Sidi Abdel Rahman

The bay at Sidi Abdel Rahman is where the Egyptian north coast holiday habit began, developed from the 1960s around a government hotel and now surrounded by resort compounds. The reason it was chosen is still visible: the sand here is unusually white, almost powdery, and it sits over a shallow shelf that turns the water an intense pale turquoise, with a gentle gradient and generally calm conditions. The Mediterranean here is cooler and clearer than the Red Sea and the season is short, roughly May to October, with the coast largely shuttered outside it. The village takes its name from a local saint whose shrine stands above the bay. Development has been heavy along this coast, and the newer compounds are gated and private.

What you actually see

• Powder-white sand - the pale beach that made the coast's reputation.
• Shallow turquoise shelf - clear water with a gentle gradient.
• The saint's shrine - the tomb the settlement is named for.
• The Mediterranean season - a coast that fills and empties with the summer.

When to go

May to October only; outside that the coast largely closes and the water is cold. July and August are peak and very busy. A day trip works from Alexandria but an overnight is better. Weekdays are quieter.

Honest expectations

Most of the coast is now gated compounds and beach access for non-residents is limited and sometimes charged. Prices in season are high. Outside summer almost everything shuts. Public beach sections can be crowded and littered in peak weeks.

Nearby

El Alamein and Marina are east; Marsa Matruh lies well to the west.