Red sea advice

[Kenny CPT]

Some advice if you plan to go...
1. Avoid flights with lay overs...
Turkish airlines have bogus hotel deal, avoid, fly via Istanbul to Cairo, then on to Sharm el Sheikh.
2. The place is a ghost town after the Russian plane bombing so select from Novotel, Marriott or Camel Dive (amongst others). Most are cheap, with dangerous food (recycled!!!)
There is a McD.
3. Use Egyptian pounds only. Service is generally poor and most hotel staff are rude. Accept it as the norm and enjoy the diving. Passive aggressive nation (on par with Turks).
4. One 24h pharmacy next to the Marriott.
5. Dive operator I can recommend: camel dive.
Yet they always make you dive a rubbish hotel reef once... So annoying. If in a group, force Ras Mohamed or Tiran as a minimum.
6. Night life does not exist so prepare to watch TV or walk around getting harrased by shop keepers: "Hello, where are you from?"
7. Most places are child friendly.
8. June is hot, too hot, avoid. April and May or September to November.
9. Visa needed for Egypt and Turkey
10. No one in Turkey speaks English or will make an effort to help you.
11. Diving is great...

 

[Altamira]

Having recently returned from the Red Sea area, and with what Kenny CPF just said, I question why anyone would go to Sharm el Sheikh at this point in time when there are Red Sea dive areas like Hurghada and south to Marsa Alam that have outstanding diving but without the security and other issues in the Sinai? I did not meet any divers in Egypt that were second guessing their decision to skip Sharm el Sheikh.