The simplicity of sun, sea and sand,the luxury of five-star hotels, water sports, shopping and entertainment. This is Sharm el-Sheikh, one of the most accessible and developed tourist resort communities on the Sinai Peninsula. All around are Bedouins, colorful tents, mountains and sea. There are small, intimate hotels with modern designs, as well as larger hotel complexes belonging to International chains, plus about the entire amenities one could expect of a tourist center, including casinos, discos and nightclubs, golf courses and health facilities. In fact, with diving and snorkeling, windsurfing and other water sports, horses and camel riding, desert safaris, and great nearby antiquities attractions, it is almost impossible for a visitor to ever suffer from boredom.Four miles south the southern section of the town stands on a cliff overlooking the port. and is a great view.

Na`ama Beach is one of the center of the tourist activities. Located just north of Sharm, this area is developing into a resort town of its own. Most hotels at Na`ama Bay have their own, private beaches with comfortable amenities such as chairs, shades and even bars.

Shark`s Bay is also nearby, and again is a growing resort community with more and more to offer, along with several diving centers.

Visitors love to lie and roast in the sun but beware of too much exposure, as it is very fierce. They also love to swim in the extraordinarily clear waters and to hire windsurfing boards, ideal for making the most of the ever-present breeze. The seabed close to the coast is like some gigantic coral aquarium, home to coral grouper (red fish with blue spots), Napoleon wrasse, parrotfish, butterfly fish (always in pairs), map angelfish (blue and yellow), threadfins and scorpion fish with long, elegant fins.

Luxury hotels with swimming pools have flourished along the coast. They offer all the facilities, including plenty of sports and leisure activities, demanded by an international clientele who make for the resort summer and winter. Highly qualified instructors offer an introduction to scuba diving for those wishing to swap the snorkel for a tank. Those already familiar with the sport can make the most of the wonderful “drop-offs” and night dives.

After sunset, visitors have the choice of touring the shops, which open quite late and offer the usual souvenirs or of frequenting the café terraces strung out along the main road running parallel with the beach. Those not worn out by their day of sun and sand can head off to one of the numerous hotel discos.

One advantage of the resort’s well-deserved success has been that the airlines now provide not just one daily scheduled service between Sharm el-Sheikh and Cairo but also direct charter flights from Europe. Sharm el-Sheikh is now therefore about five hours from London.