Villas and townhouses in Sharm El Sheikh: formats, areas, running costs

A villa in Sharm El Sheikh is not one kind of home but three different products sold under one word: a detached house on its own plot, a townhouse in a row with a shared wall, and a 'resort villa' that is in substance a two-level apartment with a garden. They have different prices, different running costs and different buyers. This article is about how they differ, where in Sharm such homes are built, and what to look at before you book a viewing.

Three formats under the word 'villa'

A detached villa on a plot

The house stands free on four sides, the plot is fenced and there is often a private pool. In Sharm such houses sit either inside large resorts, where the plot still belongs to the resort territory and follows its rules, or in the few villa-only quarters. The main questions are who looks after the garden and the pool while you are away, and what the water for them costs in a desert climate.

A townhouse

A house in a row sharing walls with its neighbours, usually on two levels, with a small garden or a roof terrace. Cheaper than a detached villa because of the land and the shared walls, warmer in summer because of the neighbours on both sides, and quieter from the street. In Sharm's catalogues townhouses appear inside resort compounds in Nabq and on the heights above Naama Bay.

A 'villa' inside a resort

This is what developers call two-level units with a private garden inside a hotel or residential complex. The land is shared, the garden is part of the common grounds with a right of use, the pool is shared. It is an honest product as long as you understand what you are buying: in substance a large apartment with a garden and every advantage of a compound — security, services, pools.

Where villas and townhouses stand in Sharm

Of the 25 compounds in our directory, houses on their own plots or townhouses are declared in a handful. In Nabq there is Oasis Villas by the Kafafy Group — a villa compound of about 64,000 sq m on the third line from the beach, with phase one delivered in December 2013 and later phases open-ended — and Laguna Vista Residence, a compound of 300 apartments, townhouses and villas with access to a hotel beach. By Naama Bay there is Sunterra by Al Ahly Sabbour, villas and apartments on a 200,000 sq m site along Peace Road with 338 units according to the developer, and Diar Al-Rabwa by Dorra next to the Roman Theatre — villas, apartments and studios. On the cliffs above Naama Bay the Cliffs, Curio Collection by Hilton is under construction: branded residences by Sharm Dreams with Hilton, with villas among the declared unit types.

Facts about the compounds come from our directory, with the sources named on every card. Where sources disagree or state a figure without corroboration we do not publish it: the claim of 26 villas at Sunny Beach Resort has no field on its card because two agencies count the units differently.

The overall picture is simple. Villa-only quarters are rare in Sharm; a house with a plot is almost always part of a large territory with shared infrastructure. Choosing a villa in Sharm is therefore first a choice of compound and management company, and only then a choice of house.

Why a villa costs more to keep

• Water. A garden and a pool in the desert drink a lot; Sharm's water is desalinated and metered. Ask the current owner or the management for a year of bills.
• The pool. Cleaning, chemicals, pump, filter — weekly and all year round. While you are away the management does it, for a fee.
• The garden. Irrigation on a timer, a gardener, replacement planting after the summer heat.
• Facade and roof. More surface under sun and salt than a flat has — painting and sealing come round more often.
• The compound's service charge. For villas it is usually calculated on the house or plot area and runs above the flat rate: ask for the formula, not just the sum.
• Security and access. A house with a garden is easier for uninvited guests than a flat on an upper floor; a gated territory here is part of the calculation, not a luxury.

Who a villa suits, and who it does not

It suits a family that lives in Sharm permanently or spends half the year here: children, a dog, a kitchen on the terrace, guests. It suits people who value privacy above the view: most villas stand not on the first line but deep in the territory. It suits winter residents with a car — villa compounds tend to be further from the shops.

It does not suit two short visits a year: an empty house with a garden and a pool ages faster than a flat and needs constant attention. It does not suit casual short-term letting — villas let to families for longer stays; that market exists, but it is thinner than the studio market and feels the low season more. And it does not suit anyone who wants 'the sea from every window': for the view, look at upper-floor apartments.

What to look at when viewing a villa

1. Boundaries. Where your plot ends, who owns the land under the house, whether the documents include a dimensioned plan.
2. Water and drainage. Private tank, pressure, where the waste goes — in compounds this is shared infrastructure, outside them it is yours.
3. Electricity. The load of air-conditioning on two levels, connection to the compound generator, the meter.
4. Roof and terraces. Waterproofing, drains, stains on the upper-floor ceilings.
5. Salt and rust on metal — railings, gates, the pool pump, outdoor air-conditioning units.
6. The garden. What is planted, how it is watered, who looked after it last year.
7. Neighbours. Which wall is shared, what is being built on the empty plot next door, whether it will shade you.
8. Compound rules for houses: may you change the facade, build a pergola, keep animals, let the house.

A villa or a large flat: how to decide

The honest way is to cost a year of ownership, not just the price. A three-bedroom flat in a good compound by the sea and a townhouse deep in a territory may cost about the same, but the townhouse spends more on water, garden and service charge, and sells more slowly: there are fewer buyers for houses in Sharm than for flats. If the house is for living, that outweighs liquidity. If it is a purchase with resale in mind, the flat with a view usually wins.

In the Dommare catalogue villas and townhouses have their own filter; every listing states what exactly is for sale — a house with its plot or a unit in a complex — and where each figure comes from.