We have just returned from the holiday village having stayed from the 31/07/08 until the 14/08/08.
The hotel is good overall but large and this i think detracts from the quality.

The staff are always friendly and helpful they do not appear to expect a tip at any time. The only people that seem to do this are the bus drivers that take you to and from the airport and on any excursions. I understand that they have already been paid and we have never tipped them but they can be persistant.

The holiday village is spotless in every aspect from the grounds to the rooms. as has been said previously some of the finishing particularly the bathroom is poor but so what, this doesn't spoil the holiday.

Bedrooms are massive and easily accomodated to adults a fourteen and an eight year old. Campbeds fot the children which they had no complaints about. very efficient air conditioning.

my gripes would be that this is a massive site and as such the dining room at the times when most normal people like to eat is like a school canteen. Queues for most things, shortage of plates and very young children everywhere struggling to manage to get their own food. The queues would be much more manageable if some of the very young were helped by parents! The staff do though work very hard to keep up with the demand. Food was OK

As with a lot of these big hotels there is a lack of evening seating that is not bar orientated. A quiet place to have a coffee and not be assaulted by cigarette smoke would be nice.

The poolsides again i felt where cramped and very busy but this is peak season the beach is much more pleasant but unfortunately there is nowhere at the beach to eat at lunchtime.

We had no illness with our family but again heard complaints from poeple who had been poorly. Although one person who complained bitterly came in from a long hot excusion and immediatly ordered alcohol from the bar.

We would not visit again because of its size and as we have been to the Coral Sea Resort twice previously this hotel feels much better for us as a family and we would go there instead.

I travelled to the Holiday Villlage on 04 August for 2 weeks with my wife and 15 year old son. My 18 and 20 year old son's followed a week later, to join us for the second week.

The Hotel

This is a very large complex and proves that men do wear the trousers, as the majority of staff are all males. The staff work very hard often performing more than one job.The complex is kept very clean. All the staff are friendly and will do anything for you. If you tip the staff they will look after you, as i found out at the beach bar one day, when i had to eventually tell the barman to stop bringing drinks over to us even though we had not asked for them. I could easily have got drunk.
We were in block 14 which is in a quiet area of the complex at the rear. We had a standard room on the ground floor. The bed was enormous and my 15 year old son who is 6ft 2" tall had a very comfy fold up bed, which he slept on easily. The air - con is an added bonus and is needed and the digital safe is free to use. The mini bar is not cheap as you have to pay for any drinks you have. We emptied ours and used to store bottles of water or juice in the fridge instead.
The room was cleaned daily. The final decor is a bit tacky and you can spot where mistakes have been made, but i don't understand why people complain when the room is clean and comfortable.

The food

There is plenty of choice and the food is ok. I have had worse at other hotels. The main restaurant was very busy. At breakfast everyone stocks up on the bottled water as if there is going to be a drought.

There are 3 a-la-carte restaurants, a mediterranean a chinese and an indian, all of wich you have to pre book for. When you first arrive you are given meal vouchers to use at these restaurants, however you still need to attend at the restaurants to book yourselves in, they are situated by the main pool. When we went to book we were told all 3 were fully booked during our first week. We managed to book all three during our second week and were surprised that in the indian and chinese, we were almost the only people dining there when we went. I would recomend the mediterranean, but thats my choice. All 3 sell bottles of wine which are very expensive compared to the supermarkets outside the hotel. We were offered a bottle of red merlot in the Chinese for

Hi everyone, just returned this morning from a 2 week stay at The holiday Village.
We had a very efficient check in, quick, easily sorted out with your keys and an envelope containing towel cards , a map and hotel bus times and prices.
We went down to the restaurant which they had kindly kept open as we were delayed half an hour coming out.
The staff are quick to please , very smiley and talkative.

We were allocated a room in block 14 but the following day asked to be moved as it was a long trek to get anywhere in the baking heat, this was done quickly and we had moved only 2 blocks up as the village was pretty much full, it was still a trek though and for me this was the only downside.

We asked for the mini bar to be emptied and this was done in an instant.We then put in our own bottles of water and coke etc.

The room was to a high standard and you could eat from the floor, it was absolutely spotless. My cleaner was so thorough he even took the time to line all the lotions and potions in the bathroom from large to small . The whole village is constantly being cleaned,swept and windows washed etc these people just dont stop, they work extremely hard.

I cant say i saw much of the evening entertainment as my little one was whacked out by about 9.30pm but what i saw was quite entertaining. The one thing i will say is that i dont like the arrangement of the ampitheatre seating. If i had put on a new dress, i wouldnt like to sit on mats and loungers that people had been lying on all day with suncream etc, i think they desparately need some tables and chairs and quite a lot of them, just so you could sit down with friends and have a drink if you were'nt watching the entertainment.

location is a short bus ride to Naama Bay, or there are local shops just outside, please note that the 24/7 to the left of the hotel is great, prices are really reasonable and things were quite a bit cheaper than in the village shop, it only takes a few minutes to walk there and you'll save yourself some money.

I only took pounds sterling and had no problem anywhere paying in english, you often get change in egyptian or english and egyptian.
Also if you walk a few minutes longer after the 24/7 you will find an english owned and run cafe called Churchills, where you can buy a full english breakfast with real bacon, eggs, sausage, bubble and squeak tomatoes, heinz beans, and real tomato ketchup and brown sauce. unfortunately for us, we only found this the day before leaving and had already eaten...... we so could have eaten a full english breakfast some days.

Onto food, its plentiful and they are always checking the temps of things, beautifully layed out, there are some things that you may not recognise or like the look of but you will not starve, there are many things on offer to pick from. there are BBQ , international, oriental, you'll find marinated lamb on a couple of evenings, and the roast beef is lovely. They are trying really hard with a lot of the english food, its not quite like home, but you are in the middle of Egypt here. Be adventurous and dive right in, taste a few things, you may be quite surprised.

The Weather was glorious, reaching 54 one day.

I had a great 2 week stay and was brought down with a bump when i landed in Manchester this morning, no more blue skies for me and it rained this morning!!! Arghh......

Would i stay in the village again, yes i would if i secured a room closer to everything, i just found the room too far away and when i had taken my little one back, it was too far of a trek to go and get a drink so ended up buying bottles of coke to put in my fridge.

We have just returned having spent 2 weeks at the holiday village
We had a fantastic holiday in this lovely hotel
The food was good with plenty of variety.
The staff were fantastic
There was always something happening for the kids
The kids clubs were top class
The only downsides were
1 The size of the resort
We were in block 14 and it must have been close to a mile to get to the beach which is no fun with 3 small kids in 40 degrees
Secondly the jetty to get to the coral only brings you half way and it is a long wade out after that to the coral Again this was a very long treck for the kids
We enjoyed the holiday but felt the resort was too big for our liking
We will not go back for this reason

After reading some of the previous reviews we were a little apprehensive but we need not have been. The hotel and pool areas were spotless and there was always someone collecting glasses and rubbish.
The food does get a little repetitive but there was always plenty to choose from and chefs cooking fresh dishes in front of you. The cakes and doughnuts at breakfast and the pizzas were a particular hit.
The hotel is opposite a few shops but we did not venture out of the complex only to go to the Waterpark.
The Egyptian hotel staff were very friendly and could not do enough to help.
Yes we did get upset stomachs but will put this down to the heat 45 degrees and the change in diet nothing that was the fault of the hotel itself.

The E3 evening entertainment team were fantastic and did well to cater for all age groups.There were also plenty of daytime activities should you wish to participate.

The main gripe we had was the sunbed situation having to get up at 6.30am to ensure a parasol.

Transfer/Arrival:

As we arrived, the airport was very busy, people queueing everywhere. This was due to alot of flights coming in at the same time. The journey to the hotel was very pleasant, about 12 minutes. No need to worry once you get to the hotel as the bellboys deliver your suitcases to your room, so you can go and get a bite to eat from the buffet restaurant which stays open til 00:30am for the new arrivals.

Room ( Kids Den):

The room was very big with a separate little room as a kids den. The main bedroom bed was MASSIVE! We could fit all four of us in it. The kids den was nice with a television in with more than enough english channels and films. The only problem was, no plug for ps2 in the Den!

Swimming pool:
The main swimming pool was massive plenty of room for everyone, with a few other smaller pools around the hotel aswell. My Husband and I got up at around 6am to get a sunbed, plenty spare at that time. We think that people may of tip the pool boys to get them a bed...But really no need. There is a bucket pool and slides around the main pool for the children, which they enjoyed. There is one slight problem, which we did not know when we arrived is that if you are not around your sunbed for and hour or two, your towels will be whipped away from your beds by the pool boys as people asked them for a sunbed. ( Thats what we discovered when we came back from the welcome meeting!) The water in the pool was clean.

Food:

The food in the main buffet was good. The food did get a bit repetitive ( pasta, chips, rice etc), at lunch and at night, but the meats were changed every time. The food was cooked fresh, and if it wasn't cooked then they wouldn't serve it to you. The breakfast in the morning was nice. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, yoghurt. etc

There were 4 a la carte restaraunts all though we didn't visit the Indian or the seafood ( you have to pay for your catch). But the Chinese and the mediterranean were very nice. You had to pre-book for these restaurants, make sure that you do this early on in your holiday else you will struggle to get a place. The waiters in both of the a la carte restaurants were very pleasant and did all they could for you. There is also a bbq on the beach for 5 GBP every wednesday.

Beaches:

We knew the snorkelling was going to be amazing before we left The uk, but never thought it was going to be as good as it was!! If you don't go snorkelling you will be missing out on a lifetime experience!! Even though to get to all the great reefs you have to go out for half a mile , The sea is waist height so it doesn't put you off. We never sat on the beach as it was too hot. But there is a bar on the beach which you can get drinks from if you can stay down there that long !

Entertainment:

We found the entertainment average as it did start half an hour late most nights, and mostly it is the entertainers from the hotel doing the shows. There were only two nights in the 14 which were done by people from outside the hotel. The entertainers tried very hard, and we thought the shows were good that we did stay and see. The one Thing that put us off the most is the time that the shows eventually started as we have a younger child.

The grounds at the hotel are remarkable, gardeners do a fantastic job of keeping it all together.

we would definitely go back.

We all had a fab time at this hotel, we had no reason to worry about it at all.

The check in procedure was very painless which was great when you arrive late, our bags were taken to our room while we enjoyed a drink on arrival and the buffet restaurant was kept open late with a small selection of food available for us.

Although we loved the food at the main buffet restaurant, the indian and the mediteranean, I feel I had to give a 4 for the score just down to the bad service and awful food we received at bamboo the chinese restaurant.

The hotel was constantly kept very clean and the gardens were constantly being maintained, again I gave a 4 just down to what I felt was very rude, our maid coming into our room at 8.30am in the morning to strip the net curtains which were apparently dirty to be cleaned in time for the new guests. I felt quite insulted by this 2 days before we were due to leave.

The location was fine for us as we dont really go off site apart from my husband diving.

Hotel staff I gave a 3 sadly due to the few occasions I felt were out of order, I have explained above re the net curtains, we also had bad service at the chinese where we had an argument over the food not being what we ordered and them saying it was, how do you prove it?? The last thing that spoilt the staff score was on the last day when we had booked a late check out and they wanted our bags by 3pm, I'm sorry but I was intending still enjoying my hol around the pool at this time and had no intention of having my bags packed by 3pm, we eventually agreed on 4.30pm but felt we were treated quite poorly baring in mind our cases would just sit outside the hotel till we left at 7.30pm. Also watch out in all 3 of the a la carte restaurants they will try and clear your table before you have finished eating, you have to be firm and tell them to come back later. The rest of the staff we came across were brill especially the waitors in the bars and the buffet restaurant.

Sun loungers and Parasols - we got up at 6am to reserve beds purely down to being woried of not getting a parasol, which we couldnt be without in the heat in August with children.
The rules are strictly imposed by the 'Towel Police' as we called them if you are not on your beds between 10am and 10.30am your towels will be taken off and your beds given to someone else so be mindful of this if you are in the pool or having a walk on the beach, make sure someone is on one of the beds, even if your handbag suncream all your personal effects are there, if your not, it will all be scooped up and taken away. We left the welcome meeting before 10am so this wouldnt happen to us.

The entertainment I gave a 4 the reps work very hard all day and night no complaints whatsoever I felt I couldnt give a 5 due to the evening entertainment being outside and also on too late especially when you've got young ones who are zapped after a hard day playing in the heat. My kids loved the adrenalin challenge and the water walking.

I would probably not visit again due to us usually going somewhere different every time we go away and wanting to explore other parts of the red sea riviera but I never say never.

Had a lovely time at the holiday village. Quick check in - welcome drinks provided. They confirmed that they had emptied the mini bar as I had previously requested, and that the cake I had ordered for my partners birthday would be delivered shortly. We found our room which was in block 13, overlooking the quiet pool, and about 10 minutes later the cases were brought to our door. The rooms are very large - the double bed is enormous and there was a sofa bed and a large camp bed for our girls. There is a large walk in wardrobe, a balcony with table and chairs, and a big bathroom. The hairdryer is in the bathroom so we were glad we'd taken our own as you couldnt get in the bathroom to use it whil someone was in the shower. there was a washing line in the shower area which was very handy - things dried really fast due to the heat.
The birthday cake arrived all wrapped in cellophane and ribbons and was very nice - they even though to send a knife to cut it and plates for us to use.
The air conditioning was very good - you really need it at nights. The fridge didnt keep things very cold but it was better than nothing.
There are plenty of sockets in the room, including one english style one which was handy.
We ate at all of the restaurants apart from the seafood. We didnt care for the Mediterranean, the Sari (Indian) was nice, and the Bamboo (Chinese) was by far our favourite. The main restaurant is very good. The food did get a bit repetative but there is lots of choice, and everything we had was hot and properly cooked. In the morning the egg station was popular, there was also a choice of cereals, pancakes, pastries and bread, chicken and beef sausages, beef bacon, fresh fruit etc. We only ate lunch a couple of times, but there was a full selection on offer similar to the evening meal. We used the pizza bar down by the main pool for lunch, and they open the Med restaurant and serve chips and bread and a couple of meal choices like chicken, or burgers. The evening meals were nice, they try really hard to do english choices, the sunday lunch was quite good, there was also stew and lasagna etc. The barbeque nights were a nice change. There is a pizza station where they make individual pizzas with your choice of topping, a pasta station where you could have bolognaise, or just pasta with tomato sauce or add mushrooms, peppers, onions etc. There is loads of choice of breads, cakes, pastries, deserts and fruit.
We mainly used the quiet pool. I did get up early to get a sunbed but only because it seemed suce a shame to stay in bed when the sun was shining. The pool guys are great, they bring the towels to your lounger or will try and find you one if its busy. There were still beds available at 8.30ish around the quiet pool. The beach was beautiful and very under used. There are loads of empty beds. There is a towel station down there too so you dont have to carry towels down & a bar for drinks etc. The sea is shallow for ages and so warm. The snorkelling is not to be missed. You will need shoes to walk in the sea.
We went to the Sports Bar several times, its nice and cool but a bit dull. The Ampitheatre is so hot, and quite busy, the reps do a good job but it is a bit samey. I tried all the wine - not too bad, partner not impressed with the lager - mainly because it is bottled and they pour a glass and then the next person gets the second half of the bottle - its Ok if they open a fresh one for you but if you get the second half its flat. The soft drinks are all bottled too with the same problem. There are some nice little shops in the Hotel,they are always giving free sweets etc. Outside of the hotel you have to haggle.
We used the hotel taxi service to go to Naama bay and the Cleo Water Park. They were very reliable. The water park was good - the rides are not too extreme!
Had very slight stomach upsets, partner was the worst, but it didnt spoil our holiday. The swim up rooms looked great - we tried to upgrade but they were all full.
All in all a lovely holiday.

We arrived late in the evening but found check in very quick and painless. We went straight to our room and within half an hour our cases arrived to the room.
Breakfast was a great hit with my 2 kids (12 & 14)but was always the same but that didnt bother my daughter as she loves pancakes.
We all agreed that the food was great & well cooked but I noticed that on the first week there was no cool air canopys covering the cakes and salad bar and there were flys around. The second week the canopys were put over the food and the fly problem disapeared.
One other thing to be careful of is the floor area around the 2 bars this gets wet with children spilling their drinks and no one will come and mop it up so you have to be careful walking as you will end up slipping.
Sadly we couldnt use the A la Carte as we didnt pack any long trousers for my son, we noticed little children could get in wearing shorts but at 14 not my son so we missed out on that one.
The hotel is only about 10 mins from the airport and right on the beach. We spent time on the beach which wasnt used that much, the swinging beds were brilliant my 2 drove me mad at times making it swing back and forth so made them get on the sun beds.
Do not miss the tropical fish, we found that the fish by our hotel were the best as friends further up the beach never got to see any. You must take some shoes to walk out into the sea with as you will not know what you are walking on and there is coral to walk over. Big thing to watch is the steps down into the sea these are very very slippy and we watched many people slipping down them and hurting their backs, one little girl even cut her foot open in several places, so go down them slowly one at a time and hold the hand rails.
The fish will eat bread from your hands so dont forget to take some rolls at breakfast.
The hotel staff are brilliant nothing is to much bother, I have to say we spent most of our time around the quiet pool and never went down to put our towels on the beds before 9am and there was always loads to choose from, also we never got back to the beds until 10.00 or 10.30 and our towels were still were we left them. The man who kept our room very clean, was brilliant, very polite and helpful.
My son was poorly while we were out there and we had to have the doctor to him. He speaks brilliant English but the male nurse who works with him has very limited english. The doctor kept phoning me every few hours to make sure my son was ok, something you dont get here. My son did feel much better after 24 hrs and after 48hrs was back to normal but he was on 2 lots of tablets for 5 days.
Hotel entertainment at night was great for little children say from 3 - 9 but mine were to old for this so there was nothing for them and they got bored. Again there was nothing really for them to do during the day because they werent part of the kids clubs.
Would I visit this hotel again, yes but I would make sure my 2 had a friend each with them to keep themselves entertained rather then me doing that, and I could spend more time on the sunbeds with my books.
When paying the bill they did try and charge me for a mobile call so say rung from our room, but as I had only rang the first choice reps in their office(which was free)no one else used the phone. They also tried to charge me for a bottle of beer that fell out of the fridge and smashed on the floor, make sure you report anything to the main reception and signed a form to say what has happend and then waited for house keeping to come and clean up and take away, beacause of this signed form I wasnt charged.

Check In was very good even with the delay at the airport. We had upgraded our room direct with the hotel so they had a member of staff waiting for us, this process was very smooth. We did get lost trying to find the room but wow when we found it and saw the location.
The Room was amazing and brilliant, we upgraded to a kids den and was given a suite in Block 5 with direct access to the main pool, which was very handy in having to get up by 6am to reserve our beds and watch the sun rise. We even sat on our patio in the evenings to listen to the entertainment and disco on the beach. Our cleaner was really amazing and work so so hard, we felt we had to tip him lots when we left.
The food was very good on occassions and on others it was ok. There was certainly plenty of choice and the roast beef, yorkshire puds were brilliant. It was chaotic at times but you just have to grin and bear it. All the staff in the restaurant worked very hard.
The Pool Bar at times was very frustrating as the staff tended to ignore the people in the water and concentrated on the people the other side, often it was quicker to get out of the water to be served, what a chore!. The Bar Staff worked incredibly hard and even managed to remember our drinks after just one night, and no we didnt have to tip them for this service!
The Entertainment team worked very hard to please all ages, it did get a little boring but it kept the kids happy, which in turn keeps us adults happy. The Ampitheatre is a very bad design and the most uncomfortable experience. A must is the Bingo, both us and my sisters family won the House, for us was