Coral Bay, Sharm El Sheikh
The verdict
- Best for: Families and comfort seekers who want a big self contained resort bay with pools, a salt lake and a reef on a day pass, and value travellers who will use the lot.
- Best spot: A lounger near the jetty for easy reef access and the pools and salt lake for the children, taking the day pass only on a day you will stay put and use it.
- Know this: Coral Bay sells a full resort day, not just sand. Worth it if you want the facilities, but the free reefs at Ras Um Sid and Sharks Bay are the cheaper coral.
Published 14 March 2026. Last reviewed 12 May 2026
Coral Bay is a large self contained resort bay on the Sharm coast, the kind of place where a single day pass buys pools, a salt lake, a long groomed beach, loungers and a reef off the jetty. For families and anyone who wants comfort without effort, that is a genuinely easy day, and if you use the whole package it is fair value. The bay is built to keep you inside the gate happily from breakfast to sunset, and on its own terms it does that well.
Where a value minded traveller has to be honest is the reef. Coral Bay has coral off the jetty and a pleasant snorkel once you are past the shallow seagrass edge, but it is not the dramatic shore wall you get for free at Ras Um Sid, nor the easy house reef of Sharks Bay. If the underwater is the main event of your holiday, you are paying a day pass for a reef that the headlands give away. So separate the two questions. For facilities and a contained family day, Coral Bay earns its fee. For coral alone, spend that money on a boat trip or simply walk onto a free reef elsewhere.
Our value verdict, then, is to use Coral Bay for what it is. Take the day pass on a day you intend to stay put and lean on the pools, the salt lake and the loungers as well as the sea, so the price spreads across a full day rather than just a patch of sand. Snorkel the jetty reef at higher water as a bonus, not as the reason you came, and keep one day free for the headland reefs or a boat to Ras Mohammed when you want the coral that makes Sharm famous.
Clubs on this beach
Coral Bay is a resort beach rather than a standalone club, with loungers, pools and reef access inside the property. We describe the options honestly and route enquiries through our directory, never inventing fees or amenities.
Coral Bay resort beach, salt lake and jetty reef
The bay is a large resort beach with pools, a salt lake, loungers and a jetty out to the reef, with a day pass often sold to non guests. Verdict: good value as a full self contained family day if you use the whole package, less so if the reef alone is what you want, when the free headland walls are the smarter spend, with day pass charges to be confirmed.
Coral Bay sits on the Sharm El Sheikh coast between Naama Bay and the northern headlands, a few kilometres from the Naama nightlife and a short transfer from the airport. As a large self contained resort bay it works as a base in its own right, and taxis link it to the town for the cheaper independent eating and to the headlands at Ras Um Sid and Sharks Bay for the better free reefs when you want them.
If you are coming on a day pass rather than staying, decide first that you will use the pools and the salt lake as well as the sea, so the fee spreads across a full day. Bring a mask and reef shoes to skip the rental and reach the jetty reef at higher water, carry small cash for tips, and remember the sun is strong all year even in the mild winter, so a shaded lounger through the middle of the day is worth claiming early.
Reserve a day at Coral Bay
Tell us your date and party and we will point you to the right beach and daybed options at Coral Bay and across Sharm El Sheikh, from a full resort day pass to a reef day at the headlands. No charge to enquire.
Common questions
Is Coral Bay in Sharm El Sheikh worth the day pass?
It can be, if you use what the resort gives you. Coral Bay is a large resort bay with loungers, pools, a salt lake and a reef off the jetty, so a day pass buys a full self contained day rather than just sand. If you only want the reef, the free walls at Ras Um Sid and Sharks Bay are better value, but for a fuss free family day with facilities it earns its price. Day pass charges are to be confirmed.
Is the snorkelling good at Coral Bay?
It is decent rather than the best in Sharm. There is a reef off the bay reached along the resort jetty, with coral and fish once you are past the shallows, but it is not the dramatic shore wall of Ras Um Sid. Snorkel at higher water for the easiest access, and keen snorkellers should add a day at the headland reefs or a boat trip. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
Is Coral Bay good for families?
Yes, it is one of the easier family bays. The big resort setting brings pools, a salt lake, loungers and gentle shallow water at the edge, so a day here is comfortable and contained for children. Lifeguard cover is seasonal and not guaranteed, the bottom is rocky and seagrass strewn in places and the sun is strong, so reef shoes and supervision matter, and we make no swimming safety promise.
Where is Coral Bay in Sharm El Sheikh?
Coral Bay sits on the coast between Naama Bay and the northern headlands, a few kilometres from the Naama nightlife and a short transfer from the airport. It is built around a large resort with its own beach, salt lake and reef, so it works as a self contained base. Taxis link it to the town and the better reefs at the headlands. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
When is the best time to visit Coral Bay?
Sharm is a winter sun escape, so November to April gives warm comfortable days and a warm sea when Europe is cold, with October, November, March and May the best value shoulder weeks. The reef is clearest on calm mornings, and high summer is very hot but cheapest. See our Sharm El Sheikh when to go guide for the month by month detail.
