Magic World Sharm

"We arrived at the hotel late in the evening but we were given a very warm welcome and lovely hisbiscous scented welcome drink. Before being taken to our room we were offered a choice of pillows, I asked for soft. We had a sea view apartment which was spacious and clean. Despite the late hour, we were shown where the beach was and the beach coffee bar which opened at 10am. There was a wide variety of food available at all meal times, there are several cooking stations offering breakfast omelettes, waffles, bacon & sausages, cooked fruit, porridge and similar. there was also a large selection of bread, pastries, cereals, fruits, meats, cheese and gluten free options. At lunch the cooking stations changed to BBQ, roast, pasta, kebabs, wraps - honestly the variety was vast. There is also a good range of fruit juice and fresh orange, and the coffee although from a coffee machine, its a great cup of coffee! The waiters are very attentive and as soon as you sit down they are normally there to take your drinks requests. The coffee shop is open from 3pm and serves great pastries with your afternoon coffee. Prosecco/sparking wine is available from the wunderbar from 6.30pm. the pool bars are manned by lovely friendly staff, Mina is a confident, cheeky, friendly and makes great coffee and was working the relax pool bar when we were there and as soon as he has your order you are told to sit/go back to your lounger and he brings the drinks to you. The resort only serves own brand spirits - if you want premium bring your duty free! we tried the activity pool on our first day which was busy but the chairs round the pool side do get taken quickly but there are plenty of loungers. the pool is a good temparature and although you can have pool toys we didnt find this an issue. the relax pool is an adults only area and the pool is a noticebly cooler but a lovely spot to sunbathe. the beach was a bit windy when we visited but all lounge areas have wind breaks/privacy screens. the beach wasnt too my liking, the sand is quite gritty and water shoes or advisable for a paddle in the sea as it is quite stony. the water is crystal clear and great for seeing different fish. a walk to the end of the jetty and you can do scuba diving to see the fish and coral. the three onsite restaurants are egyptian, italian and indian. we had an indian whilst there and the only dish we would say was a hot spice was one of the starters but the rest of the meal was by no way hot or spicy despite the waiter advising us otherwise. my limit is a korma but i could eat the rogan josh! a tip - i found the food a little bland but it was amazing the difference a little salt made. there was good evening entertaiment for the children and it was very busy during that time. we only watched the entertaiment on white night which is standard for TUI resorts. we had a fantastic week, all the resort staff were friendly, helpful and nothing was too much trouble. It was our first time to Egypt, and we couldnt have picked a better resort. we will definitely return next year. I would highly recommend this resort for families, couples or solo travellers - you will have a great time."

"I returned a little under two weeks ago from a 10 night stay at this hotel, with my daughter and grandson, age 10. The three of us go on holiday a couple of times a year, in the school holidays , leaving our husbands at home. We have been to Sharm hotels on three previous occasions, but we concluded that this has been the best and one we will return to. A long flight but a short coach journey of around 20 minutes - after sitting waiting in the coach for 20 minutes for no particular reason! Check in was swift and we were taken in a buggy to our room. We had booked a deluxe family room with pool view and balcony and it was excellent. Spacious and with a partition behind which, Grandson slept on a sofa bed. However we were a little surprised that there are no lifts. I am 76 with knee arthritis and COPD so it wasn’t ideal, but the rooms of this kind are not on the ground floor. I managed with my stick and to be honest the room and its location was worth the struggle. The mini bar is a nuisance as the fridge was filled with fizzy drinks, chocolates and nuts and such, none of which we wanted. there are cans on the shelf next to the fridge which are free, but again they were unwanted. Checking out, reception tried to charge us for chocolates from the mini bar, they accepted that these were purchases from the little shop on site and kept in the fridge when half eaten. Bottles of water are left in the fridge daily and we were never without. Our room was looked after by three different members of staff through our holiday so things slipped a bit at times: not enough towels left, beach towels not changed and though the info is that the sheets are changed every three days , we had to make the request after 5. None of these were an issue and amended as soon as we asked. Bathrobes were provided though we have never bothered with them. I requested slippers though and they were brought. The main buffet is second to none and I defy any one to complain about choice. Breakfast has every thing you could think of from the cereals, cold meat, cheese and salad sort. Oh and fresh fruit and honey on the comb. Pancakes, croissants, donuts etc, the “full English” type dishes and waffles and the continental hams, cheese and such. At lunch and dinner, one section of the buffet is devoted to food cooked to order and believe me there is a vast choice. We were able to easily book at Guest Services, the three A la Carte; the Green Curry, the Egyptian Levante and Italian Trattoria, all delicious. On Thursday evening it is White nights and party time. We were there for Valentine Day and the decor was wonderful, a lot of work was clearly involved make it lovely and we were each given a red rose, which we put in water and it lasted through the rest of our holiday. As I am not a strong swimmer I like to get in to a pool at the shallow end, so that was where we settled each day. The pools are all a bit deep for me these days, I get out of breath and like to touch the floor! The lifeguard was very helpful every morning in sorting our towels and he would shuffle the sun beds so we had shade. This was by the activity pool, which for the first few days was like getting into a warm bath, then someone had turned off the warm tap, but once in it was lovely. Always spotlessly clean. The only other pool we went to was the water park one, where grandson enjoyed the flutes. I joined my daughter for aerobics in the pool from 11:30 - 12 every day. Other activities, some for children took place in the pool next to this one at a different time. The animation team are so talented and make it fun. One of them, Fidel, joined us at lunch a couple of times and it was interesting to learn about his work. It is nice that a member of staff can ask to join your table. I used to enjoy snorkelling and on a previous holiday went on the boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park to snorkel. I have enjoyed it in Sharm previously, always off a jetty. I can no longer do it, but daughter and grandson enjoyed it, though some days they couldn’t as it was quite windy and the red flag was up. I walked to the end of the jetty and saw a number of colourful fish just looking over the edge. The water is crystal clear. The grounds are well kept and there are an abundance of sun beds on the beach with a bar and toilets there. We used a card at the ATM to get Egyptian notes. They came out in large denominations and it was a faff getting smaller. It charged us £5 for the £200 transaction. People were tipping in euro and sterling and we are asked a couple of times to change pound coins into notes. This happened in previous Egyptian hotels and the notes can easily be changed for them. On reflection we should have put notes in the ATM rather than a card! WE got a lift to the end of the drive with a buggy to look round the shops then walked back. intrsting to see. In sum, the staff are brilliant in all departments, smiling faces and anxious to give you a good holiday. We never return to the same hotel but with this one we will make an exception."

"Great complex, all needed amenities are present. Spacy public rooms, clean main resto and big variety of food. 3 a la carte restos to be reserved in advance are included in price. High quality sports possibilities-tennis, table tennis, beach volley, football. Group fitness and other training possibilities. Clean rooms. Only negative experience was check out procedure. Did 2 separate times check out with payment, hotel did not understood who has paid for minibar and who not. 10 rooms were asked out of bus to clear payment, but majority did completed payment earlier. Confusing and disturbing experience."