Ibrahim, my instructor, gently patted my trembling hand. “Don’t worry,” he said. “People who are scared, like you, they’re better divers.”
Scared was an understatement. I was terrified of the prospect of plunging into the depths of the Red Sea.
I waved goodbye to my bemused toddler and his father on the beach and padded down the 475ft floating jetty in my wetsuit, my 5ft frame loaded under the weight of my oxygen tank, to face my fear.
After stepping down the rungs of a small ladder, I descended 25ft down to an underwater garden wonderland of coral reef, where my grip on my instructor’s arm was beginning to loosen.
Within minutes, I was having close-up, life-affirming encounters with fish in colours and sizes I couldn't have imagined – clownfish, angelfish, a lionfish, blue-spotted stingray and even a great barracuda swam my way.
The Red Sea, lying between North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, is one of the best places in the world to dive or snorkel, with an abundance of coral and more than 1,000 types of fish thought to exist in its warm, salty waters.
We were staying in Sharm el-Sheikh, a Bedouin fishing village turned resort town on the southern tip of Egypt’s Sinai peninsula which began to develop as a tourist spot in the late 1970s, when divers discovered its plethora of tantalising offshore reefs.
Having married only four days before leaving Gatwick, we were on our honeymoon and enjoying our first family holiday together.
Our hotel, the five-star Baron Resort, had its own 2,000ft length of private sandy beach, three pools and a spa offering everything from Egyptian massages and coconut or Red Sea scrubs to Cleopatra milk body wraps.
Baron Resort is one of seven resorts which promote the new MyStyle concept from Thomas Cook: Each one enjoys an immaculate beachfront setting, fine food, a high quality of service and amenities, plus added benefits such as priority transfers and pre-bookable flight seats – to make your journey there and back as comfortable as possible.
The idea is to pay more – but not a lot more – for a much grander holiday than the usual package. And of course, you can’t buy a holiday like this in bits over the internet.
Our spacious room and balcony overlooked immaculate gardens, flame trees, and of course, the sea.
On the beach, the view from our sun loungers was exquisite: Shallow turquoise waters turned deep blue in the middle distance while the formidable dusty pink mountains of Tiran Island could be seen a mile away.
When our son had his daytime nap, we lay under the shade of a basket-woven umbrella and did nothing more strenuous than turn the pages of our books or order a freshly-squeezed watermelon, mango or strawberry drink or ice-cold beer from the beach bar to cool down.
Our son loved playing in the sand and splashing about in the crystal-clear sea waters or in the shallowest end of the Olympic-sized freshwater swimming pool.
This pool, with its landscaped pool deck, was our favourite.
But Baron Resort also boasts a partially-covered seawater pool with jets, overlooking the sea, and a children’s pool.
You can easily spend a week here without feeling the need to explore anywhere else. But for those with itchy feet, optional excursions include adventure safaris, camel rides, star-gazing in the Sinai desert and guided snorkelling at the world-famous national marine park of Ras Mohammed.
St Catherine’s Monastery, on the site where Moses is said to have seen the burning bush, is a drive away, while further afield you can arrange visits to the Pyramids or Jerusalem. We managed a trip on a glass-bottomed boat, where our toddler loved the Finding Nemo-like scene underneath us, and a visit to the old market.
Here, against a backdrop of mountains, the Muslim call to prayer rings out over stalls selling fruit, vegetables, spices and dried goods like green tea, lotus flowers and mint, as well as fake designer bags and souvenirs for tourists.
But a day out in the hustle and bustle of real life was more than enough. We hurried back to the cocoon of our hotel for dinner.
One evening we sat outside to enjoy fish barbecued on a grill at the seafood restaurant.
Another night we ventured into its Egyptian restaurant, which had the feel of a cafe in an ancient souk, where the food was delicious, and was followed with a hubba bubba pipe at the cafe next door. We also had a memorable night at its Indian restaurant. But all this talk of food reminds me of why we travelled here – for the diving experience.
My diving instructor had told me about night diving – predatory fish stalking their prey, corals “blooming” as they come out to feed, all causing an explosion of underwater colour. Night time is ‘dinner time’ in the sea apparently.
Well, one day I thought, while eating mine at the Indian restaurant, I’ll be brave enough to try it – but not yet...
Key facts: BEST FOR: Beautiful sandy beaches, clear turquoise waters and underwater life. TIME TO GO: March-May. Temperatures average 29C in May. DON’T MISS: Snorkelling – to see wonderful coral and fish. NEED TO KNOW: To visit Cairo or other destinations in Egypt, get a tourist visa at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. DON’T FORGET: Plenty of suncream. n Travel details Sherna Noah was a guest of Thomas Cook Holidays, which offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at five-star Baron Resort in Sharm El Sheikh from August 30 from £1,034, including return flights ex-Gatwick and priority transfers in new MyStyle programme launched in July for Winter 2010/11 and Summer 2011. Ex-Manchester, summer prices start at £1,117, ex-Glasgow from £1054. Reservations: 0844 412 5970 and thomascookstyle.com Thomas Cook Publishing travel guides including Egypt from £4.99. Call 01733 416477 for details or go to thomascookpublishing.com
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