UPMARKET hotel group Ritz Carlton opens a desert resort in Sharm El Sheikh on December 13, which will be its first property in the area.
The 307-room hotel is located on the Red Sea on 100,000sq metres of Egypt’s Southern Sinai Peninsula.
The resort is being targeted at diving enthusiasts and adventurous types and directly overlooks the Amphora Reef, a prime spot for divers searching for rare corals, exotic sea horses and other marine life. It will have a diving centre offering a high-speed boat to transport guests to prime locations, including the shipwreck of a 12th-century vessel which can be explored by first-time divers.
Other sports facilities include four swimming pools, sailing and water skiing, three floodlit tennis courts and access to a nearby 18-hole golf course. Accommodation includes 25 Ritz Carlton Club rooms and five club suites, which have a dedicated lounge area.
Opening room rates start at $160, although special packages are available.
n Ritz Carlton will take over the management of the 180-year-old Breidenbacher Hotel in Dusseldorf when it reopens in summer 2000.