This is my first 3* hotel. Yes, the packed suitcase and my expectations were in line with this fact. NOT EVERYTHING IS GOLD THAT SHINES! At the reception, they read my voucher very carefully, and away we go - happy birthday greetings, a welcome cocktail)))) (and I was driving to quietly spend the beginning of my new year of birth in the sun, splashing in my beloved Red Sea. The hotel is very attentive to to your guests is a fact.
Check-in took a matter of minutes. My number 2206 was waiting for me absolutely clean and decorated for the birthday. The hotel has noticeable cosmetic renovation (specially did not look for jambs). The furniture is varnished, the bed and bath linen is well laundered, the floor is clean, there is no dust at all, the mirrors are spotless. All lights and sockets work. There is a refrigerator in the closet, there are enough hangers, the shelves are clean, the blankets are light in weight and warm. Water was provided at the bar. Sometimes, out of habit, I brushed my teeth from the tap, nothing happened. View from the room to the pool and green courtyard. In the evening everything is on fire.
Dinner was served in the style of restaurant service - everything was brought by the waiter. Delicious and a lot. And then a cake and congratulations from the staff))) - unexpectedly and pleasantly))) After dinner (a pleasant coincidence))) they congratulated the owner of the hotel on his birthday, they sang “happy byzdey, DIMA! ” The hotel staff creates the impression that you are visiting good friends - welcoming words, smiles, gestures. They are happy to help in solving any issues: from household to shopping. They took me to the pharmacy, they helped me to get through to George Clooney’s store, they sent me on an excursion from my friends, they agreed on the massage bill and right at the hotel on the spot, I recommend it. I missed the meeting with the guide, it doesn't matter - the day before the departure, they found him and provided information about the departure and transfer to the airport. If you speak school-level English, this is quite enough. If not, then the ubiquitous and all-knowing Ali (general manager) speaks perfect Russian! There are no communication problems. The staff loves chocolates, but is very modest, they do not beg for tips, which is surprising for Egypt.
The beach is normal (not the worst), I advise you to have corals, although I myself do without them. At the expense of sun loungers - I never try to borrow at the very edge of the sea, because. this is not necessary for me. The coast of Naama Bay is very long - so don’t lie like seals, but walk along it along the beaches of other hotels, inspect everything. IF YOUR FACE IS A FACE, and not an vinegar mask, you will have many friends and animators from other hotels on the coast will invite you to participate in competitions. Remember - swimming and walking along other beaches of hotels is not prohibited, it is forbidden to use sun loungers of other hotels, i. e. lie on them for free. You can swim on any beach, I used the beach of the Gafi hotel next to the Royal Holiday. The entrance is gentle, the bottom is sand, huge stones are visible through the absolutely transparent water of the Red Sea, we carefully go around or swim around. There are a lot of fish, but we don’t touch and don’t play - they can scratch (some species). We go to the beach from the hotel with a voucher or a ticket, which is issued to us for a reception, a towel near the pool and there are two ways: along the green path from the pool between the mountain and the villas, or we leave the hotel, turn left and along the street between the villas and the Royal Holiday Hotel - 3-4 minutes slowly.
Meals: I have never eaten so much freshly fried delicious fish anywhere else as in this hotel. Arriving at the Old Market and going to the fish store, where they can cook any chosen fish or seafood, I realized that I ate fish at the hotel))). Breakfasts, as expected, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, some kind of cheese, vegetables. Lunches and dinners are dense - chicken, kebab, meatballs, fish, sauces, rice, potatoes, pasta, vegetable cuts, dates, oranges, sweets. We get drinks at the bar. Gin + sevenup or sprite - this has always been my favorite alcohol, tea, instant coffee, custard for a fee of 20 pounds. The choice of food for me was normal, sometimes I did not come for lunch, because. I keep the weight so as not to turn into a sausage.
You can buy strawberries for $ 1 on the Road Coast - this is a promenade along the coast of Naama Bay, where you can take a walk in the evening, the street between Fantazi 3 * and the promenade is calm, although poorly lit, everywhere is calm. On the street where minibuses run and all transport can be passed between the Gafi and Royal Holiday hotels. Each passing free taxi offers its services.
Animation at the hotel is just starting to work. A girl from Cairo, Shima, dances modern Egyptian-style dances and belidance so beautifully. She does massage. I recommend. Every winter I fly to Egypt to improve my bones and body in general - massage with Egyptian oils, sun, swimming in the sea.
The weather was cold, but it was January. February is much hotter. In winter, I love Egypt because swimming in the warm sea does not need air conditioning, because. the rooms are not hot.
Contingent - international - Italy, Belgium, Ukraine, Palestine, Egypt, Poland. We smiled, took pictures, talked in English and Russian - a psychological relaxation, an atmosphere of high spirits and celebration.
I can recommend this hotel to those who are not looking for a beautiful facade and interior, who are looking for a safe, clean, comfortable accommodation with fresh delicious food at a reasonable price.
The hotel staff are just great - very friendly and attentive - I want to emphasize this especially))))))))
The whole situation in the hotel is not new, there is no luxury, everything is simple, but clean and tidy.
For cleaning left a dollar or 5 pounds. Cleaned and changed towels every day, linen every 3 days. Cleaning was always done in our absence, did not interfere with rest in any way.
All valuables from the first day were kept in a safe at the reception (free of charge). But in principle, no one had any theft either in the hotel or on the beach. Nothing was missing from the room, on the beach people calmly left phones, glasses, etc. on the sunbeds, no one tried to steal. But risking valuable things is still not worth it (just in case).
The staff is smiling, polite and not pushy. Almost everyone understands Russian, there were no language problems at all. For those few who do not know Russian, their main requests could easily be explained even in our broken English.
In general, the hotel has a lot of Russians from all over the country, if you wish, it is very easy to find a company.
There is Wi-Fi in the hotel (free of charge), but only downstairs in the lobby it is possible to use it. During the day, when everyone is sunbathing more nimble, in the evening much slower. We Skyped from the phone, many were with laptops. For money, you can access the Internet from the hotel's computers ($ 4 per hour). The rooms also seem to be, but the signal is very weak.
The food is good, there is always a choice, every lunch and dinner - meat (beef), chicken, fish. Lots of different desserts and sweets. With fruits, they sadly gave some kind of citrus (something between an orange and a lemon, we didn’t understand), sometimes bananas or melons in syrup - you don’t really choose, and this citrus was tired by the end of the vacation, they bought the fruits themselves. At the very beginning of breakfast / lunch / dinner there are a lot of people and fuss, after 40-60 minutes the food ends, and a new one has not yet been brought. But after 70-80 minutes everything is fine: a lot of food, newly laid tables, no flea market. The food is normal, high quality, fresh, but the stomach can react to local seasonings and spices. It's best to take your medications with you just in case.
We took alcohol with us from the dutik, but since local drinks were included, we decided to try it. Beer, vodka, whiskey, rum, gin are available and free of charge. We didn’t try vodka (although according to other vacationers it is normal), everything else is quite high quality, we didn’t get poisoned by anything. The husband, basically, took either beer or cocktails (gin and tonic, rum and cola), you can drink without fear. For lovers of soft drinks - juice, cola, fanta, sprite, tonic. The cups are really small, but they give them without restriction. Beer in a bottle can be given for a tip, or if the relationship with the bartender is normal, but the bottle must be returned.
There is practically no entertainment at the hotel: a swimming pool with a net (they give a ball, you can play), ping-pong and that's it. The pool is large and clean with plenty of sunbeds. You can get a massage near the pool for money ($20 an hour) and a henna tattoo. On the territory there is a hookah - $ 2.
I would not recommend vacationing with children. There is nothing for children at all - no playground, no entertainment.
Big advice to vacationers - there are always bad people who put towels on the sunbed (like "busy"), while they themselves do not appear near the pool all day - you should not stand on ceremony with such people. You see that people do not come, remove the towels and rest in peace. There were attempts by such comrades to complain to the administration that they occupied sunbeds in the morning, came at lunchtime, and there other people were sunbathing. To which they were told that the rules of the hotel are prohibited from "reserving" sunbeds.
Once a week on Thursdays oriental show - belly dancing, skirt dance.
There is no private beach, but the sea is nearby, a five-minute walk. The beach is large, there are a lot of sunbeds, we always found free ones. You need to take a "ticket" to visit the beach at the reception and towels by the pool. It is better not to go into the sea barefoot - stones and corals, it is easy to get hurt. But we immediately bought special slippers for swimming ($ 4-5), and there were no problems. You definitely need masks with a snorkel (you can also use fins). a lot of fish, beautiful corals, we saw stingrays, octopus, moray eels. You can bring masks with you, or you can buy them on the spot (it’s better to take not plastic, but silicone ones (from $ 10), they are comfortable, you can swim for hours and the water does not flow).
Be sure to take a good sun cream (from 30 units and above), because. A couple of hours in the sun can cause severe sunburn.
Excursions can be taken from hotel guides, it can be cheaper on the beach (many highly recommend Comrade Walid) or in the city. We took from the guide, because. worried about insurance (it does not work if the excursions are not from the tour operator). And medical services are very expensive. Also, insurance is not valid if you were drunk. During our vacation, a girl, returning from a disco, broke her leg in her soul. Because I was drunk, I had to pay for everything myself (more than $ 300 instead of $ 30 for insurance).
We went on a motorcycle safari + camel riding + dinner with the Bedouins + a show program with them. I liked quad biking, but not so much camel riding. You could not go to the Bedouins (they are not real, the dinner is the same as in the hotel, the show is below average), it was not even worth spending money on it.
Were in the water park, it's something! Six hours flew by! More than 20 adult slides, a lot of entertainment for children, animation - everything is very cool! Worth a visit at least once!
We were also on the show "1001 Nights". It is definitely worth a look at the local flavor once. We took a tour operator, but in vain. You can just take a taxi (for two with a taxi and the entrance is about $ 15-20).
Because the hotel is located a little aside, you can walk to Naama Bay on the promenade in 15 minutes (you can also take a taxi, but it's not worth it). Barkers strive to drag you into their shop or cafe on the pretext of "give a business card" or "write a review. " The main thing here is not to succumb to provocations and buy only what you really need. T. K. they "fool" their heads professionally. You should not enter into conversations, immediately say "Know" and walk past. Forcibly drag you, of course, no one will. You should definitely bargain with them, all prices are calculated for this. By the way, there are no price tags anywhere.
The most important thing is to have a positive attitude towards people and to vacation in general, then it will be nice to have a rest!
And don't count on buying a 3* tour to get 5+! And for its top three "Fantasy" is more than pulling, even more.
Have a nice holiday!