Guide to Sharm El Sheikh

Beaches

Beaches and Sharm El Sheikh are really one and the same thing. You can't separate them. Nearly everyone who holidays here comes for the beach scene. Sharm's sands unfurl for 60 kilometres along the coast in dazzling ribbons, bays and coves of gold and white. The busiest stretch is at Naama Bay, where you'll find Sharm's main promenade and tourist hub. Here, you'll find shimmering sands and gentle waters, perfect for snorkelling, diving lessons and other watersports. Smaller beaches, like those at White Knights, Nabq and Sharks Bay, lie to the north, while you've got the rocky headland of Ras Um Sidd to the south. All along the coast, most of the big hotels have private beaches – sections of sands with their own sunloungers, watersports and bar facilities - so you can relax and catch the rays in total comfort. Of course, Sharm's beaches aren't just about sun-drenched sands. They melt into some of the world's most phenomenal diving and snorkelling sites. From Nabq Bay to Ras Um Sidd, flipper fanatics can wow at glorious coral reefs teeming with over 1,000 species of tropical fish. With luminous snappers, clown fish and manta rays, it gives the London Aquarium a run for its money. Add the astonishing clarity, warm water and number of diving schools and you've got the perfect venue to take the plunge. And of course, for experienced divers, Sharm is heaven itself. Don your wetsuit and join an organised dive to the waters of Ras Mohammed National Park or the Tiran Straits. The seas here play host to exciting sheer drop-offs, deep blue canyons and haunting shipwrecks alive with Nemo lookalikes. Keep your fins crossed and you might just catch a glimpse of a dolphin, turtle or even a huge whale shark.

Eating out

• Italian. Chinese. American. Japanese. Indian. Oh, and plenty of Egyptian on top. Sharm does food the way a kaleidoscope does colours – every which way. For sheer diversity, this town knocks spots off most other holiday resorts. The main culinary hotspot is Naama Bay, where restaurants, fast food joints and coffee houses serve a mind-boggling array of food – everything from pizzas, seafood and steaks to tandoori, noodles and sushi. Crack open a succulent fresh lobster. Dig into a gigantic, all-American burger. Pile into a steaming plate of pasta. It's all here, on a plate. Of course, it'd be a crime not to sample the local specialities, which are heavily influenced by Turkish cuisine and often revolve around rice, chickpeas, lamb and chicken. Not to mention fresh fish netted from the Red Sea. All around Naama Bay and along the beaches, you'll find Bedouin-style restaurants where you can eat under the stars over authentic, Arabian Nights-style nibbles. Plump yourself on a comfy cushion and spend the evening tucking into appetising 'meze' – mouth-watering titbits like soft hummous, tasty 'taameya' – deep-fried fava bean burgers - and spicy fritters served with flat Bedouin bread. And if that gets your appetite going, finish with a sizzling lamb kebab served with a cool yoghurt dip or 'koshari' – a tantalising mixture of rice, fried onions, macaroni and chickpeas smothered in tomato sauce. There's plenty going on in the drinks department, too. Egypt may be a Muslim country, but alcohol is available everywhere. Quench your thirst with the refreshing local beer, 'Saggara', or try 'buza' - a mild local brew said to have been favoured by the pharoahs. And don't miss 'kahwa' – the intensely thick native coffee – or the sweet mint tea.
  
  
• Cafe Bedouin, Sharm El Sheikh - Perched on cliffside terraces, this atmosphere-charged cafe is pure magic with tiny clay table lanterns and captivating views over the Red Sea.
  
  
• Cafe el-Fishawi, Sharm El Sheikh - Head for Old Sharm for this legendary open-air cafe set around a fountain. It's famed for its delicious mint tea and shisha pipes.
  
  
• Hard Rock Cafe, Sharm El Sheikh - Go American at Sharm's version of the iconic rock cafe. Bursting with music memorabilia, it's lots of fun and serves up great burgers, fries and steaks.
  
  
• Dananeer, Sharm El Sheikh - Excellently priced pizza, pasta, prawns and authentic Egyptian treats like wheat-stuffed pigeons make this friendly spot on Naama's main strip one of Sharm's favourites.
  
  
• Little Buddha, Sharm El Sheikh - Dig into to-die-for sushi and extravagant Chinese cuisine at this uber-stylish restaurant, all under the gaze of a gigantic golden Buddha.

Nightlife

• Most of Sharm's hotels offer up something in the way of evening entertainment – whether it's belly dancing, a folklore show or live music. If you want to up the ante though, Sharm certainly delivers. As dusk falls, everything here leaps into action. Quite simply, Sharm rocks, with a multitude of nightspots, clubs, shows and bars dead-set on keeping you up 'til the early hours. Of course, if you're intent on intimate candlelit dinners, there are plenty of romantic boardwalk and beach restaurants where you can dine quietly under the stars. But if you're up to party, come on in. Hotfoot it to Naama Bay's main strip and you'll see what we mean. Here, a jungle of neon-lit bars, pavement cafes, glamorous cocktail lounges, sports-screen pubs and turbo-charged dancespots jostle for your attention. Whether you fancy shaking your booty to R&B, hopping from bar to bar or chilling out in a cushion-bedecked coffee house puffing a hubbly-bubbly pipe, it's all on tap. And that's not all. Chance your arm in a glitzy casino. Cut a dash at the ice-skating rink. Take in a movie at the outdoor cinema. Or go and see a colourful belly dancing or Bedouin show. There's plenty of ways to pass the evenings in Sharm.
  
  
• The Camel Bar, Sharm El Shiekh - A hit with Brits, this buzzing bar has a rooftop terrace with fabulous sea views and which morphs into a dancefloor at weekends.
  
  
• Bus Stop, Sharm El Sheikh - Dance your socks off at this trendy venue. Done out like a London bus inside and out, it's a Sharm institution and stages a House Mania party on Thursday nights.
  
  
• Sinai Grand Casino, Sharm El Shiekh - Glammed up gambling, fine dining and Las Vegas-style entertainments pull in the punters at this glitzy Naama Bay casino.
  
  
• Pacha, Sharm El Sheikh - Sharm's version of Ibiza's iconic nightspot, this open-air club hosts foam parties, outdoor pools, VIP lounges and world-renowned DJs, as well as fantastic tunes.
  
  
  
  
• Alf Leila Wa Leila Fantasia, Sharm El Shiekh - This dinner-and-dance spectacular charts Egypt's ancient history through hypnotic belly dancing performances, whirling dervishes and sound-and-light shows. Absolutely fantastic.

Shopping

The shopping's great in Sharm. If you're after the usual holiday stuff like beachwear and postcards, the centre of Naama Bay will come up trumps. This is where you'll find El Sharm Mall – a cobbled avenue crammed with tourist stores, restaurants, bars and beach shops. Around it lies a grid of smaller shopping streets and a main road dotted with glitzy indoor malls selling designer, duty-free and big brand goods. If you're on the lookout for authentic mementoes however, head to the souk in Old Sharm. It's superb souvenir-hunting territory – even though it's actually a modern recreation of an old Arabian souk. Step inside and you'll be greeted by maze-like lanes of stalls stuffed with aromatic spices, shishas, rugs, silver and gold. As well as Bedouin handicrafts, pottery, perfumes, mother of pearl ornaments and crisp Egyptian cotton. There's even a roaring trade in belly-dancing gear. A word of advice though. Don't forget to haggle. And haggle hard. Sharm's touristy credentials mean that prices can be high, so it's up to you to negotiate. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 20-30% off the original price. Do that and you've probably clinched yourself a decent deal. And if you don't crack it – walk away. Often, the trader will have second thoughts and call you back.

Local information

Take a trip out through rugged, rocky scenery and visit St Catherine's Monastery - located at the foot of the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments. St Catherine was supposedly tortured on a spiked wheel for her beliefs and today gives her name to the Catherine Wheel firework. You can enjoy a guided tour of this famous sanctuary and see the legendary 'Burning Bush'. Or why not travel further afield to Cairo, Luxor or Petra - Sharm El Sheikh is the ideal base.

Location

500km south east of Cairo

Transfer time

About 20 minutes