"We’ve just returned from a stay at Charmillion Club Resort. Overall, we had a good holiday and there were lots of positives, particularly the staff, food and pool area, but unfortunately there were a few things that would stop us from returning.
The rooms
On arrival we were allocated a room in the 700s block. We mentioned quite quickly that the air conditioning didn’t seem particularly effective, but went out for dinner and hoped the room would cool down. Unfortunately, that first night was probably one of the worst nights’ sleep I’ve ever had on holiday. The room was absolutely boiling — it felt around 30 degrees — and the air conditioning just wasn’t doing its job.
There were also fairly large gaps underneath the door and we were bitten badly by mosquitoes during the night, despite being really careful with repellent whenever we went out in the evenings.
Then there are the light switches! This is honestly one of the strangest room designs I’ve ever come across. The main light switches are on the headboard, right where your pillows are, towards the middle of the bed. Every time one of us rolled over towards the middle during that first restless night, we managed to switch the lights on — and I mean FULL room lights! We must have woken ourselves up five or six times. Apparently all of the rooms are designed like this and I’m amazed it isn’t mentioned more in reviews because it’s genuinely bizarre.
Thankfully, reception moved us the following day to a room in the 400s block and the difference was huge. The air conditioning worked perfectly and it was lovely to come back to a properly cool room after a day in the sun. The rooms themselves are a little dated, but ours was very clean and comfortable.
We did later have a small issue when the air conditioning started leaking water. We called reception and within an hour someone had arrived, repaired it completely, cleaned everything up and left. Fantastic service and exactly how you want a hotel to deal with a problem.
The housekeeping staff were also brilliant — really friendly and helpful throughout our stay.
Pool and beach
The pool area was lovely and we never struggled for a sun lounger, either around the pool or on the beach.
A special mention has to go to the lifeguards around the pool. They were absolutely lovely — friendly, funny and genuinely interested in chatting to guests. We really enjoyed talking to them and learning a little more about their lives and culture. They helped create a really warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Food
Overall, we were really impressed with the food.
The main restaurant was good and we never struggled to find something to eat. Breakfast was probably the weakest meal for us. There were lots of lovely pastries and sweeter options, but my husband found the savoury/hot breakfast selection quite limited, so we often ended up skipping breakfast.
The rest of the food, however, was excellent. We particularly enjoyed the outdoor barbecue and some of the speciality evenings.
We also ate at both the Lebanese and Italian à la carte restaurants and thought they were brilliant. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was fantastic.
We were also invited to a VIP evening on the beach with food and entertainment, which was a really lovely experience and something a little bit special.
Entertainment
This was probably another weaker area for us. We didn’t find the animation team particularly engaging and some of the evening entertainment lacked atmosphere.
We watched a couple of the Arabian dancing shows, which were enjoyable enough, but they only lasted around 30–40 minutes and the evenings sometimes felt as though they ended just as they were getting started. A little more atmosphere and interaction would make a big difference.
Desert excursion
We booked a desert excursion through one of the representatives who came around the pool and really enjoyed it. It included quad biking, a show and stargazing.
We upgraded to the VIP experience, which included food, and strangely enough it turned out to be one of our favourite meals of the entire holiday! There was something really special about eating freshly cooked food outside, surrounded by the mountains in the desert. It was a brilliant evening and definitely something I’d recommend.
Snorkelling and house reef
This was probably our biggest disappointment because the house reef and snorkelling were one of the main reasons we chose the hotel.
The reef itself is absolutely beautiful and there are lots of fish, so the quality of the reef wasn’t the problem. The issue was the amount of space available to actually snorkel.
During our stay, the sea was generally too rough in the mornings for snorkelling. By the afternoon it would usually change to a yellow flag and everyone would then head into the water at the same time.
The section open for snorkelling felt very small for the number of people using it. I was constantly being kicked, touched or bumped into by other swimmers, which completely took away from the experience for me. I love snorkelling because it’s normally peaceful and relaxing, and unfortunately I just couldn’t relax here.
If you don’t mind busy snorkelling areas you may feel completely differently, because the reef itself really is beautiful. For me personally, though, it was disappointing considering it had been such a big factor in choosing this particular resort.
Overall
I’ve visited Sharm El Sheikh five or six times over the years, so I have a few other resorts to compare it with. Charmillion Club Resort certainly isn’t a bad hotel and we did have a good holiday. There are some genuinely excellent staff, good food, a lovely pool area and some great dining experiences.
The way reception dealt with our room problems was also excellent and deserves recognition.
However, between our awful first night, the incredibly strange positioning of the light switches and the crowded snorkelling area, it wouldn’t be somewhere we would choose to return to.
We left having enjoyed our holiday, but feeling that the resort was just “okay” compared with some of the other hotels we’ve stayed at in Sharm. With some updating, improvements to the rooms and a little more atmosphere around the entertainment, it could be so much better."
