Any tips for our 2 weeks in sharm el sheikh. Thanks. Alan
Go diving/snorkelling its awesome
do not allow yourselves to be dragged into a shop for a cup of tea and to meet the family,you will be there untill you buy something.
watch out for the water stations poolside,they refill the bottles round the back of the hotel via there filthy tap.
try really hard to tolerate the incredibly horrible russians
on a positive sakara lager is actually quite nice.
edit to add re the diving,a mate who has just returned from sharm said that there was an increase in shark attacks in the area of late due to a load
of sheep carcasses having been dumped at sea.
[Edited on 2/1/13 by ruskino80]
Done plenty of snorkelling and have dived only once in Spain but I really liked it so thats on the list.
Yes ive heard about the local traders 
What is the best currency to tip in. Sterling. US dollars or Egypt pounds?
Eta. Thankfully our hotel is first choice only so hopefully no Russians, having said that the Germans and Dutch we have met in Spain are incredibly
nice.
[Edited on 2/1/13 by afj]
Expect to get the sh1ts - so take plenty immodium with you.
The snorkeling is fantastic ! Last hotel I was at had its own boat, for about £15 each we went snorkeling for the day, well worth a punt.
Just pick a good hotel, and take plenty to read. We are going in about 8 weeks, and wont be leaving the hotel complex. This is based on we have been
before, and theres nothing to see but desert.
In peak summer expect 45c +
If your taking daughters, expect for them to be pestered by the local men. Likewise the locals have a living to make, so will pester you to death to
buy something.
Don't bother going to Cairo unless you really need to see a pile of unfinished buildings surrounded by 12" of rubbish.
If you do end up looking at the 3 kings and the dodgy looking cat DO NOT HAVE YOUR PICTURE TAKEN WITH THE LOCAL! He will want money for the pic and
when you say no he will grab your camera/phone untill you pay him.
DO NOT GIVE YOUR PASSPORT TO ANY BODY BUT THE HOTEL!!!!! If asked for it as deposit for rental of any thing like quad, buggy,scuba gear,car, then walk
away!
Id imagine with the state of their currency that they would want tipping in $ but ive no idea if thats the norm. Simple solution is dont tip! 
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
Id imagine with the state of their currency that they would want tipping in $ but ive no idea if thats the norm. Simple solution is dont tip!
Don't get eaten by sharks
quote:
Originally posted by afj
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
Id imagine with the state of their currency that they would want tipping in $ but ive no idea if thats the norm. Simple solution is dont tip!
Don't tip. Arrgghhh I don't want a turd cocktail with a jizz chaser
Pretty much everything has been covered I reckon.
I've been to Cairo several times (with work) and the Pyramids are worth a visit, but don't accept any 'guides' etc. We had one
follow us round all day rabbiting on about this cave and that Pyramid only to ask us for money for the guided tour at the end of it! Told him to sling
his hook!
Be VERY careful with what you eat/drink, I ended up with dissentry first time I went!! just from drinking tea which you would think is OK as it's
made with boiling water 
I never have salad, ice cream, and only eat fruit that needs peeling first.
Apart from that, enjoy, have a great time and make the most of the sunshine
HTH
Been 3 times, never had the shits and have a 'sensitive' gut. Use bottled water for everything except washing your hands and taking a
shower and avoid eating fresh fruit and veg that will have been washed. Anything you have to peel will be fine (bananas, oranges etc).
Excursions to the pyramids are a VERY long day if going by coach, you can fly but it is expensive.
Snorkling and diving are fantastic.
Quad bike excursion is great fun, last time I went my dad who was 20stone and 66 at the time came with me and loved the quad biking.
You can also visit Petra from there and that is a once in a life time experience that I highly recommend.
As for what currency to take, Egyptian pounds is simplest as everything will be priced in it, however they prefer english pounds and US dollars as
they get better exchange rates on it then you will, so either memorise the exchange rates or take egyptian pounds.
If all inclusive and you want the bar to stay open longer, or get served more drinks than normally allowed, tip the bar staff well.
forget the immodium, you will get the sh1ts but go to a local pharmacy they're own stuff works much faster
as said, dong get dragged into the shops its a nightmare
hope this helps
Ray
sounds like a terrible place to go on holiday.....South of france? sicily? greek islands? even turkey??
sounds like a festerting s**t hole!!
Was there for 2 weeks in early November and had a fabulous time. I think the most important thing is to choose your hotel carefully and this will avoid many of the potential problems. We stayed at the Reef Oasis Blue Bay resort and it was excellent. Also prepare to accept that a 5* hotel over there is probably what you would expect a 4* to be in Spain etc. We mainly stayed on the complex with only a couple of taxi trips into Naama Bay and the Old Market just to see a bit of variety. The snorkelling is fabulous and our hotel was well set up in that respect. We didn't have a single stomach upset and we ate plenty of ice cream and salad, our hotel used a proper cleaning solution for washing salad and fruit and we were absolutely fine. Weather was fabulous and we just had a very chilled 14 days mainly with a Kindle in hand.
trade in usd and halve whatever they want for something then work down from there.
Don't try to bring any of the fish back alive. (Been there done that couldn't afford the T-shirt etc.)
A close friend tells me that if you visit with a woman she should expect to be leered at constantly by locals but it's a really really nice place.
I was offered 4 camels and some chickens for my now ex, her face was a picture as i made out i was considering the deal
Dont think id even get a rancid goat for my missus
Don't drink the water, don't have ice, don't have salad. Wash your hands every time you touch money, alot of eygptian men keep it down their pants so it doesn't get nicked! You will be ill!
Beware the political situation in Cairo the resorts should be OK unless the terrorist threat suddenly gets worse.
'Ell, sounds like a real hoot. I think not!!!!
We did the Nile Cruise week, plus a week in the Luxor Hilton. That was 21yrs ago, and local trouble was rife, so the cost was relative peanuts. Given
that the 'Civilisation' is 3,500yrs old, I don't expect things will have changed that much in the intervening period. We did the
obligatory Cairo sketch by jumping on a train at Luxor and journeying up overnight. That was an 'experience,' (but then so too is colonic
irrigation).
Cairo museum was eye-popping. Pyramids an experience but not worth 9hrs each way on the train to go and see.
Luxor to Aswan cruise was utterly stunning. The most enjoyable holiday ever. I'm no 'culture-vulture,' but it was like an intellectual
Disneyland, with its myriad attractions all genuine and free. Luxor and Hepshatsut temples, Tutankhamun's tomb etc were simply awesome (and I use
the word correctly, not as American vernacular).
We took the 1hr flight to the Temple at Abu Simbel too. I'd go again in the blink of an eye. 'Gee-whizz' achievement in building/moving
the whole thing. Superlatives abound, and rightly so.
Funnily enough, we were only talking about repeating the whole thing a few weeks ago, (we went in january too). I'd check with Embassy advice and
go off what they recommend.
I have a pal who was chief pilot for a Sharm businessman, based in Sharm. He loved the social life, a major part of which revolved his diving
exploits, not all of them underwater !
Having been to Sharm once or twice on diving holidays my hotel tip is to tip on the first day you're there. I tipped the kid who carried my bags
up to the hotel room one Egyptian pound. From then on I got fresh fruit, choccy bars, bottles of pop etc every day. All my washing from the previous
week from living on board a dive boat was washed and returned ironed and the room was always full of fresh flowers. My mate who doesn't believe
in tipping, got nothing. He had to ask every day for fresh towels.
All the other stuff has been covered.....