We had a fantastic Christmas break on the banks of the Red Sea at the Sonesta Beach Resort. Apart from the unforgettable memories of the many activities that we packed into the week, it is the warm and genuine welcome that we received from the staff at the Sonesta that we will miss the most. We were two families - 4 adults, a teenage girl, and 3 young boys - and from the minute we arrived to the minute that we departed I can say that we have never been made to feel more welcome by a hotel. The managers, the housekeeping team, the waiters and chefs, and of course the beach attendants, all went out of their way to look after us.

Let’s be clear, the hotel sits on its own in the middle of nowhere and you can’t wander out and about because there is nothing for miles. But, we went to relax by the pool or on the beach and that’s exactly what we did. We had 5 out of 6 days of beautiful weather, clear blue sky and clear blue sea. The undoubted highlight was being able to snorkel around the coral reef just off of the hotel’s own beach. None of us had done much snorkeling before and we all loved swimming amongst the myriad of stunning tropical fish. The hotel has its own onsite watersports concession where you can organize diving trips, waterskiing, wake-boarding, etc. If you want to do more there is a good selection of excursions available, including trips to Jerusalem, Cairo and Petra, Jordan. These were not why we went to the Red Sea, but we did do a fantastic one-day “safari” by 4x4 and camels, including two snorkeling stops and even a bit of shopping down the coast at Dahab - a day that we will never forget. We also did a one-day trip on a traditional sailing boat, again including plenty snorkeling. We would highly recommend both, although the former is not for the faint-hearted.

The hotel is not a 5-star by European standards, that’s clear, more like a good 3….but then the prices aren’t 5-star either. We were more than happy that we got value for money. It sits in a wonderful setting, the rooms are bright, clean and spacious, and as I have already said the staff are marvelous. If you are after fine-dining the Sonesta is not for you. However, the buffets always have a wide variety of options and there were different meats and fish available to be freshly grilled every day. We were on an all-inclusive package, as in fact everybody is, and therefore the booze was limited to “local” drinks. I am Scottish and had never heard of Egyptian whisky before, and I can safely say that it is awful……however mix it (or Egyptian Rum, Brandy, Gin and Vodka, etc) with coke or lemonade and it has the desired effect. The local beer however is excellent and the table wine is drinkable.

All in all we had an unforgettable week and might even do the same again next Christmas. Thanks to the staff at the Sonesta for making it special.

Thankyou to all the staff at this hotel.
As soon as you entered you were met with a smile and a lovely welcome.
Nothing was too much trouble,very accommodating.
We had a lovely breakfast and evening meal in blue fish, thanks to the chef,garrah,tamir,Adel for looking after us.
We relaxed also by the pool were Ahmed looked after us.
There was a lot of hard work put into the NEW YEARS EVE EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW belly dancer,folklore dance,and disco, plus a fabulous buffet with a huge display of food.
THANKYOU SONESTA.

We were in need of two weeks pure relaxation, sun sea and sand, with nothing to do but be looked after and this is exactly what
was provided at the Sonesta.

Our room was cleaned every day to a high standard by Houssain who always left a beautiful towel design for us to find on our bed .

The food at the Blue Fish restaurant was delicious, always freshly prepared and of a high standard for an all inclusive, offering a generous portion of meat and fish cooked in front of you and a buffet of lovely salads and vegetable dishes.

Garrah the catering manager deserves a special mention for his consistent care and attention to every detail and making sure we were content throughout our stay.

We bought a massage package which included use of the sauna. The massage was of a very high standard and extremely good value for money - highly recommended.

Thanks to all the staff at the Sonesta who enabled us to have such a great holiday.
Katie and Steve.

It's the best animator what I ever saw. Always fanny, active and full of energy. Without him maybe I died from boring. Kiko made our vacation. Volleyball, darts, aqua jam, dance lessons, stretching. Now I have very very very good friend in Egypt and it's very beautifully. He teach me Egyptians games. He told much interesting things about Egypt and Bedouins and Red See.
So if you see him tell him "Hello from Andrie - DA-DA-DA!!!" and see whats happens. I promise it will be very funny.