This hotel is beautiful and it is surrounded by lush gardens that are a nice escape from the rest of the city. This is a small hotel with only about 20 room most of them are suites with just 4 regular rooms. I got a great deal because it was Ramadan. The room was great, big,comfortable and very clean. My issues were really with the restaurants. It seems they wont serve you the Iftar meal if you aren't Muslim, which is something I have never expereiences anywhere else in Egypt or the Middle East. I had to talk to 2 diffrent people to let me eat in the Farouk restaurant at 8pm. When it came to breakfast, which was included in the room prce the first morning they didn't have the regular breakfast so they made me an ok omlet and humus and bread, which was fine. The second day they gave me the continental breakfast but the bread had green mold growing on it!! When I showed it to the waitress she seemed unconcerned. The reception desk also seemed unconcerned when I told them. I would recommend this to others but maybe not during Ramadan.

What was bad about our visit:

*Guest relations and reception had attitudes as if we were not up to par with the hotel standard and we did not belong

*Farida Restaurant Host took our bread basket off our table after the waiter placed it on our table claiming that he put it wrong. He then placed it on a table that had nobody there and said that they ordered first......even though nobody was there. We had to wait almost 30 minutes just to get the basket.....all this and we were the only ones there.

*VERY tacky suite....modern mixed with contemporary with a little classic. The rooms have no consistent style as well as the suites.

*Menu in Farida restaurant has no description to food, misspellings, corrector fluid all over it. Very outdated for a so called 5 star hotel.

*Flat screen TV in the lobby playing football is quite tacky in a classic hotel. Who is their decorator? Go hire one!! What's up with all the statues??!

*Bright Easter colors decorating the lobby during Easter are supposed to be pastels not neon colors.

*We go to the private beach and they are doing work with their bulldozer. We were in season....you should be doing this before the season not during. The beach was very poorly kept.

*TV maintenance never came after several calls.....so the static never got fixed.

*Most people were unfriendly....even the owner sized me up. What's up with that?! I'll just go somewhere else....your competitor maybe....the Palastine.

*Furniture is left rotting....it is not properly maintained. Parts of furniture broken off and left. We came before to eat and the same things were broken. Egyptians just don't know how to maintain things.

*Poorly maintained bathrooms. Fluids of some sort all over the floor and toilet seat. Leaky faucet. Very old and rackety fixtures. They are not old because they are antiques.....they are old because they are not maintained and the management is cheap. Mirror is destroyed from the humidity of the bathroom or something. There is no reflection on the bottom.

*A hotel that is supposed to be of this caliber....at least this is what they pitch it as, should have bath robes.

*NO BREAKFAST!! Really, how much do a couple eggs and some toast cost....lol! $500 and no breakfast....do yourself a favor...pay less and go the Palastine and get breakfast.

*Cheap linens and blanket......CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!!

*Given cheap free calendar when leaving.....the calendar should have English.

*Hotel management must think they are big stuff because of the picutures they have in the lobby of all the personalities that come to stay. Ambassadors, heads of state, actors\actresses, etc.

We stayed for 4 nights at the beginning of our OAT trip to Egypt. We were given a 2 room suite that was delightful, overlooking the Sea. This used to be the hunting lodge of King Farouk where he also brought his family. Were told this also used to house the concubines of the late 1800's King. Breakfast were very good. Unfortunatley we had to dine one night in their rather formal restaurant as the main dining room was reserved for a private party. The dinner we had was very overpriced ad not very fresh.

Each room is different. The restaurants are fabulous and it is set on the sea (with lighthouse) and in El Montazah Gardens. Don't miss the sleeping lions.