Повернення в «Shoni Bay 4*» Return to "Shoni Bay 4*"

Hello, dear friends, like-minded people and travelers! I want to share my impressions of our 33rd holiday in Egypt. We stayed in Marsa Alam at the Shoni Bay 4* hotel for 5 nights, all inclusive. This is a repeat visit, my first visit to this hotel was last November, the hotel made a good impression and became one of my favorites.
We spent the first 2 nights in Marsa Alam at another hotel, which we then changed to "Shoni Bay 4*". The main reason for changing the hotel was disappointment in the home reef and some minor flaws. And there was no doubt about the beauty of the "Shoni Bay 4*" reef. Both hotels were in the same price category, only had to pay for a taxi. I will say in advance that the decision to change the hotel was the right one. Compared to last year, there were even changes for the better in "Shoni Bay 4*".
A very pleasant surprise awaited me at the hotel - my favorite and best reception staff, Abdelrahman and Mohammed. The meeting was very warm, like with old friends.

A compliment from the hotel awaited us in the room - a plate with fruit. Room on the third floor with a view of the beach and the sea. The room is two-room, large and clean, a large bed, 1 more small bed, a wardrobe with a mirror, a safe, a refrigerator (it froze very well, we even made ice), TV, air conditioner. The bathroom has a shower cabin. There is a small hairdryer. The equipment is not new, but everything works. 2 bottles of water were brought daily. If there is not enough water, you can either buy it or pour it from a cooler into a bottle in bars. There is only soap in the bathroom, take shampoos and cream with you, because everything is very expensive in the hotel shops. Light insulation and sound insulation were normal, you could sleep well. There is a comfortable balcony. There are 2 chairs, a table and a dryer on the balcony. Daily cleaning was good, thank you.
The territory of the hotel is small, compact, but very green and clean. The hotel is conditionally divided into an active zone and a rest zone. Both areas have pools and bars.
I will not tell you anything about the water in the pools, because the pools did not interest me.
The hotel has an atypical architecture for Egypt. The style of the main building is more reminiscent of European. The territory is very green and beautiful, the plants are taken care of.
Food. Last year, this was the biggest drawback of the hotel, but this year the situation has improved a bit. There are 2 restaurants in the hotel: one in the main building, one on the beach. The choice of dishes is small, but it is still more than last year. The dishes are well prepared, you will not be hungry. There was also fresh fruit. The restaurant has a medium hall and a terrace outside. Wine for lunch and dinner of normal quality.
There are three all-inclusive bars: there is a main bar on the second floor and 2 bars on the beach (in the active and "relax" zones). The bars have standard Egyptian soft and alcoholic drinks. The quality of drinks is normal, the service is good. I only drank beer (from Stella bottles) and gin and tonic.
It is a pity that wine is served only in restaurants during lunch or dinner. There is also a constant shortage of normal beer glasses (there are small plastic disposable ones).
Almost all staff are attentive and polite. Service is not intrusive and with a smile. I would especially like to note the attention and professionalism of the reception staff. Thank you!! !
Animation at the hotel is international, very active and fun. We really enjoyed their evening shows and contests. During the day, the animation team also actively entertains guests. I want to thank you that this year the music was not as loud as in November.

The beach is clean and large, there is enough space for everyone, there is no need to reserve. In the "relax" zone, the sunbeds are generally in one row. Towels are given on the beach in exchange for cards.
Loved Shawnee Bay last year. I was afraid that the underwater world might get worse over time, but the opposite happened.
The coral remained as alive and bright as last year. The specificity of this particular reef is that there are not many large fish, but there are thousands of small bright anthias, dascilas and chromis in each area. A lot of butterflies, parrots, groupers, arotrons, hailins, flutes. There are several "nemos". There were some big Aleuters posing for the camera. There were huge tunas. A large number of shoals of mackerel hunting is simply captivating. In one swim, many stingrays were seen on the coral and in the bay. Saw a giant moray eel. When evening begins, many large and beautiful lionfish appear. The sea is like a luxurious aquarium. Each patch of coral is unique. You can swim for hours, admire the boundless sea and it will not bore you.
On the second day of snorkeling, a huge pleasant surprise awaited us. A sea turtle appeared on the coral, we admired it for a long time, and then we met another one.
We saw these turtles (a boy and a girl) in different places every day. On our last day at the hotel, they swam to see us off together right out of the bay. I hope that these turtles are a couple, and the next time we visit the hotel, we will meet a large family of turtles.
In Shawnee Bay, the sea is calm, but there are often storms near the nearby hotels. When the waves weren't big, we swam south behind the Bliss Nada Beach Resort pontoon. The coral there is much worse than in Shawnee Bay. But there we met a gigantic barracuda.

I will sum up. The hotel has a few small, in my opinion, shortcomings: the buildings need renovation, the cuisine is not very diverse, it would be good if the bars had wine and normal glasses for beer. But its advantages overshadow all the disadvantages: first of all, it is an incredible sea. I recommend this hotel specifically for snorkeling and diving. The hotel again left a very positive impression. We would like to come back here again.
Have a nice rest everyone, there will be questions, write, I will answer!