Hurghada or Sharm?

[stiwi]

Hurghada has more of an Arabic city, normal city where normal Arabs live than Sharm. Naama Bay is a fun place but 100% artificial. You find places like this in every reasort city all around the world. And this is a major difference. If you want to know how local people live, their culture and so on - you would rather find it in Hurghada than in Sharm.

Yes I completely agree with that. Naama Bay maybe is artificial but is great and if you want to see real Arabic life in Sharm, you can go to Old Market (Old Sharm).

I can't say that I didn't like Hurghada, it is very specific place which you can love or hate it - for people who never was there I recommend Sharm because it is almost impossible to not love it.

Cheers,
Sebastian.

 

[mania]

Sebastian
Old market in Sharm is as artificial as Naama bay. Only in a different way. And it almost has nothing to do with the real Egyptian life. If you really want to know what it looks like (and I always like to see such things because I love different cultures) you have to go in the far end of Sharm where they live. But I can bet you haven't go there.
Old Market is called "Old" because it was the first part of Sharm that was built in 1980 - in fact at the same time when first hotel in Naama was built. So it's not even older than Naama. The only old part are barracks left by Israeli Army. 2 of them - precisely two.
So if you think that Arabic culture means small houses and shops and restaurants (which is the basis of Old Sharm) you are utterly wrong.
If you want to know more about Sharm PM me. I almost know this place by heart,
Mania

 

[Louie]

How about a liveaboard out of one of those places? They're usually good value for money and from Europe, easy to organise. My first real trip after I got my OW was a one-week trip out of Hurghada (it did the Brothers which is a real highlight in that region). In addition, it did Ras Mohammad and a nice long stopover at the Thistlegorm - shame about the crowd and most of the dives were suitable for divers of all levels.

If you want to see a bit of town and chill out on solid ground in the evenings, then land-based is your best bet but if it's diving you're after, you save precious time on liveaboards - wake up, the site's there, dive, rest, eat, dive again - and obviously, you get to the reefs further away.

 

[outback]

Sharm for the variety of diving, and condition of the reefs - Hurghada was a bit lacklustre last time I was there, still nice, but not as good as Sharm. Sharm offers a great variety of site types, from easy reefs, to 2000 m walls. Plus it is a little closer to the Thistlegorm than Hurghada, which is a must do. Hurghada is the better destination for wreckkies generally though, but you're better doing a liveaboard for those.

If you go to Sharm you could take a trip over to Dahab (3 hours-ish), which is the undiscovered gem in Sinai - fewer tourists that Sharm or Hurghada, much more laid back than either, and the dive sites have not been kicked to shreds by mass snorkeller/newbie divers. The diving is mostly shore diving (can be tricky on reef tops), but relatively pristine. Plus you can go on a dive safari on camels to a dive site (Gabr Al Bint) that is way off road and tricky to get a boat to because of prevailing winds/currents.

 

[Louie]

Sharm for the variety of diving, and condition of the reefs - Hurghada was a bit lacklustre last time I was there, still nice, but not as good as Sharm. Sharm offers a great variety of site types, from easy reefs, to 2000 m walls. Plus it is a little closer to the Thistlegorm than Hurghada, which is a must do. Hurghada is the better destination for wreckkies generally though, but you're better doing a liveaboard for those.

If you go to Sharm you could take a trip over to Dahab (3 hours-ish), which is the undiscovered gem in Sinai - fewer tourists that Sharm or Hurghada, much more laid back than either, and the dive sites have not been kicked to shreds by mass snorkeller/newbie divers. The diving is mostly shore diving (can be tricky on reef tops), but relatively pristine. Plus you can go on a dive safari on camels to a dive site (Gabr Al Bint) that is way off road and tricky to get a boat to because of prevailing winds/currents.

AHHHHH forgot about Dahab!

A great place for beginners if they want a nice quiet land-based dive holiday. It's a completely different world from Sharm.

You get the lovely shore dives (there is one very under-rated dive site in front of Reef 3000) and safaris if you feel adventurous and of course, the Blue Hole.

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

AHHHHH forgot about Dahab!

A great place for beginners if they want a nice quiet land-based dive holiday. It's a completely different world from Sharm.

You get the lovely shore dives (there is one very under-rated dive site in front of Reef 3000) and safaris if you feel adventurous and of course, the Blue Hole.

Yes Dahab is completely different than both Sharm and Hurghada but still it's a very nice place with a variety of dive sites ranging from easy to difficult.

I agree with Mania. Sharm is a bit artificial. However, I rate Hurghada's dive sites as "worn-out" in comparison to Ras Mohamed for example.

The site infront of Reef 2000 is the Eel Garden.

 

[Belushi]

Try this as an example of Hurghada'n living

http://www.dunx.net/Stories/Civilization.htm

 

[mania]

Honestly Belushi I would not agree with most of the things described in the link you provided. Not to mentioned that yanni doesn't mean eyes and ya layl - OK.
I love Sharm more - as you do (BTW when did you come back?) but we should tell the truth - and this is not entirely truth about Hurghada.
Mania

 

[Belushi]

Oh Mania,
Please, it is a tongue-in-cheek article, not a guide designed to be taken seriously.

 

[mania]

Belushi I know this.
But somebody may take it as a guide and then what?
not to mentin that I simply don't agree with some fragments

Still I love sharm much, much more...
Mania