The Ritz Carlton Sharm El Sheikh - Sinai Peninsula, Egypt

Rooms & Suites: 257 Rooms & 50 Suites

Come to the crossroads of Africa and Asia where the mountains meet the sea, and watch the sunset from the back of a camel and see the starry sky as it was 1,000 years ago.

The glistening Red Sea beckons you with unsurpassed diving opportunities and world-class nightlife tempts you into our Sharm El Sheikh hotel's luxurious oasis. The mountains sweeping down from the Sinai peninsula and the unparalleled diving in the coral-laden waters of the Red Sea have transformed this backwater into a resort megalopolis in recent years, but that frenetic development of hotels elbowing in will escape all who retreat to this isolated northern curve of the coast, where Ritz-Carlton's sea-hugging white buildings spread across a spacious 100,000 square meters of gardens. This is Sharm el Sheikh's most exclusive offering right down to the Cleopatra bath you can order in suite and the fluttering white tents where you can feast on heaping plates of fantastically fresh seafood looking out at nothing but sky and water. Palm trees and sombrero-like umbrellas of straw dot the beach, some of it sandy, where underwater enthusiasts can snorkel along the adjacent coral reefs – and there's an onsite diving school, diving pool, and excursion hut to arrange pretty much anything one might desire, including fishing expeditions. Those who prefer pools can take a dip in seven onsite waterholes, including a snaking waterpark where you can float along on a raft -- and each day features a lineup of activities – from aqua aerobics to cooking lessons on Middle Eastern appetizers. Located next to the spa, where one can be kneaded in the Egyptian way or take a Jacuzzi amid murals, the gym is open 24/7.

Decorated in shades of gold, the airy terraced suites (which include two-story seaview options connected by spiral stairs), boast deep-cushioned furniture, free-standing shower and bath and even junior suites come with his-and-hers bathrooms not to mention the beds that are so famous that Ritz-Carlton now sells its bedding. The circular main building houses the town’s largest bar – lively, window-wrapped and filled with sultry singing and saxophone – as well as four restaurants ranging from Italian to Japanese, and in the cove alongside the Lebanese eatery you can lounge on pillows and puff on the sheisha water pipe. Whether honeymooners or families, this deluxe property lures all who love water in any forms – sea, pool or bath – and starry eyed sorts can rent the secluded Arabian tent for romantic outdoor massages next to the sea. And anyone who steps a foot in the area would be foolish not to indulge in Waves, the open air restaurant, where that day's catches are grilled to perfection and are best savored in the shade of your own tent while gazing at nothing but the blues of the Red Sea.

©2007 Melissa Rossi. Written by Melissa Rossi for Luxury Travel Magazine. Melissa Rossi, who is currently traveling across the Middle East and Asia, is the author of the What Every American Should Know about Europe (Plume/Penguin 2006). What Every American Should Know about the Middle East will be published in June 2008.