Hiya st-clares
We stayed at the Iberotel Palace in January 02 and it was absolutely fantastic and if it's still the same you've made a very good choice
I'm not sure if you've seen their site but here it is anyway
The hotel is of a very good standard and the food is first class, your right at the beach and there's plenty of room and they love kids too.

When we went there were very few brits and it was mostly Russians, a few Germans and some Italians but that didn't spoil it in any way for us.

The buffet restaurant was excellent and had a 7 "themed" night rota and cost about £10 per head + drinks. I've got to say the meals first class and also the Chinese at the top of the shopping arcade in Namma bay was excellent too , Namma bay is 10 mins away on the regular free shuttle bus btw.

January was about the coolest month there and there was sometimes a cool breeze and the outdoor pools were a "no no" for me as i'm a right wimp at going in cold water and although there was a few swimming in the red sea it was too cold for me. On the beach it could get a bit cool if the sun went behind a cloud but when the sun was out it still felt hot
They have an indoor "heated" pool which didn't feel heated to me lol and the gym was rubbish but apart from that it was a fantastic place
My opinion of Sharm is that it's great if you go to one of the top hotels but can be a nightmare if you go last minute to unnamed accommodation.

You have certainly chosen a gem there and i'm sure you'll have a fantastic time

Hi Camstop
Thankyou for your reply. We are looking forward to going to Sharm for Christmas. We have seen the web site of the hotel it looks very nice. I hope it is still as good as when you were there. We are going on an AI basis so hopefully the food will be good.
Did you go to St Catherines Monastery.

Did you go to St Catherines Monastery.

No we didn't
My wife inquired about going but i'm sure it was going to be 8 hours before we'd get back and with my daughter only being about 3 then and with me not wanting to bother we didn't go.

I'm sure it would be easy to arrange the trip there if you weren't sure before you went.
You are just across the road to "old sharm town" which is a bit scruffy and full of souvenir shops but worth a visit as it's very close.

Everything was as good if not better than the pictures in the "photo gallery" on the web site and i'm sure you'll come back wondering why loads more Brits go like what we did.

Hi St Clares

Just out of interest, what company did you choose to book the Iberotel Palace Hotel through? I tried unsuccessfully to incorporate a Nile Cruise and a stay at that hotel, choosing the Hyatt Regency instead. It would be nice to bookmark the name of the company for future reference.

Cheers

Hi Shedevil
We booked the Iberotol Palace through Thomson Holidays Platinum Brochure
They do Nile Cruises and Hotels in and around the Red Sea.
If you want any more help contact me on PM.

Thanks for the information St Clares, I have bookmarked that I hope you have a lovely holiday

We are meant to being to Sharm at Christmas staying at the Iberotel Palace Hotel I am very concerned about the number of people who are ill .Is there anybody who has not been ill and what precautions did they take

Hi st-clares,
We too are going to the Iberotel Palace this Christmas. We're on a Red Sea cruise with on Thomson Spirit for first week then at the hotel for 2nd over Christmas.
We're really looking forward to the hotel as the reviews I've read give it a high rating.
But do you know if we need to get entry visas before we go?
See you at Xmas

I'll be staying in the Iberotel Palace in Sharm el Shiekh over Christmas. As yet there are no reviews on this hotel. Has anyone stayed there recently and can give me some feedback ? Thanks

Thinking of booking this hotel for next March as all the reviews I've read have been good. However am confused which board to go for, B&B, Half Board (+£13 ppn), or all inclusive (+£26 ppn). Does anyone have any advice or opinions as to which would be the best value? In the past have been HB to Hurghada & AI at Hilton Sharks Bay. Believe hotel is situated walking distance to Old Sharm so unless get taxi or shuttle bus into Naama Bay things like Macdonalds, Hard Rock etc are not an option. Any other information about hotel would be gratefully received.
Thanks, Caro

The Iberotel Palace is certainly walking distance from the Old Town, Caro, as you will see on this map.
http://sharm-el-sheikh.ovh.org/mapa_lewa_engl.html

There is nowhere near the selection of restaurants, "well known names" or not in Old Sharm as there is in Naama Bay. You would probably find several places to have lunch if you took the half-board option, then it would all be down to whether your "envisaged" bar bill would make the all-inclusive worthwhile or not.

Personally, I prefer that end of Sharm as it is far less "manic" than Naama, but it's all down to individual choice.

Thanks Carrot,
Have already used your link to help choose this hotel - really brilliant site for snapshot of hotels and the maps for where they are located.
For this particular holiday wanted to be somewhere where we had something on the doorstep and as my friend and I loved getting the bus into Downtown Hurghada thought it ideal! The lack of house reef is not a problem as they have a speedboat to take you to the corals.

Regarding AI we always take lunch but the actual bar bill is never horrendous as we tend to work through the duty free in the room and just have a few Sakaras and coffees. Another consideration is that laundry is included in AI - a great bonus when there is only 15Kg baggage allowance!