Concorde El Salam Hotel Sharm El Sheikh By Royal Tulip

The Concorde El Salam Hotel opened in 2001 with a relatively modest 423 rooms, though shortly after added sports facilities and other extensions to create this huge, 725-room mega-resort. The property comprises numerous low-rise buildings, swimming pools, and tropical terraced gardens that step down into the large sand-and-shingle beach and coral reef. The Sport Hotel section is situated about 500 yards from the seafront and features an impressive selection of sporting facilities, including horse tracks, a water park, and Sharm El Sheikh's first ice-skating rink, and is often host to equestrian championships and other sporting events. A free shuttle transports guests between the Front Hotel and the Sports Hotel every 10 minutes or so, though it's also possible to walk; it's worth noting that the Front Hotel feels fresher and better maintained, and many prefer it for its beach proximity. The Sport Hotel tends to be more popular with families and Egyptian guests who want to be close to the water park. 

The extensive facilities and grounds result in a totally self-contained beach resort with a sprawling village-like layout that, while a little tired in parts, offers a fun and activity-filled vacation for families and couples. Guests from the U.K. should note that the hotel draws a lot of Russian and Egyptian guests, occasionally resulting in some language barriers (kids' club activities, for example, might be conducted in Russian rather than English). 

The resort is located on the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula overlooking the White Knight Beach, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Red Sea. Part of the popular Sharm El Sheikh tourist area, the hotel is surrounded by similar resorts with little within walking distance besides the Soho Square entertainment center, which is about 10 minutes away on foot. The central tourist hub of Sharm El Sheikh, Naama Bay, which is full of restaurants, bars, and buzzing nightlife is about 15 minutes by car, while the Sharm El Sheikh International Airport is a 10-minute drive away (the hotel provides a free airport shuttle service).

In the Front Hotel, clean, spacious rooms tend to be decorated in fresh neutral tones with tiled floors, modern furnishings, patterned fabrics, and floor-to-ceiling windows that slide open onto spacious furnished balconies or terraces. Rooms are air-conditioned and equipped with mini-fridges (with a bottle of free water upon arrival), electronic safes, and 32-inch flat-screen TVs with some satellite channels, but Wi-Fi is free only in the Royal Suites. Bathrooms are marble-clad and outfitted with wall-mounted hairdryers, bathrobes, telephones, and walk-in showers or tub/shower combos. Many rooms have at least partial sea views from the balcony, while most ground-floor rooms have terraces overlooking the gardens. The Sport Hotel Rooms are set back from the sea and overlook the pool or gardens; expect a few more dated elements in these, such as tacky patterned curtains. 

As you'd expect from a resort of this size, there's a huge amount of on-site facilities. There are three restaurants, two of which provide buffet services for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while the third is Italian a la carte for more intimate and alfresco dining. Unlike some similar resorts in the area, food quality is consistently good, though perhaps lacking in variety. Five bars and cafes are dotted around the complex and include a swim-up bar, an oriental cafe with shisha station, and a disco that's open late.

The main swimming pool has an infinity edge overlooking the beach and there are also four other pools as well as a diving center in the Sport Hotel section. This area features myriad sporting facilities including squash, tennis, and ice skating, while the resort also offers a kids' club for three- to 12-year-olds, games rooms, and playgrounds. The sand-and-shingle beach provides plenty of padded loungers as well as floating jetties that extend to the lovely coral reefs just off shore, though it's crowded and a bit small given the size of the resort. Spa and health facilities include a steam room, sauna, hot tub, two fitness centers, and a range of beauty and massage treatments. Free Wi-Fi is available in the lobby, though can be slow and patchy during busy times.

The all-inclusive plan includes buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner in all three restaurants, which have live cooking stations, and the hotel's Italian restaurant also offers set and a la carte menus for dinner. Snacks, afternoon tea, coffee, and cakes are on offer in the afternoon, while locally produced alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including beer, wine, and spirits, are free of charge throughout the day until midnight. Not all rates are all-inclusive -- some just cover breakfast.