1) We drove in late at night around 10:00 pm, since charters to the resorts had not yet been opened for the Russians, so we drove from Cairo for 10 hours through a bunch of checkpoints ...(Do not believe the guides and tour operators, the road is exhausting and long, no one explained why and how long we will stand)
At night at the reception it became clear that nothing particularly good awaits us. An employee with a sour face reluctantly gave us the keys, quickly explained some of the rules, put a printout with the necessary information and we sat down to wait to be escorted to the room. At first I thought that the boy was just tired in the evening, but later it turned out that the reception at this hotel was basically tired, like the rooms themselves...
2) The rooms are just another song...We expected that we would wash and rest after the road, but that was not the case.
Some receptionist took us to the room, told us where, what was and, of course, asked for a "gift" for his "excellent work", and we had to give money, because we wanted everything to be dumped as soon as possible and we could was to relax. Although this moment is also tense. But those were still flowers in comparison with what awaited us next ...The room was struck by terrible dirt: the furniture is quite old and shabby, with chips, cracks, poorly closing doors to the veranda (veranda - to put it mildly, these are 2 chairs and a table with view of the wall, 1st floor), a shower tray with a crack, and in it a dried wood lice (sorry, we didn’t capture it in the photo), a rusty drain in the toilet, the curtains look like floor rags, all stained with some kind of old vomit, instead of bath accessories, 2 liquid soap dispensers, which apparently served as shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and maybe even toothpaste ...Just a shock for 1k dollars per person ...
I could not hold back my tears, I blamed myself for not reading the reviews carefully, as it turned out, not only we fell for this trick.
3) In the morning we calmed down, decided to change the room at all costs without any additional payments (the Arabs only expect this from you), informed our travel agent. And the room was changed, only now the previous jambs have changed to: a broken boiler, the same rusty drain in the toilet and filthy curtains, a crumpled trash can, which should only be in a landfill, a broken refrigerator, a stained mirror, bed linen not changed from past guests and dusty floor lamps. There was an impression that we would not see anything better here ...But we did not stop there. Moreover, the request to change the linen at the reception remained ignored until I made a scandal. Then we got a hair dryer.
4) Now about the "wonderful" staff of this hotel...
Reception - it's just bred, crooks and liars. They went out of their way to make the stay at the hotel unbearable for the guests. None of our requests were heard. They answered in a boorish way, threw the keys when it was not profitable for them, pretended that they understood neither Russian nor English. and the request to call the hotel guide was entered the wrong number ...Just f.......
5) The hotel guide and transfer guides are also no better. There was a feeling that "a hand washes a hand", for all claims and questions we received only some vague excuses. By the way, we went with the Anex Tour company, apparently the quality control in their organization did not reach Egypt ...The hotel guide, Magid, obsessively, almost in an orderly tone, ordered to take excursions only with a tour operator, otherwise they would steal us, kill us, etc.
Although we went on excursions with other agencies right in Egypt, and did not find any differences from excursions with Anex, except, of course, the price, which was twice or even three times more))) After our request to think about excursions, our wonderful hotel guide said that we "do not understand people" and something else, but it sounded quite insulting. Yes, he allegedly assisted in our next change of number, and thanks to him we allegedly made us an "upgrade" to an absolutely identical, but clean room)))) It turns out that elementary hygiene in Egypt is estimated at three times the size, or is it just that we are so lucky ? ! Well, finally, we wanted to bypass this trip from Shrma to Cairo and fly by plane, but our excellent guide destroyed our plans in the bud, as he told us the time of our transfer only around 21:00, while the transfers of other travel companies were already hanging at the information stand.
After long and nervous clarifications, calls to the guide, appeals to the reception, who chronically knew nothing and did not know, we were told something. Thank God!
P. S. And that's not all))))) As you might have guessed, in such a luxurious hotel, theft could well have been present, so the money was carried with them throughout the vacation. The safe was opened with a mechanical key in our absence for two times. And everything would be fine, the danger was over, until on the last day on the way to the airport I discovered the loss of my Guess wrist watch (well, damn it, who could possibly need them !! ! ) After calling the tourist support service, travel agent, hotel guide ( who did not answer, completely ignored), they suddenly found themselves in the room, but they could not give them back to our friends, probably for half a day, and they returned not completely intact ...Well, what else is there to think ?!
6) Beach.
Oh yes, this is what I was initially worried about, and of course there was also a joint here))) Of the declared two beaches, only one remained 1.5 km from the hotel, where the bus took us, by the time we arrived. Otherwise, you can’t go to the sea for free anywhere, even if you are ready to just lie on the sand with your towel ...We hardly used the bus, since most of the time it was simply impossible to get into it. And when a new batch of Arabs was brought to the hotel, it just became "mission impossible" =D The bus ran on its own schedule, despite the schedule that was at the reception, it's good that we have no children and we are young and athletic enough to walking in the heat, but I would not envy families with children and the elderly, so you can never see the sea for the whole vacation))) In general, a full palette of sensations, just like in rush hour in public transport, if you want sharp sensations, then welcome to Sol Y Mar)))))))
In general, this is not even the whole list of amazing and frightening things that we encountered in this miracle hotel, but there is neither time nor energy to describe it all)))
Although with all this, the hotel has as many as 2 pluses, just for 2 stars! =))))
1) A restaurant is like a separate structure that works indirectly from the entire hotel. The food is always delicious, fresh and quite varied. The waiters are friendly and hardworking, the chef and the hall manager are just super, as if from a parallel reality! Big respect!
2) Very beautiful territory, there are 2 pools, everything is clean and tidy. (True, when there were more guests, they abruptly began to plant flowers and putty the walls in the hotel, it was not visible before)))
Summing up, going to Sol Y Mar Naama Bay 4 * is worth it only in two cases, if you are a trash lover and you don’t feel sorry for any money for the sake of savory showdowns or in 5 years, when the guys sort out their internal problems, they will stop being lazy, greedy asses and stop looking at everyone except the Arabs as r...out))) And, well, it would be nice to teach the guys how to clean up! ))) It would seem that after the pandemic it is necessary to show the highest class, but it didn’t, it didn’t work out, not this time ...eh
Of the pluses, I note only the food and the territory. The food is quite varied and quite appetizing. And the territory is green, beautiful, every tree and bush is watered daily. This is where the pluses end.
And now to the cons! They are enough.
The location of the hotel. It's generally neutral here. To the sea about 7-8 minutes on foot, but NOT TO YOUR BEACH!
Beach. The biggest upset. He is very far away. 20-25 minutes on foot. And if you go by transfer from the hotel, then you couldn’t even get in there. A lot of people, and the minibus has 15 seats. The management did nothing about it, although we and others complained. From this follows the next point.
Staff. Apart from the cooks and waiters, no one else will seem really welcoming and sincere to you. Receptionist is terrible. Bar-50/50, depending on who works. Animators - also controversial. There are pleasant ones and not so good ones.
Do not even think about taking a taxi from the hotel. You will pay twice for sure.
Rooms and cleaning. The rooms are old and beat up. No cleaning either. It feels like they just made the bed, folded towels and curtains. 2 times the number was changed, and some more.
Swimming pool. A bunch of people, hair, dirt. The water is not cooled and in the evening just fresh milk. There aren't enough beds for everyone.
WiFi. Forget about it, it’s easier to buy a local SIM card right away than to sit and suffer and send photos to relatives 5 times.
In general, the hotel is definitely not worth the money. It is better to choose another option.
1. Location of the hotel. 2 coastline. If the beach was nearby, then 7-8 minutes on foot, otherwise see below. Walk 12 minutes to the main street.
2. Territory. The hotel is not very big by the standards of Egypt. The territory is green and well-groomed.
3. Appearance. Immediately "quality" gives no reception. There is not even a name "reception", there is no clock, just a counter. Music kills regret for rest. I would like to order a funeral service. The hotel itself looks normal from afar, but inside you can see that everything is far from the first freshness.
4. Settlement. They handed over their passports and sat for about an hour. Nobody even paid any attention to us. Approached, asked "how long to wait. " They said that we have a check-in at 14.00 (and the clock was 7.00), but if it works out, it will be faster. And the fact that they came hungry and tired, no one cares. They gave me only (and then after the call) to drink water at the bar. And bracelets are specially given after breakfast, so that you just start your all from lunch. Luckily, we were seated within 2 hours. But this is not a service.
5. Numbers. Changed 2 numbers. I can’t say that they are downright terrible, but there are shoals everywhere. In one room between the shutters we just lived sparrows. There were several problems with water. By the way, yes, it is important! NO HAIR DRYER IN THE ROOM! Asked to bring it twice, never got it. Housekeeping leaves a lot to be desired. On the last day, we decided not to clean the room at all.
6. Staff. Nice people work in the cafeteria. And the animators are great guys, thanks to them for their work. Near the pool, too, good staff, especially a nice young guy (usually worked near the children's pool). The rest are dislikes. Reception - slowly and without desire. Bartenders - depending on who. There was one "always smiling" often liked to freak out. Not only could he almost throw glasses, he also barely works.
7. Pool. He doesn't seem to be small. But there are so many people that you just walk along the bottom, because. swimming is not comfortable. A pile of rubbish, hair. It's bad location. And the children's pool is almost the same size, but was almost always empty. Pool bar. Not much here either. Lots of people and one bartender. You could sit for 10 minutes waiting for your order.
8. Food. The only point without a sharp negative. The food is not very direct, but it is enough, varied and tasty, especially a lot of sweets. But in 11 days it becomes boring, because. day after day, almost everything is the same. Not much fruit. Drinks are ok. Like everywhere else, cheap local alcohol, but they didn’t expect more. But Fanta and Cola are original. (photo of sweets below)
9. Beach. THIS IS IMPORTANT READ. I write as it was. Our first 2 days the beach was 8 minutes walk. You take a ticket at the reception and stomp. The beach is small, for several hotels! It was possible to come and stay without a sunbed. The sea - there is not enough space, a person on a person, you can’t swim much, it’s disgusting. Therefore, they lay on their own beach, and went to swim on another. On the 3rd day it turned out that the beach is different. As a result, if you go on foot, it takes about 20 minutes, who is slower -25!! ! In the heat - such a pleasure. There was a transfer, but they generally went nuts. Not only was the first one at 9.30, but it was also a small minibus, for 12 people. People simply didn’t get into all the early and afternoon sessions (I attached a photo of real people who didn’t get into the minibus on different days). We went to swear, but it did not lead to anything. Pork attitude. By the way, after lunch, if you don’t fit into the minibus at 15.00 (it’s the first one), then there’s no point in going too much, because. the last one from the beach at 5 o'clock. And they go once an hour after lunch. That leaves two options. Either with your legs in the heat, or standing up or through swearing (if you're lucky) in a minibus. I attached a photo of the second beach. The beach itself was ordinary, but small and the entrance to the water was by steps, it would not be possible to run into the sea.
10. General impression. There are many locals in the hotel, so everything is for them. Very often Arabic music, well, really tired of these motives. Also, the staff can see how they treat them better. We went to the sea, and as a result, it turned out to be the most inconvenient with the sea. The hotel is not up to the mark at all. If there are 2-3 stars here and the price is 40 percent less, then it’s tolerable, otherwise I don’t recommend it at all. Please don't rely on the reviews. All the Russian speakers we met there had the same opinion about the hotel. Not a single person has praised this hotel, everyone is unhappy. Some even moved to other hotels. DO NOT VISIT THIS PLACE!
The restaurant impressed with the choice of dishes, desserts, fruits every day and much more)) Chef Mohammed Mustafa tries very hard, constantly in the hall, paying attention to guests.
Occupied two rooms, no complaints, cleaned well every day, a bottle of water every day to the room.
The rooms do not have a hairdryer and Wi-Fi is virtually absent.
To the nearest beach to go 10 minutes, it is small, but you can swim or walk on the neighboring. Entrance to the clearing water, but to reach the fish you need shoes. There is a bus to the far beach from the hotel and back, there is a completely closed bay, there are almost no fish, but it is bigger.
We liked the hotel Solimar, we recommend it as a very high quality four.
The hotel itself is small, the territory is well-groomed and green. One unheated pool.
The rooms are old, but everything is in working order, from time to time there was a smell of sewage in the bathroom. There is no hair dryer.
There is animation for those who are interested.
Beach - 5 min. walk from the hotel, very, very small, sunbeds are close to each other, a lot of people, drinks are paid, because. the hotel rents this beach from another hotel. The reef is good, there are a lot of fish, a smooth sandy entry.
I'll start with the most unpleasant incident that happened the day before the end of the vacation. In the room, money was stolen from a bag ($ 100), which I left throughout the rest in the same place, checking the availability after each leaving the room. And on the last day, when they planned to go to the Old City to buy something for themselves and gifts for relatives, they did not find them. After a message to the reception, a circus of 5 staff members was made in the room, proving that the cleaner did not take them, and no one else had the key and they were looking under the pictures, the mirror, the TV. They accused me of not having the money in the safe!
Most importantly, the safe was not in good working order and from the first day to install the code, we realized that something was wrong with it.
They refused to call the tourist police, they also did not allow me to write a statement to the head of the hotel. After spending 2 hours. at the reception, everyone walked past me, and no one even wanted to talk. After I contacted the guide, I was completely disappointed. Our hotel guide Walid did not even try to solve our problem, he was rude and knocked down phone calls.
RECEPTION WORKERS, SECURITY MANAGER, YEAR, CLEANER - as they wrote below in the review, YOU ALL BURN IN HELL. They smile at you, but no one is going to solve your problem.
Briefly about the hotel
Settlement. The room was given on the first floor with a balcony that did not close, come in whoever wants, overlooking the bushes. For a surcharge of $ 20, they moved to another standard room overlooking the pool and the edge of the sea. The room was clean, at first glance everything was in order - this pleased me.
The air conditioner was left on during the day and sleep, because the sunny side and there was nothing to breathe without air conditioning in the room. Shampoo, hair conditioner as such in the room is not provided, shower gel was poured only once upon check-in. But I didn’t have to go and ask, because they brought everything with them.
There is NO hair dryer in any room, I had to borrow it from the girls who lived next door, because at the reception the answer was: the hair dryer is a personal item, so you had to bring it with you.
Irons were not given upon request, only for a fee to hand over things for washing and ironing (but we knew this information, since it is not the first time in Sharm hotels, we take a travel iron with us. )
All room SERVICE - 1.5 liters of water per day! ! ! And this is not cleaned in 4 * rooms.
Wi-Fi catches badly, so people in the evenings sit at the reception and at the pool, hoping to catch some Internet.
It’s better to buy a seven right at the airport and not bother about it.
The pool is one. Separated for children (50cm) and for adults, but due to the bar in the pool there was practically no access to it. Went only to look, never swam. Why, if such a sea is nearby?
2. Nutrition. Coffee, pastries, fruit and more. Basically, it's fine. How many salads, a lot of meat. No local spices. Everything is edible for our man. There was a lot of meat in its various manifestations, from seafood only fish and squid. Everything is good with food here. The only thing that deserves a high rating.
3. Sea and beach. The hotel is big. There is no beach (although it is designed for two hotels). Also, many locals come to the square meter of this beach. And here is the moment, which is also not the most pleasant, I treat all people very well, regardless of race and nationality, but here it was some kind of horror.
Arabs here were 75% of all vacationers and most of them are noisy and arrogant people.
4. The territory is clean, cleaned constantly.
5. Animation is the most common: for children, 20 minutes of disco, for adults there is nothing special either, in general, it’s normal, like everywhere else.
6. Eviction. According to the standard, at 11:55 they already knock and break in to take things out.
The bracelet is cut off immediately, although this day is also included in the paid ticket, but you do not have the right to eat, drink water, go to the beach. All for a fee. 8 hours at the reception to monitor that the suitcases are not stolen.