As with so many holiday destinations, Sharm el Sheikh was originally nothing more than an ancient fishing village until it took off as a diving location in the early 1980s. Growth has been rapid: when the Israelis returned the Sinai to Egypt in 1989, there were only 2 hotels in the area; since then the resort has spread to cover - albeit sporadically - a strip of coast 30 mls long. Downtown Sharm is still a typically scruffy little village with many ethnic sights still on view in its dusty streets; the few luxury hotels here seem out of place. The flat residential hilltop of Ras Um Sid to the E is riddled with building sites. 5 mls NE is Naama Bay, the main area of touristic development, comprising 1 ml or so of hotels standing shoulder to shoulder, with only an attractive pedestrian path separating them from the beach. Behind them passes the busy main dual carriageway with its own row of less well-situated hotels and various commercial outlets. In the SW corner of the bay is the commercial centre of the resort, made up of a compact grid of shops, restaurants, small hotels and dive centres. We have used the middle of this "Naama Bay centre" as the focal point from which all hotel distances are given. The hilltop to the SW is another rapidly developing area of hotels and shopping centres. Having exhausted the best sites in the immediate area, development has now moved to the remote areas of Shark Bay, Ras Nosrani and Nabq, 6, 11 and 18 mls farther NE. The possibility of terrorist attacks on tourists in Egypt remains; Foreign Office advisory notices offer the latest official advice and should be consulted before booking.

The main attraction is scuba diving in the area's unusually warm waters, full of many unique forms of marine life and spectacular coral reefs. Increasingly becoming known as a normal winter-sun beach holiday destination, thanks to its virtually guaranteed sun and dry atmosphere.

Many tourist hotels are in Naama Bay, with a handful in downtown Sharm. Areas around Shark Bay, Ras Nosrani near the airport and the rather far-flung Nabq are under rapid development. Mostly in the 4- and 5-star range, though some of the 4-stars are overrated compared to others in the same category. Nearly all are set out holiday-village style, with low-rise wings or blocks of rooms spread throughout grounds and gardens. A couple of self-catering options.

Naama Bay Beach is 1 ml of rather coarse, mid-brown desert sand. Virtually every inch is "private" and controlled by the hotels situated just across the pedestrian beach path. Some non-beachfront hotels have their own sections, while others have sharing agreements with their more fortunate competitors. The beach is covered with sunbeds, parasols, bars, restaurants, water-sports centres and even crazy golf. The beach at Sharm el Maya Bay is smaller and of finer sand. The bay here is nearly an enclosed marina full of moored boats, so the water is not as clean as elsewhere along the coast. Most downtown hotels use the beach at Ras Um Sid several miles SE. Farther up the coast, the beaches claimed by all the properties fronting the water are coral beaches, with jetties for observing marine life and reaching areas deep enough for swimming.

Downtown Sharm has some touristy shopping centres along with lots of genuine Arab bazaars and local shops in the large market area, which may be too "ethnic" for some Western tastes. Naama Bay's shops are more tourist orientated and correspondingly more expensive. The main shopping street is the pedestrianised El Sharm Mall which runs from opposite the Camel Hotel to the beach next to the Cataract Hotel. Similar bazaars are found all over the central area at the S end of the beach, selling all manner of gold, leather, carpets, glass, inlaid wood, brass, spices and souvenirs. Some glitzy enclosed malls on the main road. Duty-free shops.

Daytime: scuba diving, snorkelling, myriad water sports and beach activities; camel rides; horse riding; quad bikes and bicycles for hire; golf at the 18-hole Movenpick course; bird spotting. Most large hotels have organised entertainment programmes. Nightlife: live entertainment in most hotels, which also have discos and live music in bars; casinos.

Plenty of restaurants of all international persuasions, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, French, Egyptian and more. Mostly hotel based, but also in both centres, along the beaches and the main roads. No shortage of snacks and light meals, including several chain eateries and a McDonald's at Naama Bay.

Rather anonymous minibuses ply the route from Naama Bay to downtown Sharm, but are used mainly by the locals. Plenty of taxis, which are cheap if you haggle the price hard enough.

Several places in the Sinai Desert, including St Catherine's Monastery (reputed site of the Bible's burning bush) and Mt Sinai (source of the 10 Commandments); desert safaris; camel treks; "Bedouin Night" with meal; Ras Mohammed National Park; cruises to Tiran Island; overnight trips to Cairo or Luxor.

On the E side of the southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula, on the Gulf of Aqaba coast. 315 mls SE of Cairo. Hurghada is a 20-min flight SW across the Gulf of Suez. Downtown Sharm is 12½ mls SW of airport; Naama Bay is 8 mls SW of airport.

The old town of Sharm el Sheikh itself (known as downtown Sharm) is set on the NW side of the almost completely enclosed Sharm el Maya Bay, which is flanked by low, flat-topped cliffs. Naama Bay, 5 mls NE, lies all round the edge of the semicircular bay of the same name, again with flat cliffs on both edges. Both are backed by inhospitable, arid desert with rugged, saw-toothed mountains in the distance.

Telephone Area Code: 69
Website: www.sharmguide.com

Airport : Ophira
Airport Code: SSH
Flight time from ther U.K.: 4 hrs 45 mins