Ocean Bay Hotel

Having arrived back yesterday, just want to tell you what a fab holiday I had, the hotel was absolutely excellent, very clean and very friendly.
It was my first time in Egypt and I’ll certainly be going back. The food in the hotel was really good, only 5mins walk into the town and 10mins from beach. I went with a friend, I really don’t think its a holiday for kids to be honest but that’s just my personal opinion, Explorers were brilliant the whole time.
I will definitely be going back to that hotel, was well worth going.

We stayed at the Ocean Club Hotel, not the Ocean Bay, which is in Hadaba, 5 minutes' drive from Sharm itself. Both hotels are owned / operated by Explorers.
Explorers are a specialist diving holidays company, but as non-divers looking for a cheap, last-minute holiday for some sun at Easter, this was great.
Egypt is cheap by UK standards, though as every other reviewer has said, don't pay the first price they ask. Despite the fact that you may be able to afford their asking price, haggling is practically a cultural prerequisite.
Don't buy bottled water in the hotel as it is about three times the price of shops in the local area, but do make sure you drink plenty - it's a hot, dry climate and if you get dehydrated you will ruin your holiday.
The Mongolian Barbeque is excellent; not all of the Hotel food is so good, but it's certainly cheap.
Excursions run from the hotel are not cheap; you will find cheaper elsewhere in the dive centers etc. but I can't vouch for their quality, or lack thereof!
We went on the overnight trip up Mt. Sinai - this is definitely a worthwhile excursion to Egypt's second highest peak and a place of historical and religious significance. It's not for you if you are elderly or infirm though, as it's quite a lot of walking on rough terrain and don't expect the same approach to Health and Safety as in the UK!
We also spent a day snorkeling with lunch onboard the boat, which was also good - we had the impression that in peak season it would be a lot busier!
This is the only location we have visited in Egypt, so we can't say whether it's representative of the country, but we felt more comfortable and safer than in Tunisia - if in doubt, dress down, don't be too flash and you won't attract too much unwanted attention. A couple of weeks learning some basic Arabic will work absolute wonders in getting people to open up.
The Egyptians seem friendly; we tried to be sensitive to their customs and expectations - we were told that the Sinai Peninsula is more relaxed than the rest of the country, but topless sunbathing for ladies is still a no-no!
All in all, an excellent holiday and very good value for money.

Nearly everything about this holiday was excellent.
The tour operator - Explorers- who we travelled with were brilliant - they showed you to your transfer very well and looked after you throughout the holiday offering good advice on local excursions.
The price we paid £179 was excellent and we even heard that some people got it cheaper. We weren’t expecting much when we got there but our room was massive and everyone was so friendly. Our air conditioning wasn't working when we got there but they fixed it straight away which was brilliant!
The pool was quite small but was never too busy - not like some holidays when people get up at 6am to put their towels down and hog the sun loungers.
Even though we had to pay for the beach - about £2.50 - which was about a 10/15 min walk they gave you towels, entertainment and it was never too busy.
The hotel was walking distance to Namma Bay - unlike some of the other big hotels and Namma Bay was lovely - with Mexican, Thai and Sushi restaurants and lots of bars and places to chill out. We loved Panorama Bar; it had a great view and a good atmosphere.
The excursions were brilliant - a lot of people went diving and said it was amazing but we did the overland snorkelling - which consisted of going into the Ras Muhammed National Park by land and stopping at two points to snorkel, both of which were amazing. We also had lunch and the last stop was really amazing - light blue water and lovely sand. We also visited the Aqua Park - quite far from the hotel - which in hot weather is quite tiring to get to! Was fun though but wear flip flops as the ground gets so hot!!
A couple of things we disliked was that there were so many people trying to sell you stuff in Namma bay - don’t tell them your English - and if possible either ignore them or say NO before they start talking to you - otherwise your wasting your time and theirs and they can start to get aggressive.
The other thing was that there was a dangerous metal grating on the right side of the pool near the sun loungers which wasn’t covered up - there was something sticking out of it and we didn't notice it until my boyfriend caught his foot on it. Hopefully it’s covered up now but its best to warn you.
Tipping is a way of life for the workers over there - their basic pay is nothing but if you tip them 20 Egyptian pounds (2 English pounds) they will go above and beyond for you. We tipped everyone from the cleaners to our tour guides.
The weather was lovely when we were there - no clouds in the sky - on the last day it got a bit too hot though - up to 45C so if you cant stand that heat best to go when its a bit cooler from October to march. Apparently it gets up to 50C in August.
Overall a brilliant 1st holiday for me and my boyfriend. This holiday probably is best suited for couples as it is just lively enough but also has a relaxing atmosphere.

We have stayed at this hotel twice over the past year. It is very basic, but very clean and tidy.
The staff are very friendly, and the housekeepers are great. They do expect a tip though, we gave 50e.
The only downside to this hotel is that the pool can sometimes be full of divers. However we normally pay 40e (£4) and spend the day on the excellent kanabesh beach.
We would definitely and probably, will come here again.

First time in Egypt. Ocean Club situated 7km south west of airport and 5 km SW of Naama Bay.
Paid £257 for 2 weeks B&B with no single supplement. Others had an even better deal by booking later.
Pros:
Accommodation: basic but adequate and clean. Comes with AC, en suite and balcony for those off ground floor. Hotel has a great pool for kids and a larger (25m), deeper pool for adults/learner-divers.
Staff generally friendly especially if you are generous with tips (10% expected for practically everything).
Dive centre (Ocean College, next door to Hotel)
Restaurant food is excellent and prices good (£3.50 - £8.00 for evening meal). Breakfast came free and good choices. Beer (500ml) cost about £1.50. Wine available.
Cons:
Hotel sits under flight path for Sharm airport. Flights day and night even in winter. Can be intrusive for light sleepers.
Beeping car-horns is a national pastime and they sound-off at all times of day and night and are incessant.
Rip-off prices for anything you buy outside hotel (e.g. "supermarkets", souvenir shops and most restaurants)
Isolated position for non-divers. Naama bay 10 mins by taxi, Old Sharm (and nearest beach) 15min walk from hotel. Explorers have another hotel closer to Naama bay called Ocean Bay Hotel. Food not so good by all accounts but newer hotel.
Naama Bay is very commercialised and some would say "tacky" but has a nice beach. Nabq much more upmarket.
Ocean Club Hotel mainly for diving fraternity - not much to do for non-divers except excursions.
Flies and horn-beeping taxi-drivers touting for fares will drive you crazy.
Top tips:
Use minibus from hotel to Naama Bay not taxis. (90% cheaper but will have to share).
Haggle for everything and offer just 10-20% of what is asked.
Look for "public beach" signs if your hotel is not located on the shoreline. Most beaches are private.
"La shockran - no thank you) will get most touters off your back.
Don't do the overland Cairo trip - 6 hours gruelling, overnight trip in a minibus is no fun.