The first decision is easy enough. For quick access, guaranteed sunshine, competitive prices and great diving, The Red Sea is a shoo-in.
Once there, most Brits will head to either Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada for their week in the sun. But how do you choose between these two heavy hitters? Both resorts are varied, friendly and offer great value for money, but there are differences too.
Our easy guide will help you make the right choice for your clients.
Sharm El-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh is spread over a large area on the southern tip of the Sinai peninsular from the Old Town to newer Nabq Bay, and encompasses a number of popular resort areas, some more established than others.
Large hotel complexes line the cliffs in Um el Sid with the grid of roads behind housing smaller properties.
Na’ama Bay started out as a fishing village before becoming a focal point for divers. It still retains a bohemian atmosphere and lively nightlife enhanced by the more modern resort-style properties on both sides of the main road.
The coastline extends for miles offering broad expanses of well-maintained sands with gently lapping waters, bordered by attractively landscaped hotel gardens.
There is also a good choice of hotels away from the beach, generally at lower prices. These properties still offer the all-encompassing holiday experiences and usually have expansive pool decks and water parks too.
Hurghada
Across the water lies Hurghada, which extends from El Gouna in the north to Soma Bay in the south and includes the former port town and new resort areas such as Makadi Bay and Sahl Hasheesh. Compared with Sharm el-Sheikh, it has more distinct resorts separated by swathes of barren desert.
Unlike Sharm, there are few hotels away from the beachfront, although the desert side of the southern coastal highway has already seen the opening of some grand resorts with more to come.
There is no definitive nightlife district comparable to Na’ama Bay, though there are a number of good bars and discos in town. Some of the newer areas such as at Madinat Makadi and El Gouna incorporate a lively town square environment with bars and music.
You can explore the hotels in El Gouna in more detail using a new microsite launched by the resort.
A new luxury development at Sahl Hasheesh, an area beyond the headland south of town, will open in 2012. Red Sea Hotels, a company building properties in the area, says the resort will be a cross between Las Vegas and Dubai.
A few properties are open, but a further 5,800 hotel rooms are expected to be completed in the next 18 months, making this a monster resort in its own right.
Excursions and activities
A variety of similar excursions are available at both reorts including adventures on sea and sand. Attraction World has introduced new desert tours to its programme, including a quad bike adventure to a Bedouin village and dinner under the stars.
From Sharm el-Sheikh there are excursions to St Catherine’s Monastery and Mount Sinai, to Petra in neighbouring Jordan, and to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem too.
The treasures of the Nile are best explored from Hurghada. This involves a four-hour coach journey to Luxor and the Temples of the West Bank. Most tour operators offer a Nile Cruise package combined with a wide variety of hotels in the Hurghada region.
Both areas offer excellent diving opportunities and a variety of other water sports including snorkelling and deep-sea fishing, all easily arranged from every hotel.
Keen windsurfers and kitesurfers usually prefer to stay close to the action and there are some good schooling facilities at El Gouna. Golfers will find more choice in Hurghada with three championship courses.
Client types
Families are spoilt for choice all over the region as many of the larger properties have excellent child facilities, although usually not for toddlers.
Groups of young adults are tempted to the nightlife around Na’ama Bay, although taxis are cheap and journeys short from anywhere in Sharm el-Sheikh.
For a slightly more authentic Egypt, the Old Town area of Sharm offers some good choices and older style hotels, while the new resort developments in Hurghada have a modern style. Couples looking for a quieter environment should consider the Sharks Bay area of Sharm or Makadi Bay in Hurghada.
Luxury lovers will find top-range product in both resorts, including the Ritz-Carlton in Sharm and the new Kempinski in Soma Bay.
Sample product
Olympic Holidays offers seven nights’ bed and breakfast in September at the three-star Falcon Viva in Sharm el-Sheikh from £355, including flights from Gatwick and transfers. olympicholidays.com, 0844 499 4449
Red Sea Holidays offers seven nights’ bed and breakfast at the five-star Grand Resort in Hurghada departing on September 28 from £601 including flights from Manchester, transfers and late check-out. redseaholidays.co.uk, 0845 313 9949
