TONY BANKS enjoys an exhilarating family holiday on one of the Red Sea's most popular resorts, Marsa Alam

IT WAS when the manta ray weaved slowly into sight that it occurred to us for the first time that this might be a bit more than a gentle paddle off the beach. The warm, clear w aters of the Red Sea teemed with marine life and sparkling coral.

Snorkelling is an exhilarating, bewitching experience at the best of times but off the coast of Marsa A lam it takes on another dimension.

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If you are an experienced snorkeller, then forgive us our naivety but myself and my adventurous 12-year-old son Chris w ere newcomers to the sport and w hen Mr Ray hoved into view, we freaked out. Momentarily, I might add. Our veteran companions pointed out that the beautiful, mysterious mantas are no danger to us. It is plankton that needs to be worried.

We ducked down again to watch this wonderful creature go floating gracefully by, and then a bonus.

There were two of them.

Swooping, gliding and spinning gently, they weaved into the distance. Now that is not an experience you have every day.

Marsa Alam is one of the many resorts that are springing up along Egypt's Red Sea coast. If it is snorkelling you want (not to mention diving and plenty of lazing about in nailed-on w inter sunshine) then Marsa Alam is the place for you. It's also hugely popular with windsurfers.

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There are sections of the beach where you are not allowed into the w ater, so fragile is the coral, but w here you can go in, it is astonishing. If you are a tad more adventurous then take a dive off the jetties further out into the bay.

There, you are in deeper water as the ocean shore shelves steeply downwards and you can find y ourself in the company of turtles, giant butterfly fish, angel fish and the odd shark.

For strong swimmers there are plenty of diving schools along the coast in this area that, for about $70 (£45) a day, will take you out on a boat, fit you with tanks and suits and teach you how to plunge down for a really good look. For most of us, though, just dipping in with a mask is thrill enough.

There are a number of new hotels scattered around the bay.

Ours, the Sol Y Mar Dar El Madina, is less than two years old.

The staff were brilliant, so friendly and enthusiastic and particularly good with the children. The rooms were supremely comfortable and there was plenty in the resort to amuse the whole family. The two pools were the focal point for the children. I let them play, while devouring a few good books. One tip: don't take on 70-year-old Germans at table tennis. I was whipped good and proper and he'd probably have won even if it had gone to a shoot-out.

We went all-inclusive but then there is little choice as there are few restaurants or bars nearby. It proved a great deal, with even our fussy youngsters finding plenty to enjoy. In fact, with a vast choice, from Oriental and Italian to dining by the pool in our swimwear or enjoying a fantastic evening buffet, we never grew bored of the food.

One afternoon we ventured out for a camel ride into the desert to see the way the Bedouin tribes still live. The kids loved that, especially when night fell and they were shown how to bake bread in the open. We drank Bedouin tea and sat under the stars listening to the nomadic tribe's eerie music.

So if some reliable heat is what you crave as autumn chills into winter, and you enjoy total relaxation, Marsa Alam should definitely be on your agenda.

GETTING THERE: Expedia (0330 123 1235/ www.expedia.co.uk) offers return flights on easyJet from London Gatwick to Hurghada from £324pp.

Ebookers (0203 320 3320/www.ebookers.com) offer seven nights, all inclusive, at the Sol Y Dar El Madina from £892pp.