Nabq Bay, Sharm El Sheikh
The verdict
- Best for: Budget minded families and long stay travellers who want a big resort, a calm shallow lagoon and the lowest price per night in Sharm, and do not mind being out of town.
- Best spot: A sheltered corner of the lagoon for a flat morning swim, the resort jetty at high tide for the reef, and the open windier stretches for windsurfing.
- Know this: Nabq is where the cheap packages live, not where the best coral is. Take the value and the easy water, then ride a jetty or a boat to the real reef.
Published 18 April 2026. Last reviewed 3 June 2026
Nabq Bay is the value engine of Sharm El Sheikh, a stretch of big all inclusive resorts north of the airport where the price per night is about as low as the Red Sea gets for the star rating. If your idea of a holiday is a comfortable room, a calm shallow sea, a pool, full board and very little spending once you arrive, Nabq is the smart maths. Families with young children love it, because the lagoon is so shallow and gentle that toddlers can wade out for what feels like forever in waist deep water.
The honest catch is twofold. First, you are out of town, so the lively promenade, the cheap independent eating and the dive centre buzz of Naama are a taxi ride away, and that cost and faff adds up if you plan to leave the resort often. Second, the shore snorkelling is the weakest of the named Sharm beaches. The lagoon is wide, shallow and seagrass heavy, so the real living coral sits out at the drop off, reached along the resort jetties and only comfortably at high tide. It can reward you, but it is not the step off the sand and onto a reef wall that Ras Um Sid or Sharks Bay give you for free.
So our value verdict is clear. Come to Nabq for a cheap, easy, low effort family week and take the lagoon for the children and the steady breeze for the windsurfing, which is genuinely good here. Do not come expecting the best coral on your doorstep. Budget one or two boat trips or jetty snorkels to reach the real reef, factor the taxis into the price before you book, and Nabq stays the bargain it looks. Skip it if you want to walk to dinner or step straight onto a house reef, and base yourself nearer the headlands instead.
Clubs on this beach
Nabq is resort beaches rather than standalone clubs, with daybeds and water sports inside each hotel. We describe the options honestly and route enquiries through our directory, never inventing fees or amenities.
Nabq Bay resort beaches and jetties
The Nabq strip is a run of large all inclusive resorts, each with loungers on the lagoon, a long jetty out to the reef drop off and water sports off the sand, with a day pass sometimes sold to non guests. Verdict: the value base of Sharm, where the bargain is the package price and the calm shallow water, and the reef is the jetty swim at high tide, with day pass and lounger charges to be confirmed.
Nabq Bay sits on the northern coast of Sharm El Sheikh, the closest resort area to the airport, which makes for a short cheap transfer when you land. Naama Bay and the headland beaches are a taxi or resort shuttle to the south, so a small daily budget for transport keeps the value honest if you want the town, the cheaper independent eating or the better reefs. The Nabq Protected Area and its mangroves lie just to the north for a quiet nature stop.
Bring a mask, reef shoes and a little cash for tips, day passes and the odd taxi, and time your reef snorkels for high tide when the jetty gives the easiest access to the drop off. The lagoon is calmest in the morning before the breeze builds, the sun is strong all year even in the mild winter, and a windbreak or a sheltered corner makes the afternoon gusts a non issue.
Reserve a day at Nabq Bay
Tell us your date and party and we will point you to the right beach and daybed options at Nabq Bay and across Sharm El Sheikh, from a calm family lagoon to a reef day at the headlands. No charge to enquire.
Common questions
Is Nabq Bay good value in Sharm El Sheikh?
Yes, it is the value heartland of Sharm. Nabq is a strip of large all inclusive resorts a little out of town, so packages here often undercut Naama Bay for the same star rating, and a week with flights, room and meals can be very cheap. The trade is distance from the nightlife and a shallow lagoon, so price it against how much you will leave the resort. Day pass and lounger charges are to be confirmed.
Is the snorkelling at Nabq Bay any good?
It is patchy from the shore. The lagoon is wide, shallow and seagrass heavy, so the living reef sits out at the drop off, reached along the resort jetties at high water. It can be fine at the right tide but it is not the easy house reef of Ras Um Sid or Sharks Bay. Keen snorkellers should use a jetty at high tide or take a boat. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
Is Nabq Bay good for families?
Very. The shallow lagoon, gentle entry and big family resorts with pools and kids clubs make Nabq one of the easiest bases for young children in Sharm. The water is calm and waist deep a long way out. Lifeguard cover is seasonal and not guaranteed, the sun is strong and the bottom is rocky in places, so reef shoes and supervision matter, and we make no swimming safety promise.
Why is Nabq Bay so windy?
Nabq sits on an exposed northern stretch of coast, so it catches the steady summer breeze that funnels down the gulf. That makes it a real plus for windsurfers and kitesurfers and a cooling relief in high heat, but it can chop the lagoon and blow sand on the loungers. Pick a sheltered corner or a windbreak if you want flat calm, and the mornings are usually the stillest.
When is the best time to visit Nabq Bay?
Sharm is a winter sun escape, so November to April gives warm days and a warm sea when Europe is grey, and the shoulder weeks of October, November, March and May add the sharpest value. High summer is very hot but the cheapest of all, best handled with early swims, a shaded lounger and the steady breeze. See our Sharm El Sheikh when to go guide for the month by month detail.
