Sheraton Resort - Soma Bay

Overview

The luxurious Sheraton Resort lies in a secluded beach location, on a small peninsular close to Safaga. The hotel has an impressive range of facilities, complemented by a high standard of service.

Although modern in design, the style of this hotel reflects Egypt's ancient history, with themes of pharaohs and pyramids. This resort is ideal for relaxing or for taking advantage of the impressive range of sporting activities on offer.

Accommodation

The Sheraton Resort offers Bed and Breakfast accommodation in 326 air-conditioned guest rooms and suites across three floors. All with en-suite shower and WC. Standard Resort rooms offer a garden or pool view. Rooms are equipped with satellite TV, mini-bar, telephone and safetly deposit box. 

Other Facilities

This hotel has four swimming pools and a private beach. There is a range of restaurants and bars, a disco and some evening entertainment. There is an extensive range of leisure facilities on offer, including tennis, squash, volleyball and golf, with the 18-hole Gary Player golf course. There is also a health club with gym, sauna and massage and an on site beauty salon and hairdresser. Guests will appreciate the gift shop, currency exchange and complimentary WiFi internet access at the resort.

Families

The Sheraton Resort has a children's pool, play area and kids' club. There are cots and highchairs, and a babysitting service. Inter-connecting rooms are also available.

Location

The Sheraton is conveniently located a 5 minute walk from the dive centre which is located in front of the Breakers Hotel. Located in Soma Bay, the hotel is 20 minutes' drive from Safaga and 45 minutes' drive from Hurghada airport.

Dive info

Soma Bay is located just 45km from Hurghada airport. The resort boasts some of the most beautiful sandy beaches in the Red Sea and panoramic views of desert mountains.  Soma Bay gives access to some of the best dive sites in the Red Sea and offers fabulous snorkelling, shore and boat diving. 

Learning to Dive 

The house reef at Soma Bay stretches from the east to the west of the peninsula.  With a diverse marine life and an abundance of corals it is truly a delight for all experience levels.  A lagoon lies at the front of the reef and provides sheltered waters ideal for training. The house reef boasts a fantastic array of marine life with sightings of large pelagics like barracuda, turtles and eagle rays being commonplace.

Qualified Divers

Panorama Reef is a huge coral formation - its walls dropping to over 200m with numerous grottos and overhangs, gorgonians and soft corals. Due to the currents, this site is one of the highlights of the area and best dived as a drift dive. Jacks, barracudas and reef sharks often visit the area and a well-known family of napoleon wrasse are frequently sighted.

Abu Kafan, or ‘the deep one’, is probably the most spectacular dive site in the area with stunning, sheer walls plummeting towards the seafloor hundreds of metres below. Luxuriant soft corals, gorgonians and black corals abound and this is a regular haunt of schooling barracuda, reef sharks and turtles.

Wreck enthusiasts are often drawn to Safaga to visit the Salem Express, an Egyptian passenger ferry that sank on its return journey from Mecca in 1991. 300 victims perished in one of the greatest marine tragedies of all time. This is a stunning site but a dive that is generally considered one for reflection rather than pleasure.

Dive sites in the Soma Bay area

Soma Bay House Reef Diving

The Orca Dive Club Soma Bay is situated on a house reef that stretches from the east to the west of the peninsula. Packed with diverse marine life and an abundance of corals it is truly a delight for snorkellers and divers of all experience levels. A 420 metre jetty extends directly from the dive club to the reef, with electric cars that are available for carrying equipment and divers for effortless access to the reef. A large turquoise-blue lagoon lies at the front of the reef and provides sheltered waters ideal for training. This house reef boasts a spectacular array of marine life from the smallest to the largest creatures. With sightings of large pelagics like barracuda, turtles and eagle rays being commonplace.

Dive prices

Orca Dive Club are based at the Breakers Hotel, which is a short walk from the Sheraton Hotel in Soma Bay. Dive boats depart from the new marina.

Orca Dive Club

The purpose built dive centre is located in front of the Breakers Hotel. This is a short walk from the Sheraton Hotel. The dive boats depart from the new marina. A natural, sandy lagoon in front of the dive centre is ideal for introductory dives and training.

Daily diving includes two boat dives per day. There is a great house reef boasting a spectacular array of marine life from the smallest to the largest creatures. Locally, half day trips in both the morning and afternoon can be booked. FREE Nitrox is available (32%) for qualified Nitrox divers.

Please note that it is compulsory at Orca Dive Club to dive with a dive computer.  All divers with fewer than 30 logged dives must be guided. Guided dives cost is €5 per person per dive.

From January 2023 the following Environmental Fee is applicable to all trips with Orca Divers. Fees are paid locally and are non-refundable.

• Nation park fees: €5 per person, per day
• Tax and permissions: €5 per person, per day

Typically, 10 unguided house reef dives with Orca Divers Soma Bay starts from £250 per person excluding equipment rental.

DIVE PRICES

Book your dive pack or course with Regaldive prior to departure, and benefit from lower prices than those in resort. You can also take advantage of our great value dive pack offers.  Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your needs.

Resort info

Getting Around

Soma Bay is located just 45km from Hurghada airport. The resort boasts some of the most beautiful sandy beaches in the Red Sea and panoramic views of desert mountains.

Climate 

The hottest time of the year is July and August with air temperature of over 30 ºC. The coolest time is January with the temperature at around 20 ºC. Rainfall is negligable and it is invariably sunny but breezes can be cool.

Time

Egypt is 1 or 2 hours ahead of GMT depending on the season as Egypt does not operate Daylight Saving Time.

Currency

Egyptian pounds or LE. Approximately £1 = 20LE

We recommend that you take some money in Cash to Egypt. There is a currency exchange desk available at the hotel. Please note that Scottish notes and Australian Travellers Cheques are not accepted in Egypt.

Tipping

Although entirely voluntary, tipping is a recognised part of life in this region of the world. Some local staff will look to travellers for personal recognition of the services offered. We would advise that you allow approx. £10 for gratuities for local staff for the duration of your stay.

Rough Price Guide

• Local beer: 65LE
• Snack meal (pizza / sandwich): 130LE
• Bottle of mineral water: 25LE
• Soft drink: 35LE

 Activities

Outdoor pursuits available include:

• Golf
• Thalasso spa
• Water sports
• Camel & jeep safaris
• Horse riding
• Trips to Luxor & Hurghada

Travel info

Flight Information

Flights are available to Hurghada (HRG) from a number of UK airports. Please refer to the tables below for typical direct flight schedules, or speak to our friendly travel consultants for the latest information.

Typical Annual Schedule

HRG = Hurghada Airport, updated Aug 2024

Key: * = Winter only (November to April), ** = Summer only (May to October), *** = Irregular schedule, ask for more information

NB: Please note that flight schedules may be subject to change by the airlines at any time. Full and up to date flight details will be provided with any holiday quotation.

Flight duration: Approx 5 - 5½ hours

Transfer times: These vary  according to the hotel choice. Minimum transfer time is approx. 20 minutes, certain more remote destinations require longer transfers. 

Departure tax:  N/A

Passports

Passengers travelling to Egypt must have six months valid on their passport from the date of departure from Egypt.

Visas

A single entry tourist visa for Egypt is required for all nationalities. For British passport holders with British citizenship, Egyptian visas can be obtained conveniently and inexpensively on arrival at Hurghada airport, or in advance via the new e-visa portal - Visa2Egypt.

Other nationalities should check with consular office.

Vaccinations

There are no compulsory vaccinations for travel to Egypt, but we recommend protection against typhoid, tetanus, hepatitis A and polio. Though malaria does exist in Egypt, it is generally not present in the coastal resorts.

Vaccination requirements are subject to change and should be confirmed before departure.  For the most up to date advice please consult your travel clinic.

Further information regarding vaccinations for travel to this country can be found at www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk and from your local healthcare provider.

Prices

The price panel above provides an indication of a lead-in price for your holiday, based on the cheapest time to travel. Prices shown are per person, and based on two persons sharing. 

As flight prices vary from day to day, Regaldive will prepare a quotation for you based on current flight prices available. This ensures that you receive the most competitive price for your chosen travel dates. Flights from regional UK airports may be available, depending on your destination and date of travel.

Please call 01353 659999 or e-mail Regaldive, using the link below, for a quotation.

Our Price Promise

At Regaldive we are committed to offering you the best possible value for money on all our diving holidays. That's why we offer you a price match promise. Learn more about our promise to you.

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