Red Sea lifestyle

There are two main shopping areas in Sharm El Sheik: Naama Bay, featuring shopping malls and local crafts, and Old Sharm with a traditional Egyptian souk and local shops. Keep an eye out for gold, leather, papyrus pictures, Bedouin handcrafts and wooden carvings.

If you like seafood, the local specialty is sea bass. Before meals Egyptians normally have Meze style starters comprising small plates of spicy vegetables, chickpeas, and sauces like tahia and babaghanou. For the main course, some of the highlights of the local cuisine on offer are 'Foul' (brown beans cooked for eight hours and mixed with oil and butter), Falafel (beans mixed with herbs and fried in oil, looking like a small burger), and Molikhey (a green soup made from molikhy plants). The local meat is kofta, an Egyptian sausage. If you are staying in El Gouna or Hurghada, the seafood here is excellent for seafood. For dessert don't miss Om ail - an Egyptian sweet made from milk, vanilla, bread and coconut.

At night, there are plenty of places to visit such as Pacha (an open-air disco), Camel Bar or a beach party at El Fanara.