Just had a fabulous time at the Holiday Village in Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea! I had always envisaged Egypt as being dusty and dirty (basically just a big, sandy desert!) but it was actually the complete opposite! Lovely paved streets lined with whitewashed buildings that become illuminated by glistening golden lights on an evening, and gorgeous sandy beaches lapped by beautiful blue waves.
The Holiday Village was right on the beach, and had a stunning view across the bay. The complex boasts plentiful facilities, and was very clean; everything we needed for our week’s stay! We booked a twin standard room, and were a little worried it wouldn’t be very spacious, being advertised as ‘standard’. We were pleasantly surprised though – it was absolutely huge with a great view of one of the pools. In total there are 4 pools, one of which is dedicated for kids, which keeps them entertained and leaves the other pools quieter for adults. There is also a great kids play area to ensure their boredom never ends! The hotel food was really tasty. There was a lot of variety at the buffet restaurant, but it is worth paying a little extra to sample the a la carte restaurants. Delicious! Evening entertainment is centred around the big family entertainment bar, with all singing all dancing shows that the kids can join in with, and the Sports Bar showing Sky Sports and karaoke.
Camel rides on the beach
My little ones usually moan when we ship them off to the Kids’ Clubs on holiday to get a couple of hours peaceful relaxation, but at the Holiday Village, it seemed they never wanted to leave! The Clubs are completely supervised by qualified staff, and there are so many activities, from archery to colouring books! The In2action team do all sorts of sporty activities and competitions for kids and adults too. Couldn’t bring myself to attempt the high ropes, but the zip wire was so much fun! There are camel rides and mopeds on the beach too.
Although not my idea of fun, I’ve heard numerous people say diving in Sharm is fab. We stuck to snorkelling off the jetties on the beach where the water was so shallow and clear and we could see hundreds of colourful little fish darting around us.
Private beach at the Holiday Village
We went on a couple of excursions, the best being the Bedouin Night. A coach took us into the desert, from where we completed our journey to the Bedouin camp by camel. The Bedouins sold us their wares and put on a huge dinner. Although unlike anything we had tasted before, it was scrumptious. Fully satisfied, we sat and watched the sun set behind the mountains to reveal a beautiful sky scattered with a million glistening stars.
Just one word of caution: take care in the airport upon arrival in Egypt, the Egyptian men will insist on ‘helping’ with your luggage, and expect a tip for their hospitality. Although they can be rather rude, they stopped bothering us after a firm but polite ‘no’.
Overall, this was an unforgettably Egypt holiday! We’ve already booked up for next year!!
By Yvonne Dawson.
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