We liked

Written: 13 november 2015
Travel time: 11 — 22 january 2015
Your rating of this hotel:
8.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms: 7.0
Service: 7.0
Cleanliness: 6.0
Food: 8.0
Amenities: 7.0
Departure from Sheremetyevo S. The terminal is not a large number of duty-free is not large, but everything is there. I advise you to walk around and then shop. Prices can vary considerably. Plus various promotions. In perfumery stores, after buying, you get a coupon for buying alcohol at a discount in a nearby store. We raised the shops located on the balcony of the second floor and saw prices for some types of alcohol 20 percent lower.
Departure by Nord Vin airline with a restored Boeing. There is a noticeable contrast between the replaced wall panels and the hanging drawers of the old worn electronics panels. The chairs have been replaced with new leather ones, but they are small both in width and between rows. The flight was delayed by 50 minutes. For about an hour we were rolled in the plane on taxiing passing other boards and snowplows. The blankets in flight were given out an hour after takeoff, when many with children began to freeze very much.
They flew to Egypt 8 times. The hotel is chosen each time different and in different bays, in terms of price-quality ratio. I love snorkeling and that's why I'm interested in exploring a new bay and new reefs

The hotel is the base for the tour operator and it also accommodates overnight crews of Transaero. When we checked in, we had 2 paid standard rooms. We decided for ourselves that we want to live the second building from the sea. Rooms with 1 large bed. At the reception, for our conditions, they asked for 50 euros per room. Bargained for 40 for both and a little revenge for our frugality? one room was received an hour after arrival, the other was waiting for 3 hours, and then we had to wait for cards for towels only in the evening, etc. Almost all buildings with sea views and balconies, any floor in all buildings 3.4, 5.6, 7 (a table is inside the room, but is pulled out onto the loggia along with chairs).
The only difference is that the 7th building is the closest to the sea and it is the lowest, and the 3rd and 4th buildings are the highest and closer to the pool and the restaurant, and 5th and 6th, respectively, between them. The view of the sea and the terraces is wonderful from all these buildings. There are several residential buildings on the territory of the hotel: the main building, which has two wings and it is possible to enter them from the street (to the central part - only through the reception), two lines of bungalows and the so-called Villa. In addition, there are three swimming pools and the building of a fish and oriental restaurant (one for two). Swimming pools: for children, for the smallest, large (there is where to roam! ) and small, in which aqua aerobics and water polo take place. You can swim from dawn to dusk. You can't wear clothes. The hotel is also a base for our former Transcaucasia. I have never met such a number of Georgians and Armenians anywhere in Egypt. Plus, they speak Russian. A huge minus is their mentality.
Loud guttural screams and conversations through 10 loungers without paying attention to anyone. Well, in the evening all the sofas at the reception are filled with their companies that climb with dirty feet on the sofas and play cards. Well, when they drink and start bawling their songs, you begin to remember with gratitude the noisy Italians. They are no match for Georgians. At least you could shout at them and they fell silent, and these bawl songs throughout the hotel despite the nearby foreigners holding their ears indicatively with their palms? By the way, a week in a hotel cost 66.000 rubles for them, with a transfer to ours with our ticket 64 for 13 days.
If you need a relaxing holiday with a good beach, and you do not expect 5* service from 4 *, then you are here. If you need silence and view - these are the lower buildings, those that are 5.6, 7 thousandth numbering.

If you don't care about the view, then you can use the first and second buildings, if you have a view of the pool, then you need to be prepared for the noise of animation and an amateur disco. In general, the hotel corresponds to 4, the border between 4 and 5 does not exist. In Egypt, there are quite a few “fives” inferior to “Grand Oasis”.
Pros:
1. Proximity to SOHO 550 meters. 2. Proximity to the sea and the absence of steep slopes to the sea. 3. A short pontoon and the presence of an entrance to the sea along the sand, but it will not work to swim to the reef. Only children can play in the water on a patch of 15 meters Coral reef without a strong current. 4. Large rooms are not in the main building. 5. WI-FI in the lobby and the rooms closest to it. You can chat in the morning. In the evening there are a lot of people in the hall and it is almost impossible to get out. In the morning at breakfast at 7.00 I found places in a restaurant closer to the hall and looked through the mail. 6. Russian channels on TV - 1.2, STS, 24PLANETA . . 7. Safe in the room is free. 8. Relatively quick response of staff, reception, hotel representative. nine.
Coffee machine in the main restaurant. And coffee in the lobby bar and on the beach. Cars to the restaurant 2, one is completely broken and gives out coffee as she wants and not on request. Whatever drink is chosen with the button, it pours the same10. There are additional restaurants - they cook for an amateur. Someone in the reviews scolded the eastern one, but we liked it there 11. Beautiful hotel, renovation, hall, very clean toilets, surprisingly the toilet on the beach was scrubbed to a shine all day. 12. The territory is green, in bushes and flowers. The highest praise to the gardeners. Very beautiful. On the territory of the nearby super hotel Four Seasons, the territory is not so beautiful. Every evening the territory is processed from mosquitoes.
Cons: 1. Instead of sand on the beach, pebbles and dust, it hurts to walk barefoot, only in shoes. 2. The sunbeds have been repaired but some are broken, most of the mattresses have been changed but some are shabby -. 3. . Food in the main restaurant is not consistently good.

Maybe raw fish in raw batter. Dishes that are cooked on the grill and on the balcony are almost always very peppered and you won’t give such meat to children! 4. There are few fruits. 5. . Hot rusty water flowed in the room, they explain that this is a feature of the hotel. The neighbors tried to change the building, but I realized that they have a similar one there.
Sleepy animators as in amateur camp. There are a couple of plastic and artistic ones, but the bulk of them can't do anything. The shows they conduct, except for a smile, cause nothing to regret. But I often come to this hotel for show programs that are held in other hotels in Egypt for money, for example, a snake show, a fakir show. Bocha on the beach is just laughter. 3 meters of sand. even a blind person will hit the ball into the ball. The team consists of 2 Egyptians, 1 Englishwoman, 1 Russian, 2 Ukrainians.
The Guest Relation employee will give you a ticket, which will indicate the room number, date and time of dinner, the number of people, and, in fact, the restaurant itself.
This voucher must be presented at the entrance to the restaurant. Restaurants: The main restaurant is located on the 2nd floor in the reception building. There are 3 more A la-cards. If you want to eat there, you need to sign up. In each you can go 1 time for free for the rest. Restaurants (Italian, oriental, fish). You can go there once for dinner. They are not large and the record is only for the day you want. It is not possible to book a week in advance. Considering that people come in companies, then one who comes to the queue will immediately write down the crowd and you may not get in. Designed for a small number of people, recording from 10 am. The main restaurant has friendly and nimble bartenders, but on condition that they are given 1-2 American rubles at least once a day. Then you get a table reservation, and drinks. Moreover, they notice you as soon as you enter and wave their hands from afar, inviting you to dine at the well-used table.

While you fill the plate with food for your arrival, there are drinks on the table that your company loves. Our waiter was A-LA-La (asked to call himself ALI), a lean, quick-witted man with the gestures of a courtly urkagan. From time to time we gave Alenka mini chocolates as gifts. They take it willingly. Especially Ali, he was going home for time off and showed his little daughter on the phone. The bars have a standard selection of drinks for Egypt. In almost any bar, I strongly suggest that you buy alcohol from them from under the floor and drag it to your room. As a bonus, they give a bottle of cola. Asking $10 for 1 liter. They give for 5 after the bargaining plus a stake. Alcohol in quantity is poured without limiting. An alternative to small glasses on the beach for beer were reusable plastic glasses 0.33 taken with them from Russia. In restaurants, I noticed that many people in search of food walk along the display case with trays and look under each lid.
The name of the dish is located much higher on the second shelf at eye level. But people do not notice him and look down. Does it make sense to rearrange the signs next to the vats of food? . Perhaps one of the tips for hotel managers. With a relatively large selection of meat dishes, it is difficult to find ketchup and sauces for it. In the end, you find it on the counter among fresh vegetables and salads and, because of a spoonful of ketchup, you either have to stand in a long line that is always in this window or squeeze through without a queue pushing the bodies of those standing behind cabbage and tomatoes. In general, the distinguishing feature of the restaurant and the biggest minus of the hotel is the QUEUE. You need to come to the restaurant for lunch and dinner either half an hour before opening and stand on the steps or come an hour later. Because at the opening they let some people in, as soon as the tables in the hall are full, they block the entrance.
The people remain in line for the stairs and they are launched as tables are vacated. In the restaurant, you can also find additional napkins and toothpicks. They are issued upon request by the waiters. Against the backdrop of many goodies and an abundance of products, controversial savings. Main restaurant. For breakfast they gave: two types of cereal with milk, three types of white, pink and green yogurts, melon, apple or pomegranate salad, dates, two types of beef and chicken sausages, mashed potatoes, rice milk porridge is edible with butter, milk vermicelli soup , something like a casserole, boiled eggs, ready-made salads, cabbage vegetables, cucumbers / tomatoes, chopped lemon, peppers, olives. Also coffee-tea, many types of bread, bread for toast with a toaster, sweet rolls, butter in portion packs, sliced ​ ​ hard cheese, processed cheese in triangles, feta cheese, sausage, halva.
In the salad area, in addition to the main dressings, there is sour cream with herbs, also as a dressing, and something like two types of salted cottage cheese For lunch: two types of soup, usually mashed soup and regular, salads and vegetables, a side dish of rice, fried potatoes vegetables in several variations. Chicken, fish, meat. Huge selection of desserts - cakes, pastries, soufflé s. Fruits of three kinds, tea-coffee, soft drinks. Macaroni, lasagna. For dinner: everyone is also grilling dishes on the balcony.

Oriental restaurant. The composition of the dishes is fixed. The first dish is a salad: tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, cabbage, a slice of lemon and drizzled with oil. The second course is soup. Tomatoes and lentils. The third is the main course. It includes: rice, stuffed peppers, grilled vegetables, kebab, grilled chicken. Fourth - melon salad dessert. Celebrated a birthday in the East. The table was decorated with balloons. We were allowed to bring our own bottle of Henessy and champagne.
At the end they took out the cake to the music, doused it with alcohol and set it on fire. The cake was then taken to the room but never tried. Somehow I didn’t want sweets, later I was thrown into the basket. (In other matters, we have been doing this for 3 years in a row : ). We don't get sweet. I love meat more.
Italian restaurant. On the first choice of salads or soups. Italian tomato soup is not very bad, for some reason you want tomato juice on vacation, but there is none. Looks like a spicy hot gazpacho. On the second choice of pasta or pizza. Whole pizza, quite big. Main course: meat or chicken with a side dish. For dessert, fruit salad or tiramisu.
Hotel staff. They smile and radiate cordiality. Our room cleaner every morning, who received 1 dollar for cleaning from afar, waved his hand and shouted pleasant words. And then one day we found out that he was trying to get into our suitcase. STEAL!!! ! ! Unfortunately, this can be found in all hotels in Egypt.
We close all valuables with a cheap combination padlock. 2 days before the departure of the cleaner for the weekend home (20 work 10 rest) On one of the days, having arrived at lunch from the beach, I discovered that they tried to loosen and open the castle body consisting of 2 riveted halves. Found cleaner was brought to the room. To the evidence presented and explanations that this is HARAM (sin) and promises to cut off his hands without any calls to the police. We heard requests not to stir up a scandal, otherwise he would be left without a job and assurances not to do this again, plus the next day to present a new serviceable castle. After that, he spent a short educational work holding his breasts with a cleaner propped up against the wall and slightly rumpled. He didn't make a fuss and kicked him out the door. Subsequently, the dollar for cleaning no longer left, but received a well-cleaned room with flowers and bouquets in bottles and glasses.

Then another room cleaner appeared with us and he continued to decorate our room with flowers, but a week later he was changed to the next one, and we met this one already cleaning the toilets at the reception. While waiting for dinner, we stood in the hall and discussed this fact. It so happened that our conversations were heard by the personnel manager standing next to us. He asked us why we are discussing the cleaner? In response, we asked what was wrong with this kid that he was demoted to a toilet cleaner? After all, he cleaned well with us, he was always friendly and polite. They explained to us that they have such a concept for personnel and they change everyone in a circle for different cleaning objects.
Beach. Those who wished to sunbathe on the sandy entrance to the sea, it is not large 10 by 3 meters. Further underfoot is dead coral. You can't go without special shoes. There was only one pontoon, but it was enough. The coral near the hotel is half dead. We went to this hotel for snorkeling.
We swam in the morning or towards the Four Seasons Resort and further to the Royal Savoy Hotel & Villas, the coral is much more beautiful and lively there. You need to be careful with the oncoming current, sailing through the capes at the junctions of the bays. The reef is better than the hotel if you swim to Sharks Bay Oasis. Behind it, in the area, there is a good sandbank for swimming with children, but there is a strong current from the propellers of yachts with divers that constantly come under loading. On this shallow, with pleasure, in shallow water, I photographed for the first time my met meter-long crocodile fish. You can swim further in 2 ways or quickly and very carefully swim in front of the bow of the yachts at a safe distance from them, so that the captain of the sailing vessel can see you in the direction of travel or in shallow water along the coast under the bridge for loading divers. The propellers of the ships are 20-30 meters away from you, but they constantly spin at idle and create a counter current along the coast.
On one of his early trips to the Island View Resort, when he was still from Sunrise in Sharks Bay, a family of 3 Napoleon fish met there in the morning. Which was regularly fed eggs in the morning and they sailed away towards Savoy. Now these fish have been found in the area of ​ ​ Royal Rojana. There they are almost constantly and appear there coming from Shark Bay. This conclusion was drawn from a characteristic mark - a chopped wound on a little Napoleon. A couple of years ago, it was half the size of its counterparts. Now he has almost caught up in size with adult relatives.

A cascading beach of 4-5 tiers allows all vacationers to sunbathe with a view of the sea, and not on the backs of those in front. On the beach, as elsewhere in Egypt, there are masseurs, tour guides, water rides. Went diving from the beach 40 minutes of diving with instructor Mahmud cost 30 US rubles. We swam towards the Four Seasons.
This is not my first swim, so the instructor, making sure of my little training, allowed me to swim on my own and not holding you by the scruff of my neck? . He took a picture of me with my camera underwater, showed me what poses and places for a photo session are best to do, it turned out well.
One of the advantages of the beach is the opportunity to have a bite to eat at lunch on the beach. A week later, I already stopped going to the main restaurant for lunch and stayed on the beach without fear of burning out. I had a bite of french fries and a kind of local shawarma with a cocktail. The toilet and shower are not very conveniently located on the beach. It is on the top tier and in the right corner. But the toilet cleaner works tirelessly, however, they change every 2 weeks. The beach is being cleaned. When we were repairing deck chairs, sweeping the roofs of shady canopies, but at the same time, they can easily walk past a lying plastic cup.
An ashtray on the beach can also be difficult to find, and with a cigarette butt you need to go to large jugs intended for garbage, and shake the ashes under your feet on the sand.
Pools. Excellent. Both heated and cold, which made for a wonderful choice of bathing spot after dinner.
We also went to Hollywood Park. Not completed yet. Entrance 5 bucks or 30 pounds for adults only, tickets can be exchanged for a drink in a can or ice cream. If you arrive before 20:00, you will enter for free. A taxi costs 5 bucks, but you need to bargain especially when going back. Since the taxi driver has to drive a large piece of the road in the opposite direction before turning to the hotel. You can take pictures with dinosaurs. The singing fountains are larger than those in Soho but had not been open for 4 days prior to our arrival. Well, all of the pluses. Shops are like market shops, goods on the street, barkers.
Excursions were bought through a local guide Adele.

Previously, for many years they used the services of Irina from Ukraine, well-known on the sites. But Adele's prices pleased. He arrived at the hotel, where we were in his car and clarified our wishes. Since we were in Sharm 6 times, we passed almost the entire excursion earlier. This time we were going to the monastery of St. Catherine, but we were dissuaded by Adele. The bush of the bush was closed with shields and reconstruction was underway, part of the monastery was closed. My wife and I decided to go again on ATVs. At the agreed time, a minibus arrived and brought us to the quadric base. Along the way, we met the driver. He turned out to be a big man, like me, and along the way we still managed to joke about our big bellies (bik kirsht in Arabic). And at the base, he introduced us as his friends. We drank tea and sat down on a couple of quadrics and to our joy it turned out that there were no more groups at that time. So we drove with three quadrics.
Convinced of our confident driving skills, the guide Amr who accompanied us stepped on the gas. We rode for an hour, stopped in a Bedouin village, drank hibiscus for a dollar a glass (last time tea was free). In the same place, having heard Russian speech, two horsemen from Vladikavkaz approached us, over whom we then laughed for a long time. They went abroad for the first time as two large families. But judging by the questions, the guys had enough money, but the school certificate was kind of bought. Having learned that we were in Egypt for the eighth time, we were asked -Is this really Africa? Is this true, Egypt? Are these fake Bedouins? How can you fly by plane to Cairo and Israel on an excursion with your families and is it possible to rent a plane? And finally - Why is a safari so cheap in Egypt and when will they finally be taken to that part of the safari where elephants, giraffes and lions walk around Africa? And when can you hunt them? They had to explain to them that they missed by a couple of thousand kilometers.
Then I realized that someone had seriously deceived them and they would turn his head away. Only not quite who is lucky or a guide at a hotel or a travel agency in Vladikavkaz. Here are such funny horsemen resting on the Red Sea.
During the trip, Amr took a lot of photos of us and showed us the best places for a photo shoot. In the shade of sals, I noticed a flock of migratory storks, about 50-70 storks. We turned around and drove up to them for a photo shoot. They let me down 5 meters. Subsequently received a 5 ye tip. In general, for 30 bucks for two, we got a lot of positive emotions.
Our next trip with the whole company was Israel. We all except 1 person were there before, we all liked the tour 5 years ago, and decided to refresh our memories. Adele's price was more than a good $60 per person. Last time 95 from Irina. I will not retell the tour, it is difficult due to long journeys and very informative at the same time.

Only after returning from it, you realize that you touched what was written in the Bible with your hands. I strongly advise you to re-read the Bible before this trip, at least an option for children for ease of reading. Although in the book everything is presented differently than through the eyes.
Of the minuses. There are many of them and I hope that this is not due to the low price of excursions, but simply their Arab gouging and Jewish greed. At 20.00 we were picked up from the hotel. The column consisted of 10 buses and crossed the border relatively faster than the first time, but 3 hours. They brought them to the Dead Sea at 6.30 in the morning, although on winter excursions they always bring them when they return home. We arrived at dusk, and we went to eat our lunch boxes in a cafe, and most of them went shopping in the store at the cafe with Dead Sea cosmetics. By 7.00 it dawned and I was the first to climb into the sea. It was +16 outside, a little warmer in the sea. But it was just on the feast of Epiphany and the bathing was successful.
5 people, including 2 women, decided to enter the water from 2 buses. I think if it was at 16 pm when it got warmer, there would be more people who wanted to. On the last trip, the guide to Israel, Boris, sat down with us at the Dead Sea and, 2 hours before Jerusalem, managed to tell the whole history of Christianity. This time, the Jewess Marina sat down at a gas station, on the outskirts, and the people, not morally and historically prepared, listened to all sorts of rubbish about appreciating sausage and cigarettes in Israel and how difficult it is for them to live. Our first visit was the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Jerusalem. The temple was partially cordoned off due to the fact that they were waiting for the Metropolitan of Armenia. Catholics around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25, Orthodox on January 7, and Armenians on January 18, and they do not intersect at their services in the temple. The temple tour was just a run.
I myself began to show my friend the floor frescoes and mosaics, and Marina stopped the group and was forced to draw the attention of the others to them. She got ready to leave, and I led my friends to the pillar of the temple, from which, according to legend, bees flew out and bit the invaders of the temple and did not allow it to be destroyed. And she was forced to stop and tell it to the others. At first, I attributed all this to the fact that it was necessary to vacate the temple as soon as possible so that those who met the metropolitan could enter the temple accompanied by him. But this all happened again after lunch in a cafe in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The temple showed and told only half of the central tier, the ascent to the tier Golgotha ​ ​ and the whole tour is over, we go to the exit. I honestly from such arrogance at first numb.

At one of the gas stations, I bought dead sea mud for beauty treatments. When buying 5 half-kilogram bags for $20 (as in mayonnaise packaging), 6 are given as a gift. In the store on the Dead Sea, where we had breakfast and swam, each package cost 5 bucks. The savings is obviously 10 bucks. with long torment, we quickly went through customs back in the evening and it turned out that the convoy left for 20 hours with a column without us. And you have to wait until 22:00. At 22 o'clock our guide came and said that we had only 2 buses and the police would not lead us, we had to wait for other groups that had been delayed in Israel. As a result, at 23.30 we already had 5 buses, including 2 Tezturov ones, but even then the convoy did not want to go, since not all groups had returned from Israel. We spent 3.30 on the bus at customs, but we could have watched the temples and the city all this time, if not for the greedy hurried Jewish guide. ? And only at 23.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original