Which destination with a family of non divers and a 2 year old?

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BlueTrin

Scallops aficionado
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My wife would like to go for a warmish sandy beach destination.

I google Egypt and it seems that most of the all inclusive holidays I could find where in Sharm.

It seems practical for me since my wife does and my two year old son do not dive.

However I read that a dive from Sharm will mean that I would probably be out on a boat for most of the day.

Although this is not a show stopper, I wanted to know if there was maybe a better destination for a family with a kid closer to the dive sites in Egypt with access to sandy beaches.

Never been in Egypt before.
 
Take a good look at Ft. Arabesque AI resort in Hurghada. We stayed there for five days a couple years ago and it is a very nice resort for divers, non-divers, and children. I Dive, the on-site dive op, the resort facilities and shallow water beach are excellent. The house reef is very good for diving and snorkeling. We will definitely stay there the next time we can do a Red Sea trip.
 
My wife would like to go for a warmish sandy beach destination.

I google Egypt and it seems that most of the all inclusive holidays I could find where in Sharm.

It seems practical for me since my wife does and my two year old son do not dive.

However I read that a dive from Sharm will mean that I would probably be out on a boat for most of the day.

Although this is not a show stopper, I wanted to know if there was maybe a better destination for a family with a kid closer to the dive sites in Egypt with access to sandy beaches.

Never been in Egypt before.

I really liked the Marriott in Hurghada pictured below… I hate all inclusive anywhere but I will say the one that we stayed @ Siva port galib the food was nasty
 

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My wife would like to go for a warmish sandy beach destination.

I google Egypt and it seems that most of the all inclusive holidays I could find where in Sharm.

It seems practical for me since my wife does and my two year old son do not dive.

However I read that a dive from Sharm will mean that I would probably be out on a boat for most of the day.

Although this is not a show stopper, I wanted to know if there was maybe a better destination for a family with a kid closer to the dive sites in Egypt with access to sandy beaches.

Never been in Egypt before.
If you have non-diving family, but want to enjoy a quality diving experience, I would recommend El Gouna. This is a resort enclave just north of Hurghada. (It is like Sharm El Sheikh, in miniature). You fly into Hurghahda (direct or 1 hour flight from Cairo) to reach there. I took my wife to El Gouna for a non-diving holiday and she loved it. There is a town center with restaurants with all sorts shopping from souveniers to high-end jewelry and clothing; as well as terrific food, including an Italian restaurant (Zia Amelia) that is on par with European equivalents. This is a gated, private enclave, so you won't have any hassles,. The Sheraton Miramar - a five-star hotel/resort for the same price as a Best Western in the U.S. Most, if not all of the service staff will speak English and many will speak French, Russian, and German as well.

From Gouna you can dive up and down the coast. In nearby Hughada there is a harbor area, easily reached from Gouna (ask your hotel concierge to arrange a transfer), with a plethora of restaurants and a tons of tourist stuff for non-divers; like glass bottom boats; there is also golf, ATVs, horse riding, camel trekking, and the usual panoply of tourist activities.

Non-diving family might enjoy Sharm, depending on the level of resort you select. Virtually all of the resports are compounds where you go there and stay there. You do not really walk around in Sharm, though taxis are plentiful; most of the shopping is low-end tourist crap. Many of the most exclusive resorts are "adult friendly." They won't want younger children.

Beware of "family" resorts. While these seem like good options (they are usually less expensive) and will have stuff for little kids to do, the children of wealthy Egyptians run wild. For westerners who are not used to children in packs running around the bar at 11 at night, it can be irritating.
 
or any nice resort in Makadi (coast between Hurghada and Safaga), there are so many....

have a look at booking.com or tripadvisor.com, you'll have an idea....
 
Had a mishap last year with passport delays after covid and couldn’t make it in 2022.

Went to Fort Arabesque this year. It is great for a family and if you want to go for a couple of dives but still spend time with the family.

Food was good for a buffet and drinks are part of the all inclusive (even alcoholic drinks), accommodation was good albeit noisy until 11PM.

They run alot of activities for kids and one side of the beach is sandy and very flat so safe for children.

There are coral patches in Makadi Bay which are very shallow with life so you can actually enjoy a bit of snorkelling too. And it’s probably great for older kids.

The dive centre is inside the resort and runs single cylinder Ali80 dives either from the shores or boat if there is enough demand. They usually run up to 3 dives a day at 9, 11 and 15:00 (they can run an extra early dive too if there is enough demand at 5-ish AM).

Dives are shallow and mostly about seeing a bit of coral and life. The only negative for me is that they do not have good fins, the one I got were very floppy, but it was free to use their fins :)

I still need to work on my sac rate, it’s still a bit higher than I wish … maybe I need to do more cardio and be a bit fitter 😃

I think I met one British guy there at the dive centre, all the other guests I talked to were German :)

Dive centre: Diving Center Makadi Bay | Hurghada | IDive Diving Center

Thanks @Altamira for the recommendation.
 
Magic Life Kalawy is worth a look as well, from the UK you have to book as a package with TUI. It has a very nice sheltered lagoon/beach and a good onsite dive shop. The AI food was very good compared to other hotels we have stayed in. House reef diving is very good, and there is the option for zodiac diving from the jetty, or daytrips to further away sites. I have done lots of diving on family holidays and have found that diving that doesn't take all day works the best. Downside is the hotel is a long way from anywhere else, so not a great base if you want to go out shopping.
 
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