Sharm el Sheik or Luxor

myself and other half wanting to go somewhere for relaxing sun hol in end march/april. budget travel have 2 weeks in the jolie movenpick for about 1300 in total just dunno which place to chose.

we want somewhere we can just lie out and chill out together as have been very busy lately. if not these places then can anyone recommend anywhere else in the world that is warm then and we'd get flights and accomm for about 1500

cheers

If you're the culture vulture type, Luxor is fantastic - Valleys of the Kings, Temples, perfume and alabaster showrooms. El Gouna/Sharm el Sheik if you're a beach bum will suit you better - beautiful scenery, relaxing, snorkelling, local markets to mooch round. Couldn't pick between them myself. So we had a 7 night cruise followed by 7 days in the Sheraton, and then took a day trip to the Red Sea. Pays ya money takes ya movenpick!

Other half and I had a week in Marrakech and a week in Agadir last March, half board in great hotels for 1400, rained lightly one day, great weather otherwise, very sunny and warm and only around midday did it get uncomfortably hot

Heya,
Stayed in the Movenpick in September with the g/f. We had a lovely time and saw all the local sites as stated above (temples etc..). We also did a day trip to Cairo which was brilliant! The movenpick rooms are VERY outdated but still comfortable. There is a very sizeable Buffet Breakfast and 3 Restuarants for eating (1 Buffet, 1 Bar + 1 Sitdoom Service). The food itself is ok (3 out of 5).
There are 2 pools (medium adults only + LARGE everybody lagoon). The hotel staff are nice.
Its a 5minute Taxi ride into Town were there are a good few places to eat. You shouldnt walk into town!
All in All a week is PLENTY of time to do Luxor but you should think about Cairo for a day or a Week in Sher-am-Sheik aswell (if doing a 2 weeker).
Any more questions just post and will answer as best i can.
G

Just back from 5 days in Sharm. Enjoyed the holiday but would have preferred Luxor. As it was holiday time it was hard to get flights to do a one day to either Luxor or Cairo so we felt that we missed out on seeing the things Egypt is famous for. Also the fact that Sadaam had just been executed meant we were a little nervous about travelling to either.
Sharm is ok as a resort but unless you are really keen on snorkelling etc you could really be anywhere else where there are hotels, sun and shopping. As a female, loved the shopping. Lots of handbags and gold.

Its a long way to go for just a week so beware. Budget Travel changed our flight arrangements at the last minute and it meant flying via Larnaca. It added an additional two hours on the outward flight. On the way back, it took for ever, 2 hour delay in leaving Sharm, 40 minutes in Larnaca again and then for some reason a 5 hour 40 minute flight from there. So beware!

I would recommend 1 week in luxor - movenpick and
1 week in elgouna movenpick.
As in other posts Luxor movenpick rooms are a bit dated but fine.
Elgouna movenpick is a week of pure relaxtion , fabulous hotel
look up the elgouna movenpick website and do the virtual tour
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The sights are very close in Luxor and it is easy to see luxor/karnak temple
and the valley of the kings worth having a look even on a relaxing hol
The movenpick Luxor is the only hotel that is away from the hassle of the sellers and hustle and bustle of luxor- a relaxing haven.
also if you book sharman sheik you will get comments like " i wouldnt go there sure you will get bombed"

I think that your best bet is a twin centre holiday 1/2 in Luxor and 1/2 in Sharm. I am heading to Egypt in May, spending the first week between Cairo and Luxor and the second week in Sharm

finbar said:

also if you book sharman sheik you will get comments like " i wouldnt go there sure you will get bombed"

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There have been atrocities carried out against foreign tourists ( infidels ) in Egypt in the not too distant past eg Luxor and Dahab ( only an hours drive from Sharm ). However like Bali most people have safe holiodays most of the time.

Just back from Sharm- was ok. Weather was nice (if a bit cold at night) hotel had a lot of tattooed football shirt people there ('Coral sea' all inclusive) - but all in all ok. not much to see, went to Cairo for the day - saw the pyramids, the quad biking at sunset was good fun, as is ros mohammed national park day trip (snorkelling. The Naama bay shopping area is ok for 1 or2 nights but not great after that. We were in Hammamet in Tunisia at easter this year - quite similar - but a lot older (there is a castle and ancient medina shopping area) much prefered that. Both holidays good value though.

ps. we were recommended to book through 'Sun & Fun' tours in Naama bay (sharm). glad we did - they were great.PM me for more info if you need to ! Enjoy !

Have to agree with above posts about Sharm, or "Sharm sucks" as one of the guide books calls it. Went diving for a week there a few years back, and only for the fact that I was on the dive boats most of the day, would have been bored witless. There are actually only 4 shops in Sharm. The T-shirt shop times 10, the DIY perfume shop times 10, the gold shop times 10, and the Spar shop times 5, that's it!

I was in Sharm El Sheik and can recomend it. One of the most relaxing places i have ever visited. Some nice bars and restraunts. The promanade is a beautiful walk at night. You can also go to Mt Sini and follow in the footsteps of Moses.

Luxor as a town is like most towns in Egypt, a little dirty but what history it has! A visit to Luxor is well wort it, you will come back amazed and your suit case will overflow with new furnishings for your home


Pick both or pick one, either way you will not be dissapointed.

If you're interested in the cultural aspect I'd recommend Luxor - with a tour guide you'll make the most of everyday. They'll also fill you in on everyday Egyptian life. Would recommend reading up before you go to appreciate it fully. Wherever you go, you'll be fascinated by the sheer scale of the monuments. You could cruise from Aswan to Luxor and enjoy being pampered in the sun, stopping off at the places you're interested in along the way or stay on board relaxing if you're not into some of the tours. Don't be put off by the idea of cruisers being older couples as a lot of them attract a mix of all ages interested in sightseeing. We booked through the UK. If you have two weeks you could do a weeks cruise and a week in a hotel to get the best of both worlds.