in 2021 which is a huge plus. Not suitable for winter, which is a minus.
  The cost of the tour for 7 nights is from 130,000 rubles for two

Sightseeing in Sharm – what to do and where to go ?

Reviews about holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh are not full of details about museums, architecture and places that are “be sure to go.” The city was rebuilt less than half a century ago, there are no historical sights here and it will not be possible to fully cultivate it.

There is probably nothing from the large-scale things to see in Sharm el-Sheikh (except the sea), but from the shtetl, where it is pleasant take a walk, I note the following:

1. Soho Boulevard – everyone walks here in the evenings! Shops, restaurants, Instagram locations, musical fountain.

2. Old City– the oldest and most picturesque district of Sharm, immediately incredibly beautiful, especially in the evening, the el-Sahaba mosque and the oriental market. You can buy anything: from sweets and seafood to clothes, souvenirs and jewelry. A couple of times you will definitely be grabbed by the elbows and tested for bargaining skills.

3. Promenade at Naama Bay is a more modern shopping and entertainment district. We went here for a hookah session to local tunes: at every step there are mini-cafes with pillows scattered right on the street. There are also nightclubs, McDonald's, Starbucks and Hard Rock Cafe.

I read (and therefore did not go) unflattering reviews about the Tutankhamun Museum, the show of crocodiles and snakes, the Hollywood Sculpture Park and the Dolphinarium. This, perhaps, is all the sights of Sharm el-Sheikh. Further, for entertainment, they go on excursions.

Reviews of excursions in Sharm el-Sheikh

There are three main excursion directions where to go from Sharm el-Sheikh: to the sea, to desert and seven miles across Egypt or the nearest countries.

Did I scare you with Egyptian obsession when it comes to buying something? That is why I advise you to look after and buy outdoor activities online – on sites with Russian-language excursions around the world. There you will read the reviews of tourists, and choose a convenient date, and you will keep in touch with the guide directly:

• Sputnik8
• Tripster

On Sputnik is a very popular tour to the pyramids of Giza, sailing and safaris. Group, individual – as you like. Entertainment prices start at $20 per person.

I tell you what interesting excursions there are in Sharm.

1. Marine

They take you on a yacht to the White Island (in fact, it is a snow-white sandbank that opens at low tide). Here you can land for only half an hour if the island is on the surface, so it is more profitable to combine it with swimming and visiting Ras Mohammed. And Ras Mohammed is a huge national park, which became famous thanks to Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

They also deliver to the island of Tiran – for diving and snorkeling near the coast, located opposite Sharm. Well, there are countless sea trips: on a yacht with swimming, on bathyscaphe yachts (with panoramic windows under water), on boats with a transparent bottom, catamarans, kayaks, etc.

2. To the desert

A safari is when you go to the desert on ATVs or buggies. You can be modest: look into the sands for a couple of hours, drink tea with the Bedouins and return to the cool sea. You can also go big (for the whole day): start with a walk along the Colored Canyon, say hello to the Bedouins, drive ATVs through the desert and on camels along the sea, then freshen up near the reef and go shopping in Dahab in the evening.

3. In Egypt and neighboring countries

Moses Mountain and St. Catherine's Monastery — leave at night towards Mount Sinai, climb Mount Moses (about 3 hours) and meet the dawn, then descend to St. Catherine's Monastery. There is a simpler route (departure in the morning), which includes only the monastery, and for change – shopping in Dahab (the monastery is closed due to covid).

Luxor – there are no bus tours from Sharm, you need to fly by plane (about an hour), but it's worth it: you will see the Valley of the Kings, famous tombs, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Sacred Lake and much more.

Pyramids (Cairo and Giza) – from Sharm to the capital it takes 8 hours by bus, so the tour will take a day. Departure and return at night, the program includes a museum, pyramids, oil and papyrus factories.

Petra (Jordan) – leave at night, part of the way passes through the Gulf of Aqaba by ferry. You will reach the stone city of Petra, walk along the mountain canyon in the Siq Gorge and return to a cozy hotel in Sharm that evening. In the old days, they also traveled to Israel, but now the country is closed.

Reviews of holidays with children in Egypt

Holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh are more calculated for an adult audience, although many fly in with their families in full force, including very young children under one year old. And here everything is individual: some are happy with everything, while others return home exhausted.

In order for a vacation in Sharm el-Sheikh with children to go smoothly, it is important to take into account a few points.
First of all, this, of course , hotel. It should be calm, without cheeky parties for adults, but at the same time equipped for children: infrastructure, entertainment, animation, so that the child does not get bored. No, not all hotels in Sharm are designed for young guests.

An important point is food. Egyptian food is very different from ours (spices, harsh meat), but Turkish food is more familiar in this regard. Therefore, for very young children, stock up on cereals, mashed potatoes, jars at home. Only a few hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh offer a children's menu.

It is also worth knowing that Egyptian chefs often wash vegetables and fruits with plain tap water, which is not of the best quality here. Here, not only the fragile children's body can no longer withstand. And in this case, you should have a first aid kit with you.

A recommendation to all parents is to meticulously study the reviews of tourists about Sharm el-Sheikh for 2021. On Travelate or Online Tours, the latest detailed reviews “cling” to each page of the hotel.

The next condition is comfortable beach. Agree, beaches with pontoons are a real torment for both parents and children. Therefore, sand, a gentle entrance, the absence of stones and corals, so as not to get hurt, a territory sheltered from the winds, so as not to be covered with frost from the “light” breeze, will be most convenient. The best sandy beaches in Sharm El Sheikh are concentrated in the bays of Naama Bay and Sharm El Maya.

And the last. A sharp change in climate from winter to summer is a strong stress for anyone, and especially for a child. And often, as soon as he acclimatizes, it's time to return home, and stress again. Summer in Sharm is unbearably hot and prices skyrocket, just like during other school holidays. Therefore, consider May, October and November for a trip – they are the most comfortable in terms of temperatures, prices and the number of tourists.

Tourist reviews about holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh

The East is a delicate matter, and the reviews of tourists about Egypt differ diametrically. Someone falls head over heels in love with the country and comes back again and again, but for someone, a vacation in Egypt ends with the final thought “I won’t go again.”

In a word, there is no consensus, so I will share mine. It characterizes specifically Sharm el-Sheikh + Egypt in general.

• The only and unconditional dignity of Sharma, which conquered me, is the sea, there is nothing to discuss here. Reefs, fish (especially stingrays), rocky coast – very memorable. For this I would come again!

I did not like the attitude of the locals.
Firstly, many see only a wallet in tourists and try to deceive even in small things. A. their famous stubborn service… the sticky fish could learn from them. Another merchant jumps out of nowhere, waving his arms, calling to evaluate his goods. Just a little – it becomes aggressive or quiveringly jealous if you turn around to a nearby shop.

Secondly, we rested together with a friend, and even in the hotel it was impossible to hide from ambiguous looks and languid smiles. I beg you, in no case do not agree to meetings, hookahs, and even more so do not accept gifts and souvenirs.

My impressions are subjective: a vacation in Sharm has become a substitute for Turkey – I did not plan to travel, take excursions and try to smooth out emotions with other advantages of Egypt. Next time I will go with a male escort. It seems that it will be safer and more comfortable to travel around the country and see with your own eyes a history that is more than 5 thousand years old.

P.S. But one of my friends was in Egypt five times and is going to go to the sixth, and for him there is nothing better than the Egyptian service. He does not want to hear about any Turkey, only if the choice is exclusively between her and Dzhubga.

Pros and cons

+ direct flight from many regions of the Russian Federation
+ in general, holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh in 2022 beat many directions: prices for all-inclusive are acceptable, and the atmosphere in the country is more diverse (when was the last time you were in Turkey, and when were you in Egypt?)
+ underwater world and a colorful sea
+ at the same time good sandy beaches (but not with a living sea)
+ you can relax all year round
+ sheltered from the wind in winter
+ a good choice of hotels for every taste and budget
+ airport within the city, no more than half an hour drive to hotels

– intrusive, noisy locals
– no historical sights
— far from the pyramids, Hurghada closer
— coral beaches are often found, where it is uncomfortable without slippers
— there is little greenery on the streets
— some reefs are already dying due to the negligent attitude of the locals and the influx of tourists

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What other resorts are there in Egypt? Maybe you can find something better? >>

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