Football Fan

Has anyone ever stayed there? I am considering going there, but I don't even know which airlines fly there from Europe and if it is worth going there. Seems like a good and cheap location for diving. What about security in the area?

Thanks for any advice .

kawoh

Hi,

Am staying at a hilton at the moment, and was looking at a brochure/book they had on Hilton resorts... i noticed there a few "all inclusive" resorts (ie all your food and activities are included in the accomodation rate). One which caught my eye was the Hilton Shark's Bay in Egypt.

Searching the hilton.com site, this property comes up as a Category 1, like most other Egypt properties, the difference is that this property is all inclusive (ie nothing more to spend)... it's not exactly near cairo, it's past suez, heading towards Saudi Arabia, but perhaps may be good for some folks... especially those who don't want to spend anymore once they get there! - ie free breakfast, lunch and dinner and a hotel room as a "Category 1" property... ie - only 10,000 HH points per night.... real bargain in my view!

The best available rate I could get for November on hilton.com was a whopping US$220.00 per night, for 10,000 points, works out to be US2.2c per point, good use IMHO.

Has anyone stayed at this property before? The only other all inclusive resort in Egypt is a Category 4, 30,000 HH points per night....

Rut Dog

I haven't stayed there, but have seen it on the website, and figured they were trying to overcome security fears by having such a low price. If anyone does have experience, please include security as a part of your comments.

mtresc

The 10,000 points per night at Sharks Bay will not be applicable for the all-inclusive service.
Please refer to the following description at the HH website:


Egyptian All-Inclusive Rewards
Be swept away to Egypt with an all-inclusive vacation at one of two luxurious properties. This all-inclusive vacation includes accomodation for one night, three meals per day, unlimited snacks and soft drinks (excluding fresh juices and special coffees), and draught beer, wine or local spirits and mixers with meals.* Activities include tennis, squash, volleyball, snorkeling, billiards, table tennis, aerobics, gym access, sauna, steam room, whirlpool, and kids activities. Choose to stay near the beautiful Sharks Bay at the Hilton Sharks Bay or relax beside the Red Sea at the exotic Hilton Hurghada Long Beach Resort.
Number of Guests HHonors Points Reward Code
1-2 persons 35,000 SBHB
1 supplementary adult or child (children ages of 7 and under are free) 12,500 SBHBS

Terms: Only one supplementary person maximum can be added to the SBHB reward, making it a total of three persons (adult and/or child combination) maximum occupying one room at one time. Spouse stays free benefit does not apply for all-inclusive rewards. Children the age of seven and under are free. *Subject to local laws.

TravellingJock

Im thinking about going diving in Sharm in Mid - September and from the rather extensive selection of Hilton hotels/resorts this description sounded interesting

"You need to know two things about the Hilton Sharks Bay Resort. First, this is the ground-breaking all-inclusive Hilton resort. Second, it's in the finest location for a sun-drenched holiday, with heaps of activities on offer."

Has anyone visited this resort recently that could provide some info? - a search did not bring any joy. It doesnt appear possible to book using points. (No reward category rating for the Hotel.)

Thanks

TJ

PhxFlyGuy

I am interested in this as well. The area looks like it is full of high end resorts. I would be interested in knowing if anybody has done any scuba diving in the area. If so, how far by boat are the dive sites. I ask because I am not much of a boat person, so I prefer sites that are closer in.

The area does look beautiful from the many pictures that I have seen recently.

Sweet Willie

Going in late December to dive and relax. I'll answer then, (know that doesn't help you now)

JDiver

Check what I just posted on Sharm - I stayed at the Sharm Waterfalls.

Most sites are not very close - the average dive trip leaves in the morning for a two or maybe three tank dive, lunch on board, returning perhaps four-ish. The best sites are some distance away - e.g. the Thistlegorm, Ras Mohammed, etc. It is also very crowded diving, with the least regard for safety I have seen. In one week of land-based boat diving (I also did a one week liveaboard,) I saw divers injured, divers left behind, a dive boat wreck (it caught fire and sunk,) smoking whilst fueling and partial pressure blending, huge cooking fire under an 02 tank, all kinds of stupidity it would otherwise have taken 25 years to see.

As one who has dived 48 years in many places in the world, I recommend you choose your dive boat carefully, to say the least. Or, find a better place to dive (though if you are in Europe, it is seductively close!)

hfly

I concur, although I also have to blame the quality of the DIVERS that I saw in Sharm. Most were from places like Italy and Japan, had newly minted C cards and didn't even know how to kick. Most were more interested in taking pictures of eachother in their ultra chic and matching gear and were total bedlam (lots of kicked off masks, lost divers, etc). That added to "divemasters" that had half the dive experience or less than myself plus shoddy boats and equipment made it a not so good experience.

The diving was a 7/10 on my scale and much better than a lot of places but worse than others. I've been diving since 82 and do not enjoy the dive "commercial" dive experience anymore. Sharm is turning into a zoo.

JDiver

Exactly! One is stuck with a lot of novices and poor divers - and if Sharm weren't in a desert, the development would have the waters murky and devoid of life by now. A goodly number of the divemasters I saw were too busy trying to score with visiting lady divers, not to mention not terribly experienced or well trained. (Mind you, I work hard to not put "crowding" into the context of beginning to dive in 1956.)

Sweet Willie, be aware it may not be quite as warm in December, say, as in September...

When we were there, it was "high" season, but the Sharm Waterfalls looked about half-booked. We enjoyed it and the shuttle into Naama Bay; the dive ops will usualy pick up at a hotel. (We also enjoyed the "El Fanar" Italian / pizza restaurant, very "caravanserai" and fun, on the cliff overlooking Ras um Sid, and as I recall, the "Sinai Star" for seafood in the old market (better prices for souvenirs too, but be prepared to bargain, bargain, bargain, part of the Middle Eastern culture.)

hfly

Again, I concur. I dove Grand Cayman in 1983 a lot on the East End and a bit in the west, the diving everywhere was good, with the East End the best. I went back in 1998 and almost everything had been destroyed, besides a few kitsch dives (Stingray City, Tarpin Alley, etc.) everything was dead, coral and sponges destroyed by divers who couldn't control their bouyancy, or their kicks. While Sharm is not there yet, with the influx of these great new European divers I give it another five years tops.

Sweet Willie

Did you end up going?

divrdrew

Does anyone have information on the Sharks Bay Hilton in Sharm El Sheikh (sp) Egypt? I am staying there in December and can't find an e-mail for them and their phone number rejects calls from calling cards (get some strange message that they only accept direct dialed numbers). I am trying to find out what activities are included in the 'all inclusive' rates, particularly scuba diving.

moore1984

All,

Thinking about going to the Shark Bay resort in Sharm el Sheikh. There is a thread on here already regarding this hotel but it hasn't been updated since 2004.

Has anyone stayed here recently?

If so can you please provide me with info on the all inclusive (good/bad) and also the treatment that you received (room upgrades etc) as a HH Silver/Gold/Diamond.

Thanks

M

dandare

I stayed there in april 10,I found diamond recognition to be v good,i was upgraded to a lovely 2 room suite.we also we given daily large bottles of soda,beer and water.
I would rate the food at the hotel as ok-good in the buffet's.IMHO it is hard to have great buffets anywhere in the world.
The hotel staff a generally v good and friendly,managment also.
If you have any other q.pm me