Sharm el Sheikh

Overview

It's an odd sensation when you're on holiday in Sharm el Sheikh - you know you're at a luxury modern resort with top-class Egypt hotels yet, you can't help feeling that you're also on a desert adventure, so close are the mountains and dunes, the wilderness and open country. In fact, Sharm El Sheikh holidays and those in its neighbouring Red Sea resorts are like shimmering oases luring the weary traveller. But, trust us, these resorts are very real - and their little luxuries very welcoming indeed. 5-star Sharm El Sheikh hotels in Sharm El Sheikh resorts including Nabq Bay and Um El Sid are particularly famous for their high standards of quality and service.

The Sinai Peninsula, that triangle of land pointing southwards from the Holy Lands, is really a land apart. A region of Egypt, Sinai still feels like an island - especially when the rest of the country is called 'the mainland'. 

It's at the coast that things get really interesting, though. Some of the best beaches in the Middle East, fabulous holiday resorts and the best diving anywhere give Sharm El Sheikh the edge. But, despite the developments, it's not hard to realise where you are - colourful Bedouin settlements with brightly coloured tents offer tantalising glimpses of traditional Egyptian desert life inland.

Read more about Egypt holidays.

Watch our 2-minute guide to Sharm el Sheikh.