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3.0
#78 of 93 resorts in Sharm El Sheikh
Location
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Value
Finding an ideal budget friendly resort in Sharm El Sheikh does not have to be difficult. Welcome to Gardenia Plaza Resort, a nice option for travellers like you.
Given the close proximity to Hollywood Sharm El Sheikh (4.9 km), guests of Domina Gardenia Plaza can easily experience one of Sharm El Sheikh's most popular landmarks.
Rooms at Gardenia Plaza Resort offer air conditioning providing exceptional comfort and convenience, and guests can go online with internet access.
Room service is one of the conveniences offered at this resort. A pool and free breakfast will also help to make your stay even more special. If you are driving to Domina Gardenia Plaza Resort, free parking is available.
While in Sharm El Sheikh be sure to experience nearby Mediterranean restaurants such as Da Mauro "Solo Pasta&Pizza", Luxor, or Fusion 21.
Sharm El Sheikh is also home to Al Mustafa Mosque, a popular architectural building that is not too far from Gardenia Plaza Resort.
Gardenia Plaza Resort looks forward to welcoming you on your visit to Sharm El Sheikh.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Family Resort
Languages Spoken
Russian, Arabic
Location
El Salam Road, Sharm El Sheikh Egypt
Name/address in local language
Gardenia Plaza Resort
993 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
gardenia for me was very good value for money, read on for a truthful informative review. our holiday was 17th december 2011 for 14 nights so included christmas. two adults, 2 teens and 2 under 7 a good mix.
arrival: very simple very welcoming with no problems we were taken by golf buggy to our rooms within 5 mins by esmaille (smiley) perfect gentleman and very helpful a big hit with the kids throughout thier stay.
rooms : we had two rooms which turned out to be a lot better than we paid for as we ended up with the rooms together behind a private door. one was a suite with xxl bed and a sofa bed and the other was a large bed room with 2 x single and a double sofa bed. both were cleaned daily to a high standard with clean sheets and towels. various towel designs were left daily, yes i did leave a tip for our cleaner but this was only 5le each day (rate was 9.5 to the pound in naama and 9 to the pound in hotel so both very good) free safe in room and air con / heating free
we stayed all-inclusive food: well cooked nicely presented. breakfast : 3 cereals on offer, breads galore,frech pastries, fresh pancakes, croisantes, toaster. omelets made to order, eggs fried to need , boiled eggs. always some traditional egyptian food and cold meats , cheese etc. tea coffee squash. do not expect pork products and please do not whine in reviews about the lack of them, you have opted for a holiday in an islamic country (think about it). lunch: fresh pizzas, veg, rice, home cooked real chips (not frozen) always a meat option eg chicken kebab scewers. again really fresh bread, smashing deserts and a pasta man that cooked to order. tea and coffee and full selection of soft drinks wine and beer. evening meal: pretty much the same as lunch but with more main meat and fish options. the quality was good but as with all-inclusive after week one it was repetative and we ate out a couple of nights. the staff in dinning were very good and helpful. snacks: a bit sparse really a couple of options after breakfast until lunch then pastries from 3 till 6 pm
drinks: the pool bar and the lobby bar were both fine for us, staff here very good Mesha and mo kept us happy and topped up at the pool bar all day (lovely homely lads) Bob and his staff did a great job in the evening. the quality was fine. beer ok all the spirits did taste the same but after a couple who cares. all bottled soft drink and branded cola, fanta, sprite. red and white wine available. yes you get a plastic cup by the pool, if you sit around the bar there is no problem having a glass half pint, also if you are polite they will happily fill your own plastic pint pots. the evening is served in glass also in the lobby bar.
pools: large one near bar a bit too cold at xmas, also the one with the flumes is too. the smaller heated pool was perfect and the temp was just right.
entertainment: i will be really honest it is non existent and this does let the hotel down. the animation team are really great and friendly and try their best but i think they just have no real budget to work with. mickey and ronnie do a lovely dance lesson everyday, both are brilliant with the adults and kids, ronnie such a lovely young lad with time for everyone and so polite to all guests, young old, male female. marco and katia also fab with the kids always making time any time of day. evenings were just not filled and for about 15 mins we had a bingo, quiz or some sort of miss hotel competition, the hotel needs to spend and get in some visiting acts.
beach. the hotel has a beach in the old market area, well kept with its own bar for all-inclusive pool and shower and toilets . again fantastic staff work here. good for swimming and sun bathing but not good for snorkelling. when you leave the hotel turn left walk 15 mins down hill and you are in sharks bay, the beach here is 25le for a bed and parasol but amazing snorkelling a taxi back up the hill is just 15le (haggle).
location : the hotel is only 10 mins from the airport but it causes no problems a taxi costs just 35le again agree a price. about 10 mins to naama bay bus in the evening is 12le return free for kids or the hotel taxi driver will go for 35le each way. yes you will get hassled here but be a cheeky as them and haggle for some really good prices. macdonalds, kfc pizza hut etc all here a bit cheaper than uk and bigger portions the medium meals are uk supper size. don't be affraid to go to the street shisha bars, agree a price before you go in with tax and service included and you can not get a surprise at the end of the night. we were paying 15le for bottled beer and 10le for soft cans and hot drinks and free or 5le for a shisha, no service or tax charges. they also have good entertainment in the bars free, familes welcome. soho square is a lovely shopping area close to the hotel 25le by taxi with all of the hassle removed but you will pay more, a nice evening out though.
excursions : we found the cheapest were Land of dolphins on sharks bay beach £13 for quadding single rider and £15 for double rider. many other offer on different trips. parasending just £20. uncle sams in naama do camel safari for £10
xmas. decorated, santa on christmas day, magician, christmas luch by pool all good. there was a gala meal available at an extra cost on christmas eve, this was made clear when i booked but yet there were still moaners going on and on about having to pay extra. it was optional, we went to kfc for about £21 for 6 of us and had a lovely evening out.
all in all we had good value for what we paid. none of us were i'll. the sun shone about 25 every day. staff so polite everyone of them. i would go back i just wish they would get some more entertainment in. i am happy to respond to anyones questions or emails
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Date of stay: December 2011
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Went to Gardenia Plaza 3rd Aug for two weeks All Inclusive with my boyfriend (22 & 23). I will try and include as much info as possible. Firstly, when you come out of the airport you will be met by a rather intimidating amount of taxi drivers. Now please trust what I am saying on this, because even after reading reviews, I fell for it... it costs £3 English (30 Egyptian pounds) to get to airport from Gardenia Plaza. They know that you do not know the prices and we spoke to people who had been charged up to £25 English (250 Egyptian). They will try to tell you that they have to pay a charge to wait in airport...this is rubbish. Tell them that you are a frequent visitor to Sharm and have stayed in Gardenia before and you should DEFO not pay more than £4-£5 english. Also, the taxis there are awful. It truly is a frightening experience being in one. They are called Bedouin taxi drivers with blue and white very old peugeots. They have no concept of driving in lanes or over-taking and you will be lucky to find one with a seatbelt! They totally rely on their horns. You wont find a taxi at the airport with a seatbelt but throughout your hols always try to find a limousine taxi (really just a normal car). They may charge an extra £1 English but will drive better and you will have a seat belt. Once we got to reception to check in, it was about 10 mins before their restaurant closes from dinner. We were offered dinner, howewer refused as we wanted to get to our room. We were given wrist straps and had shuttle buses and meal times explained to us fully- nice guy! The shuttle bus apparantly charges for the first two times you use it, however if you go to reception they will take your money. Everyone whilst we were there just got straight on the bus. They dont supply you with a ticket so it's really free. Thats the one to the beach and Naama Bay. A porter will take your bags to your room for you. We found all staff (apart from one guy on reception) to be amazingly polite and friendly with us. Especially Mohammed, Islam and Siaed by the pool bar. Our room didnt have a stocked mini bar, tea & coffee making facilites or iron and board, as previously informed. We had a hairdryer and a fridge. You could pay more to have these facilites once you were there and to have your mini bar stocked everyday, but we didnt really think it was worth it. The room was lovely and was cleaned completely thoroughly everyday. We had a different cleaner for each week and the first one was more thorough, but the standard was still very high. The cleaners will leave amazing swans made out of towels on your bed for you if you give them a little tip. Remember that workers here earn approx £30-£40 English a month, so something small will be ample. The All Inclusive was actually at two of the poolside bars. Al local spirits, beers, wines and soft drinks are supplied. Snacks vary slightly by the pool but are generally small rolls/chicken wings etc. Ice creams and snacks at the swim up bar are not included- you are charged extra. I am not a fussy eater, but I found the food at the hotal very disappointing. Breakfast was the only meal we ate their, and that was only thanks to the croissants and pancaked. Not much english food provided. Lunch and dinner is pretty much the same thing. They have a variety (rice, meat, veg, pasta, desserts etc) but it really does taste nasty and is not worth eating. The food in all restaurants in Naama Bay is so cheap and nice, just go out for dinner. I would recommend Onions, Hard Rock Cafe and Marahaja. The alcohol in town is not particularaly cheap but the food def is- 2 steak dinners and bottle of wine and a couple of beers for £20-£25 English. The animation team were great, all of them made an effort to get people involved with Water polo, Aqua Gym etc. They play quite loud music by the pool 10am-1pm then turn it off until 3pm til 6pm. The pool is a bit sharp under your fet- the best thing to do is buy beach shoes- which you will need for sharks bay and wear them in the pool- esp if you're playing water polo! Please haggle for everything... when shopping they start so high...don't feel like you're being cheeky starting really low yourself. This goes for taxi's too. Get a list from Taxi desk at the hotel of what they charge to various places. Remember this is for the limo taxi- take about £1 English if paying for Blue and White cab. It will give you an idea of what you should be paying anyway. Smoke the shisha whilst you're there- fruit flavoured water pipe- worth a try! My boyfriend loved their local beer- try Sakara. Defo visit Sharks Bay beach- costs £2 English to get there and is lovely. Nice cafes and restaurants on the beach and the snorkelling is truly amazing. Went on 3 excursions whilst there- Ras Mohammed by boat- wouldnt recommend it- it sounds lovely having a day out on a boat with lunch and snorkelling stops included but it really is dull. Went quad biking in the desert- this is a must! What an amazing experience riding into the mountains in the desert. Rode on a camel- very uncomfortable! And did Cairo by plane- againg a must! You will love it. We paid £130 English each for Cairo by plane which included flights, Egyptian Museum, Art Gallery, Lunch on the Nile, Pyramids, Sphinx and loadsa useful info from our tour guide. Anyway I could go on forever, it is a lovely place and well worth a visit. I dont think the hotel is nearly as bad as some of these reviews make out. The only down points were food, no evening entertainment (both of which were great in Naama Bay) and the All Inclusive thing(or lack of it)! One final note- if you are goin with your girlfriend/wife etc do not be put off by what you hear of locals being pervy. They are no different to English builders. I am blond and had no trouble. They will look and will blatantly tell you that they like your gf/wife but will not touch her or anything. It got a bit annoying for my bf by the end of week 2 but all in all they are just friendly. Anyway have a lovely time, am jealous and wish I was going back! Will add photos soon.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just came back from a lovely week staying in the Gardenia Plaza. This is the second time we've been to Sharm and I must say we had a fantastic trip.
I was looking for a cheap priced holiday, I had a quick hunt around for a hotel and went with this one. We stayed all inclusive and paid just over £600 for the 2 of us for a week which we both agreed was a very good value for money.
The hotel was very clean and friendly, had a lovely private beach and 2 great pools. All the staff were willing to help and were always working!
The only down side to the hotel is that 1, it was 5 minutes bus from the beach and 2, the food was average.
The beach bus came every half hour throughout the day and to be honest you probably could walk there but we were just being lazy! Once you get down to the beach they have a private section with sun loungers or you can just walk up and down the coast line which in the Red Sea is beautiful.
The food was ok, Breakfast and lunch were fine you could get cerials, fruit, pasta etc. The All inclusive drinks were brilliant, bottled beers, bottled mineral water fruit juice the lot. Dinner was on the average side, try and get into the restaurant early while the food is still hot! It wasnt too bad and we new it was so cheap to eat out in Naama Bay so 3 of the 7 nights we did!
All in all i would stay there again, its not 5 star but if your looking for a good deal or its you 1st time to sharm then the Gardenia Plaza would be a good choise.
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Date of stay: May 2006
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We arrived on the 4th of November 2021. As soon as we got there we were shocked ! This place is horrbile, garbage everywhere even in the pools. The staff only spoke russian and they weren’t really nice or helpful. Rooms are filled with old furniture and are very dirty. The toilet was leaking so the whole floor was wet. In the bathroom there were also cockroaches ! The food… jesus, it was so bad. There was so little to choose from, no cakes, no bread, no fruits, not even coffee in the morning ! And they say that they are 4 star hotel, they shouldn’t even have 1 star!! Luckily we were able to change hotels and we did that the next day. Don’t ever go there, they should close the place !
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have just returned from this hotel and can honestly say it is grossly misrepresented on its web site. We were told by Imperial Travel thet it was just 3/4 months old. In truth it is undergoing transition from time-share to hotel. It is not on the beach, there is a bus to take you and the "aqua park" is a few inflatables out on the sea. The Italian restaurant is just an outside eating area. Having been all inclusive on numerous other trips we were supprised to say the least that payment was required at the swim up bar, the disco and the lounge bar. There was no mini bar, no hairdryer and no tea/coffee making facilities in the room, and the beach/pool towels were smelly and dirty as if only laundered occasionally. The food was mostly undercooked and cold. The upside was the two lovely pools and the staff, who were always happy to serve you. The room was clean and supplied with fresh towels and sheets every day. Our room boy was called Mohammed and managed to get us a hairdryer and kettle, requests which were ignored by the staff on reception. This hotel caters more for Russian and Italian clients. As this was our first trip to Sharm it was a great disappointment to us to say the least. We`ll return to the area but will most definately not stay at this hotel.
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Date of stay: April 2006
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is one of the worst hotels I ever used in my life . Rooms were so dirty and towels were not meant for human use!!furniture is not clean
>>>really very bad view >>>not nice people at all
the receptionest are not polite people....the food is untasty>>>>dont go to this hotel again
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Date of stay: May 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our flight was from Gatwick Airport to Sharm El Sheikh and we landed in Sharm El Sheikh at 16:25p.m. We travelled by local taxi which cost us £20.00 in English money, just to travel for 10 minutes to the hotel, immediately advised in correctly with regards to how cheap taxi’s are, i.e. £4.00 to travel in Egypt all day, do not pay anymore than £10.
We both arrived at the hotel, Domina Gardenia Plaza Resort, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt and we even clarified with the taxi driver if this was the correct hotel, as from the outside of the hotel did not look impressive at all, certainly not what you would expect for a four star hotel.
We booked into the hotel, received our colourful wristbands to say we was all inclusive and received our room keys, the room itself was pleasant and comfortable, however not equipped with as specified in the information e-mailed to us, i.e. ADSL Internet Connection, Tea and coffee making facilities, minibar, iron and iron board, telephone could only be used for internal calls to other rooms within the hotel, but not for outside calls.
We refreshed and changed into comfortable clothes and attempted to obtain a drink from the lobby bar, were we was amazed to be informed, you have to pay for your drinks.
We advised the bar man, but we are all inclusive, showed the wristbands, we do not have to pay for drinks, he said the all inclusive bar is situated outside and this is the only bar that is all inclusive, no other bars are included in the all inclusive programme.
We therefore visited the all inclusive bar, called AI bar and was amazed to find the drinks can only be served by plastic cups, if you want a glass you have to pay for it, we can understand plastic cups being used for around the pool area, but not to have to consume drinks otherwise in plastic cups.
We could only drink in the AI bar, which consisted of a shack basically where the drinks were served and garden furniture where you could only sit to consume your drink.
We obtained a drink from the AI bar and once again even in the evenings all drinks were served by a plastic cup not a glass, so it appeared to be all inclusive people were treated like second class citizens, even though we have paid an additional premium to receive an all inclusive package.
Other points: -
Kettle supplied to our room absolutely stunk. Fresh towels for the pool area and beach are dull in colur and stink. No evening entertainment only a repetitive disco, otherwise entertainment for italians. Aqua Park does not cover 5000m and not located within Domina Gardenia Plaza as suggested, it is located in the beach area and consists of inflattables. Bottled water chargeable. 30 minutes billards per room per stay, charges after this period. 30 minutes table tennis per room per stay, charges after this period. 30 minutes tennis court per room per stay, charges after this period. 30 minutes gym per room twice a week, charges after this period. Both toilets located near reception stink of urine and the floor is cleaned with a disgusting towel. Food preparation is totally unhygenic, use the same utensils for collecting food and frying pans not cleaned from the previous foods cooked. Continous building work daily. Heaps of rubbish outside hotel. Hot snacks only served at AI bar, which consists of cold pizza slices, no other foods available until 19:00p.m. unless paid for at an additional cost. At 17:00p.m. the food is cooked and prepared at the pool bar outside, for the evening buffet, which commences from 19:00p.m. therefore by this time, the food is cold and a bacterium has formed, causing other people including us to be ill. No Terattoria Italian Restaurant, this is where all the building work was taking place everyday, in which you could not relax without hearing building work all the time. This building has been here for six years and used to be a time-share for the Egyptians, but now taken over by Domina as a hotel, however we noted Egyptians still using the hotel as a time-share.
During our stay, other English couples experienced problems with Diarrhoea, one couple found cockroaches in their room, they reported the incident to the reception and they replied, well what do you want us to do, the couple replied, we wish to be moved from the room, eventually moved to another room, no apologises made. We also noticed, all the plates, knifes and forks and glasses, from the outside buffet were cleaned at the AI bar, using only running water, no washing up liquid and using their bare hands to clean with.
This hotel was managed in such a way, to make only a profit, no customer satisfaction, when we meet a couple who had stayed at the Domina Gardenia Plaza Resort the previous week, they were served in glasses and bottles, but the hotel ran out of bottled drinks, as it was exceeding their budget for the hotel, so therefore the hotel manager decided to only serve alcohol and soft drinks out of a plastic cup, which can only hold 25ml approximately, therefore you would need to make many trips to the bar, as they only served one plastic cup at a time, thus this slowed down the serving of alcohol i.e. consumption, which therefore reduced costs.
We certainly would not recommend this hotel to anybody, how they can award this hotel as a four star, is a total insult.
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Date of stay: May 2006
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you have booked this hotel, and are now checking reviews (like we did) no luck! But at least this will give you a heads up on what to expect. If you are about to book it - DON'T. This "hotel" put us off Egypt altogether, each stereotype was confirmed true. (Although Sharks Bay is a different matter, and is mentioned later). The main problem is this is not just a "hotel" but an Egyptian/Arab TIMESHARE RESORT. (At least 50% Arabs when we were there). At times the "hotel" was so bad it was farcical - making Fawlty Towers look like the Hilton. LOCATION: The "hotel" is in the middle of knowhere, and in 2 weeks we spent over £150 on taxis. Always agree the price first (we got stung straight off the plane) although the "hotels" own taxis were very good. However, the first time outside the "hotel" in daylight was a shock. Like driving down some desert post-apocalyptic highway at 100mph - fully expecting Mad-Max and the Road Warriors to appear in the mirror. In fact, an American Humvee and some marines would not have looked out of place. You cannot walk anywhere. We never took the bus. FOOD AND DRINK: The single most important reason you are all inclusive. Forget it here. The first breakfast visit with all the Arabs filling their plates from the buffet was like a scene from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". The shear volume of stew/meat/potatoes and breads they eat is staggering - at breakfast! There were eggs, cereal (warm milk) toast etc but after feeling ill after an omelette I only eat bread rolls and tea. Lunch and evening meals were the same Arab fare - fine if you have your camel parked out front but inedible for your sensitive British pallette - "what? no chips?!" was the anguished cry from the new arrivals. In fact, most of the British had a stomach bug. Personally, I had to visit the clinic, where a Dr Zhivago-type tried to fleece me out of $100US for tablets available in the pharmacy next door for £180Egyptian! No Hypocratic oath with that doctor! We eat out evey night. In fact, the British were constantly phoning in McDonalds and KFC deliveries! So sad it was funny. Those famous American Golden Arches were like an oasis in the desert. My first real food for 4 days after arriving was a Big Mac Meal! Welcome to Egypt - Have a nice day! ROOMS: Be prepared for regular power cuts. Our room was changed half-way through the holiday as our air-con kept breaking down. I actually watched the 12 year old "engineer" attempt to fix it, with sparks flying from live wires like sparklers at Guy Fawkes. Interesting to say the least. In order to get the " superior" room we were promised, we had to go toe-to-toe with the staff in a 10 hour war of attrition. Forget your British reserve and fight for everything - it is all the Egyptians seem to understand, and they actually seem to respect you more if you get stuck into them! POOL: Seeing half a swimming pool of Arab woman either fully clothed or in full Burkhas was a culture shock to say the least. Also, the pool was filthy - with human c*ap fished out 3 times. A wee local boy was witnessed c*apping on the grass before trying to enter the pool to clean himself. True. The pool barman was seen emptying the bins of plastic cups and re-using them. True. WOMEN: If like me, you are fortunate enough to have a gorgeous mrs, be prepared for the local men to stare and mutter like she is the last woman on the planet. I could not turn my back for a minute - to got to the toilet or bar - without coming back to find someone trying to glean info from her on the premise of selling some service. They are pests. And the backdrop to this is the local woman covered up 100%, and obviously left in peace. The Arab men are even worse in Naama Bay etc. Intimidating at times. SERVICE: The "hotel" service was absolutely, totally, useless.The front desk are totally disorganised with the memory of goldfish - and selective understanding of English. You never get the same guy twice. However, they are all called "Mohammed" which helps when they retort "who told you this?"! We even missed a boat trip (along with 20 others) As the bus driver took us to a beach instead. He never spoke English but it was"our fault" according to Amir the useless arrogant rep! Priceless. But by this time we just wrote off the £50 - as it was the 2nd last day. SHARKS BAY: £20Egyptian and 5 mins in a taxi, this gem of a place saved our holiday. I would recommend it here and would consider Egypt again if it was here. Fantastic snorkelling, good cheap food and drink. The staff and locals are all laid back - nothing like the rest of Sharm. Suspect this is due to the fact it is a scuba diving resort so the riff-raff are kept out. CONCLUSION: If we got it as last minute we might not have been too bothered. I have never wrote a review in my life, but had to warn other people mostly about the hotel. Naama bay and NaabQ are the type of places where poor east meets rich west. Camel rides and street hustlers outside TGI Fridays. Not our taste. We spent £1000 in 2 weeks all inclusive. Should have paid that upfront to secure a proper 5 star hotel - but reckon 1 visit to Naama bay would still have confined us to the hotel. Being shouted at as you walk down the street from all angles becomes an absolute pain and becomes tiring after a while. Not our idea of a relaxing holiday. If you really want to enjoy Egypt I would recommend spending the extra upfront to guarantee a proper 5 star. However, I seen enough elsewhere to put me off for life. Especially the attitude to women.
Good Luck Kev and Rox Aug 2010
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Date of stay: August 2010
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband and I, with two friends, have just returned from the Gardenia Plaza Resort in Sharks Bay, Sharm El Sheik and I would like to put one or two things written by others, straight as some of the earlier reviews left us really concerned about our holiday destination!
The ups:-
The front of the hotel is exactly as shown on their web page - not as the visitor from Horsham wrote back in May. The photograph shown in that review is further down the road from the front of the hotel and is, in fact, at the back of one of the buildings / store rooms.
The mops ? - they have to clean the floors somehow!
The staff there bent over backwards to help us - nothing was too much trouble and our rooms were kept meticulously clean by our cleaner - together with the beautifully arranged towels on the bed most days. Our room overlooked the lovely pool area and the only problem we had with it was that our shower leaked and therefore it did have quite an odd smell which they seemed unable to rectify. On one occasion the air conditioning didn't work properly but as soon as we reported this someone came and fixed it.
We were half board and admittedly the food was a bit repetative, but there was plenty of choice so no one needed to go without. After a couple of days because there were so many guests, the "foreign tourists" were asked to eat in the new Italian Restaurant which is very nice and has a lovely view over the resort and to Sharks Bay. The food there was more or less as served in the other restaurant.
The private beach of the hotel is alright but not as nice as Sharks Bay, though you do have to pay for a taxi to get there which costs about £2 (sterling) each way (even though you could walk there, it was far too hot to do that) and entry to the beach (again £2) but once there you are able to use the beds, umbrellas, toilets, restaurants etc., there are a few shops and there is also a small supermarket that is handy for cold drinks etc., The snorkelling from here is much better than the Gardenia beach and you can also go on the glass bottom boat from here, which is really worth while.
The downs:-
On arrival at the airport we were approached by locals who tried to get us to pay £2 (sterling) for the use of a trolley. Unless you have loads of baggage, don't get caught out by this because it's only a short distance to the taxis / buses etc.,
We took a taxi which cost us 200 Egyptian pounds (about £20). As we were staying at a different hotel for the first night and didn't know exactly how far our accommodation was from the airport we didn't really argue, though the driver did try to up it to 250 when we got out. I refused to pay the extra and he didn't argue. When our friends came out to join us later on, we arranged for a taxi from Gardenia Plaza to the airport and back, for them, at a cost of 70 Egyptian pounds (£7) so it may well be worth while asking the resort or your rep to arrange this for you. This taxi was one of the limousines that work out of the resort so was much nicer than the blue and white official ones, though I must admit, some of the drivers of these blue and white ones are really great fun.
The evening entertainment was a bit of a nightmare as it consisted of an outdoor disco each and every night which went on until 12.30 am which meant we didn't get much sleep before 1.00 am each morning. Also the continuous loud music around the pool for most of the day gets you down after awhile - especially the Rap music! We did ask for it to be turned down on a couple of occasions but that didn't happen.
The British section of the Animation Team were brilliant, but one or two of the others didn't seem to want to take "No" for an answer when they asked us to join in the water aerobics / gym etc., It took them a couple of occasions to realise that we wanted to relax and read not jump about in the pool with them!
Alcohol - very expensive on site though cheaper if you buy it in Naama bay. Look for the shops that has "Heineken" on the front and they generally have quite a good choice. Beware of imitations! - we got caught out buying a bottle of GordOOns gin which we poured down the sink! Imported wine is expensive but the Egyptian is cheaper and quite palatable - especially the Rose.
The Clinic!! - beware! I think it's a brilliant idea to have a clinic on site if you do need medical attention but be aware that to have a medical examination will cost you £50 (sterling) and the staff there are quite insistent that they examine you no matter what you go there for. I just wanted some stronger cream for mosquito bites (which I always suffer from) and I ended up paying £60 for a "medical examination" which consisted of the female doctor wiping my bites with cotton wool and sterile water and applying some Calomine lotion which cost me £10!! The male doctor had wanted to give me injections / antibiotic tablets / cream etc., but I refused.
The must do's:-
Try and learn a few words of Arabic - the locals really do apprecaite it even if it's only hello, thank you, your welcome! It brought smiles to the faces of all the people I spoke to when I tried to use these, often with the comment "you speak good Arabic" !
Go on a glass bottom boat; snorkel (we'd never done it before and it's amazing). Go on the plane to Cairo and visit the museum, Pyramids and Sphinx. We went into Naama Bay and to the Cataract Tours office, it cost us £108 (sterling) to fly to Cairo from Sharm airport (flight lasted 50 mins). The bus or taxi, even though much cheaper, takes hours and hours to get there. We were picked up from outside the Gardenia at 4 am and back by 10 pm, it is a long day but worth it!
We had a fabulous holiday in Egypt. The people are friendly the area is gorgeous and the weather can't be beaten!
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Date of stay: July 2006
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
visited the guardenia for the 5th time in 14 months( 29th april to 13th may.)
what a faboulas holiday!- i have posted a review every time i have stayed at the guardenia and it now cannott get any better.
i have just read the few latest reviews of the guardenia and they say it all JUST A GREAT PLACE TO HOLIDAY.
i arrived at 5.00pm and by 6.00pm i was sat at the bar in the lobby bar !! with BOB who as become a close friend and everbody who reviews always mention bob-the top barman.
special mention to the managment team of WAEL-HOSSAM-AMIR-MOHAMMED who are the most helpful people i have ever met,any problem put to them is sorted immiediatly.
i could go on and on but will leave anybody who is looking to visit the GUARDENIA PLAZA to go without hesitation! its one great place to go-and the weather.well HOT/HOT/HOT all year.
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Date of stay: April 2012
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Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:there all great rooms-if you dont like given room-ask for a change as i say the managment are...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Manchester, United Kingdom9 contributions8 helpful votes
I seriously would not consider booking. This hotel has previously been on BBC watchdog for serious health and safety concerns.
All inclusive does not include ice cream it only includes a buffet which is tasteless slop. The drinks are served in 100ml (tiny) glasses and the spirits taste like petrol and are watered down. You also have to pay a premium to use most of the bars.
The place really should be shut down and taking a child there would be dangerous.
We booked because it was so cheap but really regretted it.
Hope this helps!
Kingston-upon-Hull, United Kingdom1 contribution6 helpful votes
When I changed money in the UK I got 11 Egyptian pounds to 1 UK pound, this was pretty much the same as what the hotel reception was giving. I did find money changing machines in Soho Square and Namah Bay that are a bit like cash points but you put UK cash in and it tells you the exchange rate and then it issues your foreign currency, these gave 12 Egyptian pounds for 1 UK pound
Hope this helps
There are more places to choose from in the Sharm El Sheikh area.
PRICE RANGE
C$66 - C$76 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
gardenia plaza hotel sharm el sheikh, hotel gardenia plaza
LOCATION
EgyptRed Sea and SinaiSouth SinaiSharm El Sheikh
NUMBER OF ROOMS
407
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Gardenia Plaza Resort - UPDATED Prices, Reviews & Photos
Frequently Asked Questions about Gardenia Plaza Resort
Which popular attractions are close to Gardenia Plaza Resort?
Nearby attractions include Soho House Sharm El Sheikh (2.7 km), Mandarin Bar and Cocktail Lounge Sharm el-Sheikh (2.7 km), and Excursions by Irina (8.0 km).
