"The location is beautiful, and the hotel looks very presentable from the outside. The seafront views are especially appealing. However, the atmosphere feels a little tense—everyone seems a bit on edge. Staff don’t seem to like dealing with problems, particularly at the checkout desk, and there’s a sense that you’re expected to simply accept whatever level of customer service you’re given. That said, the grounds are immaculate: the grass is green and well kept, the pool area is tidy and clean, and the staff do try their best.
Although our room was very spacious, it was very dated—flaky paint on the walls and doors, and black mould in the bathroom, especially around the shower area. The cleaners try to do a good job, but when cleaning materials are dirty, all you’re doing is spreading the dirt (mopping with a dirty mop just leaves a dirty floor). Hygiene, in general, isn’t the greatest. Noise levels weren’t too bad: you’d hear doors banging in the corridor now and again, but otherwise we couldn’t hear the people in the room next to us. The soundproofing was quite good in that respect.
Was this holiday good value for money? No—not in the slightest. When you pay close to 10K for a family holiday, you expect 10K worth of service, accommodation, and comfort. Needless to say, you also expect the food to be top-notch and, at the very least, edible.
Now, the biggest issue: the food. What can I say? It was appalling—disgusting and atrocious. The hygiene levels were despicable, and even at the live stations, about half of the food was inedible. You have to be extremely careful about what you eat. I got sick on the third day of our 10-day trip. I did all the “right” things: I didn’t eat salads, I didn’t drink tap water (only bottled), and I didn’t even brush my teeth with tap water. I used bottled water for everything. After that, the only thing I felt I could safely eat for the rest of the trip was chips—and only when I saw the cook fry them and put the fresh batch into the tray. I didn’t use the serving utensils; I used my own utensils to take my food. I reported the incident to TUI, but all they seemed concerned about was whether I went to the medical centre. My insurance company advised me not to go unless absolutely necessary, as this hotel is well known to them for overcharging. This became apparent when I went to the pharmacy and was advised to buy Antinal and take ORS. These are common medications in Egypt and are usually inexpensive, with the price stamped on the packaging. However, this hotel’s pharmacy puts stickers over the original price (which, by the way, is a violation of Egyptian law). I was charged €37 for medication that should have cost no more than 82 Egyptian pounds in total (roughly €1.40). When I realised this, I complained to the hotel. Management handled my concern well and refunded €20, but I still ended up paying €17 for something that should have cost about €1.40. I didn’t want to argue any further and just cut my losses, but be very careful with this hotel’s medical centre and pharmacy—they will rip you off. Under no circumstances allow them to send a doctor to your room. After reporting this to TUI, five days later I received a WhatsApp message from the hotel’s assistant guest relations manager offering a free stool sample paid for by the hotel—five days later, which was ridiculous.
If you go outside the hotel, be very careful of people trying to overcharge you–everyone seems to want to make money out of you. You cannot truly relax if you’re expecting a laid-back holiday, unless you stay inside the hotel complex (and even then, you may still get overcharged). Just keep in mind that many people will try to overcharge you for everything—taxi drivers, shopkeepers, pharmacists, doctors—everyone wants your money. Be very careful in Egypt."
