Hello, dear friends, like-minded people and travelers!
I want to share my impressions of my 34th holiday in Egypt. The first time we stayed in Marsa Alam at the hotel "Beach Safari Nubian Resort 4*", system "all inclusive". I chose a hotel based on reviews and for the first time encountered the fact that reality does not match the reviews. After 3 days I changed hotel and it was absolutely right.
I arrived at the hotel in the afternoon. I was greeted very kindly at the reception, and was immediately checked in. The room was on the second floor, with a side view of the sea. The room was large, cozy and very beautiful, in the Nubian style. But almost everything did not work properly: the door to the balcony did not close, the hairdryer barely held on to one nail, the safe did not open, the refrigerator did not freeze, the entrance door to the room was very difficult to open, the shower did not work well, there was almost no hot water. It was easier to change the room than to ask for everything to be repaired. I was given another room, in which everything was also not in order. But here at least there was soap in the shower and hot water appeared after 5 minutes of waiting. I decided to stay in this room. The next day the lock broke and I couldn't get into the room. The hotel staff had to completely dismantle the lock, but they could only get into the room through the adjacent balcony. I waited for about 1 hour. I couldn't open the safe, which is why my silver chain got lost somewhere.
The hotel area is tiny, there is nowhere to walk. The style of the buildings is oriental, in white and blue tones, Nubian, very beautiful. But there are almost no plants. For the first time I see such bare and dry flower beds. A very sad sight. A lot of construction debris has been thrown near the buildings. There is a swimming pool and a pool bar, but the bar was not working, although it was fully equipped.
Food: the choice of dishes is very small, but they cook normally. The hotel is definitely not suitable for gourmets, but you will not stay hungry. There is a small selection of vegetables and fruits. I do not know where the reviews about the "excellent cuisine" came from, but this is definitely not the case.
There is only one all-inclusive bar. The choice is also small. I only tasted red wine, it tasted normal. I was satisfied with the coffee.
The sea. As you can see, without visiting the hotel, it is very difficult to assess what the underwater world is like there, the reviews are very subjective. It is because of the sea that this hotel is categorically not suitable for people like me. Scuba diving is my number one priority during a vacation in Egypt, I am a swimmer with very extensive experience. The reviews write about the rich underwater world near the hotel and about excellent snorkeling. My first swim from the pier of this hotel turned out to be the last. Moreover, for the first time in my life, I almost drowned, although I am a very strong swimmer.
On the first day of my stay at the hotel, I went to the beach, took a towel from the lifeguard and asked if I could swim, because there were waves in the sea. He said I could. I had swum a lot in the Red Sea and even in the waves, if there was no current, it was not scary. I put on a mask, got off the pontoon and swam along the coral to the south. The reef was gray, the underwater world was uninteresting, there are much better places for snorkeling in Marsa Alam. When I returned to the pontoon, the wind had picked up and the waves were even bigger. I swam with all my might against the strong current, but the current turned out to be stronger. They picked me up and started to carry me out into the open sea, I took off my mask and started screaming, but there was no lifeguard on the pontoon or anywhere nearby, although he knew that a person was swimming in the sea now. I had already said goodbye to life in my mind, but I tried not to panic so as not to take on too much water. A huge wave threw me with force onto the coral cover. Fortunately, the cover turned out to be dead and not very sharp, and I only slightly cut my toe. It is very important in such a situation to get out of the water quickly so that the smell of blood does not have time to attract predators.
All 3 days of staying at the hotel there was a very strong wind, it was uncomfortable on the beach, and the sea was very stormy, I didn't dare to swim anymore. Someone will say that it all depends on the weather, but my experience shows how important the location is, in Marsa Alam there are hotels where the beaches are well equipped with windbreaks, and the entrance to the sea is a bay where everyone can swim all year round, regardless of the season.
Service is a very weak point of the hotel. The lifeguard is often not on site, you have to wait a long time to get a towel. The service at the bar is very reluctant and with such an expression on his face that you don't even want to approach him anymore. Again, the bartenders are often not at work.
The animation at the hotel surprised me. The animation team is present, but they do almost nothing. The main animator in the evening just sits at a table with the guests and just chats with them, or shows card tricks. Once I saw a fakir show performed by the animation team, the level is quite weak compared to the shows I saw before. But if you need a taxi, the animators will organize it for you, this is their income. To summarize: the hotel has a very bad location for snorkeling, a small, bare and dry area, many problems with equipment and plumbing in the rooms, mediocre food and rude service. The hotel is very sad and there is absolutely nothing to do there. The only plus is the very nice design of the buildings and rooms. But the price for it is very high and absolutely does not correspond to the quality of the vacation. I don't even know what category of tourists it can be recommended to. I have been to Marsa Alam even in a 3* hotel and I liked it much more there and the prices are lower. What was especially unpleasant was that the hotel management probably orders reviews to artificially increase the hotel's rating instead of investing money in the area and service. I have never encountered such an open lie. This hotel is one of the worst in Marsa Alam, there are many hotels with beautiful bays, better service, more diverse cuisine, greener and larger areas that cost less. I changed the hotel to a 5* one without extra charge and have never regretted it.
LV
BE
EG
ZA