Myself and my partner have just returned from a very enjoyable and relaxing week staying at the Al Nabila Grand hotel in Makadi Bay.

We found the level of service from the staff exceptional. Staff in the Aurora Bar and Cincinnati Bar would go out of their way every time to deliver a very high standard of service. They were always very friendly and happy to see us on our daily arrival! We would like to give a special mention to Romany and Mohammed in particular, but all bar staff were great. We ate daily in Noahs Ark restaurant and again all the staff there were really friendly, helpful and efficient, we would like to give a special mention to Mohammed who every day went out of his way by insisting on delivering our drinks to our table. The cleaning staff were fantastic and our room was cleaned to a very high standard everyday. We also found the reception and lobby staff superb especially Akhmed, who arranged for champagne and a cake to be delivered to our room for my partners birthday. The staff on the beach were really great too and everyday layed our sunloungers out for us. Likewise the staff at the beach bar were also really polite and friendly and happy to see us each day.

By being polite and friendly ourselves to all staff at the Al Nabila we found that we received an equally polite and friendly reception ourselves. In fact the staff would often bring drinks to our table even though we didn't expect this and this was as a result of the fact we were very appreciative of their service despite their long hard working hours.

On the beach we did get a bit of hassle on our first day from people with various tour companies offering excursions and massages. However by politely saying that we were not interested we found that we were no longer hassled by them to buy their products, but they would still politely say hello to us each day.

The food was of an expected standard on par with all inclusive packages we have experienced before. We did not get any illness during our stay and we sampled all foods.

The location was ideal, next to the beach and outside the main resort area of Makadi Bay. it was very quiet so perfect for a relaxing quiet week (especially as we went out of season in January).

We would both like to thank everybody at the Al Nabila for a fantastic, relaxing holiday and we look forward to returning soon.

Paul & Jo

xx

Though some may argue that it's not a bona fide 5-star hotel, it meets all official requirements for such a facility. Despite the great location and lots of facilities, the rates are really low. The location is really great, with one of the greatest coral reefs in Egypt right by the hotel beach. There's a wide selection of food, too.

But don't be to optimistic. You won't get anything similar to a natural juice and whisky is a joke. The level of service is less than perfect. But it's really more than one could expect for this kind of expenses.

If you are looking for hungry Russians, non-existing customer service, a lot of stairs, chaotic management and diarrhoea, then this place is for you! In other cases, it would be wise to avoid this place.

I was in Egypt for the 4th time, and this hotel is really poor, it has Egyptian management who does not do much to make a Western-European knowledgable customer happy. Of course, if you are Russian (especially not very intelligent one), then you might feel it differently. Anyway, the staff in the buffet restaurant (it is more like a dirty eatery with dirty dishes and not fresh food) speaks to you in Russian even if you have told them 10 times that you do not speak this language. I would not recommend to eat any fish in the hotel since I was told by the hotel doctor that 95% of their fish is not fresh, I would also avoid all salads and meat since it never looked eatable. So there is not much left. The restaurant staff knows nothing about eating etiquette, for instance if you are just relaxing a bit and not holding your fork or spoon in your hand they take your plate away just like that. And of course, you will always get an angry look, too. I understand that they have difficult political situation right now and it might influence the general mood of the service people, but really the service is very poor.

Surrounding beaches are good and this is really the selling argument for the hotel. You have to be aware though that there are stairs to all beaches and in some you do not have the towel service. And in La Dorada beach you have to climb up to the hill to get your drink or go to toilet which is not comfortable.

Room cleaning was tolerable, we stayed in the main building. Although the shower, safety deposit box and phone were not working when we moved in, they were repaired quickly. If you are used to soft bed, then you will not find it here. The bed is hard as stone.

As I wrote before, I got sick from the food they serve (and it has never happened to me in Egypt before), I also visited the hotel's doctor who prescribed medicine and was nice and helpful.

There are some shops in the hotel, but you hardly find there any good deals, better take the transfer bus to Hurghada. But avoid the Ramses "shopping center" guys were you will be dropped off, just walk some 50-100 meters to the main street and turn right where there is a shopping center with state fixed prices.

As usual in Egypt, you have to deal with all kinds of sales people, but they generally understand if you are not interested, with an exeption of a red-shirt Istanbul guy who wants to send you to his fur shop.

Al Nabila was a slice of paradise. we stayed there in the last 2 weeks of November and had a fabulous time. The rooms were very clean and spacious and cleaned on a daily basis. Our cleaner, Romany, even made the bath mat into a pyramid every morning! The food was very tasty and fresh, with a wide selection of international cuisine. We were waited on by Abdul and Amin who were both friendly and efficient and a credit to the hotel.

We spent most days by the little pool in the bungalows. This was quiet and well maintained, however if you have children there are slides and a full entertainment programme at the larger pool and beach. We did not go on any trips however we heard positive reviews of the scuba diving.

Despite being one of only 2 english couples in the resort we did not find this a problem as all the staff and entertainment team spoke english very well. We would happily go back there and recommend it to anybody wanting a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing holiday.