Having a Sharming adventure in Egypt

Holidays to Sharm El Sheikh are not just about camels, pyramids and relaxing on sun loungers there are many more things to do in this all year round holiday destination. I like to top up my tan just as much as everyone else but Sharm’s unspoilt natural beauty manages to prise me away from my beloved sun lounger. I would say to try and experience as many of the activities you can during your holiday.  My husband and I have been to Sharm twice once with the children and the other time on our own, we have another family holiday booked here in October.

Not for the faint hearted

Quad adventures are a fantastic experience you can choose to do the half day trips in the mornings or afternoons, we did ours the morning when it was a little cooler.  We got taken to the heart of the Sinai Desert the whole area has the most stunning views. After going through a safety briefing we were then shown how to operate the quad bikes, then at full throttle we raced our quad bikes over the sand dunes, it was an exhilarating experience. Afterwards we met the Bedouin people who had prepared us all a gorgeous barbeque and buffet which we washed down with sweet tea and had the opportunity to try a shisha pipe. We bought some had handmade jewellery they had made before the evening’s entertainment of belly dancing round the camp fire started. It was a fantastic evening and one I would highly recommend. If you are going to go on this excursion it is best to try and cover your face and head and wear sun glasses as hurtling across the desert does create a lot of dust.

Giant fish bowl

We had never been snorkelling before so decided to book the one day Red Sea Cruise after hearing other holiday makers talking about it and I’m so glad that we did. After getting picked up from our hotel we headed to the boat. We climbed up onto the top deck and relaxed on our towels soaking up the views. We did three separate stops for snorkelling, my daughters and I swam close to the guide with being beginners whilst he pointed shoals of fish and coral to explore. It was amazing and just like being in our own giant fish bowl. The colourful fish and coral reefs are out of this world, I thought our children would be a little scared, boy was I wrong they loved jumping off the boat into the sea and didn’t want to come out when it was time to climb back into the boat. We had a lovely buffet meal with soft drinks on board; everything was so well prepared and tasty. Our girls have said that we must do this excursion again when we go back.

Simply stunning

I think the best excursion we did was the Sinai by Starlight excursion, we did this when we holidayed on our own however when we go back in October we have booked for the children to come with us. It is such a fantastic experience that we want them to see it too. We arrived late afternoon at a Bedouin camp in the desert and got the chance to ride on the camels which was an experience in itself. When the sun started to set we climbed on top of a hill and witnessed the most amazing sunset I have ever seen it really was a magical experience. The local tribe’s people had cooked us the most wonderful meal and we got to learn more about their culture. The desert is a totally tranquil place to be at night, the sky was so clear and the stars shone so bright. The astronomers pointed out the constellations and we even got to see the stars close up through telescopes, the moon and Jupiter looked amazing. It is a long drive from the hotel but is definitely worth it.

Haggle, haggle, haggle

Sharm has lots of places to shop but make sure you haggle and grab yourself a bargain, after all the stall holders and shop keepers expect it. Soho Square it not just about the shops, it has a fantastic atmosphere with many restaurants, dancing fountains. Even though we were staying all inclusive it’s always nice to have a meal away from the hotel. The Old Town has held on to its Egyptian feel and is a much more relaxed place to visit. There are plenty of perfumes, oils, electric and leather goods available to buy but our girls always love the glass bottles filled with sand with their names written in the sand.

We really can’t wait to go back in October we have booked a two week stay this time with www.holiday hypermarket.co.uk. If the children had their way we would have packed our suitcases by now.