If you've never been to Egypt before then you don't really have anything to compare this hotel to and you'll probably love it. If you have been to Egypt before and stayed in 'amazing' hotels then you'll be bitterly disappointed with this one. It does have good points - the staff are great, the pool on the 'new' side really does have wow factor and the gardens are beautiful and well looked after. The bad points are so numerous I'd bore myself to death writing it all down here. They pretty much echo what all the other 'Average' reviewers have said already. This isn't a 4* hotel and most definitely not in the sense that we understand what a 4* Hilton Hotel should be like. The running theme, even on the 'new' side, is shabby, worn, tired, old etc. I could not understand how the 'new' side was meant to be only 3 to 4 years old. The chairs at the pool bar on the old side are worn and the vinyl (yes - black vinyl) seat pads are shabby and flaking. I wouldn't sit in a bar like that in the UK let alone at one I've paid good money for. Food and room adequate. A La Carte's are dire. But for us, the most disappointing overall aspect about this hotel is the 'beach'. I was shocked. As mentioned previously don't believe the pictures on line or in the brochure. They're very misleading. The 'beach' is actually tiered levels carved out of a cliff face with fake grit type sand. The actual 'beach' bit - at the sea level - is minute, rammed with sunbeds and covered in fag butts (the grit at this level is pea sized shingle). You get to the sea by wobbling along a vile floating blue plastic box jetty type thing. It just looks so awful. You can't walk anywhere from the beach here. To your left is an overhanging rock face and to your right is the next hotel which is cordoned off by a rubbish looking fence and security. It feels very enclosed and isn't what we'd describe as 'beautiful'. You're at the end of the run of hotels in this area and the road just literally ends in a vast landscape of 'rubble'. Not sand, dunes or building works like normal - just rubble. As far as the eye can see. Rubble and rubbish...

I know I sound whiney and negative and, believe it or not, we had a nice holiday (because we made sure we did and we met great people)! The beach at the hotel we stayed in, in another part of Sharm last time, really was amazing. Long, flat, wide. Easy paddling access, fantastic snorkelling, beautiful long bleached wood jetty. You could walk along the beach spotting the Kingfisher's. Now that really was amazing.

The travel agent who recommended this hotel misled us and we overpaid too. If you get it for a bargain price and you want a week of sunshine with a brilliant pool then this would do. We sadly would never recommend this hotel or return. Do your research before you go and weigh up what's important for your hotel stay. There are far better hotels to choose in Egypt.

And, before someone from the hotel's management responds to my comments and asks us why we didn't report any of this at the time - we did. Reception weren't interested even when we asked to see the Manager. We were given a feedback form to complete and that was it.