My Personal review of this hotel based on price and expectation. We paid around £460 each for A/I for 1 week at this hotel.
We arrived just after 9pm on the 16th April 2024, we were told that the restaurant had closed but if we went through someone would bring us food, which was very nice, I have been to hotels where if you arrive after the restaurant has closed it was tough luck. We had a lovely selection of food and desserts brought to us, we then checked in and were taken to our room, we are two female friends, so was glad of the twin beds, they were a little hard but we slept fine.
The room could be classed as a little dated, but had everything we needed and the bathroom had a lovely big shower, there was a hairdryer, though I didn't use it. There was an English film channel on the TV which was also nice and a fridge.
We were on the ground floor and had a view over what I guess was like a back garden, there was a seating area and a tennis court.
After unpacking we went to try the bar, we were all inclusive and the choice of drinks wasn't huge compared to some AI hotels, however on spirits there was a choice of Whiskey, Brandy, Rum, Tequila, Vodka & Ouzo, and Beer I assume (but I don't drink it), and regular soft drinks including Orange & Pineapple juice, you could get bottled water after 10am, also not always available in other hotels I have been to. The bar staff are very friendly and will make any cocktail that uses the above spirits if they can. I tended to stick to Vodka, but had to ask for weaker ones as they started off very strong!
Our first full day we went for a walk, we found a row of shops within a few minutes walk and a 'Beach' though not a sandy one, it was a jetty where you could dive / snorkel, but still had loungers where you could sit and relax and have a drink.
I have been to quite a few not budget but mid priced AI hotels and this one has to have the friendliest staff I have ever been to, nothing was too much trouble and always a smile.
The food, some may say not a huge choice, but I can be quite picky and I always found something to eat, for breakfast there was always the station making omelettes (or fried eggs) and pancakes, no full English here, but this is Egypt, and it was good to have traditional food, the pastries at breakfast were awesome, likewise for lunch and evening meal, always chicken & fish with assorted veg and at least one pasta dish, for evening there was something on the station outside and one evening we had a BBQ, desserts were the best. I would say if you wanted to eat English food every day or were taking kids you might be disappointed, but we were perfectly happy with the choices on offer.
We had a lovely man who cleaned our room and he left us towel art every day, It was my friends birthday while we were there and she had something special every day, a big thank you to him, I think his name was Reda and he was so lovely.
The first night we got bitten to bits by mozzies, we had known they were there and had gone prepared but I think as we had food before unpacking and donning our mosquito repellents it was too late, so please put on as soon as you can, my feet were bitten terribly and I had to go to the pharmacy next door, lovely man who sorted me a potion which really helped for only 200 EP (£3.30)
There was an entertainment team, 2 young lads and a girl from UK, but I felt for them as the hotel was not very full there was not too many people for them to entertain.. we did a quiz one night and another night there was a dancer with a light up skirt and a belly dancer.
We had a couple of trips, one booked in the UK before we went which was a trip to Dahab, included a Camel ride, Snorkelling (extra for the gear) lunch and a trip to the Coloured Canyon. Then we did a trip to Cairo (flight) included entrance to the museum, the Pyramids, lunch, camel / carriage ride, The Sphynx and paid extra for a Nile river cruise, and then we did a boat trip which had lunch & a couple of stops for snorkelling. All trips were excellent value and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the sights.
Wi-fi in the hotel was very hit & miss, and you had to keep logging back on and did not automatically reconnect, so not great if you wanted to spend much time on your phone, but we tended to check in a couple of times a day with family and we managed, again probably not great if you have teenagers or people that rely on internet for long periods.
Money.. Cash is king, doesn’t matter what you have, you can take UK Sterling, Euro’s, Dollars, & Egyptian Pounds, if you ask a price they will ask what currency? You can pay in some shops by card but not all, they will also add a 5% service charge for card payments, to withdraw cash from an ATM (there is one outside the hotel) there will be a 200 EP charge, so this can add up, we didn’t take much cash with us, so had to withdraw a few times as you always spend more than you expect! And everyone wants tips, we in UK are not always used to tipping, but everyone is so friendly you don’t really mind.
My friend an I had an amazing time in Egypt and would love to go again, I wouldn’t usually go to the same place twice as there are so many places to see in the world, but I would have no hesitation going back here, also going in April the hotel was no where near full, there were no crowds anywhere and the weather was amazing, mid 30’s daytime which is hot enough for me.
And I would like to say again it was the staff that made this hotel so great. for the price we paid it was exceptional value.
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