Hotels

Mount Sinai & Santa Katarina

One of the most atmospheric and economical choices is the hostel inside the ancient Santa Katarina Monastery (tel. 062/347-0343, 62/347-0345, or 62/470-0346), on the left side of the monastery complex. Rooms are hot and airless in summer, and rather cramped with up to eight beds to a chamber, but they are clean -- the place seems like a locale for an Indiana Jones adventure, and you'll always find interesting fellow travelers. Dorm beds are LE 70 ($12) a night; beds in rooms with three to four beds and a private bathroom are LE 100 ($17). If the hostel is not crowded, it is at times possible to rent a room as a private double for LE 116 ($20) per person, breakfast and dinner included. Check-in is from 8am to 1pm and from 4 to 9pm. Very beautiful morning services are at 4am. You cannot enter the monastery after 9:30pm. Credit cards are not accepted.

Situated at the edge of Milga, the Daniela Village (tel. 062/377-1379; fax reservation office in Cairo 062/360-7750) is a plain but relatively comfortable place, with 52 air-conditioned rooms that have private bathrooms. A double runs LE 375 ($65), breakfast included. They don't take credit cards.

St. Catherine's Tourist Village/El Raha Hotel (tel. 062/377-0221 or 062/377-0456; fax 062/377-0221), located 2km (1 1/4 miles) from the monastery, is the most comfortable place to stay in the area. It has 124 air-conditioned doubles with TVs. Rates run $145 to $180 double, including breakfast.

Sharm-el-Sheik

The area is filled with low-rise international hotel chain resorts. Most of the best hotels are located around and beyond the Na'ama Bay area, 7km (4 1/2 miles) north of Sharm-el-Sheik itself, and offer very good value when compared to such properties elsewhere in the world. At Na'ama Bay, you'll find a pleasant but often crowded swimming beach, diving and snorkeling reefs accessible by boat, a good selection of moderate and expensive accommodations. The newer luxury resorts are farther out of town, with private beaches and good snorkeling reefs virtually at your feet. Note: On Jewish and Christian holidays bargain rates abound.

Expensive--Located at the very center of the bay, with the choicest stretch of palm shaded beach, the Hilton Fayrouz Resort (tel. 069/360-0136; www.hilton.com), is the oldest and most experienced of the international complexes at Na'ama Bay. The informal, desert beige low-rise complex is set amid gardens that have had time to develop. Rather than one central pool, you'll find smaller swimming pools hidden amid the gardens and terraces. Other facilities include a health club, several restaurants, and a nightclub. The staff is the most savvy in the region and the dive, water sports and other services are top class. All 150 units offer the standard amenities; doubles run $145 to $165, not including tax and service charges.

The most exclusive of all hotels in the area, the Four Seasons, Sharm-el-Sheik (tel. 069/360-3555; www.fourseasons.com), is located on a relatively pristine section of the sea, about 15 minutes by car from Na'ama Bay. The complex is filled with traditional Egyptian village and desert motifs that give the hotel an intimate, exotic charm, but also the luxury of a sprawling, whitewashed palace. Accommodations are the most luxurious in Sinai and the personal attention is very pampering. A standard double costs $310, including breakfast.

The modern, low-rise Movenpick Sharm-el-Sheik Beach Resort, Na'ama Bay (tel. 069/360-3200; www.moevenpick-hotels.com), is an outpost of a Swiss hotel chain that is a complete vacation enclave in its own right. The property has its own Na'ama Bay beach, diving center, and an 18-hole golf course (the only one in the region). Special facilities include fresh- and saltwater swimming pools, tennis courts, a casino, and the best hotel shopping arcade in town. The chain is famous for its lavish buffet and dining. Doubles run $195 to $315, including breakfast, tax, and service charge.

Opened in November 1999, and located at the up-and-coming, sheltered Shark Bay, 15km (10 miles) north of Na'ama Bay, the Sheraton Sharm Hotel Resort (tel. 069/360-2070; www.starwoodhotels.com), offers 835 relatively new rooms and suites, a wonderful diving and snorkeling site, a location less built up and with clearer water than at Na'ama Bay, and numerous dining opportunities. There's also an excellent (heated) pool complex, and a truly fabulous spa center. The amenity-laden rooms sport balconies, and 300 of them have sea views. Some rooms are equipped for travelers with disabilities. Rooms run $120 double, including breakfast. The downside: You must deal with taxis to get into town.

Completed in 1998, and therefore a few years newer than the hotels at the more central, sandy section of Na'ama Bay's beach, the Sofitel Coralia Sharm-el-Sheikh, Na'ama Bay (tel. 069/360-0081; www.sofitel.com/sofitel), features five whitewashed, slightly arabesque levels sloping down the rocky side of the horseshoe-shaped bay. Facilities include four restaurants, two bars, a diving and water-sports center, fitness center, and massage room. The air-conditioned rooms offer the usual amenities. Rates run $193 to $252 double, plus tax and service; breakfast is $9 extra. The free shuttle to the airport, the Na'ama Mall, and to downtown Sharm-el-Sheik means you can avoid tangling with taxi drivers and compensates for the hotel's location at the far end of the bay.

The Hyatt Regency Sharm el Sheik, The Gardens Bay (tel. 069/360-1234; www.hyatt.com), is another contemporary Egyptian desert fantasy, surrounded by artificial pools, and set beside a genuine and especially good reef for snorkeling. The complex can get overloaded when fully booked, so a room at the Regency Club level -- you get special services, a running snack buffet, and a separate swimming facility -- could be worth the investment. Rooms themselves are tastefully decorated, and many feature both tubs and glass showers. Facilities include several restaurants, a spa, fitness center, and children's club. The popular Souk food court is enjoyable for dining. Rates run $285 double, including breakfast.

Architecturally, the Sonesta Beach Resort, Na'ama Bay (tel. 800/766-3782 in the U.S., or 069/360-0725; www.sonesta.com), is the most interesting and beautiful complex on Na'ama Bay, located at the center of the swimming beach area. From a distance it looks like a whitewashed desert village filled with dome-roofed houses and arabesque arches. Guest rooms are marked by Egyptian crafts and pleasant touches such as terraces, alcoves, and domed ceilings, as well as standard practical amenities. There's a swim-up bar in one of the three pools, a rooftop bar, a health club, and a complete diving and watersports center. In addition to the main buffet restaurant, there is an Italian restaurant on the premises. The Sonesta also offers live entertainment nightly. Rates run $150 to $210 double, including breakfast (but not the 20% tax and service charge); you can, however, get package deals and Internet discounts that can lower the price to about $100 double.

Moderate--Made for the savvy upmarket backpacker, Sanafir Tourist Village (tel. 069/360-0197; fax 069/360-0196) is located in the Shopping Mall area of Na'ama Bay. From the outside, all you see is a doorway. The entrance passageway leads to a delightfully designed complex that partially resembles a traditional Middle Eastern traveler's khan, with courtyards and sunken conversation areas around fire pits. The comfy rooms run $70 double. Facilities include a swimming pool, popular buffet, and a bar.

The Pidgeon House Hotel (tel. 069/360-0996; fax 069/360-0995) is the best budget choice at Na'ama Bay, right across the road from the big, expensive hotels that line the beach. Doubles in huts run $20; standard rooms with shared bathrooms and fans, but no air-conditioning are $30; and pleasant, new superior rooms with private bathrooms, air-conditioning, and refrigerator are $52. Breakfast is included in the rates.