Where to stay in Sharm el Sheikh: the best areas and resorts

Naama Bay is Sharm's original resort and still its beating heart: a sheltered, sandy bay with a seafront promenade lined with bars, restaurants, shisha cafés and shops. By day it's beach and boat trips; by night the pedestrian streets fill up and the music keeps going late.

Hotels here put you right in the action. Cleopatra Luxury Resort is in the heart of the bay with an infinity pool, a dive centre and ten places to eat. The Novotel has five pools and a kids club among the palms, and the Maritim Jolie Ville sits right on the promenade, with the championship golf course a short drive away. Naama Bay Hotel and Resort is just 50 metres from the beach and steps from the nightlife.

Sharks Bay, north of Naama Bay, is a string of resorts on a coast where the reef drops away just offshore. Don't let the name put you off: the snorkelling is excellent, and the views across to Tiran Island are lovely. It's only a few kilometres from the airport, and the restaurants and entertainment of Soho Square are close by.

Sultan Gardens is a sprawling resort overlooking the coral and Tiran Island, about 6 km from the airport and 7 km from Naama Bay. The V Hotel is a big all-inclusive beside the sandy beach, the Grand Rotana has its own 450-metre beach and a lagoon-style pool, and Concorde El Salam is a five-minute walk from Soho Square.

North again, the coast around Ras Nasrani and Montazah Beach faces the Straits of Tiran, and the reefs are some of the best you can reach from a sunbed. This is where Sharm feels most upmarket, with spacious resorts climbing the slopes above the water and views across to Tiran Island.

The Four Seasons is a hillside village of rooms above the reef, with a spa, diving and fine dining. SUNRISE Remal Beach and White Hills, both near the famous Ras Nasrani reef, suit families, while Meraki is a bohemian-styled adults-only resort with à la carte dining. JAZ Belvedere, on Montazah Beach, mixes Arabian and Moroccan architecture with views of Tiran Island.

Nabq Bay is Sharm's newest resort area, stretching north of the airport towards the Nabq protected area, with desert mountains behind and Tiran Island ahead. Its resorts are large and modern, many with aqua parks and endless pools, and there's a strip of bars and restaurants for evenings out.

Steigenberger Alcazar is less than ten minutes from the airport, with 3,000 square metres of private beach. Coral Sea Holiday Resort faces the Straits of Tiran with an aqua park, and the Aurora Oriental sits in the heart of the bay near bars and restaurants. For couples, the Cleopatra Luxury Resort is adults-only for guests aged 16 and over.

South of Naama Bay, Sharm el Maya and the Hadaba headland are closest to the Old Market, where spice stalls, cafés and the grand mosque give a taste of everyday Egyptian life. The marina here is where many dive boats leave for Ras Mohammed National Park.

JAZ Elite Palace is an adults-only resort on one of the longest stretches of waterfront on Maya Bay, a short walk from the old town. Reef Oasis Beach Resort has a 380-metre natural sand beach overlooking the Temple reef, one of the best spots for snorkelling and diving, and Amphoras Beach is handy for the harbour.

Dahab is everything Sharm isn't: small, slow and bohemian, with seafront cafés strung with cushions, a famous dive site at the Blue Hole and steady winds for windsurfing and kitesurfing. It's about an hour's drive north of Sharm el Sheikh airport, and it suits independent travellers and divers.

Retac Qunay overlooks the Gulf of Aqaba with five pools and a lagoon, within walking distance of the centre of Masbat. JAZ Dahabeya fronts a natural lagoon with views of the Red Sea and the Sinai mountains, and Tropitel Dahab Oasis is a beachfront all-inclusive a six-minute drive from the Blue Hole.