"Some good ,some bad,
We were half way through our stay when my initial review prompted quick changes here so credit where credit due.
We stayed in v clean but dated rooms (4000s) that are noisy for just a couple of hours in the evening from the bar at night until 11pm.After that it’s quiet & they are good for the main hub being close so it worked for us.
Sadly, only 1 pool is heated by kids play area & the rest are genuinely freezing at this time of year so are completely empty. Why only 1 out of 10 pools is beyond understanding as lifeguards stand doing nothing & if an adult pool with bar were heated we’d have loved that.
We didn’t appreciate the pneumatic drilling going on all day on a couple of days either & can only assume this was from their aqua park section which was only part opened with big pipes dug out - disappointing!
Forget going to the beach! No fish to see over completely dead coral- & as this was why we came to Sharm were gutted. It’s portrayed as a special resort for this, yet apart from a very few parrot fish there’s nothing to see. People are packed in like sardines on the tiny beach for a huge resort, even in January that meant zero personal space.
The jetty is a makeshift floating thing rather than wooden, that’s difficult to walk on & even harder to use to get in/out of the sea via. Sea swimming area is a rather small cordoned-off area. Kids were allowed to play on the end of the jetty as it bounces up & down like an inflatable castle with the waves, making this harder to navigate, rather than told by the lifeguard to move on for everyones safety.
Guests are mainly Italians, then Russians & a few other Slovak accents but virtually no Brits here. As others have said, the manners of the Russians are often lacking. They will barge in front of you with a huge sense of entitlement over other guests & staff alike. Basic courtesies are clearly are not in their vocabulary & they can be very loud to boot.
The food is ok but very very repetitive in the general restaurants & there’s little information to explain other facilities available other than minimum through the tv & thats basic. No Netflix or apps on TV & only 2-3 English spoken channels.
The staff however are generally smiley & friendly. A small tip will have some bending over backwards to help even more, whilst others give 100% for nothing more than a smile & being treated kindly.
A young waiter Mohamed, working 1 half of the outside section of main restaurant was amazing & we missed him greatly when he disappeared a day before we left. Then there was the delightful Ali. He was the lifeguard giving fresh towels daily at the pool, with such humility & friendliness we looked forward to seeing him every day. Nothing was too much trouble as he moved beds for us the minute he saw what we were doing & never failed to smile & make us feel welcome, at ease & like he was there to make our stay a better one. These 2 people, quite frankly made our holiday, though most were lovely.
The exception was a receptionist who was surly & downright rude whenever we had contact- including on arrival. No "welcome to Reef Oasis", a smile or anything. He looked angry & radiated anger (which I learned is the opposite of these gentle people), barked mono-syllabic responses at us. He didn't explain what he was doing but kept answering his mobile phone angrily. He demanded for “wrists” to put bands on us but didn’t utter one word as to what they were for. Tired & in pain from a long journey It put us on the back-foot from the out-set wary of what we’d booked.
Sadly he was the same the next day, if not worse so couldn’t put it down to him having a bad day. We didn't know who to complain to at the start & were reluctant for further consequences, wanting to just try to enjoy a desperately needed holiday, but we eventually got to talk to both the resort manager & reception manager on the last day.
This receptionist had been unpleasant on check-out to: his manner one of treating us no better than dirt on the bottom of his shoe, so I brought it up to the resort manager when he asked about our stay. They were incredibly apologetic, (wishing we’d complained at the start of our holiday) & eager to resolve this even though we were leaving. Thankfully the grumpy receptionist was there to be able to point him out & we were assured that he would be removed immediately as it was not good for the guests or hotel.The reception manager was genuinely annoyed we’d had such an experience, especially from someone who gives guests their first impression of the hotel. The manager even offered to give me his personal mobile number so should we return, he’d greet us personally next time & make sure we were treated as they obviously expected us to be. He couldn’t do more so if you have issues, don’t be too British & say nothing but bring it to their attention.
The other positives are the immaculate gardens & cleanliness of everywhere. Rooms are kept spotless & they even seemed to fumigate the restaurant once it was closed.
We did see an amazing show of a South American troop & they have a good band that play every night in the main bar, although music started to get repetitive by the end of the week & could do with alternating with another one perhaps but evening entertainment is ok. There may’ve been other entertainment elsewhere but we didn’t know what or where sadly.
Local beer, spirits etc are all included & it's better than expected although it got with generous measures although it got confusing over which side they wanted to serve from & for what. Put a sign up guys!
Generally, there are a lack of signs on everything, that would make exploring & getting the most from at which time the resort so much better.
Initially there was no drink service at the 1 heated pool as we’d expected so if you wanted a drink you had to walk to a bar, which took about 10minutes to get back with it but again this was resolved the minute it was highlighted to the management.
To their credit, they are very keen to make guests happy & resolve issues if you tell them.
We started the holiday disappointed & as we were expecting 4-5star with amazing coral reef for snorkelling on-site, a plethora of pools to swim in (rather than only 1 that was actually usable) & great food etc so were gutted.
This was my 1st sun/relaxation holiday in approx. 18years & my partner had experienced true 4 star in Sharm at other hotels & had told me how amazing it would be.
However, if you lower your expectations, as we did, & accept it for what it really is, with 90% of the staff working incredibly hard, eager to please you could still have a good holiday. We had a good time in the end & there really are lots of positives but it they want us to return, they need to change the things that they could.
My Recommendations for them:
Heat at least 1 other pool, perhaps 1 with the oasis bar for adults, to free the family pool for a different type of guest. Not 1 person was in, or around, these cold pools.
Complete repairs like those needed around family pool with broken rim tiles & railings. The garden area our balcony faced should’ve had a water feature, but it was sadly empty.
Alternate the band or have them play a different style on different nights.
Install a proper jetty & lifeguards need to move kids along who treat it like a bouncy inflatable( - fun for them but uncomfortable for everyone else).
Put notices up to explain services & events that make guests uncomfortable at the start. Even at the restaurant- do we get food then find a table or vice versa. Not all staff speak enough English to be able to ask them, even though they try.
Which restaurants are free & where are they.
Can you just stop the shuttle bus to the beach or do you get on at set points.
All this may seem obvious but it’s overwhelming & confusing when you first arrive.
Lastly, PLEASE stop using so many single use plastics. From tiny ice-cream spoons in the restaurant rather than metal teaspoons, to the bad fencing on the beach tied together with bits of blue plastic. Then all the plastic cups, straws & polystyrene plates used for outside; please change these to paper for the sake of the environment, including your own coral.
Ultimately, had a good holiday, mainly due to just a couple of outstanding staff & the positives mentioned but sadly we won’t be back unless things get improved radically."
