Avra

Has anyone stayed in El Quesir? I want excellent snorkeling but a less touristic atmosphere than Hurghada. Any recommendations for a low key, air conditoned hotel? or a not so low key hotel? Any other recommendations?

sandi

Avra -

May I suggest you keep all the posts re your planned upcoming trip under one thread. This will make it easier for you to find, for individuals to respond and overall track the progress of your plans.

Avra

I don't know how to do that -its my first time. Can you please explain? Thank you-

Grcxx3

I think sandi just means that it would be easier if you asked all your questions in one posting.

Give some details - when you're travelling, how much time do you have, is it a tour or independent travel, who's going to be with you, what your price range is, what you want to do, etc.

Then ask all your questions. Many times, the questions seem like separate thoughts - but the answers are often related.

Avra

Thank you for the explanation, Grcxx3.

I am traveling independently with my adult children in August for 2-3 nights on the Red Sea. I'll be traveling from Petra, Jordan. Does anyone know how long it takes to get from Petra to the Sharm area?

We prefer a quiet, natural environment, non-touristy. I
would like a five star atmosphere-AC, well-appointed rooms, beach at hotel to snorkel from. I had heard that El Quesir in the Sharm area was quiter and less touristy

Is there something like this in Aqaba?

Is there another hotel on the Red Sea that someone could recommend?

Thank you-

Grcxx3

El Quesir is not near Sharm...it's on the other side of the Red Sea (on the Egypt "mainland" side, not the Sinai). I think you would have to fly in to Hurghada and then drive south - probably about an hour. It is supposed to be a beautiful area - but much harder to get to.

How are you getting from Petra to wherever????

Whether flying or driving..I think Sharm is your better bet....BUT don't stay in the downtown Na'ma Bay area. Stay outside of the main town, closer to the airport. There are several luxury resorts to choose from, all of which (I believe) have snorkling/diving setups right on-property. Because they are not in the main part of town - they are not as touristy.

Be advised, however, there isn't much of a beach. The reef extends right up to the shoreline, so the actual beach is minimal.

I would look into the following -

- Four Seasons - I have not been there, but have friends who stay nowhere else but the FS.

- Hyatt - this is a lovely property, with a great Thai restaurant, but because of the way it is built - there are stairs EVERYWHERE. I felt like I really had a workout just getting to breakfast. This one tends to appeal to families with kids because there is a water slide. Snorkling onsite.

Movenpick GOlf - this was a lovely resort with it's own golf course. THe beach area is separated by a street (mainly service use by the hotel I think but there is a pedestrian bridge)and there are small sandy terraces built above the actual beach to give you the more "at the beach" feel. Snorkling onsite.

I have also had friends stay at the Sheraton, the Interncontinental, and the Ritz Carleton (I think??). All are good, just check their websites to confirm snorkling setups.

Avra

Dear Grcxx3,

Thank you, that was very helpful. I am leaving the Petra piece to amanitours.com to figure out. Saw this recommended on this site and on Frommers. Any other suggestions?

Grcxx3

I think Sharm would be easier to get to, especially given your limited time. But El Quesir is supposed to be lovely. Of course, most of the people I know who have gone have been couples looking for a quiet, romantic get-away!

In Sharm, I know people who ONLY stay in the downtown boardwalk area, but that's just not what we like. The 2 places we stayed (Hyatt and Movenpick Golf) were large resorts, but the rooms and ammenities were quite nice. In the Movenpick, we had a junior suite and it was great.

And - you can always catch the hotel shuttle into Na'ma Bay if you want to do some shopping or have more dinner options.

twofortheroad

We went from Petra to Sharm last November. We went by car & driver from Petra to the Amman Airport. The flight was about an hour and a half in a prop plane. We stayed at the Four Seasons, about 15 minutes from Sharm Airport. An absoltely lovely hotel and quite reasonable.

MyriamC

If you end up in Sharm, look for a hotel in the Ras Um Cid or Sharm El Maya area, which is about 15 min. drive from busy Naama Bay (5 euro for a taxi). Amazing snorkelling! We just returned from the Reef Oasis resort (which I would not recommend because it's too large). It had a magnificent housereef though ("Temple Reef&quot. Another good hotel where we've been a few years ago is Dreams Beach. It's somewhat smaller.
There's indeed not much of a beach in the Ras Um Cid area, you're right on the coral. Another 'pro' for the area is that the beach is less windy than in Naama Bay or Sharks Bay. Keep in mind that in that area the hotels are high on the cliff, so you'll need to take a lot of steps to get to/from the beach.

Another area that is not too busy is Nabq Bay, at the opposite side of Naama Bay. A very good hotel-club is Magic Life Imperial (under Austrian management, not really low key). They also have a very nice housereef. It's on the outbound flying route though, so there will be flying airplanes over your head during the day. Some older ones, mainly East-European, can be very noisy.

Check out the streetmap at http://www.goredsea.com/EN_sharm-el-sheikh.aspx where you can see the location of all the hotels.

Avra

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I will look into them. Sharm El Sheikh probably makes sense. Has anyone stayed in Dahab? If so, at which hotel?

MyriamC

I've been to Dahab for a day, but I haven't stayed there. It's (still) less touristy than Sharm. The Iberotel and the Hilton should be good.
Dahab, or even Nuweiba, might be a good idea if you're coming from Jordan. There's a ferry crossing (either by catamaran or by slow boat) between Aqaba and Nuweiba. From Nuweiba to Dahab is only a short drive.