Your rating of this hotel:
7.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms:
10.0
Service:
8.0
Cleanliness:
10.0
Food:
8.0
Amenities:
8.0
Rested with his wife from 3 to 14 March 2010.
Arrival and accommodation. We flew from Moscow to Taba by Orenburg Airlines from Domodedovo (flight at 9-00 Moscow time). It is much more convenient to arrive through Taba Airport and to Movenpick and Hilton. The terminal is small, all procedures were completed in 40 minutes (with one border guard and one friend who sold visas). Drive no more than an hour. After checking in, we managed to have lunch and swim in the sea a couple of times. So, don't feel sorry for the $150-200 overpayment for a tour with a flight to Taba.
We settled in quickly, without problems. They didn't give money.
Hotel and rooms. The hotel is new, the rooms are spacious. The view from all rooms is good: either the sea, or the river, or the mountains. Unless, from the second row of the bungalow, the view is not the best. There are no rooms without balconies or terraces. It doesn't make sense to overpay for a sea view, especially since it won't be as close as Nelson Village in the Hilton anyway. There is excellent air conditioning everywhere: in the rooms, in the restaurant, and in other places visited by the main building. The rooms have a clever energy saving system. Sometimes it is not enough just to insert a card into the appropriate pocket. If the air conditioner, hair dryer or something else does not work immediately, contact the reception or the cleaner - they will help (just in case, prepare $ 1).
In my opinion, the big drawback is that the toilets near the beach and near the bungalow (also not far from the beach) did not work (and, it seems, they will not work soon). Apparently, they suffered during the flood and have not yet been restored. For a five-star hotel, this is somehow undignified - it had to be restored in the first place.
The main language at the hotel is French (Swiss French, Canadian-Polish French, just French), so learn a couple of phrases in French (Bon Jour, Bon Soir, Bon Appetite, Sava), but English and even Russian are quite enough.
Room cleaning is good. Left on the dollar or 10 pounds. True, they did not make any swans - probably, it is not customary here.
Staff. The staff is satisfactory. Almost everyone more or less speaks Russian. There are nice guys bartenders, waiters, etc. , but there are not so good (it does not depend on the tip).
Restaurants and bars. There is only one restaurant operating in AI (main - in the main building). The restaurant is somewhat busy. They probably expected that some of the guests would dine in other restaurants, but it turned out that both the French and the Swiss and other guests prefer AI and all eat in the same restaurant. Waiters do not always have time to properly serve visitors, especially, say, to offer another drink, in addition to the lunch or dinner ordered at the beginning. Tables were not always set properly - quite often there was not enough dessert spoon or fork, not to mention tablecloths on the tables (at least for dinner) - only napkins. We are accustomed to a slightly higher level of service. There is only one normal bar (Pharaoh) - in the main building. Only there you can drink like a real espresso in a normal coffee cup, wine or brandy in a glass. In all other bars, everything is poured into small plastic cups (even beer). There are no snack bars. Bars by the beach, by the pool are open only until 17-00 (not even before sunset). Somehow annoying that alcoholic drinks (and beer too) are served after eleven (after 11). Again, for 5 stars somehow small.
Nutrition. Almost the same as everywhere else in Egypt. I do not support reviews that there was something stale. But not very varied. In general, it's okay. I must mention the confectionery shop of the restaurant. There was not only an apparent variety, but also a real quality. If they made a roll with nuts, then with almonds, hazelnuts, etc. , and not with some kind of peanuts. Somewhat embarrassed that ice cream was sold for money. Good ice cream and inexpensive (£.10) but could be included in the AI. It is better to take juices that are not in vats in a restaurant bar, then they will be poured from a bag or from a bottle. But that's not the case for breakfast.
Beach and pools. The beach at the hotel is wonderful - small pebbles with sand. You just need to carefully enter the water and you can do without safety shoes. But it is better to walk along the shore in slippers, etc. - quite large stones come across. Unfortunately, the central part of the beach (about half) was badly damaged by the flood and had not yet been restored during our vacation (although the restoration was coming to an end - they have probably already opened it). Therefore, the remaining pieces of the beach were quite crowded, but not much. If you want to have a normal place, a table and an ashtray on the beach, prepare $ 1, but you can do without it. In the right (western) part of the beach there are large stones where you can see the fish. On the left (east), the Hilton has a small reef (completely underwater), partly alive. You can also go snorkeling there. When we rested, there was practically no wind, which pleasantly surprised us (usually, at this time in Egypt it is quite windy). The pools are new, clean, the water changes often, so there is little bleach. Only all outdoor pools are not heated. Heated only indoor pool (water 30 degrees), but there is more bleach. The indoor pool is open until 20-00, which is very convenient when everything is already closed. The system for issuing beach towels is well organized: at each pool, and in both parts of the beach, and in the indoor pool separately - you don’t need to carry it back and forth with you.
Recovery after the January 18 flood. The river has already been restored and launched water. If someone cares about the fate of the ducks that lived in the river, then they are alive and well. In the evenings they hang out by the pool (photo attached). The restoration of the beach is being completed. No further marks are visible.
Shopping. For shopping, you need to go to the Hilton Hotel (free admission). There are also duty-free (so-so) and quite a few not very expensive shops. Only commodity is basically China.
Tours. We went to Israel for two days with Pegasus ($320 per person). A very rewarding and educational trip. We traveled all over the country from south to north and from north to south. Were at the Dead Sea (with swimming), in Nazareth (in the Temple of the Annunciation), on the Sea of Galilee, whoever wanted to, took a bath in the Jordan, in Bethlehem (Bethlehem) in the Palestinian territories (they spent the night there - the hotel is not super, but you can spend the night) , after visiting the Church of the Nativity, we went to Jerusalem (Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Wailing Wall, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin). An excellent guide from the Israeli side is Dina. On the way back we again stopped at the Dead Sea. I advise everyone to go for two days: otherwise you will not see the country - everything is desert and desert, and in the north it is completely different. If you want to go to Petra, it is better to take a separate excursion. On the return border crossing, you can buy goods in the Israeli Duty Free (quite diverse and cheap). I have no complaints about Pegasus, and we didn’t particularly address them. And the price of the trip is quite normal, given that not everything is smooth there between Egypt-Israel-Palestine and everyone wants to get their own. Regarding the “Sinai visa”, I can only say one thing: the Egyptians believe that the people vacationing in Taba use the Egyptian infrastructure (airport, roads, etc. ) exclusively for traveling to Israel (it will be much more expensive via Tel Aviv), therefore they consider it possible to impose an additional fee on travelers. We will assume that he goes to the development of local infrastructure and respect the rules of the owners, although someone may not like them. And yes, it's a small amount.
General impression. If someone is going to Israel or Jordan, then this hotel is quite suitable. We were not disappointed.
If you just swim, relax, it attracts mainly the price and solitude of this place. Although, in Egypt you can find no worse for the same price (in Marsa Alam, for example). The overall score is a solid four. Rest well.
Arrival and accommodation. We flew from Moscow to Taba by Orenburg Airlines from Domodedovo (flight at 9-00 Moscow time). It is much more convenient to arrive through Taba Airport and to Movenpick and Hilton. The terminal is small, all procedures were completed in 40 minutes (with one border guard and one friend who sold visas). Drive no more than an hour. After checking in, we managed to have lunch and swim in the sea a couple of times. So, don't feel sorry for the $150-200 overpayment for a tour with a flight to Taba.
We settled in quickly, without problems. They didn't give money.
Hotel and rooms. The hotel is new, the rooms are spacious. The view from all rooms is good: either the sea, or the river, or the mountains. Unless, from the second row of the bungalow, the view is not the best. There are no rooms without balconies or terraces. It doesn't make sense to overpay for a sea view, especially since it won't be as close as Nelson Village in the Hilton anyway. There is excellent air conditioning everywhere: in the rooms, in the restaurant, and in other places visited by the main building. The rooms have a clever energy saving system. Sometimes it is not enough just to insert a card into the appropriate pocket. If the air conditioner, hair dryer or something else does not work immediately, contact the reception or the cleaner - they will help (just in case, prepare $ 1).
In my opinion, the big drawback is that the toilets near the beach and near the bungalow (also not far from the beach) did not work (and, it seems, they will not work soon). Apparently, they suffered during the flood and have not yet been restored. For a five-star hotel, this is somehow undignified - it had to be restored in the first place.
The main language at the hotel is French (Swiss French, Canadian-Polish French, just French), so learn a couple of phrases in French (Bon Jour, Bon Soir, Bon Appetite, Sava), but English and even Russian are quite enough.
Room cleaning is good. Left on the dollar or 10 pounds. True, they did not make any swans - probably, it is not customary here.
Staff. The staff is satisfactory. Almost everyone more or less speaks Russian. There are nice guys bartenders, waiters, etc. , but there are not so good (it does not depend on the tip).
Restaurants and bars. There is only one restaurant operating in AI (main - in the main building). The restaurant is somewhat busy. They probably expected that some of the guests would dine in other restaurants, but it turned out that both the French and the Swiss and other guests prefer AI and all eat in the same restaurant. Waiters do not always have time to properly serve visitors, especially, say, to offer another drink, in addition to the lunch or dinner ordered at the beginning. Tables were not always set properly - quite often there was not enough dessert spoon or fork, not to mention tablecloths on the tables (at least for dinner) - only napkins. We are accustomed to a slightly higher level of service. There is only one normal bar (Pharaoh) - in the main building. Only there you can drink like a real espresso in a normal coffee cup, wine or brandy in a glass. In all other bars, everything is poured into small plastic cups (even beer). There are no snack bars. Bars by the beach, by the pool are open only until 17-00 (not even before sunset). Somehow annoying that alcoholic drinks (and beer too) are served after eleven (after 11). Again, for 5 stars somehow small.
Nutrition. Almost the same as everywhere else in Egypt. I do not support reviews that there was something stale. But not very varied. In general, it's okay. I must mention the confectionery shop of the restaurant. There was not only an apparent variety, but also a real quality. If they made a roll with nuts, then with almonds, hazelnuts, etc. , and not with some kind of peanuts. Somewhat embarrassed that ice cream was sold for money. Good ice cream and inexpensive (£.10) but could be included in the AI. It is better to take juices that are not in vats in a restaurant bar, then they will be poured from a bag or from a bottle. But that's not the case for breakfast.
Beach and pools. The beach at the hotel is wonderful - small pebbles with sand. You just need to carefully enter the water and you can do without safety shoes. But it is better to walk along the shore in slippers, etc. - quite large stones come across. Unfortunately, the central part of the beach (about half) was badly damaged by the flood and had not yet been restored during our vacation (although the restoration was coming to an end - they have probably already opened it). Therefore, the remaining pieces of the beach were quite crowded, but not much. If you want to have a normal place, a table and an ashtray on the beach, prepare $ 1, but you can do without it. In the right (western) part of the beach there are large stones where you can see the fish. On the left (east), the Hilton has a small reef (completely underwater), partly alive. You can also go snorkeling there. When we rested, there was practically no wind, which pleasantly surprised us (usually, at this time in Egypt it is quite windy). The pools are new, clean, the water changes often, so there is little bleach. Only all outdoor pools are not heated. Heated only indoor pool (water 30 degrees), but there is more bleach. The indoor pool is open until 20-00, which is very convenient when everything is already closed. The system for issuing beach towels is well organized: at each pool, and in both parts of the beach, and in the indoor pool separately - you don’t need to carry it back and forth with you.
Recovery after the January 18 flood. The river has already been restored and launched water. If someone cares about the fate of the ducks that lived in the river, then they are alive and well. In the evenings they hang out by the pool (photo attached). The restoration of the beach is being completed. No further marks are visible.
Shopping. For shopping, you need to go to the Hilton Hotel (free admission). There are also duty-free (so-so) and quite a few not very expensive shops. Only commodity is basically China.
Tours. We went to Israel for two days with Pegasus ($320 per person). A very rewarding and educational trip. We traveled all over the country from south to north and from north to south. Were at the Dead Sea (with swimming), in Nazareth (in the Temple of the Annunciation), on the Sea of Galilee, whoever wanted to, took a bath in the Jordan, in Bethlehem (Bethlehem) in the Palestinian territories (they spent the night there - the hotel is not super, but you can spend the night) , after visiting the Church of the Nativity, we went to Jerusalem (Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Wailing Wall, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin). An excellent guide from the Israeli side is Dina. On the way back we again stopped at the Dead Sea. I advise everyone to go for two days: otherwise you will not see the country - everything is desert and desert, and in the north it is completely different. If you want to go to Petra, it is better to take a separate excursion. On the return border crossing, you can buy goods in the Israeli Duty Free (quite diverse and cheap). I have no complaints about Pegasus, and we didn’t particularly address them. And the price of the trip is quite normal, given that not everything is smooth there between Egypt-Israel-Palestine and everyone wants to get their own. Regarding the “Sinai visa”, I can only say one thing: the Egyptians believe that the people vacationing in Taba use the Egyptian infrastructure (airport, roads, etc. ) exclusively for traveling to Israel (it will be much more expensive via Tel Aviv), therefore they consider it possible to impose an additional fee on travelers. We will assume that he goes to the development of local infrastructure and respect the rules of the owners, although someone may not like them. And yes, it's a small amount.
General impression. If someone is going to Israel or Jordan, then this hotel is quite suitable. We were not disappointed.
If you just swim, relax, it attracts mainly the price and solitude of this place. Although, in Egypt you can find no worse for the same price (in Marsa Alam, for example). The overall score is a solid four. Rest well.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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