"Sharm, Sun & Sand" a Sharm El Sheikh Travel Page by tissie

I have just returned from a great week of sunbathing, snorkelling and generally relaxing in Sharm El Sheikh.

I was a bit worried before I went but I just wanted to say how useful VT has been with researching and planning the trip. And I also wanted to say - the terrorists won't win and I feel we must, as responsible travellers, travel to and support people in the places that have been attacked or threatened. Anyway, the recent bombings didn't put us off travelling, in fact we were even more determined.

We took a Thomson all-inclusive package so we were mollycoddled and taken care of (security guards on the coach excursions etc) but this made the holiday easy and relaxing which it might not have been if we, two women alone, were travelling independently.

I hope these pictures and tips will both reassure you and inspire you.

Still feeling a bit weary as we had a longer than usual flight home (6 hours) and then a three-hour drive after that. I need a holiday!!

As I said above, we stayed on Thomson package and I was very pleasantly surprised. We even went on some Thomson excursions and I would recommend them to anyone. Yes, they were a bit more expensive than independent companies but every aspect of them was good - all security taken care of, very knowledgeable guides, air-conditioned coaches with toilets etc etc.

The Egyptian people we met were lovely. I could be cynical and say they would be as they were trying to sell something, get a tip etc but I don't think that is fair. They were helpful, friendly and generous, and their command of English (and usually several other languages) really puts UK tourists to shame. I learned a few simple words in Arabic which was appreciated but without their skills in English I would have missed out on a lot. Being Western it was initially strange to be dealing with men all the time - the hotel receptionist, the chamber"maid", the waiters etc etc but I soon came to understand the culture that allows women to be at home and cared for.

We stayed in the Dreams Vacation Resort in Sharm - highly recommended.

You'll all know you are expected to haggle over the price of anything you want to buy in Sharm and the surrounding area but the shopkeepers we met in Dahab are one step ahead of us.

They were all trying to entice us into their shops to look at their lovely gifts, spices or whatever but then one guy launched into a great sales pitch:

"Buy one, get one free....it's ASDA price!"

Well, what can you do?!!