Once upon a time, life for travel agents selling the Red Sea was simple. A working knowledge of Sharm el-Sheikh and Eilat was all that was necessary.
These days, with new resorts spawning all along the Red Sea coast, it can be hard to keep up – which is where the Travel Weekly roundup comes in. From the brand-new and purpose-built to former Bedouin villages, we’ve got the lowdown on 14 key resorts…
Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh was the first resort to embrace mass tourism and offers huge variety – everything from low-budget self-catering options right up to five-star-plus luxury. It also benefits from a massive amount of airlift, both from London and regional airports.
The main centre, Na’ama Bay, is bustling and built-up, and has plenty to offer in terms of nightlife. It also has a wide choice of restaurants and shops, and fewer properties offering all-inclusive packages.
Sharks Bay and Nabq Bay are quieter areas, though the recently-opened Soho Square development at the former has proved popular. It’s a purpose-built strip of shops, restaurants and bars, giving clients the option to get out of the hotel without negotiating the more frenetic Na’ama area.
Dahab
Not far up the coast from Sharm, Dahab was once a Bedouin village. It retains a more bohemian feel – a hangover from its past as a hippie hangout. The town centre has a relaxed atmosphere with lively cafes and restaurants, and a long seafront where visitors can wander and watch the world go by.
Visitors here are more likely to book bed and breakfast than all-inclusive, even if staying at one of the five-star hotels. Dahab is also known as a diving and windsurfing mecca.
Taba Heights
Right at the north of the Gulf of Aqaba, Taba Heights overlooks Jordan and Israel, making it perfectly located for cultural excursions to attractions such as Petra, the Dead Sea and Jerusalem.
The resort, which is wholly owned by one developer, was carefully planned and is tailored to the upper end of the market, with an 18-hole golf course.
“It’s much smaller and quieter than Sharm, and is good for families and middle-aged couples,” says Stuart Lewis, Peltours managing director.
There’s little to see outside the hotels, but properties make extra effort with in-house entertainment every night and wide culinary choices.
Eilat
Israel’s Red Sea hotspot is well established. As a working city rather than a resort it provides a relatively cosmopolitan array of restaurants and cafes.
The experience is more European in feel than the Egyptian Red Sea. Eilat offers VAT-free shopping and Dolphin Reef, where visitors can swim and dive with dolphins in their natural habitat – both attractions singular to Eilat.
It is also well placed for trips to Jerusalem or other Israeli sights.
However, Eilat may work out as a pricier option than Egypt. “There’s only one charter going into Eilat this year, run by Isrotel,” says Longwood Holidays marketing manager Tara Bradberry. “We dynamically package and tailor-make trips out there, so they tend to be more expensive.”
Aqaba
“Like Eilat, Aqaba is also a city rather than purely a tourist resort,” says Longwood’s Bradberry. “It’s a little rougher around the edges than Eilat, but gives a real taste of Jordanian life.”
Aqaba works perfectly as the Red Sea element of a wider tour of Jordan, for clients who are keen to see Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash and the Dead Sea.
El Sokhna
New for the British market but long popular with wealthy Egyptians, El Sokhna’s major appeal is its proximity to Cairo – it is only an hour’s drive away.
Planet Holidays commercial and aviation director Harry Kyrillou says: “It’s a real relaxation spot, with lovely sandy beaches. There are some nice hotels and a golf course, and it’s better for swimming than resorts like Sharm.” However, it does not match the other Red Sea resorts for diving.
Hurghada
“In the next 18 months Hurghada will grow to overtake Sharm,” says Jason Hilton, sales director of Red Sea Holidays. “It learned from the latter’s mistakes. In Sharm, many of the hotels are all crammed together, whereas Hurghada’s resorts are spread along a long length of beach.”
Hurghada’s popularity also stems from the breadth of choice it offers, with a range of hotels from three to five-star-plus. It’s a good option for clients who are looking to get out of the hotel during their stay as it offers an easily accessible choice of bars and restaurants.
The new marina, open for the last 18 months, is full of upmarket nightspots but sits opposite downtown Hurghada, which provides those who are looking for a bit of authenticity the chance to explore a traditional market town. It’s also a convenient 20 minutes from Hurghada airport.
Sahl Hasheesh
This sprawling resort just south of Hurghada is one to watch. Completely purpose-built on a 12-mile stretch of beach and with investment from the Egyptian government, the road infrastructure, much of the landscaping and some of the hotels, such as the Oberoi, are already finished.
However, a huge amount of development work is just kicking off, including a group of hotels from Red Sea resorts.
“It’ll have the feel of Dubai or Vegas,” says Hilton. “The hotels will be very much at the top end of the market, five-star-plus, and everything will be on a grand, opulent scale. There’ll be real wow factor.”
Already one to bear in mind for upmarket clients, the resort is likely to become established in the next 18 months, when a range of bars and restaurants will open to serve guests of the new hotels.
Makadi Bay
Around 40 minutes from Hurghada airport and designed like a self-contained village, the resort features a network of pedestrianised streets with shops and restaurants.
Most hotels are four or five-star properties right on the beach with excellent kids’ clubs. Some offer ‘dine around’ schemes with local restaurants, and mMany hotels also run free shuttle buses to Hurghada.
“Makadi Bay works well for families,” says Hayes and Jarvis regional products and contracts manager Glen McCool. “It’s self-contained and safe, almost like a Disney-style village.”
El Gouna
Just 30 minutes from Hurghada airport, El Gouna is a purpose-built resort, with upmarket villas as well as hotels. As a result there are plenty of tourist facilities in the town: 14 hotels, a cinema, a golf course, a library, a hospital, and a marina with numerous restaurants and cafes.
“El Gouna is nicknamed Little Venice on the Red Sea because it’s built around lagoons,” says Movenpick El Gouna general manager John Wood. “Visitors can travel round by a shuttlebus, or on a lagoon boat.
“The resort is perfect for families; it’s gated, safe and spotlessly clean. We offer family rooms with a kids’ loft over the parents’ double room.”
Soma Bay
About 20 minutes south of Hurghada, this resort is quite upmarket and relatively pricey. Most hotels are good four and five stars, and last year a five-star-deluxe Kempinski property opened. There’s a golf course and a thalassotherapy spa, but no real town centre.
Guests wanting a variation from their hotel restaurant can take advantage of a ‘dine around’ scheme. The snorkelling at Soma is particularly good.
Marsa Alam
The launch of an international airport in Marsa Alam in 2001 opened up the southern reaches of the Egyptian Red Sea to the UK market, with weekly charters from Gatwick and Manchester, and its popularity is increasing. There was a 34% increase in British passengers year on year in 2009.
“For those travelling in the middle of winter, it’s worth remembering that the resorts out of this hub are further south and so hotter,” says Peter Cox, Classic Collection Holidays’ Egypt product manager.
Many of the hotels are spread out along the vast stretches of beautiful beach, so suit all-inclusive packages for families and couples looking for relaxation rather than nightlife.
Port Ghalib
This ambitious self-contained resort is only five minutes from Marsa Alam airport. Centred around a long corniche, there are shops and restaurants, a marina, a swimming lagoon and a traditional Egyptian bazaar.
The resort has four hotels: InterContinental The Palace, Crowne Plaza Sahara Sands, Crowne Plaza Sahara Oasis and Coral Beach Marina Lodge.
“It’s a mini-city, with lots to do,” says Longwood’s Bradberry, who recommends booking soon to bag clients a bargain, as prices will rise as the resort gains renown.
El Quseir
For real peace and quiet, consider El Quseir. North of Port Ghalib and Marsa Alam, hotels are located out of town in an isolated area where clients can really get away from it all and feel the seclusion of the desert and the coast.
“After clients have visited the Luxor bazaars and Cairo’s buzzing streets they often just want to relax,” says Mosaic Holidays managing director Sabina Shaida. “El Quseir and Nuweiba (another quiet resort north of Dahab) offer the chance to relax. Even the air is clear.”
