What are the Red Sea views like at this hotel?

Unfortunately, the views of the Red Sea are nowhere in sight, which was a major letdown. The hotel is located in a pretty generic area with no scenic views to speak of.

What kind of animation program does the hotel offer?

To be honest, the animation program was pretty lame and didn't really live up to my expectations. There were a few kids' activities, but they were mostly just sitting around doing nothing.

Is the hotel's build quality good?

Unfortunately, the hotel's build quality was a bit lacking, with some creaky doors and loose handles. It wasn't a major issue, but it was noticeable.

Can I use my credit card to pay for things at the hotel?

Yes, the hotel accepts major credit cards, including Visa and Mastercard. However, be aware that there may be some foreign transaction fees involved.

What kind of food does the hotel serve?

The hotel serves a mix of Russian and international cuisine, including some pretty tasty dishes. However, the food can be a bit pricey, especially if you're used to eating at home.

Can I get a refund if I need to cancel my stay?

Yes, the hotel has a pretty standard return policy, which allows you to cancel your stay up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.

Does the hotel have any amenities for kids?

Yes, the hotel has a kids' club and a playground, which are both great for keeping little ones entertained. However, be aware that the kids' activities are mostly just sitting around doing nothing.

Can I use my laptop at the hotel?

Yes, the hotel has free Wi-Fi throughout the property, which is great for staying connected. However, be aware that the internet can be a bit slow at times.

A Luxury Getaway with a Bummer: Red Sea Views Were Nowhere in Sight Review

Hello everyone!

I'm always on the move, exploring the world, and this time I wanted to experience the Red Sea firsthand. So, I booked my ticket and off I went to Egypt.

I flew from Vitebsk, which was a more affordable option than flying from Minsk, and I discovered that you can actually fly from any regional center in Belarus, which is a great tip for Russian tourists.

Getting to the airport:

I took a marshrutka, which took around 3.5 hours to get there, and it stopped at the airport turnoff. From there, I had to walk 2.5 km to the airport. If you've got the time, walking is an option, but if not, grab a taxi - it's super cheap, only 3.50 Belarusian rubles or 100 Russian rubles.

By car, it'll take you a bit less time, around 3 hours, depending on your vehicle's speed.

Checking in for the flight:

Then, it's business as usual - you head to check-in. But, I got a bit of a surprise - the seats on the plane might be rearranged, and if you don't want to sit near the loo at the back, you can actually pre-book a better seat with Belavia up to 24 hours in advance. The booking window closes 2 hours before the flight. I'm not sure why the travel agency didn't mention this.

The flight:

The flight was comfortable, the crew was friendly, and the food was great. The flight took around 4.5 hours, and you might hit a bit of turbulence, but the stewardess will let you know in advance. If you're on a big plane, you won't even feel it.

I was flying to Hurghada, and the visa's not free. It costs 25 dollars, and you'll need to fill out a form in English when you land. For $4, customs can handle it themselves, so you won't need to worry about a pen in your purse during travel.

Transfer:

We were greeted by a comfortable, air-conditioned bus outside, with a Russian-speaking guide, and the airport is a new one, just 10 kilometers away from the hotel. The journey takes around 10-15 minutes.

Hotel Meet and Greet:

Don't worry about your luggage at the hotel - you'll be met with a huge trolley, and you won't have to lug it around.

Check-in was quick, taking just 5 minutes, and they even brought us a glass of water, which I didn't get to finish.

On a side note, it's a good idea to inspect the room before unpacking. Personally, I got a room on the first floor, right next to the reception, and it had a musty smell. The walls were a dark, foreboding blue, the furniture was a dark, heavy brown, and the balcony led straight out onto the street, where all the infrastructure was.

I was a bit stressed out, to be honest - it's just not my thing. First-floor rooms can be a bit of a pain, and there are always a lot of people around, so you can't even dry off after a shower or change your clothes without being seen.

But it was the smell that really got to me - I didn't want to be in that room, and I didn't want my clothes to absorb the odor.

They ended up moving us to a room on the third floor, which was a bit of a trek, taking around 7 minutes to walk, but it was worth it. The new room had a fantastic view, and there was no musty smell to speak of.

Impression of the Hotel:

It was like a taste of luxury and opulence - the marble staircase at the reception was stunning, and the chandelier looked like something out of the movie Titanic. The sculptures and paintings were beautiful, and the furniture had a vintage feel to it.

I loved the reception area - it's super pretty

As I walked into the hotel from the reception, it reminded me of a ship - long and made up of small cabins, with only three floors, but each cabin is surrounded by water from the pool. Plus, on the right side of the hotel, there are bungalows where you can literally step right into the pool and be surrounded by water.

The rooms near the pool are so cozy

Hotel grounds:

The grounds are well-maintained and have a nice cultural vibe, with lush green lawns, petunias blooming everywhere, and loads of sparrows and crows flying around.

Hotel grounds

The green area is so peaceful

The pools are massive - there's one near each cabin, and they're all around 140 meters deep. The bungalows have smaller pools, but they have some restrictions, so kids aren't allowed, and you have to pay extra for a kid-free room.

Bar, located near the reception, right next to the pool (to be honest, it's not very convenient, I missed it on the beach).

Bar

About the beach:

The private beach comes with sun loungers, and if you ask, they'll bring you a mattress. They gave us a card for the towels right away, and you can exchange it for a more or less nice and colorful towel. Just don't lose it, because if you do, you'll have to pay 10 euros for it (or the staff might 'find' it and take it, so be careful not to waste your money).

The beach is super clean and tidy, and they don't allow booze or food, but if you really want to, you might be able to sneak it in.

Beach

There are plenty of free spots, but the pier is 700 meters away.

The biggest minus is that there's no bar on the beach, and you have to run to the one at the neighboring beach, which is a real pain (and they even kicked people out from their own beach, which is crazy).

We missed the entertainment and food options on our beach.

The neighboring beach has a pier right next to the sea, and it's just 700 meters to the pier and the sea.

About the sea:

I was really looking forward to seeing the Red Sea, but unfortunately, this hotel is not even close to the water. I thought I'd be waking up to the sound of waves, but nope. The tour operator told me it was 50 meters away, but that's a total lie. It's actually 1400 meters away, and during low tide, the water disappears, leaving behind a mess of sand and shallow water.

This was a major disappointment for me, especially since I was expecting to be able to walk along the beach. But no, the water only comes up to your ankles, and you need to buy special shoes to walk on it. They're sold at the neighboring hotel, 'Titanic Beach', for around $7. If you haggle, you can get it for $5 or $4.

But even if you do buy the shoes, the beach is still a long way from the hotel. The pier is 700 meters away, and it's not exactly a scenic walk. Plus, the water is still shallow, so you can walk on it without shoes. Just make sure to buy a mask, which costs between $8 and $10.

The reef is actually really beautiful, with a huge variety of fish and sea urchins. And the best part is, you don't even need to go on an excursion to see it. Just walk out to the pier and enjoy the view.

Shallow water

WiFi: I was worried I'd have to go searching for a SIM card, which costs at least $7. But the WiFi at this hotel is actually really good. You get a login and password when you check in, and it works everywhere - in your room, on the beach, and even in the pool. Just be aware that the login and password only work for 7 days, after which you'll need to get a new one from reception.

Room:

Standard room with two beds, a closet, air conditioner, fridge, TV, free safe, shower cabin, toilet, and hair dryer. The electric kettle had tea, coffee, and sugar already in the room. Don't expect slippers and robes, though - they're not provided. The towels are changed, but not every day, and you'll only get two of them, which is a bit of a problem when it comes to feet.

Room

Shower Hair dryer Shower Toilet

The view from the window with a sea view was simply mesmerizing.

View from the balcony

They stocked the fridge daily for one person with 600ml of water and two 2-litre bottles of Coke.

Cleanliness in the room: It left a lot to be desired, to be honest. They did clean the floors daily, but the mirrors were dirty, they cleaned the carpet, left tips in the hopes that they'd make a nice arrangement with the towels on the bed, but unfortunately, we never got it. However, the bed was always made neatly and the linens were changed every day.

Water park: There wasn't one on the premises, but there was a kid's one in the shape of a pirate ship. Unfortunately, it was closed and not working. However, there was a water park at the neighboring hotel, and the entrance was free, so I think we could've visited their slides.

Types of food: It was an ultra all-inclusive deal.

I have to say that there were 8 restaurants on the premises of the two hotels, with two that required reservations (Japanese and Mongolian) and the rest were free from 6 pm.

Dining hall

It's a good idea to book a table as soon as you arrive, or else you might not get a spot, as there are only 16 seats available.

(Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Mongolian, Mexican)

And next door, there's a grill, an Italian restaurant, and a Lebanese one.

I particularly enjoyed the Japanese restaurant, which had an interesting program, but the dishes were pretty standard: rice, chicken breast, and veggies, all spicy with a dash of chili flakes and soy sauce.

Japanese Restaurant

I was craving Italian, but it was a long wait for the order and the pizza dough seemed puffy and tasty, but the sauce was impossible to eat. The pizza had a ton of toppings, but the fish was salty and not great, and there were a couple of dried-out shrimp.

At the Mexican place, I ordered a salad with a bunch of ingredients, and they brought out a saucy Chinese cabbage, two corn tortillas, and two shrimp with a seasoning packet that weighed less than 30 grams.

Salad with a Ton of Ingredients

Mexican Restaurant

Delicious Sauce

It's all a scam - they'll never feed you a huge amount of seafood.

(You can buy shrimp at the market and eat to your heart's content, but the French aroma is so overpowering that you'll probably lose your appetite altogether.)

Breakfast was served from 7 to 10 am. The standard fare included fried eggs or omelets, not-so-tasty sausages, and unappetizing hot dogs. There were also some eggplant dishes, but I didn't try the steamed veggies. If you're a cereal fan, you'd find that here, along with milk. Fresh fruit was scarce, but I did spot some grapefruit and oranges a couple of times, and you could buy fresh ones for $3.

Tea, coffee from the machine, and juice like Yogi, plus soda.

Breakfast

Lunch kicked off at 12:30 and wrapped up at 2:30 pm.

The usual suspects on the menu:

Rice, pasta, potatoes, meat (chicken, fish, duck, quail, beef, and veal) – the variety was impressive, with a decent selection of veggies and fruits (watermelon, dates, oranges, and some greenish apples, but not many).

Lunch

For dessert, there were cakes, pastries, cookies, and jelly.

Desserts

Drinks: ? beers, ? wines in three varieties – I had a soft spot for the rosé.

As for stronger drinks, I'm not sure what was on offer, since I don't drink.

Snack time brought a burger with a shawarma filling.

Dinner was served from 6 to 9:30 pm.

The grilled fish was absolutely delicious, along with the beef, chicken, and some crab and king prawns that made an appearance one day.

My dining experience was pretty sweet - the girl who made the pancakes really outdid herself. She made all sorts of fillings, from potato to meat to rice.

Crabs

Dinner

Temperature:

I was there in May, from the 17th to the 28th, and the temperature ranged from 35 to 42 degrees Celsius.

The air was super dry, it was sweltering, and I really needed some humidity.

The water temperature was a pleasant 25 degrees or higher, and it felt like warm milk in the evenings.

Staff:

The staff were super friendly, really helpful, and spoke some Russian. They were always checking in to make sure we were comfortable and happy, and if we had any issues, they'd sort it out in no time.

They even brought us a packet of fruit, and then some strawberries on top of that - it was a nice touch!

Entertainment:

Let's just say it was pretty dull - the dance performances weren't exactly polished.

They did offer some standard activities like volleyball, darts, and aerobics on the beach, but it was all a bit meh.

The guys running the shows were from Ukraine and Russia, and they were definitely trying their best, but it just didn't quite hit the mark.

Leisure activities:

AerobicsThemed dinnerCycle excursions (extra fee)BeachEvening programChildren's clubWater sports equipment (extra fee)Nightclub/DJAnimation staffSnorkeling with mask and tube (extra fee)Diving (extra fee)Cycling (off-site)Canoeing (extra fee)LibraryBicycle rentals (extra fee)Windsurfing (extra fee)KaraokeTable tennisBilliards (extra fee)Children's playground

I was also pretty disappointed with the disco, which was free to enter, but the drinks were overpriced. To be honest, there were hardly any people there, maybe 3-7 at most, and the music was mostly German.

I grabbed a free glass of wine from the hotel bar and took it with me, which was a nice touch.

Unfortunately, I only visited it a couple of times, and it just didn't live up to my expectations.

My impression of the stay:

The hotel itself was okay, but the grounds were absolutely stunning – marble staircases, fountains, artwork, sculptures, beautiful lawns, pools... the interior design was definitely impressive at first.

There was plenty of water, a lush green area, and a nice beach.

Most of the guests were foreigners, which was nice.

The food was pretty diverse, and the staff were super friendly.

The hotel is family-friendly, and mostly families or couples stayed there. It's not a young people's crowd, as it's a pretty quiet and peaceful place. If you're looking for a relaxing, cozy atmosphere, this might be the place for you.

The only major downside was that it's not right on the beach – we got eaten alive by mosquitoes, and there were hardly any living creatures around.

The good stuff:

The interior design is stunning.The food is great.I loved having free Wi-Fi and being able to stay connected everywhere.The staff is super friendly.The beach is amazing.The coral reef is incredible.The downsides:

The sea is pretty shallow.There's no bar on the beach.It's a 700-meter walk to the pier.The entertainment is pretty dull.There aren't many activities to choose from.The furniture in the rooms is really gloomy.I got bitten by mosquitoes.You can't drink the tap water.After complaining about the mosquitoes, they brought a mosquito repellent the next day, but it didn't really make a difference – they just flew into the air conditioner.

I didn't expect to see so many mosquitoes in Egypt, especially considering the scorching heat. It was really hard to get to the deeper parts of the sea, so I ended up spending most of my time lounging by the pool for a few days. Overall, I'm really disappointed with this hotel, and I wouldn't go back, despite the fancy interior and the stunning views of the Red Sea.

The Red Sea

The Red Sea is undoubtedly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen – the coral reef is breathtaking, and the variety of fish is incredible. It was like being in an aquarium, but in the open sea.

Unless you're looking for a specific experience, I wouldn't recommend this hotel just for the location – if you want to see the beautiful sea, you should look for other options.

Thanks for reading, and happy travels! I'm your fan of different seas and magical countries, Mari 277!