Хороший отель с небольшими недостатками Good hotel with a few flaws

Hello, dear friends, like-minded people and travelers!
Let me share my impressions of our 13th holiday in Egypt, I will try to be objective.
Choosing a hotel: the decisive factors are price / quality and the presence of a good house reef. The choice fell on "ROYAL GRAND SHARM 5*".
Settlement: they did not settle for a long time, they did not ask for money, they promised a very good room, so we had to wait.

Room: The room exceeded our wildest expectations. 2nd floor with a wonderful view of the pool and the sea. The balcony is simply incredible in size with two chairs and a table. The room is decorated with taste, normal furniture, good repair. There are 2 closets and a large comfortable bed, mirrors, a safe, armchairs and a table, an empty mini-bar. The bathroom is good, everything is in working order. The bathroom was regularly replenished with shampoo and shower gel. There is no balm for hair and body, there is no shower cap either. Bathrobe and slippers for regular guests only. The cleaners did their best, cleaned with high quality, towels and linen were changed, masterpieces of towels and bedspreads pleased regularly. The absence of some small things did not spoil the impression of the room at all.
Hotel and grounds: This is the oldest hotel we have stayed in. But this has its advantages: in new hotels, the territory is “bald”. And in ROYAL GRAND SHARM 5 * there are huge mature palm trees, old trees and branchy shrubs. The territory is very green, blooming and well-groomed.
Food: in my opinion, this is the only significant disadvantage of the hotel. Savings were very felt, but not only in this matter. I will try to describe objectively.
Breakfasts are standard. Eggs of all kinds, cheeses, oatmeal, vegetables, fruits, potatoes, pastries, delicious homemade yogurt that resembles cream.
At lunch and dinner in the main restaurant, they were pleased with an unlimited amount of strawberries, physalis and peaches. Everything else was not only poor, but also not tasty. Soups are either almost all water or very saturated with starch. Side dishes are the same all the time. There are very few protein products. I understand that meat is very expensive during the crisis, but there was also very little fish, poultry and liver. Salads just upset: cold fried potatoes in the form of salad and pasta, in my opinion, did not arouse anyone's appetite. They ate mostly only pasta with vegetable sauce, potatoes, chopped vegetables and herbs, sometimes they came across a piece of fish, cutlet or chicken. Delicious Margherita pizza. Once there was a shawarma with chicken, in which there was a skin. The impression of the restaurant was brightened up only by the good work of the waiters.
There is a fast food restaurant by the pool, however the food in it was tastier than the main restaurant. A wonderful sous-chef and cooks work there, I want to thank them again. The menu consisted of french fries, beautifully served salads (such as "Greek") margarita pizza and something "a little meaty" (panini, burger, fish or squid in batter). Fast food helped us a lot, although at home we avoid such high-calorie foods. The waiters here are the best.

Bars: 1 lobby bar, 1 pool bar (aka fast food restaurant), 1 beach bar. There is a coffee machine in the lobby bar. The all-inclusive system is valid from 10-00 to 24-00 at the lobby bar and from 10-00 to 18-00 in other bars. Bottled water in all bars. Large selection of local alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. I liked the bottled beer that they open in front of you. The bartenders are great, service is fast, first come first served, polite.
Service: the staff was very pleased. All employees are very attentive and friendly, everyone sincerely smiles at you and cheers you up, they show respect and attention to guests. Tipping is not asked for, but if you give, they will be happy. I would like to praise and thank absolutely everyone: cleaners, gardeners, workers, waiters, bartenders, chefs, receptionists for the wonderful service and of course the top management for organizing the quality work of the staff. On the beach for the first time I saw how the sunbeds are washed, it's great. Special thanks to the whole team at the pool bar. I would also like to say thanks to the guest service: the girls help absolutely in all matters, they are very friendly and competent.
Animation: I have not seen such cheerful and active animators for a very long time. The girls and the chief animator are just great: fun and not intrusive during the day, water aerobics, darts, bocha, gymnastics, yoga are held, various contests and shows are organized in the evenings. Live music every day, thanks to the wonderful and energetic Ira from Nikolaev! Once they brought a group performing Latin American dances. This is a great show!! ! I have never seen such craftsmanship.
Beach: the hotel is located on the first line from the sea, there are enough sunbeds, the beach is clean, there are trash cans and ashtrays. There is a bar. Entrance to the sea is not a long floating pontoon. Volleyball, bocha and darts are played on the beach.

Sea: the hotel is located in the bay of Ras Um Sid in the south of Sharm el-Sheikh. The bay is considered one of the most beautiful for snorkeling. We made long swims both north and south of the hotel. The corals are quite beautiful, especially to the north of the hotel. However, after the beauty of Marsa Alam, we had little living creatures. From the interesting things we saw: flocks of butterflies, orgomic jacks, a large painted aluter, surgeons, rhinos, a titanium triggerfish, a giant moray eel (more than 3 meters), arotrons and hedgehogs, sweet lips, grunts, flutes, perches, colored groupers. There were rumors that manta rays lived in the bay. In fact, this is not a manta, but rather a large eagle stingray, we swam with it for a long time and were able to properly examine it.
Specificity: I really liked the attitude towards regular guests. Already at the second visit to the hotel, they give a gold bracelet that allows you to enjoy certain privileges: a bathrobe and slippers, fruits in the room, etc. On the fifth visit to the hotel, the guest plants his own name tree with a number plate, on the tenth visit, it seems, the guest is assigned a certain room chosen by him for life. And many more bonuses. The hotel is interested in the fact that its guests constantly return to the hotel. Very good!
Leisure: the hotel is located in the old district of Hadaba. A lot of interesting things are within walking distance:
1. We went shopping street Il Mercato (100 meters from the hotel). There are many cafes and shops, there are practically no tourists.
2. We walked (about 3 km) and rested on the paid famous El Fanara beach. We swam along the El Fanara reef. Liked.
3. Near El Fanara beach we visited the Monument to the Victims of the Boeing-737 Plane Crash. A very deep impression.
4. We went by minibus to the Church of All Saints - one of the most beautiful Christian churches in the world. I would never have thought that in a Muslim country this is possible.
5. Were at the old market - about 3 km from the hotel.
6. Were in the restaurants Fares, Farsha and Fisherman. I especially liked the last one.
7. Tried to watch the show "1001 nights", very long and boring beginning. It was a pity to waste time, we went to the hotel, where it is much more fun.
I will write in detail about each attraction in the corresponding section. They dreamed of getting to the Mount of Moses, they abandoned this idea, because. 6 nights is too little to realize all our plans.
General impression of the hotel: a beautiful green hotel with a chic territory, an interesting advantageous location, impeccable service and quality entertainment. There is such a minus as poor food, but this did not overshadow the rest. Thank you for the great time "ROYAL GRAND SHARM 5*"!

Have a good rest, if you have any questions, write, I will answer!