Just returned from our second trip to Ali Baba Palace. While it's just a tourist class hotel the standard is perfectly acceptable and it is clean and well maintained. The rooms and bathrooms are large with lots of storage space and have lovely views of either the gardens and pool or the beach.

It is a 25 minute ride from the centre of Hurghada but there is a free shuttle bus to the marina in the evenings and a round trip taxi will cost no more than LE40 if you prefer to use them. The bush taxis charge LE5 to go anywhere in Hurghada so very cheap!

The hotel chain own the Jasmine and Aladdin hotels too so you can use the amenities of all 3. If you want to eat in the restuarants of the other 2 though you have to ask reception to book for you. The Aladdin seems to have the most going on in the evenings and the Jasmine has a lovely shisha bar - well worth a visit. The only downsides I can think of to this hotel are that there are very few English tourists there as most are Russian, German and Polish and there is little entertainment in the evenings but, to be fair, this was in the winter. It got pretty boring after 2 weeks and it's not really practical to go into Hurghada every night. The food is perfectly acceptable but becomes repetitive after a while with chicken on offer almost every night. Although there are 3 restuarants they all serve basically the same food but we preferred the Italian as it was smaller than the main one.

The guys in the shisha bar are great (Ashraf x 2) and it's so much nicer than sitting in the reception of the hotel in the evening which feels like an airport or railway station with absolutely no atmosphere. However, the all inc doesn't cover drinks in the shisha bar.

About a 15 min walk away is Senzo mall with quite a few of our high street shops (like Accessorize) and with lower prices than home. There is also a supermarket there (Spinneys) selling just about everything and at much cheaper prices than the shops in the hotel. McDonalds does deliveries to the hotels and the reception staff have the number if you get sick of the hotel food! Best of all though is that Senzo mall has WI-FI in the cafes. Although the hotel advertises internet acess it is in a horrible room and is not particularly great. There is a shuttle bus to Hurghada centre from the mall hourly too costing LE5 or so.

Directly opposite the hotel there is a row of tourist shops selling the usual souvenirs and not much else. Should mention too that the only part of the pool which is heated is the part between the bridges right next to the hotel so if you go in winter this is really the only part warm enough to use! The beach is lovely with lots of sun loungers and a restuarant for drinks and lunch.

I hope this helps as I've tried to cover things I'd like to have known. We will return to Ali Baba next year at some point so it must have something going for it!

Stayed at the hotel for 2 weeks from 29th November and thoroughly enjoyed it. Whilst we were there Xmas decorations were put up.The place had a very festive feel about it. Decorations were tasteful and not tacky. Surprised by the high standard of service and cleanliness throughout the hotel and grounds. The reception and bar area had plenty of comfortable seating to accommodate all on an evening. Drink selection and quality within the reception and bar area were sufficient to meet most peoples needs.House wines were of a good standard. The table areas were continuously tidied up and cleaned throughout the opening hours. As it was an all inclusive resort, I expected problems with people drunk and being rowdy. This wasn't the case. In 2 weeks saw only 2 people the worse for wear. Maybe the fact there was very few British there had a bearing on this. Outside areas and the walkway down to the beach were well maintained and kept spotlessly clean. Flowerbeds and grassy areas were well maintained and kept tidy. Heated swimming pool a good size and was a necessity for this time of year as the sea temperature was quite cold. Water in the pool was crystal clear. Poolside kept clean and tidy throughout the day. Even sunshades are dusted on a daily basis. Beach cleaned and raked every morning. Sufficient beds, shade and windbreakers for all that needed them. Beach beds and mattresses were clean and comfortable.Food of an acceptable standard. ATM machine in the hotel which gives a good rate of exchange. Far better than you will receive in the UK or at the airport. Excellent holiday for a spot of winter sun. But would advice taking warm clothing as the area gets very cold once the sun goes down. Felt the hotel organised trip to the Marina was a total waste of time. Ended up getting a taxi back after less than an hour there.However it is well worth going into old Hurghada. Contrary to what I have read on some previous reviews, there was fruit available in the restaurants on a daily basis.Although the choice was limited it included date, oranges, melons and apples.The 3 restaurants offered us enough selection even if it meant eating different courses in different restaurants. For those wanting burgers and chips, there was the beachbars. It is definately a place we would recommend and also revisit

i have been to this hotel once and the experience was good,i have been to the two hotels next to it and i liked ali baba better, the swimming pool is excellent very long running through the hotel and a pool bar in the middle with free snacks which was good,
i liked the beach very long and you can also access the beaches next to it and even eat in the hotels on either side of ali baba because the three hotels are owned by the same company last time i checked,
the food was moderate, i personally like the all inclusive i can drink any thing i like any were any time,
money wise it was it was very reasonable
the hotel location is good. in the end I WOULD GO THERE AGIAN

We have just returned from our holiday in Hurghada and had a fantastic time. However, I would like to point out a few areas you may wish to know before deciding on where to stay.

The room was clean and tidy, overlooking the pool. You could hear the entertainment which went on until the early hours. So if you want a quiet room or have children it may be best to ask for a garden view room.

The food in all 3 restaurants at Ali Baba is buffet style. However, apart from one main dish they are all serving the same. The variety is not particularly wide and doesn't really change a great deal. There is a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables in the restaurants. However you can buy fresh items in the hotel lobby. (Not quite all-inclusive). If you like sausages (frankfurter type) and chips you are in luck.
Try the International restaurant for breakfast. Here you can get cereal, continental breakfasts, omelette, toast, pastries, pancakes etc.

The hotel offers ice skating, bowling alley, pool tables, tennis courts etc... however you have to pay to use all of these and they are not particularly cheap.

We tried booking excursions to Cairo and Luxor during our stay (on the 3rd day). However, this was already fully booked. So we decided to go on the jeep safari day instead. This is from 11.30am - 7.30pm. Beware they will try to sell you things the whole day. It was a good day out but I was not impressed when they offered Donkey rides on these tiny donkeys to full grown and rather large adults and when the Donkeys slowed down they would whip them!

The evening entertainment at the hotel was fantastic - a variety of shows for all ages.

The beach is at the end of the hotel. It is very clean and there are a number of sun beds available.

The main pool is rather chilly (unheated). We went in November and it certainly took a while to get used to the water temperature. The pool on the other side of the bar where they do aqua-gym etc is much warmer.

I hope this gives you an idea of what to expect. We had a fab holiday even with the unexpected areas.