Sataya Resort Marsa Alam

"The animation team were very very friendly and the staff were very helpful I definitely would recommend it here"

"Sataya Resort in Marsa Alam has good basic resort concept with five pool, spread out lodging, and plenty of green spaces, but grounds and facilities are poorly maintained (as is so often the case in Egypt), the food is just average, the room AC so loud that sleep quality suffers dramatically, and the eastern European clientele drags down the experience. Detailed review: My room (Premium, sea view, Building 15) was huge and featured fairly modern décor, yet it showed signs of wear and neglect in the details - as did the bathroom. The bed was a good size and the mattress had a good level of firmness, though I would have preferred a firmer pillow option. Water pressure in the shower was extremely poor, and the shower tiles were dangerously slippery. The handheld shower-head was worn out, and the floor tile grout was discolored in an unappealing way (see photo). On one occasion, I filled the sink with water and a strong yellowish discoloration became visible - truly unappealing. The single-ply toilet paper is completely out of place for a 5-star rating, though this is likely due to Egypt's notoriously inadequate sewage system... However, the biggest issue in my room was the air conditioning: it was loud yet ineffective. Even when set to the lowest temperature (17°C!) and highest fan speed, it failed to cool the room down within 10–15 minutes - and temperatures during our stay were "only" 35–39°C. The room did eventually cool down well overnight, of course, but the AC unit was quite noisy even on the lowest fan setting. Consequently, I slept very poorly at the Sataya. The food was tasty enough and offered sufficient variety, though the scrambled eggs and sausages at breakfast were terrible. I was pleasantly surprised by some dishes on the French-themed night, although the meat quality was often poor. There was an Italian (or at least Italian-speaking) pasta chef who prepared good pasta to order, but the pre-cooked pasta in the two pots at either end of his counter was often cold. There was a good selection and quality of antipasti, as well as a wide range of desserts, though many of them tasted alike. The atmosphere resembled a train station concourse; the repetitive music didn't help matters. The hotel's predominantly Eastern European clientele was heavily underdressed, even at dinner; one saw many men wearing shorts and T-shirts. This is not appropriate for a 5 star hotel. Unfortunately, the waiters and service staff were not very attentive; dirty tables were cleared slowly, and used plates were left sitting for a long time. Drinks service was slow, and often non-existant. The dance performance by the entertainment team in the restaurant during the "Oriental Night" was somewhat bizarre; it looked quite grotesque to see blonde young women performing Arab dances in pseudo-Arab costumes while looking rather glum. But really, one can't blame them for that... At lunchtime, I often visited the beach restaurant (Byblos)—designated as a Lebanese restaurant—since it was close to my building and the LazyLee pool. They offered a small lunch buffet with two main courses plus pizza. Unfortunately, it was far too hot inside, despite the air conditioning and fan running; the restaurant manager, dressed in a white shirt, sat in the corner looking surly and playing on his phone instead of attending to guests. Regarding the pools, I spent time at the Splash pool and the LazyLee pool. Both were clean, and it was reassuring to see daily water quality inspections taking place. During the first few days, the Splash pool was uncomfortably warm, but this improved later in the week; with an air temperature of 37–38°C, the water temperature was just right for cooling off. There were too few umbrellas at both pools. The sun loungers and umbrellas were heavily worn and need replacing (see attached photo). At the Relax pool, all the loungers were taken before 8am; the lifeguard likely reserves them with towels at the start of his shift so guests can "buy" them with a *baksheesh* (tip) - a practice mentioned in other reviews. It is truly outrageous. I visited the gym three times; it isn't signposted anywhere, as it is attached to the spa. Overall, it is a good size, and the equipment is generally high-quality. Unfortunately, some of it is worn or poorly maintained; the interlocking mat flooring, in particular, is very dirty and so badly laid that it ripples significantly (see photos). A real tripping hazard! A water dispenser is available, though unfortunately, you had to specifically ask for towels. Service levels in general were okay, but not great, and even a healthy tip did not help much. Something the hotel cannot be blamed for, but is worth mentioning: even in mid-Septembers temperatures can reach 38-39C, and the humidity in the evening is brutal. Sweat will drip off you even just sitting on the balcony. Overall, I cannot recommend Sataya even for the low prices you can find online. It needs a lot of investment and staff training (or disciplining), and it should focus on a more refined clientele."

"Our stay started with a very unpleasant surprise. The room was dirty, worn and clearly not properly cleaned. There were spots all over the mirrors, someone’s hair and fingernails in the bathtub, and the towels were filthy. There was even dirty water left all over the floor after the supposed cleaning. The toilet seat wouldn’t stay up either. We reported everything to reception. Someone was sent to the room, picked up the fingernails and gave the bathtub a few quick swipes with a cloth. That was it. We were not offered another room, despite having tipped the reception staff at the beginning of our stay. At that point, I decided not to let it ruin our holiday. We thought: we’re only going to sleep in the room anyway — let’s just enjoy the rest of the resort. Unfortunately, things didn’t get much better. The air conditioning was positioned directly above the bed and blew straight onto it. My wife spent practically the entire holiday fighting a cold because of it. We also had a very unpleasant experience with Ashraf from the Dive Club, who introduced himself as “Ash” and wasn’t wearing a name badge. He offered us a longer excursion for an additional $20 per person, specifically promising an extra stop for dolphin snorkeling. We agreed and paid the extra money. Once we were on the boat, it turned out to be the standard excursion. No additional dolphin snorkeling stop. Nothing. I understand that bargaining and negotiating prices are part of the experience in Egypt. That’s not the issue. This was not bargaining — it was simply misleading a customer. He clearly told us what we would get for the additional $20, and it wasn’t provided. This is not the kind of thing I expect from a hotel presenting itself as five-star. The service at the first bar next to Spago was another disappointment. During our three visits, the waiter never once asked whether we wanted anything. He cleared our glasses only once. And these weren’t long sessions — each time we simply had one non-alcoholic drink and a glass of water with lemon. When he finally took the glasses, he didn’t say anything and simply walked away. And before anyone assumes this was about tipping: it wasn’t. I always gave baksheesh when someone actually provided good service or went out of their way to help us. There was also an incident that was particularly concerning: sewage/sludge ended up flowing into the swimming pool. A large amount of dark yellow sludge came out from underneath one of the mats between the sun loungers and flowed directly towards the pool. The smell was absolutely awful. We left the area immediately. I don’t know exactly what caused it or what was happening with the filtration system, but seeing what appeared to be sewage entering a swimming pool is something I never expected to see at a five-star resort. And then came the worst part. I became seriously ill during our stay and arranged transportation to a hospital through my travel insurance. I was told that an ambulance would arrive within 30 minutes. I went to reception and asked if someone could help me get to the main gate. The receptionist told me to sit down and wait, and assured me that when the ambulance arrived, someone would come and take me to the gate. I waited. And waited. More than an hour passed. During that time, the hotel sent their doctor to me and offered medical assistance. I politely declined because my insurance company had already arranged everything and I was simply waiting for the ambulance. Eventually, I contacted the insurance company again. That’s when I found out something unbelievable: The ambulance had been waiting outside the main gate for approximately an hour, and the hotel staff had refused to let it enter. I was sitting inside the resort, sick and waiting for help, while the ambulance was apparently waiting outside the gate. How is this acceptable? When someone is ill and an ambulance has been called, the priority should be getting that person medical attention as quickly as possible — not making the process unnecessarily difficult. This was the moment when I completely lost confidence in the hotel. I genuinely don’t understand how a resort can call itself five-star while allowing situations like this to happen. The overall impression was that guests are primarily seen as a source of money, while basic standards of cleanliness, service and — most importantly — guest welfare come second. There were, however, some positives: * Most of the people selling excursions and other services were actually very friendly and pleasant. * The food was good. Breakfast was repetitive, but overall we enjoyed the meals. * The coral reef is beautiful. If you come here, definitely bring your own snorkeling equipment — it is absolutely worth it. * The resort is enormous. You’ll easily walk 16,000 steps a day without even trying. Final verdict There are some genuinely good things about this resort, especially the reef and the size of the property. But for me, they don’t outweigh the serious problems we experienced. Dirty rooms, poor service, a questionable excursion sales experience, sewage entering the pool and, most importantly, the ambulance situation are simply too much. I’ve stayed in many hotels, including five-star resorts, and this was nowhere near the standard I expect from a five-star property. Would I come back? Absolutely not. Five stars on paper. In reality, a very disappointing experience."