Review of Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh, by Kamin Mohammadi

The new Four Seasons is an oasis of luxury amid the mass market hotels of Sharm El Sheikh, says Kamin Mohammadi

Looking in from the sea made it all quite clear. I turned to survey the coastline of Sharm El Sheikh - and ranged along it at small intervals was hotel upon hotel, huge brick-like structures plonked carelessly along the beach. But there in the middle, an oasis of palm trees rose from the sand, with traditional-looking villas peeking through them, arranged around tropical gardens and a flowing stream. And indeed, the Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh does feel like an oasis of architectural sympathy, luxury and superlative service in the midst of this busy holiday resort.

With the Sinai Desert biting its back and the uncannily clear waters of the Red Sea lapping its shores, Sharm El Sheikh has long been Egypt's most popular resort, famous for its diving. Since Egypt retrieved this spot from Israel in 1982, scuba diving aficionados have been flocking here, but it is really in the last 10 years that Sharm has grown to its present proportions, packed with international hotel names. But until now, there has been nothing here approaching the sort of haven the Four Seasons has built.

Ten minutes from the airport, it features all the usual Four Seasons touches: a stunning lobby clad in acres of marble, creative flower displays, a beautiful spa and health club, three pools and four restaurants. Step out into the blinding sunshine from the lobby (it hasn't rained in Sharm since 1996, a fact that will resonate in the hearts of rain-sodden Brits) where a large terrace full of with cosy chairs invites you to sit for a drink in the shade, overlooking the scene below. A tram cuts a line down the centre of the resort, ready to transport guests to their rooms or the pool and beach at the bottom of the hill. The 200 rooms are stand-alone villas, designed with elements of traditional architecture.

At the beach, care has been taken to protect the delicate coral, with a jetty from which you can jump straight into that other world that Sharm harbours, the vivid underwater universe of coral gardens and marine life so colourful and bizarre that it could be straight from an animation studio. The friendly scuba diving centre, Sinai Blue, runs courses while one of two boats departs daily for dives in the surrounding area, including at the marine national park of Ras Mohammed. That's if you decide to leave the house reef: as one of the best in Sharm, it means breathtaking dives are a step off the jetty.

With the government keen to make Sharm a year-round destination, the Four Seasons provides an unmatched alternative to the other hotels here. Sharm really has come of age.