You can hardly hear the noise and smell from the highway when the door to the terrace is closed, you can turn off the air conditioner, it’s not hot at night, but you can’t sit on the terrace, because it smells of sewage water, which is poured over the bushes, and gasoline from the highway.
Only one half of the hotel was open, the other half was opened a few days later. The water in the pools is cold and not heated. The square in front of the hotel is undergoing renovations, cutting tiles, noise and dust. The lobby always smells of paint and the internet speed is not enough even for text messages. In the room above the bed hangs a dust collector (canopy), which is unlikely to ever be washed.
On the beach, at first they used a small bar (on the right), but after a few days it stopped serving the guests of this hotel, and they had to go to a far bar in the center of the beach. There are not enough utensils, so it happens that in one hand they give only one drink. But for money they offer to buy a drink in a can or a bottle.
The beach is sandy, deep, the entrance is good, there is animation, but there are not enough sunbeds, although there are a lot of them, many people put beach towels on the sand. There are many yachts behind the beach, the smell of fuel often comes from them.
The main restaurant "Marrakech" is too small in size, so queues usually line up outside, it's very cold inside (air conditioning), there are usually no free tables outside. The tables are always dirty, they just do not have time to wash. Each hand is given one fork, one knife and one napkin. If there is not enough, you need to run after the waiters and ask, but it often happens that the forks are over and you have to wait until they are washed and brought. The same goes for plates, mugs and spoons. If you come to the beginning of the opening of the restaurant, then you still have time to eat from clean dishes, and a little later it is already divorced and in some way, often wet.
There are so few dishes that they are given out by the piece as they are released after other guests, one plate per hand. The toilet closest to the restaurant is always very dirty and smelly. In restaurants with a menu, the food is the same as in the buffet, but with rituals and expectation. Everywhere, before pouring or bringing something, paid services are first offered, very intrusively (parties, dinners, cocktails, juices, spas, etc. ).
The food is standard, every day there is pangasius, chicken, on Saturday they give crucian carp or squid in batter, there is beef, lamb and turkey, but they dose out (one piece in one hand), from side dishes potatoes, pasta, fresh and boiled vegetables, salads, soft cheeses, olives. There is never enough tea, the bags run out quickly. Drinks are ordered from the waiters, it is better to give a tip right away, otherwise he will forget the order, because one waiter serves 10 tables. Sometimes you have to ask repeatedly and then wait 20 minutes.
At breakfast, pancakes run out at the first hour, then they are no longer brought, there are long queues for eggs and the eternal battle for mugs.
The most adequate place is Island Bar. There you can eat and drink, usually there is more free. Ice cream and pancakes are prepared at the Tutti Frutti bar from 15:00 to 17:00, waffles are paid, ice cream runs out quickly, or their refrigerator just breaks, and they say that there is no ice cream today.
The strangest thing is jamming electronic locks. People stand in the corridors and conjure over the door, because it opens about the fourth time, if you're lucky. Cleaners with their key open the first time. They are usually on shift all day, but they mostly hang out in the corridors and communicate, they don’t clean every melon, they forget to leave shampoos, they don’t bring water, but they wait for guests to come to beg for tips.
And then they wanted to buy from a hotel guide, and they have such a price tag two, three times more expensive. In principle, we liked the hotel, it's worth the money, the food is delicious (especially the Marrakech restaurant), cheerful animation, polite staff, so I think if you stay here, you won't regret it! Have a good holiday everyone!
The room we got was great, big. Although the furniture is old, the TV is equipped with a kinescope, the remote does not work. But it doesn't matter to us, we took a laptop with us. In general everything is good. Who will be the first time in Egypt, and was earlier in Turkey, then do not compare. The level of rooms in Turkey is higher. Set yourself up for it right now. The boy did not ask for money for the room. When we settled, we thanked him ourselves.
As we found out later, this hotel has been operating on the All inclusive basis for only a few years. So basically it's just in the name. The hotel is on line 2. The beach is next door. The Grand Hotel Hurghada 4*. There is only 1 bar on the beach and only a small selection of drinks for free (in glasses of 150 g). For vacationers of a 4 * hotel on the beach, the bar and food are free, there is a fish cafe on the beach, which has a good barbecue fish menu. For us it is impossible, although the level of the hotel is supposedly higher. A la Carte restaurants by appointment, drinks for money and you definitely need to buy them, otherwise you won’t get into the restaurant. In the main The restaurant has a small selection of food. I would like something more varied. Of course, you don’t need much food, but that’s why we go to hotels of such a level to treat ourselves to a great variety. I describe all this in detail, because I compare it with the Sierra Savoy group Sharm (5 *) hotel, where we rested in July 2016. He is also on line 2, located on Soho. There were 4 ala carte restaurants where everything was free, food and drinks on the beach are free. The food in the main restaurant was varied. As a gift, we were given spa treatments, massages, an ice rink or tennis, a movie in the cinema. Of course, I don't know how it is now.
Let's go back to The Grand Resort. Mostly Germans have a rest, so the Egyptians want us to pay for everything, since the Germans have such an opportunity. Almost none of the staff speaks Russian (German and English). Asking and understanding something is problematic. The tour operator's guide did not explain anything, practically, about the All inclusive system. We have been walking for 2 days and do not really understand what we are supposed to do for free. We are waiting for some Galina, who should be tomorrow.
About excursions. Lots of reviews of excursions from the street. We never took the risk of ordering them. But compared to 2016, Join Up has reduced the cost of them. They are not 2 times more expensive than on the street, but only 50%.
Wi-Fi in the lobby works well (at least for now, but I don’t know how it will be in the future). The staff is neutral. Again, so far. We did not notice any rudeness or special greeting. Today they left $ 1 for the cleaner in the room, but did not change the bed, did not make any swans from the towels, but took away one large towel and did not return it. We told his colleague, but we still don’t know whether he brought it or not. There is enough water in the room, drinks in the refrigerator are paid, the safe is free.
I would like to say separately about the chipped glasses both in the restaurant and in the bars.
The beach is wonderful, clean. Sand. Good for those with kids. The water is clean and warm. There are many boats nearby, although we were looking for a hotel without this, but our agent did not tell us. Slides for children are closed, they say for renovation. The sunbeds are very old, wooden, the paint is peeling off. The air temperature is very comfortable. Compared to Sharm, it's cooler. For those who doubt whether to go to Egypt in the summer, I want to say that I am more comfortable in Egypt in the summer than in Turkey (the humidity is less, it is easier to endure the heat). Of course, there are no coral or fish, as in Sharm. You can only see them on a tour.
20.07. 2018
The hotel is old and has been around for a long time. Located on the second line. Food is good, lots of grills. Due to the small number of tourists, something is closed (restaurant).
There is a disco. Shows are going on.
In general, the hotel is conveniently located in relation to the city and the airport. Everything is close to what I needed. Not a city, but nearby.
All standard rooms face the opposite side, a busy street.
The rooms are small but cozy, the lighting is poor, there were problems with the lack of hygiene items, cleaning, a broken door to the balcony and plumbing.
The food is good, but monotonous, spices are added to all dishes.
The entrance to the sea and the beach are wonderful, only sometimes it smelled of diesel fuel and nearby parked boats. On the beach, the shower smelled very unpleasant, the smell of sewage was adjacent to the cafes.
At the reception there are quite competent employees, unfortunately, they do not speak Russian, but the issues were resolved promptly.
There is practically no entertainment in the hotel, only a good daily evening animation program.
disappointment from the discrepancy between the declared reality. The sensation of "scoop" and mossy lump in the throat stood for several more weeks upon arrival from vacation.