Steigenberger Resort Ras Soma

"BACKGROUND: My wife and I are in our mid 50s and have travelled extensively to Mexico over the years when we lived in Vancouver. We have enjoyed all inclusive resorts in Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, Manzanillo, Los Cabos and the Mayan Riviera. We enjoy our relaxing sun breaks. Now that we reside in the UK, we were looking for a resort that provides a nice beach, pool, food, amenities and combines this with sunshine. We had previously tried Premier Le Reve and we thought we would give the Steigenberger Ras Soma a try. LOCATION: The resort is located at Soma Bay. This worked for us as we drove here from Luxor. It is less than an hours drive from Hurghada Airport depending on what time of day you travel. ARRIVAL & FRONT DESK: We were warmly greeted by staff and seated in the lobby. There were also welcome drinks and cool, scented towels. Check-in was very efficient and friendly. Soon we were escorted to our room (Superior Queen Sea View). ROOM: We had a room on the top floor in building block A5 that was large, clean with minimal but beautiful decor and included some very nice amenities. Noise from outside hallway area and adjoining rooms was minimal. Given the tile flooring in the hallways, sound emanating from the odd footsteps and housekeeping trolley is present, but not intrusive. BEACH & POOL: There are plenty of places to relax. There is an abundance of places to enjoy the day. Indeed, like every other resort, seating close to the swim up bar is at a premium. This area is where the towel reservations were most prevalent. The beach is nice and expansive with a large selection of beach loungers, shade and wind barriers available. All pool staff were excellent, particularly Mohamed. Always willing to help out with fresh towels etc. Drink service was consistently good as well with various staff members. RESTAURANTS & BARS: There is a good choice of dining options available. We had breakfast and lunch at the main building buffet (Kahraman) which is easily the best resort buffet we have dined at. We found it to be well staffed with extremely pleasant and helpful people. We ate at all the a la carte dining options and weren't disappointed in any of them. We found the service and ambiance to be a very high standard. ENTERTAINMENT: We didn't take in any of the evening's entertainment so can't really comment. ACTIVITIES: There are plenty of activities to amuse yourself with. Various pool activities as well as a beach volleyball court, tennis courts, gym etc. Highly recommend the fitness stretching class. Great group activity with friendly instructors. FOOD: We found the food to be excellent overall. There is a superb selection of food in the buffet restaurant. High quality with a vast selection that will exceed most people's needs. We had no issues with the taste, quality or quantity of the food at the a la carte restaurants. SERVICE: The level of service we encountered was excellent. We did not experience any situations where the service level was not top notch. All staff members made a concerted attempt to say hello and help you if you required any assistance. The only area where this high standard of service dropped was the beach area. We found the service there to be lacking and perhaps in need of more staffing and accompanying attentiveness. STAFF: Some recognition for the staff members that stood out during our stay. (apologies to those we may have left out). Pool Staff - Mohamed Housekeeping - Mahmoud Aqua Bar - Mostafa Fitness Stretching - Heba Breakfast Buffet - Peter and Mohamed SPECIAL NOTE: Guest Relations Manager Luca deserves a special mention as I had communicated with her prior to our arrival. She was engaged, professional and very helpful in arranging certain things and answering any questions that I had as this visit was an anniversary surprise for my wife. Her assistant Laura was knowledgable and eager to help as well. SUGGESTIONS: These are simply suggestions, not criticism. - perhaps have coffee in a carafe at the breakfast buffet, there can be a significant wait for service or refills, especially at peak times. - separate shampoo and conditioner. In our experience, five star hotel/resorts do not utilise combined shampoo/conditioner - provide body lotion in the bathrooms - larger safe - more readily available change at the front counter for tipping CONCLUSION; This is a superb resort with high levels of service, food and amenities. Very enjoyable and we will return."

"We chose Steigenberger Ras Soma for a short family break, expecting a safe, comfortable, high-standard resort. Instead, the holiday was effectively ruined. After eating at the hotel restaurant, three of us developed severe stomach issues the same evening. Not mild discomfort, proper illness that continued after we flew home and required medical notes. We even spoke to another guest with identical symptoms. On top of that, one of the terrace chairs literally collapsed, sending a member of our group backwards onto a marble floor. Head injury. Dizziness. No proper medical attention or formal incident handling. That night none of us slept. We were either ill or worried. Throughout the stay, simple things were difficult, drinks not arriving, wrong orders, staff unavailable. When you’re paying for an all-inclusive resort, you shouldn’t have to chase basic service. The most disappointing part was how it was handled. We formally raised everything and felt dismissed rather than cared for. A holiday should make you feel safe and looked after. We felt neither. I wouldn’t risk it again, and I wouldn’t recommend it to friends or family."

"I enjoyed myself great food, great service would recommend for a nice quiet place to stay as they lack in entertainment "