Naama Blue Hotel

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside Arabic, Russian and Italian, so you can deal with the useful things without resorting to underwater hand signals. Naama Blue Hotel is a straightforward three-star base for divers who want the sea nearby, a pool for the surface interval, and the restaurants, bars and shops of Naama Bay close at hand.

The setting has two sides. The hotel sits back against the hills, away from the main street's full volume, but you are still in the middle of the resort rather than marooned behind a gate. That suits a diving holiday with a bit of life around it: return, shower, eat, and decide whether the evening needs a cocktail or simply a chair.

You are in Sharm El Sheikh, at the southern end of Naama Bay and in the centre of the resort area. The sandy Naama Bay beach is about half a mile away, with access to a private sandy beach area. The route puts the shoreline within an easy walk rather than requiring a daily transfer just to see the sea.

Shops, cafés, restaurants and bars begin close by. Adoneese Restaurant And Cafe, Happy Bombo Restaurant And Cafe and Adriano are all about 850 feet away, while The Tavern Bar, Chilis Grill & Bar and Hard Rock Cafe Naama Bay are roughly 750 feet to 1,050 feet away. Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport is about 5 miles away by road, with the journey taking around 9 minutes by car.

The room choice is practical rather than theatrical. Solo divers have single-room options, couples can choose between double or twin arrangements, and the triple and quadruple rooms give groups somewhere to put three or four separate beds without turning the evening into a negotiation over who gets the sofa. The Standard Triple Room uses three single beds; the Comfort Quadruple Room uses four.

Air conditioning matters here, particularly when you come back warm, salty and ready to stop being useful for an hour. Rooms have bright, calm-toned interiors with either city or mountain views, plus a flat-screen TV, minibar or refrigerator, safety deposit box, wardrobe and clothes rack. A private bathroom setup includes a shower, towels, toiletries and hairdryer where provided with the selected room.

For a couple, the standard double or twin option is the sensible middle ground. Solo travellers can keep things simple with a single room, while divers travelling together may prefer the separate beds in the larger shared rooms. Daily housekeeping keeps the room moving in the right direction while you are out; the refrigerator is useful for keeping water cold when you return.

Breakfast is served as a buffet, and the day continues with food and drinks available between meals. That is useful when your timetable is dictated by boats, briefings and the occasional post-dive hunger that arrives well before conventional lunch. Packed lunches are also available for days spent away from the hotel.

The main restaurant serves buffet meals, including a daily dinner buffet. There is also a snack bar and a coffee house on site, so you have options beyond sitting down for a full meal. Room service is available when the most ambitious plan of the evening is eating indoors.

For drinks, there is a pool bar for daytime refreshments and the lobby bar for drinks and cocktails throughout the day. The social pool bar is the natural place to compare notes while still damp around the edges. If hotel dining has done its job and you fancy a change, the centre of Naama Bay supplies plenty of nearby alternatives.

The large outdoor swimming pool comes with a sun terrace, loungers, umbrellas and a pool bar. It gives you an easy landing place for a non-diving afternoon, whether you want a gentle swim or simply enough shade to read a few pages before falling asleep over them. There is also a children's pool and outdoor play equipment for family stays.

Massage treatments are available, including back, neck, foot, head, hand and full-body massages. Beauty services cover facials, body treatments, manicures, pedicures and hairdressing. That is a useful menu after several days of salt, sun and equipment straps, although the hotel is better understood as a pool-and-treatment base than as a dedicated spa resort.

When you want a little more movement, the hotel has billiards, table tennis, darts, a games room and board games. Live music, evening entertainment and televised sport keep the shared areas occupied. The excursions desk and hotel partner can also arrange desert safaris, quad biking, parasailing, boat trips and cultural excursions, including trips towards Ras Mohamed and Cairo.

Check-in starts from 14:00 and check-out runs until 12:00. You should give the hotel your expected arrival time, particularly if your flight lands outside the usual rhythm of the resort. A 24-hour front desk, concierge service, express check-in and check-out, luggage storage and wake-up service cover the practical edges of the stay.

An airport shuttle is available, and the hotel also offers a shuttle service for getting around. Both are arranged through the hotel. Car hire is available if you want to range further along the coast, while free private parking is available on site without needing to reserve a space.

Free Wi-Fi is available in the public areas. There is a minimarket on site, a shared lounge with television, daily housekeeping, laundry and dry-cleaning services, and room service. Upper floors are reached by stairs only, so the room location is worth considering if stairs are inconvenient after a long travel day. Cash is accepted, and children of all ages are welcome; children aged 12 and over are treated as adults for occupancy purposes.