"I honestly don’t know how this resort is classed as a 5-star hotel.
From the moment I walked through the doors of Xperience Kiroseiz Parkland, I knew this was not going to be the 5-star experience we had paid for. By the end of the holiday, I was genuinely counting down the hours until we could leave.
We travelled as a family with young children, expecting a comfortable, relaxing holiday. Instead, we experienced poor service, dirty and dated accommodation, a lack of basic facilities, chaotic dining, extremely frustrating rules over the smallest things, and — most seriously — our entire family suffered from stomach problems/food poisoning symptoms during the stay.
The swimming pool was probably the only part of the resort that I would describe as enjoyable.
Premier Side — What Is the Point of the Reception?
We stayed on the Premier side and had booked a Deluxe room, expecting something reasonably spacious and comfortable.
Unfortunately, the room was small, dirty and dated. The bathroom was particularly unpleasant, with mould and a horrible drain smell. This was not what I would expect from a 5-star resort, especially considering we had paid more for a Deluxe room.
The room itself looked tired and in need of refurbishment.
The housekeeping staff were actually some of the nicer people we encountered. They were friendly and willing to help when specifically asked. However, the standard of cleaning was still poor. Towels were sometimes dirty, surfaces weren’t properly cleaned and housekeeping often felt more like a quick tidy-up than a proper clean.
We also had issues with the bedding. Even when fresh sheets were provided, they were not always in great condition, with those annoying little bobbles/lumps of fabric all over the bedding.
And here’s another basic issue: there was no hand wash/soap in the bathroom.
No hand wash.
In a hotel.
With families and children.
I wasn’t even bothered about the lack of body lotion, but basic hand soap should surely be a given — especially in a resort where guests are eating from buffets and sharing facilities.
Getting Around the Premier Side Was a Nightmare
The lifts on the Premier side are ridiculously small.
We had a pushchair with us and could barely get it inside. With young children, this became a daily struggle.
There was also no proper step-free access, which made manoeuvring around the resort with a pushchair unnecessarily difficult.
Our room was also quite a distance from the main facilities, meaning we were constantly walking back and forwards.
And this was in August, in Egyptian heat.
With young children.
It quickly became exhausting.
The Premier Reception Was Basically Useless
One of the strangest things about this resort is having a reception on the Premier side that seemed unable to actually help with anything.
Whenever we asked for something, we were repeatedly told:
“You need to go to Parkland reception.”
So what exactly is the purpose of the Premier reception?
The staff there were often unhelpful and, on several occasions, gave us completely different information depending on who we asked.
Even something as simple as the gym opening times seemed to change depending on which member of staff you spoke to.
At one point I asked a member of staff to show me where the gym was. He simply refused to help. He didn’t offer to find somebody else or point me in the right direction — just refused.
That really summed up the attitude we experienced from some of the staff.
Premier Facilities Were Closed
We specifically stayed on the Premier side expecting to have access to the facilities advertised.
But the gym, kids’ club and wellness facilities on the Premier side were closed.
Everything was effectively at the Parkland side.
This meant walking around 10 minutes each way through the heat to use facilities — again, not ideal when you’re travelling with young children.
And even when we made the effort to walk over to the kids’ club, it was only open for a couple of hours a day.
For a family resort advertising itself as being suitable for families, this was incredibly disappointing.
The Food and Restaurant Experience
This was probably the biggest disappointment of the entire holiday.
My entire family became unwell with stomach problems during the stay, and I personally lost around three days of the holiday because I was too unwell to enjoy the food or activities.
I can’t say with certainty what caused the illness, but the hygiene and food-handling standards certainly did not give us much confidence.
The buffet restaurant was chaotic.
The waiters were generally okay, but there was very little organisation. You’d sit down and then have to hunt around for someone to bring cutlery and napkins.
I’ve stayed in much larger resorts where the dining operation was busy but still ran smoothly. Here, it was just chaotic.
And then there was the biggest problem:
There Was No Air Conditioning in the Restaurant
I genuinely cannot understand this.
It was around 40°C outside, and sitting inside the buffet restaurant without proper air conditioning was unbelievably uncomfortable.
It got to the point where I was actually put off going to eat because the experience was so unpleasant.
You are in Egypt.
In August.
Running a buffet restaurant.
How is there no proper air conditioning?
It was one of the most uncomfortable dining experiences I’ve ever had.
And the irony of the hotel being called Xperience wasn’t lost on me.
I certainly had an experience.
Just not the one I wanted.
Basic Food Items Were Constantly Missing
Breakfast was another frustration.
There were times when there was no milk and no cereal.
At lunch, chips/fries seemed to disappear almost immediately. I completely understand that popular items run out, but it became noticeable how often basic items were unavailable.
The food selection itself also didn’t feel anywhere near what I would expect from a 5-star resort.
The Ice Situation — Why Make Everything So Difficult?
This is where the whole holiday became frustrating.
It’s not necessarily the big things — it’s the constant little battles over absolutely everything.
It was around 40°C.
I’d ask for a cold drink and would be given something barely chilled with one tiny ice cube.
I’d politely ask for more ice.
One more cube.
I’d ask again if they could please top it up.
Instead of simply giving me some ice, the member of staff became rude and aggressive.
Why?
It’s ice.
It’s an all-inclusive resort.
Guests shouldn’t have to negotiate over ice in 40°C heat.
Beach — More Unnecessary Rules
We were at the beach with three families — around 10 people in total.
I asked if we could have 10 cups and suggested they simply give us a bottle of Coke so they wouldn’t have to keep carrying individual drinks back and forth.
They said no.
Again, it’s these completely unnecessary little things that made the resort so frustrating.
There was no common sense or flexibility.
Beach Towels
I tried to get a fresh beach towel because the one I’d been using was two days old and getting dirty.
I was told:
“No. You keep the same towel until the end of your holiday.”
I couldn’t believe it.
I explained that the towel was now dirty and asked for a fresh one.
Instead of simply replacing it, I ended up having an argument about it.
Why make something so simple so difficult?
Kids’ Club
The kids’ club was another disappointment.
Not only was the Premier kids’ club closed, but when we walked to the Parkland side, the kids’ club was only open for a limited number of hours.
And then there was the water.
We were all-inclusive guests.
We asked for water for the children and were made to feel as though we were asking for something unreasonable.
There seemed to be a constant emphasis on drinking from plastic cups rather than simply giving us a bottle.
Again — it’s these tiny things.
You’re on holiday.
You’re travelling with children.
Why create an argument over a bottle of water?
Even Getting Food for Our Children Became an Ordeal
This was probably one of the moments that really summed up the resort for me.
My two children are very young — 4 years old and 1 year old — and they were sleeping while lunch service was coming to an end.
I asked if I could take two small takeaway boxes back to the room so I could feed them when they woke up.
I was told I could only have one box.
I explained that I had two young children.
The boxes weren’t even particularly large.
Still, there was a whole discussion about it.
On another morning, my son wasn’t feeling well. Because the restaurant had no air conditioning, I didn’t want to take him into the restaurant just to get some cereal.
I asked if I could simply take a bowl of cereal back to the room for my children.
I was told no.
I explained that my children were young, one was unwell and I just wanted some cereal for them.
Still no.
Eventually, after speaking to a manager, I was finally “allowed” to take a bowl.
I had even bought my own milk.
All I needed was a bowl of cereal.
Why does a guest have to negotiate with management to feed their children breakfast?
Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi was also rubbish.
For a modern resort, the internet connection was extremely poor and unreliable.
The Pool — Probably the Only Positive
To be fair, the pool area was good.
The children enjoyed the pool and this was probably the one area of the resort where we could actually relax.
The pool itself was the highlight of the stay.
Unfortunately, one decent pool doesn’t make a 5-star resort.
Final Verdict
I don’t normally write reviews like this, and I don’t want to nit-pick every little thing that happened during our holiday.
But when you pay for a 5-star family resort, you expect a certain standard.
You expect:
* Clean rooms
* Basic hygiene
* Working facilities
* Air conditioning in the restaurant
* Helpful staff
* Reasonable customer service
* Family-friendly facilities
* Good food hygiene
* And, most importantly, for the hotel to make your holiday easier rather than harder.
Instead, it felt like every small request became a battle.
Need ice? Battle.
Need a clean towel? Battle.
Need hand soap? Difficult.
Need an extra key card? Difficult.
Need food for your children? Battle.
Need to use the kids’ facilities? Walk 10 minutes in 40°C heat because the Premier facilities are closed.
Need help from Premier reception? “Go to Parkland reception.”
Need to eat? Prepare to sweat because there’s no proper air conditioning.
And after all of that, our entire family became unwell during the holiday.
The worst part is that I genuinely didn’t want to spend the holiday complaining. I tried to just get on with things and enjoy the time with my family.
But eventually, it became impossible to ignore.
I have stayed in many hotels and resorts, including much larger properties, and I have never experienced this level of unnecessary hassle over such basic things.
The hotel markets itself as a 5-star resort.
In my opinion, it falls nowhere near that standard.
The only thing I was genuinely happy about on our final day was checking out and getting the wristbands off our hands.
I have never been so ready to go home from a holiday.
Would I return?
Absolutely not.
Would I recommend it?
No.
My rating: 1/5
Avoid this resort like the plague."
