DISCUSSION for Hilton Honors Hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt {EGY}
 

Has anybody experienced the Conrad Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt :cool:

Specifically:
a) Is it suitable for children (14 & 10)
b) Having never stayed in a Conrad - will they honour Diamond privileges

Thanks in anticipation of response ;)

My preference is the Sharm Waterfalls - a bot further out of town, but in Sharm, that's good IMO - shuttles into town, lots of things to do, spacious grounds, enormous breakfast. Diamonds treated very nicely. A great pizza at the nearby EL Fanar (the lighthouse) with a funky caravanserai look and gorgeous views.

By and large, Sharm is pretty safe - lots of security with all those "peace" conferences, etc. etc. for one thing.

Sharm Waterfalls has reasonable quality food - but it's fun to eat out. One place with great sunset views and pizza, kind of atourist - caravanserai atmosphere is El Fanar (the lighthouse) on the cliff at Ras um Sidd, not far.

Diving is OK, but not many dive ops have dive safety down pat, so be choosy, please.

We were at the Sharks Bay Hilton in Sharm in Dec for a week and it was fantastic. Didn't get any special Gold benefits, but can't beat $90 / night for an all inclusive resort. Food was very nice, staff was simply unbelievable...by the end of the week, seemed like we were old friends. And there were also TONS of ITalians...the entire dive operation was Italians, but they were spectacular (more about that later).

We came through Israel...flew to TLV, then to Eilat, walked across Taba, and cab to SHarm. Flight to TLV was $1200 (and upgraded to Business Class with miles), flight to Eilat was $75, cab from the border was about $50 (you have to negotiate this...you can also catch as bus for around $10). We went to Eilat on the way so we could do a day in Petra. Be forewarned that if you go in/out of Israel, you have the potential for long questioning at security (we didn't have a problem and I haven't in my past trips).

I'd also have to say that the diving is EXCEPTIONAL. There are a number of dive operators along the coast to choose from, but we went with the one at the resort. It's a bit pricey, but worth it. You can do day trips to Ras or to Tiran Islands, local boat dives, or shore diving. One of the best dive operators I've ever used (and I've been diving all over the world for around 15 years). You put your stuff in a crate and they lug it everywhere for you. If you shore dive, only thing is you suit up before climbing down, but the shore diving is some of the best anywhere.

The resort is mostly Europeans - we were told by many staff that we were the only Americans they've seen in a couple years. If you stay in town, the prices go down significantly for both the hotel and diving (except for the Camel Dive Club which seemed way overpriced).

Went to Dahab 13 years ago and back then the diving was also fantastic. Dove for 5 days from the shore and did a lot of exploring into uncharted sites. Hilton or bedouin village were the only options back then so I opted for a place for $3/night in the bedouin village. I have heard that it is now very built up and the diving is not as good as it was back then.

As far as getting around, it's gravy. The Shark's bay has a regular shuttle into town and there are tons of taxis out front that you can hire (if you want to go up to Mt Sinai, hire your own cab...it's really cheap). Don't waste your time arranging for a car inside the lobby...way overpriced.

Never felt unsafe. I'd be a bit more cautious if going into mainland Egypt, but the Sinai has been historically safe (except the couple recent incidents). There are police and soldiers everywhere and lots of security checks as you are driving between towns. I recall living in London back in the early 90s and there were tons of IRA bombings (sometimes almost daily).

Sorry for the long post...I should have posted a trip report when I got back and I guess this is it :D

PM me if you have any more questions.

Could you share the name of the dive operator you used? thanks.

Maybe better late than never...

I've dived with liveaboards and local dive ops out of Sharm. Most of them are compeltely ignorant or uncaring about safety - I went out with one day operator ("we are licensed for 12, but never take out that many" turned into 16, 18 or more,) who had a huge oxygen tank unsecured on the coaming in the salon, the cook creating delicious fresh pasta over a volcanic flaming gas cooker! :eek: We dove a day boat that had caught on fire (barbecue on the fan deck) and sunk - our cook told us he had been on that boat several years, and only a bit over one on ours, so we were safe, "inshallah.")

Liveaboards here have affiliated with US operators, and been disaffiliated for not following safety rules (MV Oyster was Peter Hughes' "Moon Dancer", M/V Excel was the "Red Sea Aggressor", and I was present when the crew left Capt. Ramy Refaat himself behind on a dive!)

No, I am not paranoid, but as a Master Scuba Diver and wreck diver with 49 years / 28 countries of experience, I am concerned about safety because I am interested in making it 50 years...

OTOH, a German expat group operates Sinai Divers, yes, lots of European divers, but they have been there a long time, are used to dealing with diverse gouprs of people, and do make sure safety is at least inferred more often than the oft-heard "inshallah" ("it's in the hands of God", which seems to allow at least some people to avoid taking any responsibility for doing their part, and which you will spoken OFTEN.)

We did enjoy the Sharm Waterfalls - food was decent, easy to shuttle out of there, most of the dive ops will pick you up at the hotel.

Willie, did you make it to St Catherines, and if so, how?

Hilton HHonors Properties in Sharm El Sheikh
 

Have looked through old threads on this and was wondering if anyone has recently visited Sharm and has any recommendations for the Conrad or Hilton properties there?

very important is to look for a hotel that is bomb and terrorist attack-proof!!!

drwoodsy

There are several properties in and around Sharm.

Fayrouz - directly on beach in centre of Naama bay, I would recommend this one, a little dated but the location makes up for it
Dreams - in the centre but set back from the beach and main promenade, over the road from the Fayrouz
Sharks bay - All inclusive property, located in Sharks bay - bus ride into Naama bay, set on a slope which can be a hefty walk down to the beach and back in the heat.
Conrad - although hilton does not sell this as an all inclusive property it does offer varying different board options to guests of different nationalities via tour operators, prices seem a little steep direct compared to the tour operator prices which include flights from the uk.
Waterfalls - again out of the main resort, a bus journey into naama bay. This hotel has many good reviews.

I suppose it would depend what you were looking for. I personally like staying in the centre but if you are only looking at going in a couple of times then an out of town hotel would probably suit you fine.

There are loads of reviews at www.holiday-truth.com where there is an egypt forum and hotel reviews in the egypt section.

Hope this helps a bit

Thanks tigger1 I have narrowed it down to either the Conrad or Fayrouz. If only Hilton.com would stop crashing I would book something!

Also the day before this trip I will hit Diamond. Wondering if it's worth while trying to get that stay manually posted so that by the time we land in Egypt I will be D.

Sorry for the late reply...I used Sinai Dive Club (www.dive-club.com) and they were great...very safety conscious, very friendly...dove 2 years straight with them and will dive again with them when I get back there. A bit pricier than other shops, but worth it IMHO.

sorry for the late reply, I missed this question.

No I did not make it to St Catherines. Could not locate a tour operator to do what I wanted and our time was limited so I did not want to waste researching a what if. I'm bummed, I plan to go again and leave plenty of time for this side trip.

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Wille nice report! I stayed at the Hilton Taba Resort via Eilot back in '99 and again in 2001... took a bus to Dahab and was fortunate to get a tour to St. Catherines (well worth it albeit it was a tour) and Jordon. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

any updates on Sinai properties ?
 

Hi guys,

considering a trip to Sharm or Dahab for November, and wondered if anyone had stayed at any of the properties there recently. Any comments welcome, specifically on Dahab which doesn't seem to have many reviews.

thx