Pickalbatros Blu Spa Resort - Hurghada

"This was our first visit to Egypt and a very different experience from any other holiday. The hotel is absolutely beautiful, spotlessly clean and the majority of the staff were exceptional, polite, friendly and professional, in particular the restaurant staff, bar staff, lifeguards and the cleaning team. Tipping is part of Egyptian culture and a small amount given for good service was appreciated. A few words in Arabic were also helpful. Regarding the drinks. Due to huge costs, premium branded drinks are not available in the hotel, nor in the majority of bars in Egypt, so don't go expecting Gordon's, Aperol or Jameson's. You might get a good quality Egyptian version. For this reason some cocktails are not available (espresso Martini, Aperol Spritz, etc) however, we found the gin & tonic passable, the beer was ok and there were a couple of spirit based cocktails that were really nice - check the menu in the Lobby Bar, which is just to left in the reception area. The hotel is huge and spread out, you'll definitely get your steps in, but it's wheelchair accessible everywhere which is just brilliant. Explore fully so you don't miss out on anything. The app is useful for this. There are 4 restaurants - Alfredo for breakfast and lunch buffet, evening meal is Italian and we really loved all the food there, especially the omelets in the morning - the egg chef will do fried and scrambled too, so quick, really talented. East and West - Asian and Indian food, we ate there a lot and it was definitely our favourite. Golden Lounge a la carte - we ate there once, would have liked to have eaten there more often but we could only have one booking in our 10 day stay. It's the only restaurant you need to book but it's worth it. Culina - mostly a fish restaurant, really delicious and lovely desserts. We had a wonderful stay here but it wasn't totally perfect. We had a 6 hour flight from Northern Ireland and arrived at the hotel around 11.45 pm. We were exhausted. The man at reception gave us our wrist bands and suggested we went to the bar upstairs to get a drink, then come back to finish checking in. We did this gladly but the only bar we could see, in the Golden lounge, was in darkness, seemed closed and there was no one there. We did eventually find a staff member who got us drinks, but it felt uncomfortable and not very welcoming. In addition we were hungry, but there was no offer of food or even a sandwich or something put aside for late arrivals which we have experienced in other hotels - this was passed on to the management and I hope it's taken on board. The other negative experience for us was the Spa. They have sellers on the beach and at the far end of the pool. As soon as you show the slightest interest in getting a treatment, the upselling starts. If you just want a pedicure, you need a manicure, then something else... My husband and I booked manicures and pedicures together because we were offered buy one get one free. The people in the salon were lovely, professional and friendly but the manager walking around and watching made me feel uncomfortable. Once my feet were in the bowl I was asked about also getting a facial... Each experience felt like another opportunity to get money from us. A point to note. We asked about our second free treatments and were told that they were booked for the next week for 12 noon. We checked the day before, and nothing had been recorded in the diary. Luckily I had the original receipt stating free treatment so they couldn't refuse. Definitely take your free treatment. We would definitely stay here again now we have more idea how things work in Egypt. I would also go into the Spa and book my treatment directly so that I feel more in control, it's very easy to spend more than you would want to."

"A lovely clean hotel were the staff can't do enough for you. Our house keeper Ahmed Kamal kept our room spotless. Big thank you to him. Food exceptional, always something you can choose & of high quality. Special thank you to Mahmoud Gouma who always save us a table & made a special dinning night. Life guard Amr Ahmed always there in the morning to sort your sun bed out on the beach. Beach Bar lads Kamal Ahmed & Ahmed Kamal who delivered your beers to to sun bed. ( No need to get up) Lastly special thank you to (Mr Lovely) Ramadan Ali. Start at the beach bar but we seem to follow him around different bars. Couldn't do enough for you. I Recommend this hotel."

"The location is great. You have all the shopping centers right in front of the hotel. The atmosphere of the hotel & its ambience as if you are in Greece with its while & blue colors. The room was spacious & clean. It was both pool & sea view. I loved the balcony and how you have chaise longue in it and a drying rack. The best thing about this hotel is that it is adults only, so you enjoy it without any noise. The beach is sandy. The food is delicious. The staff is super friendly. Thanks and keep it up."