Sharm el Sheikh
Sharm el Sheikh
Sharm el Sheikh vacation
The purpose of this post is to give honest feedback about Sharm el Sheikh and my experiences in Sharm el Sheikh. I just got back from vacation, actually my honeymoon in Sharm el Sheikh. Sharm el Sheikh is an Egyptian tourist resort on the Red Sea. I choose Sharm el Sheikh because I got one of those cheap last minute deals as we had no time to plan for anything but our wedding. Our honeymoon was great because we are a happy easy going couple, but our time in Sharm el was very unexpected.
Sharm el Sheikh hotels
In theory Sharm el Sheikh is a nice place to go for vacation. We booked a four star hotel vacation package in Sharm el Sheikh from Kraków, Poland. When we arrived we were redirected to another 4 star hotel than we paid for because of ‘overbooking’. The hotel like all four star hotels in Sharm el Sheikh is really what I should call a 3 star or even a 2 star. The standard is not American or European but rather an arbitrary 4 star. So beware of this.
Sharm el Sheikh tourist trap
Sharm el Sheikh is nothing but a pure tourist spot. There is nothing there except tourist hotels, hundreds of them. Mostly peaceful Russians coming there to sit on the beach. I spoke Polish while I was there for obvious reason, English outside your 5 star hotel lobby gets a lot of attention. Sharm el Sheikh or really Egypt is trying to get all of Europe there, but it is being built so tacky, and boring it’s not for my taste. I like the beach but to sit on a beach, I would prefer Greece or a place that has something interesting around it not dusty dirty littered desert. When I am on vacation I want something stimulating not a matrix of tourist shops built with the sole propose to get money from me.
Sharm el Sheikh hotel construction
Sharm el Sheikh the hotels are being build by almost slave labor, hard working Arab/Egytian boys, young men and children. I image that their ancestors built the pyramids. All around is dust and construction. I do not know why the children are not in school. It hurts my heart they they are being denied on their youth. The workers in the hotels more often than not make no salary and just make tips. Some are very nice and you are thankful for meeting one that is not aggressively trying to get money from you or making rude comments to your girlfriend. When I complained to the hotel they said aha you do not know Egyptian men, this is they way they behave. I was surprised as I thought it was a respectful society and one of my friends are part Egyptian in the States and he was a nice guy, but in Sharm el Sheikh is was out of control and you have to be prepared to be very aggressive back to get any respect. But like I said a couple men in Sharm el Sheikh
were nice.
Sharm el Sheikh men
In Sharm el Sheikh like most of Egypt then men are very aggressive towards women. They will approach them even if they are with a boyfriend or husband, which was my case, and they will flirt with them and touch them. I got in a few minor fights with men who tried to put their hands on my wife on our honeymoon. If you do not get the direct passes you will get many stares from men.
No women in Sharm el Sheikh
I think part of the problem is there are no visible women in Sharm el Sheikh as it is 100% a tourist spot where only boys and men come to work from all over Egypt and leave their women at home. The men live in desert work camps outside the hotel groups that most tourists do not see and when they see western girls at the hotel or walking down the street or on the beach, they behave inappropriate.
Sharm el Sheikh shopping
Sharm el Sheikh shops have no prices. Even if you want to buy water you must negotiate hard. If you are the type of person that likes to do that then Sharm el Sheikh
Is the place for you. But if I want water or bread or anything, I like to see a price and not have to argue over every little thing.
Sharm el Sheikh money
Sharm el Sheikh and cash, no problem they take US dollars, but if you use Egyptian Pounds you will get a better price and can negotiate in smaller denominations. I used the bank machines with no problem.
Sharm el Sheikh beaches
Sharm el Sheikh swimming was great. The water was warm, but there are no sandy beaches, only coral and stone so you can not ride the surf if you like body surfing. But the fishes are fun to look at.
Sharm el Sheikh day trips
The best thing about Sharm el Sheikh is leaving for the day to go to see the Pyramids. Which are some one commercial in themselves but nice, however, it’s a nine hour bus ride from Sharm el Sheikh.
Sharm el Sheikh and Israel
Yes this made everything worth it. We went on a day trip to Israel with the most amazing tour guide, Mirosłow. He was passionate about giving us a tour of the holy land, and I can only image it was kind of a calling for him. Going to the holy land was something I can recommend, even if you are religious or not. That alone saved our honeymoon and more.
Tags: Egypt, Egypt vacation, Egyptian vacation, Sharm, Sharm el Sheik, Sharm el Sheikh, vacation in Egypt
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November 16, 2007at 8:38 am
This information is entirely incorrect.
November 16, 2007at 9:00 am
@Raymond, Why would I say something that is not true, if anything the information is toned down as not to offend anyone. Be specific about what you think is not true about Sharm el Sheik. The reality is if you are a women in Egypt from the west, or worst a blond, you will get men putting your hands all over your body on as you walk down the street, lay on the beach and even in the hotel you are staying at, this was our groups exprience and when we got back to Europe other people confirmed this. Polish women all say this universally. If you are older than you may not have experienced this. Sharm el Sheikh is a desert. There is nothing to do. Its 9 hours on a bus to Cairo. Sharm el Sheikh is being built up by UK developers trying to speculate on the hotel business and the government of Egypt. But, its very boring. Maybe a few lame bellydance shows at night that are tourst traps but there is nothing to do. And the its very stressful living day to day as everyone will try to get money from you. The Westerns that I know that live in Sharm el Shiek do not leave their houses after 5 pm and have a bodyguard. I wonder why this is?
May 13, 2008at 10:54 am
Sharm El Sheikh is not that much BAD PLACE as u mentioned above…
the only thing i will tell u… that… TRY TO GO TO SHARM WITH SOME FRINDS FROM EGYPT… we will let u see the real of sharm el sheikh … forget about the putting over bodies of women.,.. in every place in this world.. u will find bad and good ppl… not all bad.. not all good… i am egyptian.. and never ever try to annoy in tourist in sharm whe i went there.. or even put my hand on her body !!!!!…. maybe some ppl do so.. but not all…!!!!!
Try to go again THE DESERT u mentiones above.. but really try to search about safaris… going to Saint Catherine Mountian….Get a short trip to RAS MOHAMED and the Valley of TIRAN…. and at sun rise.. going to Safaris by jeeps or Beach Buggies… Dont say sharm is bad unless u get the real sharm
May 13, 2008at 2:14 pm
@Ahmed Your right. In fact I have thought about revising my post about Sharm el Sheikh. See the think is if you take a trip to an average tourist hotel I think you are not treated with respect, especially if you are a women. However, the people in Egypt are very sweet if you get to know them. This was my experience in Morocco also. However, if you are coming over as a tourist and you are a women with blond hair or just from Europe you will have guys all over you, touching you, even if you are with your husband. This is what I did not like about it. Also the quality of the tour guides were very poor, they were the worst, however, these were not Egyptian tour guides but foreign guides living in Egypt. And were so bad because they have bus loads of tourists everyday, so no one is an individual, they just try to rip you off like everyone else there. Also the hotels were not super, at least the one I stayed in and what my friends stayed also. But again this could vary from hotel to hotel. So to be fair Sharm el Sheikh has the potential to be very good, if you know Egyptians. Because some of the Egyptians I talked to were really kind and interesting people.
May 14, 2008at 5:16 am
Instead of going to Sharm el Sheikh I recommend Crimea. Crimea is sub tropical, lots of history, as people have lived there over 10,000 years including an amazing Greek civilization, there is hiking, warm water with healthy benefits and the main thing is the people leave you alone and are respectful. Plus it is about 1/4 the price and not touristy yet.