Stella Gardens Resort & Spa

"Arrived at Stella Gardens Resort in Makidi Bay from Belfast quite late at night for a 7 night all inclusive holiday, during booking in at reception we were told that the restaurant was open for us. we had some rice and beef ( more about restaurant later in the review). Taken to our room by in a golf buggy our room was at the far end of the hotel complex, it is quite dark around this area at night compared to the main or central part of the complex. ( some hike back to the main reception and restaurant area everyday). ROOM The room was clean and quite spacious with views over the relaxation pool, although these rooms are a bit outdated decor wise compared to rooms closer to reception which have been modernised . Mini bar was empty on arrival not even bottled water. next day only 1 bottle of water was placed in the room , I spoke to reception after breakfast they didnt seem that interested and told me to purchase bottles. Not to be be beaten I tipped the guy who cleaned our room every day and asked for a minimum of 4 bottles daily which he did. Not really what you expect from an all inclusive Hotel. RECEPTION Massive que's every time I went with people just pushing in to get seen first. Not the most helpful people. COMPLEX This is a large complex with nice gardens but when there we noticed damaged walls and tiles which were ignored by the Hotel staff.Lots of pools and sunbeds are available throughout the complex, so no need to wake at the crack of dawn and put towels on beds. POOLS Looked clean we used the heated pool at the far end of the complex as it was nearest to our room. Sunbeds are all on sand ( not the brightest idea by the architect design) was a pain in the backside. used cups,fag butts and rubbish littered the sand. we complained to customer relations and the following day they had raked the sand and picked up most of the rubbish. POOLBAR Guys at the bar were great they would come round and ask if you needed anything or you could order at the swim up bar. WATERPARK Absolutley brilliant loads of slides and sunbeds. Lifeguards everywhere good to see. there is no sand in the waterpark. Even open 2 nights a week to 11pm which looked great. BARS Most staff working at the bars were very helpful and polite . Standard of drinks varied daily. There is an odd unpleasant smell in the Lobby Bar which they try to mask with industrial type air freshners. BEACH This is a short walk or you can get a shuttle bus every 10 mins which takes you to Stella Beach. The beach is lovely and the snorkling at the end of the pier is amazing. RESTAURANT Feeding time at the zoo this has to be the most unorganised restaurant I have ever been in. Standard of food is low although we did manage to find something every day. The layout is completley wrong and the catering staff cannot deal with the volume of guests at peak times..... carnage is an understatement. That being said the waiters are top class especially a guy called Bishoy who went above and beyond. This is the ONLY reason why we would not visit the Hotel again."

"Where do I even start? I’ve stayed in quite a few resorts around the world, so I wouldn’t say I’m particularly difficult to please. I’m also very happy to give credit where it’s due — and there were definitely things we loved about this resort. Unfortunately, there were also enough problems that I wouldn’t return, and for a supposed 5-star resort, some of the experiences were simply not acceptable. The reception: chaos from the moment we arrived From the moment we arrived, the lack of organisation at reception was immediately noticeable. There were massive “queues” — if you can even call them that. We waited over 15 minutes despite being second in line, because other guests would simply walk straight up to the desk and be served by the reception staff, despite the queue being clearly visible. Eventually, we were seen, our passports were taken and we were told to go and have dinner, then return afterwards to finish the check-in process. We were also asked to leave our passports and luggage there. Considering how busy and chaotic reception was, and the fact that we had just arrived and knew nothing about the resort, we weren’t particularly comfortable leaving our belongings there. Nevertheless, we reluctantly agreed, after being reassured that our belongings would be safe. We were given very little information about the resort during check in time — essentially just the meal times. We thought we’d return the following day and ask everything we needed to know. Unfortunately, reception was just as chaotic the next day. My partner eventually had to challenge the staff because, once again, people were walking straight past the queue and being served despite staff clearly seeing that people were waiting. If there is one thing you learn very quickly at this resort, it’s that apparently the concept of queuing is more of a suggestion than a rule. Dinner on arrival: mayhem Our first dinner was still being served when we arrived, so naturally we went to eat. What followed was another slightly worrying introduction to the resort. The restaurant was absolute chaos. We spent a good 10 minutes just trying to find somewhere to sit, and there was genuinely nowhere available. We looked at each other and thought, if this is what dinner is going to be like every night, we’re going to have a problem. Thankfully, it wasn’t quite that bad every single evening — but it certainly wasn’t the calm, relaxing 5-star arrival we were hoping for. Finding our room: an unexpected treasure hunt We were kindly driven to our room with our luggage, along with another couple. We were dropped off and told to walk straight, turn right and our room would be there. We were also told our bags would be brought shortly. It was already dark, we had never been around the resort before and, unsurprisingly, we had absolutely no idea where we were going. We followed the instructions. And kept walking. And kept walking. Our room was nowhere to be found. Eventually, we worked out that “walk straight and turn right” apparently meant keep going straight for two entire blocks before you get anywhere near the building. We eventually found it, and thankfully our luggage arrived shortly afterwards. The buffet: quantity over quality This was my first visit to Egypt, and unfortunately the food was, without a doubt, some of the worst I’ve experienced at an all-inclusive resort. There was plenty of bread, which obviously isn’t a problem, but some of the bread we picked up was completely rock solid and stale. Thankfully, there were fresh flatbreads being made outside, and these were genuinely lovely. We ended up having those most evenings instead. The buffet had themed nights — Asian, Indian, seafood etc. — which sounds great in theory. In reality, a lot of the food seemed to be the same dishes appearing night after night with a slight cosmetic makeover. The best example was the roasted potatoes. One night: roasted potatoes with herbs. The next night, during the “Asian” evening: the same roasted potatoes, but this time with sesame seeds sprinkled over them. Voilà. Asian cuisine. The cakes were your standard resort sponge cakes. Nothing special, but perfectly nice. The real dessert winner, however, was the oily, baklava-looking selection served in the large metal trays. There was one with coconut that was sweet but absolutely delicious. Definitely worth trying. The fruit selection was also lovely and fresh. Usually dates or figs, grapes and melon. There was one evening where the buffet had a seafood theme, which we avoided because, given that we’d already been feeling unwell (explained in more detail later in this review), seafood was definitely not something we wanted to gamble with. The following evening, however, shrimp soup and shrimp salads appeared on the menu. I’m sure there was a perfectly innocent explanation for this, and I’d like to believe it was all freshly prepared… …but after seeing the seafood buffet the night before, we couldn’t help but look at the shrimp soup and wonder whether the leftovers had simply been given a second career. We obviously can’t say that this is what happened, and we don’t want to make an accusation without knowing the facts. But when you’re already questioning the food hygiene, these are the sorts of things that start going through your mind. The à la carte restaurants: FINALLY, some seriously good food! Now, before I completely destroy the reputation of the resort’s buffet, I have to give credit where credit is VERY much due. Guests are entitled to two à la carte restaurant bookings during their stay. There are several to choose from, and we went for the Indian and Italian restaurants. And wow. WOW WOW WOW WOW. The food and service at both were incredible. The Indian restaurant in particular was probably the biggest food surprise of the entire holiday. We both ordered the same things: samosa to start, butter chicken for the main, followed by fruit salad and ice cream for dessert. Every single course was delicious. The waiter also strongly encouraged us to try a soup. I’m genuinely sorry, but I have absolutely no idea what the soup was called — all I know is OMG. That soup was one of the best things we put in our mouths during the entire holiday. We somehow ended up with what felt like a four-course meal, left with our bellies completely stuffed and satisfied, and couldn’t stop talking about how good it was. The Italian restaurant was also fantastic. Great food, great service and a completely different experience from the main buffet. So, if you are staying here, USE YOUR À LA CARTE BOOKINGS. The Indian restaurant is an absolute must. Drinks The coffee was your usual machine coffee — cappuccino, latte, flat white etc. There was also filtered Americano, which my partner actually thought was very nice. Soft drinks included Pepsi, Fanta, Sprite and various juices, usually mango, orange and apple. The juices were very sweet. Very artificial-tasting, very addictive and, as we discovered, seemingly capable of permanently bonding themselves to children’s clothing. My child ended up with orange juice all over their clothes several times and walked around with orange lips that simply would not come off, no matter how much we tried to clean them. They were tasty, though. I’ll give them that. Guest behaviour: apparently civilisation stopped at the buffet, reception and bars. This was probably one of the biggest frustrations throughout the holiday. There was almost no consideration for other guests. You could queue for 10–15+ minutes for an omelette or pancakes, only to have grown adults — and children following their example — casually push to the front and grab their food. Same goes for all bars. People would also pick food up with their bare hands, then put it back. This isn’t really the hotel’s fault, but it becomes the hotel’s problem when staff don’t seem to intervene. And when you’re staying somewhere where hundreds of people are sharing a buffet, basic hygiene should really be non-negotiable. The room: actually very good. Now for one of the positives. Our room was genuinely lovely. We had a bath and a separate shower, which was particularly useful with a child because we could all get into the shower together after a long day. There was also a toilet, bidet and a large mirror. The room was cleaned every day and housekeeping did some lovely little touches — folding pyjamas, replacing the bottled water and occasionally creating towel art. We left a $1 tip every morning, which we were happy to do. However, around day 4 or 5, we were leaving the room when housekeeping was about to enter. As we walked out, we were asked for $10 to clean the room. That really didn’t sit well with us, particularly as we had already been tipping regularly. The balcony door also didn’t lock, although this wasn’t a huge concern for us as we were on the first floor. We did have a few problems with the room key cards/bracelets. On several occasions they stopped working and neither of us could get into the room. This meant one of us had to walk all the way back to reception after a long day to get them reactivated — and, of course, that meant joining the reception queue from hell again. Pools & waterpark: probably the best part of the resort There is plenty to do here, and this is where the resort really shines. There are several pools throughout the resort, plus a dedicated waterpark. We managed to visit pretty much every pool, and our favourite was the waves pool, which was brilliant if you have toddlers. The main pool with the bar was also a favourite. Most of the pools were clean and well maintained. A couple had leaves and flowers floating around because they were surrounded by trees and plants, but lifeguards were regularly cleaning them. It didn’t bother us and didn’t stop us enjoying the pools. The waterpark itself was fantastic. It felt extremely safe, with lifeguards seemingly positioned everywhere. In fact, there were so many whistles going off that if you were hoping for a peaceful, relaxing afternoon, this probably isn’t the place for you. The rides were great, with some genuinely terrifying ones mixed in with more family-friendly options. There was also a surfing area, which we tried and really enjoyed. The lazy river was easily my favourite. The waterpark was open roughly 10am–6pm, with Tuesdays and Fridays closing around 5pm and then reopening from 8pm–11pm for evening swimming. We only discovered the evening opening after seeing everyone heading into the water at 8pm. We decided to give it a go on Friday and were glad we did — although it was definitely a little too cold for our liking. Animation team: could be much better The animation team felt quite bland compared with other resorts we’ve stayed at. They weren’t particularly engaging or encouraging, and the mini-disco team especially could have been much livelier. It wasn’t a huge issue for us, but it definitely felt like a missed opportunity, especially for families. The resort schedule: apparently more of a suggestion. There were schedules displayed around the resort, but unfortunately they didn’t seem to correspond particularly well with what was actually happening. Face painting was supposedly at 7pm every evening. For several days, we couldn’t find it. We asked multiple members of staff where it was and were met with looks that suggested we’d personally invented the face-painting schedule. Then, one day, the face painting suddenly appeared at the main stage. On other occasions, it apparently took place in the DJ room — an area that isn’t exactly obvious to guests and, from what we could tell, was restricted. So perhaps it was happening there all along. Who knows. It would have been nice if the staff actually knew where it was. The beach: another big positive. There is a shuttle bus to the beach, running roughly every 10 minutes. The beach is located behind the sister resort, Stella Beach, and it was lovely. There is a bar, snack bar, music and a dedicated pier for snorkelling. We went snorkelling several times and it was genuinely incredible. We saw stingrays, lionfish, clownfish, angelfish and plenty of other marine life. This was definitely one of the highlights of the holiday. Sadly, the sea itself was let down by the amount of rubbish floating around — bottles, flip-flops and other plastic. Even more disappointing was seeing people standing on coral and breaking pieces off despite the obvious damage this causes. We’re really not sure why people can’t just enjoy the beauty of this world without leaving their footprint. Beach snack bar: mostly good, with one very worrying exception. The beach snack bar served pasta, fried chicken, chips, salads and pizza every day. Most of it was actually quite nice. However, the pasta station was a completely different story. There were small brown birds constantly flying in and out of the fresh pasta trays. I actually have a video showing birds inside the pasta tray, eating the fresh pasta. The chef eventually shooed the birds away, then proceeded to put a large amount of fresh spaghetti into the same tray — without washing or replacing the tray first. I then watched him serve pasta from that tray to guests. This is supposed to be a 5-star hotel. I don’t think I need to explain why that was concerning. And then came the illness… Before travelling, we’d been strongly advised to avoid tap water and ice. Avoiding tap water wasn’t difficult because bottled water was provided plentifully throughout the resort. Avoiding ice, however, was practically impossible. Ice was everywhere — in the drinks and juice stations — and presumably the fruit was also being washed using local water. Both my partner and I suffered from diarrhoea for a significant portion of the holiday. Then, on the final day, I became extremely unwell. I had explosive diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever and shivering. Eventually, I was so weak that I was on the verge of fainting. I spent most of the day trying to convince myself I didn’t need medical attention, but eventually I had to go to the clinic. I was immediately given an IV drip and medication, and thankfully felt a thousand times better afterwards, well enough to fly home. I can’t say with certainty what caused the illness. It could have been the food, the water, the ice, or simply something picked up from another guest. But when you’ve watched people handling buffet food with their bare hands, seen birds eating fresh pasta directly from serving trays and then both become ill during the holiday, you naturally start asking questions. Eventually, we stopped trying to work it out because it was giving us a headache on top of the stomach ache. Check-out: one final battle with reception. You’d think we’d be done with reception by then. Apparently not. On checkout day, we called reception and asked if they could help collect our luggage because we had five large bags. They kindly agreed. We waited. And waited. And waited. For around two hours, we were repeatedly told: “It’s coming now.” It wasn’t coming now. Had we known it would take two hours, we would have simply collected the bags ourselves. The only reason we waited was because our room was right at the back of the resort, it was around 35°C outside and it was quite a long walk with five large suitcases. Eventually, we gave up and went for lunch. When we returned, our suitcases were sitting outside in the sun, despite us being reassured that they would be kept safely in the luggage area in the lobby until our transfer at 5pm. At this point, we weren’t even surprised. Reception had been carnage from the first day to the last. The market at the sister resort: I went in for a €4 magnet… Behind the sister resort is a large market selling souvenirs, clothes, bags, beauty products and all sorts of other bits and pieces. There is genuinely some lovely stuff there, and some of the shopkeepers were incredibly friendly and genuine. Some definitely made you want to come back. However, I also have to give credit where it’s due to the shopkeepers’ sales tactics because these people are GOOD. I regularly visit Turkey, so I’m familiar with haggling and the general approach in these types of markets. But these guys had me completely figured out. They have every tactic imaginable to get you inside their shop. Before you know it, you’ve been dragged in, you’re sitting down, you’re being shown approximately 700 things you never knew existed, and somehow you’re emotionally attached to something you had absolutely no intention of buying. I went in wanting one €4 magnet. I left having spent approximately €300 on magnets and trinkets for myself, my mum, brother, sister, in-laws, their cats, their dogs, their neighbours and probably several people I haven’t even met yet. Okay, I’m exaggerating slightly. But not by much. And then came the ceramic cups. The shopkeepers would enthusiastically demonstrate how durable they were by literally smashing them onto the floor. Every shop you walked past seemed to have its own ceramic cup smashing session going on. BANG. BANG. BANG. After a while, you didn’t even need to look inside a shop. You’d hear the bang and know another innocent cup had just been summoned for its final performance. At one point I genuinely felt sorry for the cups. To be fair, the sales tactics were impressive, and some of the shopkeepers were genuinely lovely people. We had some great interactions and there were definitely some beautiful things to buy. Just be warned: If you go in for a €4 magnet, don’t be surprised if you come out several hundred euros poorer. Consider yourself warned. Overall There are genuinely some fantastic things about this resort. The waterpark is brilliant, the pools are great, the rooms are lovely, the beach is beautiful, and the snorkelling was incredible. There are plenty of activities and, if you can navigate the chaos, there is definitely fun to be had. But the positives were unfortunately overshadowed by the constant disorganisation, reception queues, poor buffet etiquette, questionable food hygiene, inconsistent entertainment schedules and, ultimately, both of us becoming ill during the holiday. For us, the biggest issue is that many of these things are individually small annoyances, but when they happen day after day, they add up. A 5-star resort should feel organised, clean and relaxing. Instead, at times it felt like we were participating in an elaborate social experiment to see how many times a person can say “where the hell is the queue?” before losing the will to live. Would we return? Nope. Did we still manage to have some brilliant days? Absolutely. And that’s probably the most frustrating part — because the resort has all the ingredients to be fantastic. It just needs significantly better organisation, better enforcement of basic hygiene and guest etiquette, and staff who actually know what’s happening around their own resort."

"Booked in May for June holiday £1879 via a travel agent Room Great size. Ground floor straight out onto pool area. Large bed, not two pushed together! Dissappointing that after delays and arriving at 2.30am we still had to ask for a bed for our 8 year old to be brought but it came quickly enough. Cant say it was cleaned well though and cups sat for days. Lifeguards Day 1 & we witnessed a lifeguard diving in to save a ?4 year old girl. Parents (and large group they were with) still had no clue until lifeguard, soaking wet and clothed, brought their child back to them. They were so nonchallant that the guard, who had started walking away, rurned back to ask them their room number. Not eben a thank you uttered to him! This 4 year old was under water in a large pool! Not a toddler pool. They were English and we were disgusted. Pool bar shut at 5.50pm. Lifeguard made everyone leave the pool at 6pm. Its still 36degrees! So much for it saying sundown. Sun was well and truly up! Gym- for the life of me couldnt find the opening times. Then staff told me different to online. Elliptical broken. Seats moved, too short for some equipment (im 5ft 5) Chinese a la carte Lovely! Booked for 8.30. Prawn crackers with soy or sweet chilli dip on table. Had the sweetcorn soup which was delish. The chicken wings - far too spicy. I had spring onion chicken and fried rice - awesome. And the fruit platter desert? Lovely! Drinks were flowing continuously. They brought my daughter chips and sauce in case she didnt like her meal. Would return here no problem Water park Great slides. Food seemed better here at the snack bar. The other users? Ignoramouses. Staff did very little to stop line cutting and abuse from individuals when this was pointed out. Didnt think much of the indian and italian restaraunts. Staff defo had their favourites Pools would be shut for no reason Small one near reception constantly had leaves etc in it. I caught a runny bug whilst i was there....lasted 6 weeks after return!"