I have never had such a terrible holiday spent the first week in bed with acute stomach cramps and diarrhea spent one day on a saline drip it is hardly all inclusive as you have to pay for bottles of water, ice cream ect staff are good but thats about all never again.

I booked my first trip to Sharm El Sheikh a little later than I should not knowing much about their "peak" seasons. This and the upcoming "middle eastern summit" meant that we couldn't stay at one hotel the entire time. We booked one night at this hotel just to sleep after our flight arrival until our other hotel could check us in the next day.

THANK GOD we only stayed one night. Upon our arrival they put us in a little golf cart and took us to the back of the property and attempted to check us into a room in a section where the power was out. I am talking about EGYPT in MAY...not exactly cool and breezy. We insisted on being taken back to another room with electricity and the required A/C.

They obliged, but after we were checked in I realized that photos of tropical properties taken at night or far away are very deceiving. This hotel is in MUCH need of an update/repair/redecoration. The bathroom was similar to what you would find at the YMCA, the rooms, well, I've seen better at the Red Roof in or Motel 6. At $175 a night, it wasn't exactly a bargain.

The room was sparsely and cheaply furnished with one of the hardest mattresses I have ever had the misfortune of sleeping on, and it smelled strange, sort of a musty beach house odor. Not lovely.

Upon waking up in the morning we went to the breakfast and it was horrid, I mean practically inedible. Bland, tasteless and overcooked are the three adjectives that come to mind.

As for the "resort" area - the pool was decent, although also in need of repair and the overall clientele of the resort was, to put it politely, low-rent.

I would never stay here again, nor would I recommend it to ANYONE.

Had a week’s all-inclusive package holiday here in April with my partner and two teenage girls and can’t fault the place. Third trip to Sharm and best hotel so far (last time stayed at Al Fanar). Stayed in the main part of the complex. The room was clean, spacious and had a great view over the pool and the sea. The gardens are maintained meticulously. I did look at the Sports complex part of the hotel one evening which was OK but quite sterile in comparison and very little shade. I can understand why people staying there would be more critical. Despite the pool complex and restaurant I wouldn’t want to especially as you are only saving a few quid in doing so. It is also quite a walk from the beach.
The food was excellent and the waiting staff friendly and attentive particularly the guys at the swim up bar who never stopped despite the false bonhomie and rudeness of many of the punters. I had noted previous reviewers’ comments about the “confusion” around the all-inclusive element and complaining that drinks had to be paid for after 2300 hours. The information sheet provided at reception is very clear about what is included (nearly everything) and what isn’t and if you cannot get enough free drinks down you in 13 hours ……..!?!?! Also we didn’t have any problems getting free drinks after midday on our last day whilst waiting for the connection to the airport. Perhaps that was because we actually treated staff decently, including tips where appropriate, rather than treating them like second-rate citizens as a number of fellow holidaymakers seemed to enjoy doing. In fact my only criticism was not anything to do with the hotel but the behaviour of other patrons notably the rude, arrogant Russians. You would think they were still living in the Stalinist era on the basis of the piles of food on their plates and the amount they would blatantly take away with them. Then there were the lobster red Brits who would be tapping their watches at staff everyday at 1000 at the swim up bar – the same ones that would be complaining at sunset when they couldn’t have that “last one” even though they still had 5 hours where they could drink elsewhere. Why can’t everyone behave in a civilised fashion like the Italians and French?
Evening entertainment was fairly basic mainly in the form of a duo doing cover versions of well known (?) hits. They tried valiantly but there are only so many times you can listen to “The Lady in Red”! They did hold a very tacky Miss Concorde contest on the first night which our two girls entered and swiftly retired from! All the other contestants were Russian (oh and one Ukrainian) who looked like they were lap dancers or strippers – in fact the Ukrainian girl had to be told by the animation team more than once to stop taking her clothes off in front of the judges.
If you want a “ringside” seat to the evening entertainment go early as the tables fill up very quickly with Russians. However we “adopted” a waiter early on in the holiday who sorted us out each night and kept us supplied with drinks without prompting. The girls loved smoking the shishas!! There is a dress code but you wouldn’t believe it on the basis of the number of people, mainly Brits I’m afraid, who wander around the restaurant in their vests and shorts as if they have just come off the beach.
The main eating area can be manic. It is easier to get a table in the non-smoking area and most people manage to refrain. After the first couple of days we took all our breakfasts and lunches at the Italian restaurant. Whilst nowhere near the quantity or choice of food it was like an oasis of calm and still more than adequately catered for our needs. The swim up bar and the beach bar are good for afternoon snacks too.
The beach was fairly typical for this stretch of coastline, i.e., narrow, gritty with sun-beds crammed closely together. The snorkelling was easily accessible off the pontoons and quite good although not as good as that found at the Near or Far Gardens or at Ras um Sid. Water clear and warm. All the coral close to the beach is dead. Staff at Bobo’s friendly and water sports reasonably priced. Saad sorted out some quad biking for us too. All seemed a bit unofficial but had a great time and not expensive.
It is worth going into Sharm for a night or two but be warned the free shuttle bus fills up very quickly. They state that you can only book seats on the day but on two occasions I tried to get the popular 2030 slot at 0700 only to be told that it was completely full. Also although they advertise a 0030 and even a 0130 return the driver on the outgoing bus will try and make out that they are not running. However if you insist they will be there.
If you are going as part of a package and have the option not to include the transfer I would suggest you don’t. The tour operator wanted £40.00 each way. The resort is only 10 – 15 minutes by taxi. You do have to haggle hard at the airport. They start off asking 100 USD! I got them down to £10.00 which is still far too much as you can book a taxi to the airport at reception for £6.00. You may be able to contact the hotel in advance and get a taxi to meet you.
Fabulous holiday, great value at around £400 for the package and would certainly go back.

Best place ever, but I've got my credit card cloned, i've used it only on the hotel's reception, so its probably an hotel employee..
I've discovered the entire credit cards numbers printed out in the invoice.