Hotel Ritz Carlton Sharm el Sheikh

The Ritz Carlton is built on the seafront, 2 miles from the old town of Sharm El Sheikh and 9 miles from the tourist centre in Naama Bay. Sharm el Sheikh airport is 4.5 miles away. The surrounding area of the hotel is occupied by a vast construction site which is constantly under development.

The presence of corals makes it difficult to enter the water. For this reason, water sports are enjoyed in Naama Bay. The customers are mostly Swiss, German and Russian.

Open in December 1999, the Ritz Carlton consists of 14 buildings, all one storey, spreading over 25 acres of gardens. The large size of the area justifies the use of shuttles that run constantly from one path to another, from the reception to the rooms, from the bar to the beach or from the beach to the pool.

The 307 rooms (which boast balconies or terraces) are divided in two types: standard or suites (48). All are very spacious, offering complete comfort and decor that is always carefully designed, though sometimes it is ornate. With a terrace overlooking the sea, the gardens or the pool, they are each equipped with air conditioning, television (18 channels), telephone for direct overseas calls, a mini-bar and a safe. The bathroom has a bathtub (sometimes a shower) and a hair-dryer.

The hotel has four restaurants. All in white, the main restaurant offers international cuisine of high quality (buffet style dinner) indoors or outdoors. The other three restaurants serve Asian, Italian and Lebanese specialties respectively. The hotel also has four bars, including three snack bars found at the swimming pool, in the lobby and in the cigar area.

It consists of several tiny beaches, small artificial coves dug straight into the rocky ground. The sand there is the size of gravel and entering the water is impossible because of the sharp corals, which litter the bottom. Access to the water is far out to sea along cement pontoons. It is for this reason that water activities are absent from the site.