"First of all let me start by saying we enjoyed our holiday to Egypt and would stay at Stella Di Mare again. Two adults one week all inclusive. Majority of our experience was positive and based on £1800 Expedia including direct flights from UK it was amazing value but as someone who understands the importance of fair reviews the following will highlight both what we loved and what the hotel could look at for improvement.
I couldn't access TripAdvisor whilst staying at this resort, I tried every day and tried via my own network Vodafone and via hotel WiFi yet no luck. It seemed to work whilst in Naama Bay so I assume the hotel blocks it. Perhaps it encourages you to purchase tours through them rather than trip advisor? Perhaps they think you might be less inclined to leave a negative review by the time you get home? Not sure but very strange either way.
We checked into our Seafront Deluxe room on the ground floor, at first we were slightly disappointed we wouldn't have as good a view being on the ground floor but then realised we had a nice large terrace and could pass drinks and snorkels over easily to our terrace so it suited us.
We paid slightly more for the seafront room and glad we did as this is slightly apart from the main hotel rooms and if you intend on spending more time by the beach & pool than in the hotel its a fab location meaning you can nip back to the room easily for toilet breaks etc.
Our cleaner was really good and would daily leave us a towel with a lovely design we would leave him a small tip & a thank you note each time.
Most staff were attentive, some more than others and we would give them small tips also.
Our first morning Tuesday my partner needed his sleep due to working lots of nights yet the noise from the people who water the lawns on their machines was really loud I feel they could wait until later in the day to do this as some people want peace and quiet in the morning. I could also hear on some mornings the sound of gardeners digging which again woke me. I need to stress the grass and flowers are beautifully looked after and I do know gardeners tend to start before it gets too hot but I feel the hotel management need to also consider that a lot of travellers need to relax so is it really that important to dig and use noisy equipment so many mornings?
Loungers by beach area could have done with a few staff knocking around would have happily paid some tips as loungers we had were not near the bar and we had to lug them out of a pile and watched others doing the same. In contrast the service around the hotel is very attentive in comparison yet the beachfront still represents the hotel brand so this is one area that could have a little more attention. On top of that people tend to mither the lifeguard for things like pillows etc and quite often the lifeguard leaves their station to see to these enquiries that someone else floating about would have been better suited for.
About 3pm areas up at the pool had a lot of shade but we moved around & found some sun spots close to seafront. Unfortunately in November the sun disappears about 4pm but between 3 and 4 the best spot is either by the beach or up where the sandy bit near family pool is.
Shower was good, yes rooms are dated furniture wise however we had an iron and hairdryer and to be fair hairdryer was decent.
Wardrobes had plenty of space to hang up clothes and hangers.
Animation team consist of 4 females who do all the activities and some night dance shows too. During the day I saw them doing yoga at 4pm on the grass and it looked so relaxing I joined in one day and did yoga in my bikini 3 x mojitos deep was quite the experience!
We stayed for a week and on the whole found the experience very relaxing
As per previous reviews have mentioned you do get a little mither from staff at hotel either trying to encourage you to buy a massage package or photos and some animation staff telling you about what's going on. We didn't find any of it too much just politely say no thank you. To be fair on other holidays where there is no private beachfront we have been hassled far worse with people trying to sell us dodgy items and fruit and massages so in comparison I don't think there is that much hassle at this resort.
My favourite moments were sunbathing on the private beach, snorkelling in the reef which considering is next to the hotel is incredible no boat hire just straight onto the jetty to jump in. We also played boules on the sand and it was really good fun!
The hotel prides itself on being economical friendly and encourages you to use the same towel a few times, what I would suggest to the hotel is to have an area where people can donate books and magazines and sun tan cream they have finished with so others can use them that would be really useful.
Food on the whole is very good and plentiful and lots to choose from and you can see the Chefs take pride and do a walk around checking on the food.
Th only snag I had was when I ate the creamy potato soup one evening, it was very late in and despite being in a flask container it was only warm not hot, I shouldn't have ate it but I have a hardy stomach and didn't think much of it but through the night I fel very nauseous back in my room and vomited which is very out of character for me. I could sense it was due to something I ate rather than drank and upon doing research online the warm creamy potato soup was most definitely the culprit! I do partly blame myself due it eating it luke warm however I do want to warn people.
I think i had a short foodborne illness toxin producing bacteria but quick recovery I was fine the following day and continued to eat their lovely foods i just avoided mild warm soups!
They do make a good effort with the food I can see cling film covering pastries and breads and they bbq meats and fish in front of you at night so please don't think im slating all the food however just be careful where creamy is involved.
Spa/massage area - as adults only we used the spa every day from 4pm as the sun went in. We used the free towelling robe and slippers and really loved our few hours in the sauna and outside jacuzzi pool what a luxury!!
Despite initially resisting the hard sell for massages we eventually gave in and booked two massages for £110 GBP and they were amazing both masseur incredible special mentioned to Mustafa who spoke good English and was always friendly in the spa. It just seems the sales agents try to push you to buy more massages even if you only want one.
This was also the case when we left the resort and ordered a meal out somewhere else, what we had was good value food but we only wanted a kebab each yet they brought out a feast that was too much for us to finish.
The sales model over here is to push more on the buyer and although quite often it has been worth it you as the buyer may have been happier with one. So one massage each at hotel spa £110 gbp = we are happy with this. They cannot understand why for an extra £30 gbp we wouldn't want one more each and it tricks the buyer as you think what a bargain but if you didn't want it in the first place then it not a bargain similar concept to when you enter a pound shop to purchase one item yet leave purchasing several as they appear bargains but you intended to spend one pound.
Anyway the spa is an excellent addition just be wary of prices. The Couples Honeymoon package massage was priced in their menu at £300 GBP which we thought was very high for prices here after a few days of haggling he reduced it to £150!!!! Just shows the mark up and we saw people thinking they got a bargain having it at £250!
This package included a massage each, sauna and steam (this would be free anyway) indoor jacuzzi for 20 mins (not even as good the free one outside) and a face scrub and body scrub (this would take our hard earned suntan off so no thanks have these on first day if you really want a Hamman scrub)
The best value is insisting on one massage each together and they end up throwing in little extras like face masks anyway. Don't pay more than £110 for it total.
So my summary of the Stella Di mare is it is worth the money, it is a character with charm type culture hotel, if your thing is more new style then book in a Hilston esque chain as this is not like that we describe it as Oldie Worldie but that is what we enjoy most (you can hear a piano playing in the lobby).
If the hotel management read this and would like to hire me as a Guest Relations role Im happy to hear their offer 😄."
