Your rating of this hotel:
7.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms:
9.0
Service:
9.0
Cleanliness:
10.0
Food:
7.0
Amenities:
7.0
My wife and I visited Egypt in 2010. Rested from 19 to 27 October 2010. Anex tour operator. Vouchers were taken in St. Petersburg. Before that, my family and I rested in Spain and the "experts" told me that after Spain we would not like anything. Like, we need to start with Turkey, then go to Egypt, then to Greece and only then to Spain. Ascending, so to speak.
After Spain, the trip to Egypt was really scary. After reading the negative on the Internet decided to go or not. But the weather here in Estonia was so nasty that we decided to go to the Red Sea despite all the horror stories.
Chose SOL Y MAR RIVA WORLD. Before leaving, he did not even begin to show his wife all the negativity that was written about this hotel. I decided, come what may. The sun will be, the sea will be, and the rest we will endure.
These notes are purely subjective, more even for myself, so as not to be forgotten.
In short, I really enjoyed my stay at this hotel. I'm not going to compare with anything.
But, in order.
Maybe my notes will be useful for those who are traveling for the first time. Experts may not read.
So, you have decided to go to Egypt, have chosen a hotel, bought a tour and you have a few days to prepare for the trip.
1. Look at your suitcase. Most likely you have a standard Chinese suitcase on wheels with a transport handle. Check all the nuts that hold the transport mechanism to the suitcase, or better yet, add additional locknuts. Cheerful Russian-Arab loaders treat suitcases so "carefully" that three nuts flew off. It was very inconvenient to carry this suitcase. (Remember about the suitcase without a handle) But I did not put additional locknuts, so it's my own fault. Your suitcase is most likely navy blue or black. We flew from St. Petersburg, at Sharm airport our suitcases were unloaded onto the transfer circle at the same time as the flight from Domodedovo.
And just imagine, there are 300 passengers from our flight, each one has a suitcase, plus the same number from Moscow. Many suitcases after wrapping, like testicles from an incubator, are similar to each other. The hustle and bustle begins. This can be easily avoided. Tie a red, yellow or whatever ribbon you like to the suitcase handle so that you can see your suitcase from afar. I did not tie, there is no one to be offended by.
2. Hotel. Met very warmly. We arrived early, at half past ten. Check-in at the hotel from 14:00. They immediately brought us juice, handcuffed us, and explained that we were already full participants in all activities, including meals and bathing. You can change clothes in the toilet and go about your business when they pick up a room and invite you. After 30 minutes we were invited and offered to put $ 15 in the passport for a room with a good view.
Given that it was more than 2 hours before the official check-in, without any doubt put the required amount in the passport and already at half past twelve our suitcases were empty in the closet, clothes hung on hangers, and we walked to the beach.
The room is very spacious, with a total area of .36 meters. A large room with two huge beds, TV, telephone, safe (programmable, free), refrigerator, 4 bottles of water on the bedside table (free of charge), air conditioning. Large bathroom, bath with shower, toilet, bidet, chic wash table with a magnifying shaving mirror. Cleanliness like in the operating room. Among the reviews, I came across a review that there are a lot of animals in the rooms. The first night (we slept with the window open) three local mosquitoes flew in, which I quickly destroyed and closed the window. I didn't see any more living creatures.
Separately about the air conditioner. It has three speeds. Set it to the lowest, and turn it off before going to bed.
ATTENTION: The hotel advertisement says that the room has high-speed Internet. There is no internet in the room. Free WiFi is available in the lobby, but it was possible to successfully connect only in the morning or afternoon. Difficult to connect in the evening. Didn't understand the reason.
3. Restaurant. Buffet. There are a lot of complaints about the food in the reviews. Dinner. On distribution, there is a standard beef, chicken, fish (cooked differently every day), a couple of times there were seafood (but this is not for everyone).
Side dishes: rice, pasta, potatoes, stewed vegetables, beans. French fries are available at the bar.
Salads: tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, cabbage, olives (I didn’t like the olives, they are very sharp), something else, I don’t remember.
Separate sweet table.
Here our tourists take a large plate and put everything on it. From the side it looks like Mount Everest on a plate. Today they will put everything in a row, tomorrow everything in a row, the day after tomorrow.
On the fourth day, it’s a no brainer that everything is boring and I want something new. Hence the dissatisfaction. Separately, it must be said about the sweet table and buns. This goodness is there in abundance. Our body is not accustomed to so many sweets and we must remember that there are a lot of cakes, but only one pancreas. Three days later we stopped taking these cakes. They are beautiful, tasty, it is better not to look in their direction.
For breakfast very good pancakes (baked at the bar) with honey and scrambled eggs. Local sausages (after Estonian) did not like. The cheese is delicious. Not much fruit, but it can be tolerated.
The bars (one in the lobby, two on the territory and one on the beach) have very friendly employees.
4. Excursions. We came to Egypt for a beach holiday (8 nights, 8 days), so we immediately decided that excursions should not tear us away from the beach. We took one excursion on a yacht in Ras Mohammed. Took the first day at Mido. His tent is on the right on the beach. Price $90 for two. All inclusive.
Delivery back and forth, rental of fins, masks (for those who don't have one), lunch, water, Pepsi. The guide was a swarthy, black-haired lad named Ali. He tended his wards like a hen chicks. The yacht was a diving one, the instructor for the divers was a broken Russian guy Dima, who explained to us that the most important thing is to remember the name of the ship so as not to be confused with another, since there will be several yachts. There were three swims. The coral reef in Ras Mohammed is a gem. It's impossible to describe. It needs to be seen.
If you choose this tour, take your seats on the upper deck, excellent view, awning over your head. Some yachts offer a service, a film about this excursion. This movie costs $25. We were not offered.
We chose the second excursion - meeting the dawn on Mount Moses and visiting the monastery of St. Catherine. Night tour. For us, it was a test of our strength.
Marina immediately said that this tour would be too difficult for the elderly and refused us. We bought it when two of ours went on a drinking binge, and this excursion was bought from them. I thought that there would be only a few like us, maybe dozens. I could not even imagine that more than 2 thousand people would gather to meet the dawn. A continuous line of rising people. The beauty that you will see in the height of a 2-kilometer mountain is worth it to climb up. It makes sense to test yourself. You need to stomp only 14-16 km (this is in both directions) and climb to a height of about 900 m. It makes sense to see how the Bedouins live, there are their dwellings along the path.
If you're planning this tour, keep the following in mind. Too many are afraid of the complexity of the ascent. During the ascent, you do not need to dress very warmly. I put on a warm shirt, a sleeveless jacket and a jacket, and my back was wet to the very heels.
It makes sense to take something light and warm with you (it’s cold upstairs before dawn) and be sure to have some kind of bedding so as not to sit on a cold stone. Although bedding and a blanket can be taken from the Bedouins. They are always there, offering camel service, a blanket, a mattress. We haven't used it so don't know the price.
In the monastery (the oldest monastery in the world) you can see a thorn bush from which God spoke to Moses, the well of Moses. You just need to take into account that besides you, all the other participants in the ascent will also go there. In the monastery you can buy a consecrated icon, light a candle for health, for peace, write a note.
On the way back, we were offered a tea and coffee set (1 kg of hibiscus, 1 kg of yellow tea, 1 kg of coffee for $38). It's cheaper than merchants. (PS. We haven't tried yellow tea yet). In addition, they brought us to the representative office of the plant of aromatic oils, where one could buy aromatic Egyptian oils.
On the market, 15 ml of oil costs $15. Here you can buy 6*100=600 ml for $150.
We also took a sightseeing tour of Sharm El Sheikh at night. I didn't like the tour, it was just a waste of money. It is given as a bonus to those who bought 2 excursions to historical places. We bought it separately, but I don’t see the point in even going on this tour for free, you’ll only lose time.
5. Beach. Not far from the coast, 30-40 meters, there is a small coral formation, around which a lot of beautiful fish are spinning (various angels, butterflies, some more. ) There was even one small moray eel, 40-50 centimeters long, which did not like my flipper. She bit into it with her teeth and began to rattle. It was quite interesting to watch, I watched, stepped back, and when I rested my back on the coral, I had to frighten the moray eel, which immediately disappeared somewhere. The hotel's beach is probably the only one among the nearest, where the depth allows you to swim.
I walked along the coast to the left. Opposite the Mirabell Hotel, on the edge of the reef, there is a sunken ship. It is visible from the shore. I decided to swim there. So it turned out that the depth there is 20-30 centimeters, it is impossible to swim, it is impossible to walk in fins, there are hedgehogs the size of a soccer ball all around. I swam into a solid hedgehog, barely got out of there. It is impossible to walk barefoot. Not without reason, on a nearby pontoon, they charge $ 5 per pass.
6. Shopping. From distant places it is customary to bring gifts to your loved ones. Not far from SOL Y MAR there is a shopping center opposite the Oriental Hotel. There is a bank, a bazaar, a grocery store, a bunch of different shops, local travel agencies. In order to get to the shopping center, you need to go out of the Beach building directly onto the road (15 meters), turn right, walk to the highway (2-3 minutes), turn left and after 8-10 minutes you will come to the shopping center. I do not advise you to buy immediately what you like. Come on, take a look.
The market is on the opposite side of the street. If you want to buy a leather bag, I can advise shop No 20 on the market, the owner of Mostafa. We bought a women's camel bag for $47 and a men's cowhide bag for $25 from him. I promised Mostafa to advertise his store in a review and I keep my promise. Nearby, on the left, is shop No 21, where you can successfully buy terry cotton towels and T-shirts with Egyptian designs. Owner Amir. His prices are cheaper than others. I also promised to tell him about his store on the Internet. If, on my advice, you go to these stores, say hello from Russian buyers from Estonia who were in Sharm in October 2010. They speak good Russian. Almost everyone there speaks good Russian.
I wrote these notes for myself, so as not to be forgotten. This year, 2011, we are going to Sharm again in October. The wife wanted to go again to Sol and Mar. But I wanted new experiences and we chose Royal Albatros Moderna.
And I decided to put my notes in the reviews, because I consider the comments that Sol and Mar are a bad hotel unfair. Relax and enjoy life.
After Spain, the trip to Egypt was really scary. After reading the negative on the Internet decided to go or not. But the weather here in Estonia was so nasty that we decided to go to the Red Sea despite all the horror stories.
Chose SOL Y MAR RIVA WORLD. Before leaving, he did not even begin to show his wife all the negativity that was written about this hotel. I decided, come what may. The sun will be, the sea will be, and the rest we will endure.
These notes are purely subjective, more even for myself, so as not to be forgotten.
In short, I really enjoyed my stay at this hotel. I'm not going to compare with anything.
But, in order.
Maybe my notes will be useful for those who are traveling for the first time. Experts may not read.
So, you have decided to go to Egypt, have chosen a hotel, bought a tour and you have a few days to prepare for the trip.
1. Look at your suitcase. Most likely you have a standard Chinese suitcase on wheels with a transport handle. Check all the nuts that hold the transport mechanism to the suitcase, or better yet, add additional locknuts. Cheerful Russian-Arab loaders treat suitcases so "carefully" that three nuts flew off. It was very inconvenient to carry this suitcase. (Remember about the suitcase without a handle) But I did not put additional locknuts, so it's my own fault. Your suitcase is most likely navy blue or black. We flew from St. Petersburg, at Sharm airport our suitcases were unloaded onto the transfer circle at the same time as the flight from Domodedovo.
And just imagine, there are 300 passengers from our flight, each one has a suitcase, plus the same number from Moscow. Many suitcases after wrapping, like testicles from an incubator, are similar to each other. The hustle and bustle begins. This can be easily avoided. Tie a red, yellow or whatever ribbon you like to the suitcase handle so that you can see your suitcase from afar. I did not tie, there is no one to be offended by.
2. Hotel. Met very warmly. We arrived early, at half past ten. Check-in at the hotel from 14:00. They immediately brought us juice, handcuffed us, and explained that we were already full participants in all activities, including meals and bathing. You can change clothes in the toilet and go about your business when they pick up a room and invite you. After 30 minutes we were invited and offered to put $ 15 in the passport for a room with a good view.
Given that it was more than 2 hours before the official check-in, without any doubt put the required amount in the passport and already at half past twelve our suitcases were empty in the closet, clothes hung on hangers, and we walked to the beach.
The room is very spacious, with a total area of .36 meters. A large room with two huge beds, TV, telephone, safe (programmable, free), refrigerator, 4 bottles of water on the bedside table (free of charge), air conditioning. Large bathroom, bath with shower, toilet, bidet, chic wash table with a magnifying shaving mirror. Cleanliness like in the operating room. Among the reviews, I came across a review that there are a lot of animals in the rooms. The first night (we slept with the window open) three local mosquitoes flew in, which I quickly destroyed and closed the window. I didn't see any more living creatures.
Separately about the air conditioner. It has three speeds. Set it to the lowest, and turn it off before going to bed.
ATTENTION: The hotel advertisement says that the room has high-speed Internet. There is no internet in the room. Free WiFi is available in the lobby, but it was possible to successfully connect only in the morning or afternoon. Difficult to connect in the evening. Didn't understand the reason.
3. Restaurant. Buffet. There are a lot of complaints about the food in the reviews. Dinner. On distribution, there is a standard beef, chicken, fish (cooked differently every day), a couple of times there were seafood (but this is not for everyone).
Side dishes: rice, pasta, potatoes, stewed vegetables, beans. French fries are available at the bar.
Salads: tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, cabbage, olives (I didn’t like the olives, they are very sharp), something else, I don’t remember.
Separate sweet table.
Here our tourists take a large plate and put everything on it. From the side it looks like Mount Everest on a plate. Today they will put everything in a row, tomorrow everything in a row, the day after tomorrow.
On the fourth day, it’s a no brainer that everything is boring and I want something new. Hence the dissatisfaction. Separately, it must be said about the sweet table and buns. This goodness is there in abundance. Our body is not accustomed to so many sweets and we must remember that there are a lot of cakes, but only one pancreas. Three days later we stopped taking these cakes. They are beautiful, tasty, it is better not to look in their direction.
For breakfast very good pancakes (baked at the bar) with honey and scrambled eggs. Local sausages (after Estonian) did not like. The cheese is delicious. Not much fruit, but it can be tolerated.
The bars (one in the lobby, two on the territory and one on the beach) have very friendly employees.
4. Excursions. We came to Egypt for a beach holiday (8 nights, 8 days), so we immediately decided that excursions should not tear us away from the beach. We took one excursion on a yacht in Ras Mohammed. Took the first day at Mido. His tent is on the right on the beach. Price $90 for two. All inclusive.
Delivery back and forth, rental of fins, masks (for those who don't have one), lunch, water, Pepsi. The guide was a swarthy, black-haired lad named Ali. He tended his wards like a hen chicks. The yacht was a diving one, the instructor for the divers was a broken Russian guy Dima, who explained to us that the most important thing is to remember the name of the ship so as not to be confused with another, since there will be several yachts. There were three swims. The coral reef in Ras Mohammed is a gem. It's impossible to describe. It needs to be seen.
If you choose this tour, take your seats on the upper deck, excellent view, awning over your head. Some yachts offer a service, a film about this excursion. This movie costs $25. We were not offered.
We chose the second excursion - meeting the dawn on Mount Moses and visiting the monastery of St. Catherine. Night tour. For us, it was a test of our strength.
Marina immediately said that this tour would be too difficult for the elderly and refused us. We bought it when two of ours went on a drinking binge, and this excursion was bought from them. I thought that there would be only a few like us, maybe dozens. I could not even imagine that more than 2 thousand people would gather to meet the dawn. A continuous line of rising people. The beauty that you will see in the height of a 2-kilometer mountain is worth it to climb up. It makes sense to test yourself. You need to stomp only 14-16 km (this is in both directions) and climb to a height of about 900 m. It makes sense to see how the Bedouins live, there are their dwellings along the path.
If you're planning this tour, keep the following in mind. Too many are afraid of the complexity of the ascent. During the ascent, you do not need to dress very warmly. I put on a warm shirt, a sleeveless jacket and a jacket, and my back was wet to the very heels.
It makes sense to take something light and warm with you (it’s cold upstairs before dawn) and be sure to have some kind of bedding so as not to sit on a cold stone. Although bedding and a blanket can be taken from the Bedouins. They are always there, offering camel service, a blanket, a mattress. We haven't used it so don't know the price.
In the monastery (the oldest monastery in the world) you can see a thorn bush from which God spoke to Moses, the well of Moses. You just need to take into account that besides you, all the other participants in the ascent will also go there. In the monastery you can buy a consecrated icon, light a candle for health, for peace, write a note.
On the way back, we were offered a tea and coffee set (1 kg of hibiscus, 1 kg of yellow tea, 1 kg of coffee for $38). It's cheaper than merchants. (PS. We haven't tried yellow tea yet). In addition, they brought us to the representative office of the plant of aromatic oils, where one could buy aromatic Egyptian oils.
On the market, 15 ml of oil costs $15. Here you can buy 6*100=600 ml for $150.
We also took a sightseeing tour of Sharm El Sheikh at night. I didn't like the tour, it was just a waste of money. It is given as a bonus to those who bought 2 excursions to historical places. We bought it separately, but I don’t see the point in even going on this tour for free, you’ll only lose time.
5. Beach. Not far from the coast, 30-40 meters, there is a small coral formation, around which a lot of beautiful fish are spinning (various angels, butterflies, some more. ) There was even one small moray eel, 40-50 centimeters long, which did not like my flipper. She bit into it with her teeth and began to rattle. It was quite interesting to watch, I watched, stepped back, and when I rested my back on the coral, I had to frighten the moray eel, which immediately disappeared somewhere. The hotel's beach is probably the only one among the nearest, where the depth allows you to swim.
I walked along the coast to the left. Opposite the Mirabell Hotel, on the edge of the reef, there is a sunken ship. It is visible from the shore. I decided to swim there. So it turned out that the depth there is 20-30 centimeters, it is impossible to swim, it is impossible to walk in fins, there are hedgehogs the size of a soccer ball all around. I swam into a solid hedgehog, barely got out of there. It is impossible to walk barefoot. Not without reason, on a nearby pontoon, they charge $ 5 per pass.
6. Shopping. From distant places it is customary to bring gifts to your loved ones. Not far from SOL Y MAR there is a shopping center opposite the Oriental Hotel. There is a bank, a bazaar, a grocery store, a bunch of different shops, local travel agencies. In order to get to the shopping center, you need to go out of the Beach building directly onto the road (15 meters), turn right, walk to the highway (2-3 minutes), turn left and after 8-10 minutes you will come to the shopping center. I do not advise you to buy immediately what you like. Come on, take a look.
The market is on the opposite side of the street. If you want to buy a leather bag, I can advise shop No 20 on the market, the owner of Mostafa. We bought a women's camel bag for $47 and a men's cowhide bag for $25 from him. I promised Mostafa to advertise his store in a review and I keep my promise. Nearby, on the left, is shop No 21, where you can successfully buy terry cotton towels and T-shirts with Egyptian designs. Owner Amir. His prices are cheaper than others. I also promised to tell him about his store on the Internet. If, on my advice, you go to these stores, say hello from Russian buyers from Estonia who were in Sharm in October 2010. They speak good Russian. Almost everyone there speaks good Russian.
I wrote these notes for myself, so as not to be forgotten. This year, 2011, we are going to Sharm again in October. The wife wanted to go again to Sol and Mar. But I wanted new experiences and we chose Royal Albatros Moderna.
And I decided to put my notes in the reviews, because I consider the comments that Sol and Mar are a bad hotel unfair. Relax and enjoy life.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THE HOTEL
- Don't waste your time and money!
- excellent hotel
- This is Zopa. Here.
- To all those interested
- 5 * will not pull at all.
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