Берегитесь турагентств-мошенников! Beware of scam travel agents!

The travel agency "Karia Tour" in Kyiv advertises 5 * high-quality hotels, sells vouchers to them a little cheaper, and on the spot WITHOUT WARNING AND CONSENT OF TOURISTS through "Anex Tour" populates in OTHER less expensive and high-quality hotels (who gets the difference in cost, and who kickbacks - it's easy to guess)! If you really value your time, nerves and money, run away from these agencies like fire!
We rested together with my husband at the Regency Plaza Resort, Sharm El Sheikh, November 15-29.2009, for the 2nd week we also used the services of the Grand Plaza Resort Sharm, so we had the opportunity to compare these two hotels.
We took a 2-week tour to the Grand Plaza Resort Sharm, All inclusive (in Kyiv at the Pilgrim travel agency, 18.500 UAH, i. e. , about 2.200 USD, hosted by Karia Tour). The hotel confirmed the room reservation. At the airport, Sharma met “Anex Tour” (“Karia Tour” was not at the airport, we and “Pilgrim” were not warned about the transfer of authority to another tour operator), demanded and took away all three vouchers (vouchers). Who does not know, one spine is given to the meeting tour operator at the airport, the second is for transfer, the third is at the hotel reception upon check-in. WITHOUT WARNING AND OUR AGREEMENT, we were brought and settled instead of "Grand Plaza Resort Sharm" in "Regency Plaza Resort". "Pilgrim" in Kyiv was informed, but could not really do anything. How was the situation explained? This is overbooking - tourists are accommodated in other hotels, if there are no places booked at the moment, allegedly this happens very often with tourists from different countries (then what's the point in choosing a vacation spot if no one will give you a guarantee that you will live exactly there?! ). A familiar German (he had a rest at the Grand Plaza, planned to book a tour here again in the spring) looked at our double bracelets for a long time, puzzled, and finally curiosity got the better of him and he tactfully asked what it meant. Explained. The answer was satisfactory, but, judging by the expression on his face, it ran counter to sound German logic. And you ask him carefully, - I asked my husband - but is he not afraid that this overbooking can also happen to him? . . I won’t even ask, this is basically impossible with foreigners, - my husband answered...

Why did this situation happen? There is a clause in the Agreement that says that the tour operator can change the hotel without warning without lowering its level. Indeed, officially "Regency Plaza Resort" is also a 5 * hotel for the simple reason that it is located on the 1st coastline. But, in all other respects, this is really a weak 4 *, and it costs less than the Grand Plaza Resort Sharm (compare the prices on the website of any travel agency). The scheme is as follows: we advertise more expensive decent hotels, we sell vouchers in them, and we settle in lower quality and cheaper ones. Thus we receive a certain difference in the price. In fact, there were a lot of such deceived tourists (we saw the list and personally talked).
“Anex Tour offered compensation:
1. Dinner at the Italian restaurant "Grand Plaza". We had dinner, after which, while searching for the toilet, security guards were detained and taken to the exit under guard.
2. Free excursion on a yacht to Tiran Island. Usually, your local tour operator strongly discourages taking excursions from other tour operators, citing the fact that in the event of an insured event, neither one nor the other will be held responsible for us. In fact, even if you are going on an excursion from your tour operator, who receives about 50% of the cost of the trip from you (an excursion on a yacht on Tiran Island from Anex Tour cost 50 USD, at the same time, a familiar guide offered us exactly -exactly the same for 26 USD), in case of problems with your health, YOUR tour operator ALSO is not responsible for anything, which our case very clearly demonstrated. On the yacht, the husband slipped on the wet floor of the lower deck, where there were no handrails and protective cover, and sustained a head injury. We asked for help - the guide from the yacht and the tour operator "Anex Tour" in the hotel Elena shifted responsibility to each other, mutually referring us to each other. Despite the fact that they immediately reported that the victim was not feeling well, measures for his timely delivery to a medical institution were not taken - the yacht made two more planned stops, then in the city the guide took our tourists from the yacht to shopping, and only after they returned us to at our request, they drove to the clinic, where my husband received the necessary medical care (we are very grateful to the medical insurance TASS and the doctors of the First Clinic in Old Sharm).

3. Bracelets of the Grand Plaza Hotel, providing access to the All inclusive system (access to the territory, use of the beach, meals, drinks). The bracelets were received only on November 21, respectively, they were able to use only the second week of rest. Twice, on their own initiative, they wanted to take them off: DAILY, the hotel administration, represented by managers and security guards, forbade using the services of the Grand Plaza - they were not allowed into the territory, at the reception, detained as violators, forbidden to use the services of the restaurant.
At the same time, there was a case when Anex Tour organized an excursion to Israel and Ukrainian tourists were not allowed to pass at the Israeli border (Russians were allowed to pass without problems). As a result, our tourists could not return their money from Anex Tour for a day (according to the tour operator, the records were lost).
Since the beach at Regency Plaza did not suit us at all (read below), we went to the beaches of Old Sharm every day by public transport.
So, we share our experience (positive and not so), for sure it will be useful to someone:
The first time was in Sharm 3 years ago. During this time, the Russians taught the service personnel very well the language, especially, unfortunately, jargon.
In the Nabq area (locally called Gar-Ana), where both hotels are located, the weather is, in principle, always more windy and the sea is stormy, while in Old Sharm, in the Hadaba area, there is no wind and the sea is an order of magnitude warmer and calmer + an abundance of fish and corals (find out in which area of ​ ​ Sharma the hotel is located, to which you will be offered vouchers).
Mobile communication: Vodafone SIM card - 3 c. u. + account replenishment.
A 15-20 minute walk from Regency is a supermarket “Metro” with fixed prices, but demand and recalculate the change (they give it silently, without wrangling, otherwise they will cheat).
There is a bank nearby, an exchange office without receipts at the rate of 100 USD = 500 Egyptian pounds (in Old Sharm they changed 100 USD = 544 pounds through an ATM - profitable and convenient).
If you are going to a hotel for two weeks, after a week you need to renew your room key card at the reception, otherwise the lock may be blocked.

Medical assistance (advice of our Kiev tour operator, tested by time and by us): the services of a doctor in a hotel are paid, they are compensated by checks at home, so it is better to organize a visit to a doctor in any city medical institution through your insurance. Thus, we received the necessary medical care and drugs without money and problems (do not forget the insurance policy and passport).
There is no special need to buy excursions to Naama Bay or Old Sharm in the Old Market (if it is not a night trip to some dance club), at any time convenient for you, it is elementary to go there on your own go together).
The official price of fixed-route taxis: Nabq-Old Sharm 3 pounds (from their own, and from the Europeans require 5 pounds or a dollar), Nabq-Naama Bay 2 pounds, Sharm 1 pound. With us, the driver demanded 50 pounds from each of the Polish tourists, i. e. 10 USD - paid. ALWAYS pay at the exit when you actually get to your destination. It is strongly recommended to give money without change, especially in taxis (always bargain, otherwise the prices will not add up; if the taxi driver does not agree, go to the next one, competition is your ally here).
The specific control of the tourist police (the result of past terrorist attacks), which consists in frequent checks of passengers. In fact, there were no complaints or problems. First of all, the goal of the police is the safety of tourists, that is, you.
In ,, Thousand and One Nights” (,, Leyla Valeila”) recommended the program on Tuesdays. Entrance ticket - 20 USD, with dinner 35 USD (belly dance 19.00-21.00, disco from 23.00 to morning).
Once on the beach, we involuntarily witnessed the acquaintance of a Russian-speaking woman and a local guy from the attendants, who literally in an hour or two passed on a sun lounger, well, very close (it was about sunset, the people slowly dispersed). Then you should not be surprised why sometimes we are not treated with due respect (the same can be said of our fellow citizens who drink alcohol immoderately on vacation). Unfortunately, on vacation in another country, a person often behaves in a way that he would never allow to behave at home. Do not forget about the basic rules of communication: a respectful and friendly attitude, a sincere smile and a few words of greeting in the local language will always help you win over a person and help resolve any situation.

On sea excursions, take your mask, snorkel, fins, it is more economical and hygiene, again, otherwise you will have to rent it.
There and back flew from the airline Wizzair, economy class. Places - free (where I had time, I sat there), economy lunch (tea + sandwich, + choice of Bonakva or nectar under the guise of juice), alcohol is prohibited on board (a very sensible ban - more than once we witnessed the inappropriate behavior of drunk Russian-speaking passengers on board, especially sorry for the female stewardesses). At the Sharma airport, I remember the announcer, or rather his voice: all the announcements were filled with such drama (whoever heard us will understand - Stanislavsky is resting). Especially when they called on a certain Mr. Zhdanov from Russia to come in for a landing (while his wife in the exit area on the runway was hysterical and screaming, horror, horror).
Regency:
1) the sea (for which we went) - shallow water, it’s really possible to go ankle-deep at least 500 m, constantly strong winds, the water is cold, ideal for kite surfing and paragliding, but not for swimming.
Corals and fish were not seen at all (their presence was one of the main requirements when choosing a hotel). There is no pontoon. For the sake of interest, we dived in turn from three neighboring pontoons of hotels on the right side of Regency, the result is the same. On the left side through a couple of hotels (in one of them the entrance to the pontoon is 5 euros, they say there are fish and corals, they didn’t check) - construction sites and Bedouins fishing with nets. The promised heated pool (highly desirable for hotels in this area of ​ ​ Sharma) was not there.
2) territory: construction near the entrance (nothing bothered anyone); planes flew infrequently and fairly high; lawn mowers - did not interfere;

3) the room is very similar to the room of a 3-star hotel in Turkey, where we rested 4 years ago (remember, Regency is a 5-star hotel), plus we had an adjacent door with a neighboring room - no soundproofing, respectively (and the first few days our neighbors were an Italian couple with a small child). According to the advertisement, Regency was built in 2006, but when decorating the rooms, they clearly saved on the quality of building materials and the qualifications of the finishers, respectively, three years later, by our arrival, the walls and plumbing in the bathroom did not look very good; bar (empty) and safe - free of charge; TV - found three Russian channels;
4) housekeeping (room service):
- upon check-in: the safe was broken (they waited for a day to be fixed, so they could not leave anything of value in the room, they took documents and money with them, including to the beach); until late in the evening they waited for towels to be brought (there were none) and a sign “clean the roomdo not disturb”;
- in the bathroom from the top floor, water was constantly leaking onto the floor - there is absolutely no need to worry, this is normal, - Hasan explained, called to answer. A couple of days before departure, it turned out that there were serious problems with drainage - early in the morning our part of the floor was flooded (puddles of water in the common corridor) and specifically the bathroom of our room (we do not know anything about the state of neighboring rooms);
- on the 2nd day, the lamp in the bathroom exploded (ie burned out), replaced promptly;
- Hassan regularly forgot to bring the required 2 bottles of water to the bar, gels, shampoos and towels to the bathroom (the tip was left ON THE FACT of the quality of the work done). Call the reception immediately - a quick and effective result without any tip;
5) food: there is not much variety, the food itself is tasteless (on the first day there were fried potatoes for dinner - really yesterday in terms of stiffness), dry pastries (buns from the same dough, just different shapes and with different powder, the same can be said about cakes ), fruit pieces (bananas, oranges, melon, guava, dates, a couple of times there was a pomegranate). The waiters are friendly, there were no problems (there is a questionnaire on the quality of service on the table, you can fill it out). System "all inclusive" from 10.00 to 24.00.
6) free of charge: table tennis, darts, gym, chess - did not use.

Walking along the footpath along the embankment is just as unsafe as walking along the Kiev-Boryspil highway: every minute vacationers on rented motorcycles and quads rush towards or beep in the back, drunk drivers and children under 10 flying at you at maximum speed evoke especially pleasant feelings. possible speed;
7) animation: on the first evening in the open amphitheatre, all plots are built on rude jokes with frank imitation of sexual acts, including homosexual ones (left after the second scene). Many viewers were with small children. They didn't go there anymore.
Near the entrance to the hotel is a pharmacy, the owner Ahmed gives really sound recommendations, but it is bargained badly...
On the right side of the embankment there is a jewelry store (the owner is Magdi). We talked, but they didn’t dare to buy anything - they weren’t sure about the quality of the metal.
Grand Plaza Resort:
1) it is windy on the beach, the water is cool, but not to the point of spasms, as in Regency Plaza; own pontoon with stairs; a really strong current, almost every day it was stormy - a red flag was hung out and the entrance to the pontoon was closed. There were always free sunbeds and guys ready to help arrange them according to your desire. If you like to swim and sunbathe early in the morning or go on a water excursion, it’s convenient not to hand over towels, just dry them on the balcony, because. They are issued only from 8 am. Biodiversity, of course, is greater here, but it is not even close to compare with the beaches of Old Sharm, Hadaba. To the left of the pontoon is a small lagoon for children, the elderly and non-swimmers; in calm weather, the sea is very transparent, fish swim. But it is uncomfortable to walk on dead corals.
2) territory: very large, green, clean. Airplanes fly quite often and low - they don’t interfere, they rather entertain (and not only children). You can clearly observe Pavlov's orienting reflex: “what is it? . . ” Near the fish restaurant (we dined several times - everything is fresh and tasty) there is a large pool 2.00 m deep with good heating, especially in the evening (you can swim until 17.30 - before sunset) but many children. Nearby is a jacuzzi with the same temperature for 5 euros.

3) room - seen only in the photo at the travel agency in Kyiv, when choosing a hotel
4) the food is tasty and varied, especially pastries. Complete self-service. Fruits: tangerines, oranges, bananas, persimmons, melons, dates, pomegranates - uncut fruits, you can take with you (if you are traveling with children, take a small juicer - fresh daily + sunshine - in winter it’s the most for children. Juices are Yuppies, but on afternoon snack you can have a good snack (dates, delicious cookies - in the bar near the heated pool).
5) animation is active, guys from Ukraine, Georgia, Italy. Very fun dancing 10 minutes at 12.00 after water polo. Every evening at 21.30 on the open stage, national dances, karaoke (performed alternately by Poles, Italians and Russians lasted exactly 10 minutes), etc.
6) masseurs are not intrusive, Natasha from the spa salon is quite a competent specialist, but the prices are really very high.
Both hotels have a lot of noisy large Italian families.
Conclusion: in the end, the quality of your vacation depends on you, keep a positive attitude, do not let external circumstances influence it.