"We arrived at the hotel in the early hours of the morning, and the staff were lovely and welcoming. The only downside on arrival was that there was no help with our luggage or getting to our room, which would have been appreciated after travelling with a family and arriving so late.
We were all tired and hungry, and there was a sandwich left in the fridge for us, which was a nice touch. Unfortunately, my husband is allergic to tomatoes, so he couldn’t eat it. We found throughout the holiday that tomatoes seemed to be included in a lot of the food, which made things a little more difficult for him.
My husband and I are both regular gym-goers, so we really appreciated the hotel opening the gym early for us, as I’m used to training at 5am back home. However, the air conditioning in the gym definitely needs sorting. It was absolutely boiling in there, and I could only manage around 30–40 minutes before getting far too hot. By the end of every workout, I was a sweaty mess! 😂 With the temperatures outside, proper air conditioning in the gym would make such a difference.
The pool area was lovely, but you definitely needed to be up early to get a sunbed. This didn’t bother us too much as our children are 9 and 10, so we didn’t need to be right at the front of the pool, but it’s something to be aware of if having a poolside spot is important to you.
The hotel itself is absolutely spotless. There were cleaners everywhere you looked, and they were all so friendly. The cleanliness of the hotel was definitely one of its strongest points.
Onto the food and drinks. The drinks were a little hit and miss and could be very strong! We found the best drinks were by the pool, as I would just ask for mine not to be too strong. The staff there were always really friendly, and the iced lattes by the pool were lovely. It would have been nice to have some food available there too, though. You had to either go to the snack bar which wasn't nowhere near the pool which the food was lovely quite samey samey but didn't mind as I just had salad and chicken. Again tomatoes in everything even in garnish.
The main restaurant was extremely busy at this time of year. The staff were lovely, but it could be difficult to find a table, and we found the food became quite repetitive after a few days.
We much preferred the downstairs restaurant in the evenings. It was far more relaxing, less crowded and had calm music playing, which made for a much nicer atmosphere. The staff were incredibly efficient sometimes maybe a little too efficient, as I’d be asked if I’d finished my plate before I’d even taken my last mouthful! 🙈 They were always polite and attentive, though, and would come over to take our drink orders. One thing I definitely wouldn’t recommend is the rosé wine, as unfortunately we thought it tasted like vinegar!
The entertainment setup was probably the biggest let-down for both me and my husband. It wasn’t that the entertainment itself was bad when the shows were on at the amphitheatre, the kids and I really enjoyed them. The problem was the seating and facilities. Unless you arrived really early, you could end up sitting on the floor. There were no tables, the chairs were uncomfortable, and there wasn’t anywhere nearby to easily grab a drink. You could go back to the Blue Café, but it was around a five-minute walk away.
This was probably the part that disappointed us most. Although the kids loved the shows, it’s our holiday too, and while they’re enjoying the entertainment, it would be lovely for us to be able to sit comfortably at a table and enjoy a drink while watching.
The tribute acts at the Blue Café were really good, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching them. The setup there was also better because you could get a table, providing you arrived early enough.
We weren’t overly impressed with one of the bar staff at the Blue Café either. We were a family of five, including my mother-in-law, and he wouldn’t allow me to order four drinks at once, yet we then saw another guest order more without a problem. Unfortunately, I can’t remember his name, but it did feel a little inconsistent.
Finally, the beach really wasn’t for us. It is a pebble beach, which we knew beforehand, but these weren’t just small pebbles. There were also huge rocks in the sea that made getting in and out really uncomfortable. Obviously, this is nothing the hotel can control, but it’s worth mentioning for anyone who loves spending time at the beach. I’m normally a huge beach person, but I didn’t enjoy it here because of how uncomfortable it was.
Overall, the hotel itself is beautiful, spotlessly clean, and the majority of the staff were friendly, polite and hardworking. There were lots of positives, but a few things could definitely be improved particularly the air conditioning in the gym, the entertainment seating and facilities, and the busy restaurant setup during peak season.
Would we return? Unfortunately, probably not. For us personally, we didn’t feel the overall experience offered the value for money we were expecting. We’ve stayed at other hotels in Egypt and Turkey where we’ve felt the overall standard, facilities and experience were better for what we paid. We still enjoyed our holiday and made some lovely memories as a family, but for the price and our previous experiences elsewhere, we would choose to try somewhere different next time."
