Shedwan Garden Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

it was our first time to Egypt, there was three of us! we arrived at the hotel and we thought it was decent- as time went on and we found that many of the staff where rude and crude! as a 4 star hotel we would have expected alot more from the hotel and staff. the shower leaked, food was terrible, ants in the bed the list could go on.
the Cleaner Mohammed was brilliant and the pool bar staff were decent except a couple had a poor manner! Reception were no help what so ever when we became ill and needed advise!
as 3 young girls we was worried and upset with the response we got!
overall Egypt was FANTASTIC! and we would go again just not to Shedwan Garden.

6 readers found this review helpful

After a very good Globespan flight to Hurghada,we were greeted by our rep and taken to our hotel.What a pleasant surprise to see a well cared for hotel and staff couldnt do enough for you. the room had a double and a single bed,tv, fridge and phone,all the usual clean linen and extra comfy pillows and of course a balcony.Tips are a must in Hurghada,money they dont have a lot of and a job means everything to these people,they appreciate all you give them.The hotel food was very good, local drinks also, your glass was never empty and table service was par for the course with no need for tipping,its entirely up to you.In Egypt they take English pounds not Scottish, they also take US dollars,and euros as well as their own money.We found most times if you pay in pounds it works out cheaper.The same applies when you enter the country there is a visa and English money is best for them around £13.You have to learn to say no if you go out shopping because you do get harassed to buy, they dont seem to get the message our rep taught us to say LA SHUKRAN which simply means no thank you,sometimes it worked.An excursion to the Valley of the Kings is a must, well worth getting out of bed for, jeep and quad biking too.This hotel was one of the best and walking from your poolside onto a large private beach and into the clear waters that you can walk out to for over a mile and still the water is shallow, absolutely amazing,we cant wait to go back,you will not be dissapointed this hotel i would highly recommend to anyone.One more thing taxis come in at between 15 and 25 Egyptian pounds and settle with the driver before you depart to go into the new town for more night life.Enjoy your holiday your way.
David and Theresa from Helensburgh Jan 09

3 readers found this review helpful

first timers to egypt-normally go to tunisia
geat hotel only eight english in hotel for our week mainly german and russian all friendly
had to change room due to problems but no real problem rep excellant nothing too much trouble trip to pymarids very good long day but worth it
food at hotel good very good service from waiters pool bar excellant nice and quiet on beach always lots of sunbeds to use and fluffy pool towels weather warm by day chilly at night
beware shops outside hotel very pushy get taxi into hurghada hard rock cafe much better shops and not so much hassle
lots of bargains to be had
a very relaxing family holiday

3 readers found this review helpful

It was my partners first time abroad and I thought after booking that it was a bit of a wild card going to Egypt but we had a brilliant time, obviously the locals hassle you to buy from them but if you just ignore them it's not a problem. (we found this hard as we are not used to ignoring people and felt quite rude!).
The hotel was top and the staff there were brilliant, all well presented and extremely helpful, we would highly recommend this hotel to anyone thinking of going, the facilities were good and the private beach was lovely, we had a sea view room which the views from our balcony were gorgeous to wake up to. We were there from the 1st - 8th Feb and we had temperatures between 22-27 degrees celcius, just right. Beware the temp does drop in the evenings so prob best to take a long sleevd top or jumper.
The food was good, always hot and replenished often not too mention a good selection of salads and cold food too. The only thing that we did find a bit annoying on a couple of occasions was that at popular meal times the restaurant would fill up and you would be asked to wait until tables became made available. Nice pool and good selection of drinks available all day long.
The hotel gardens were very well maintained and were home to serveral cats, they were all so adorable! Don't let this put you off though, they were there before the hotel and aren't any trouble, but do enjoy any fuss going spare!
Our Panorama Rep, Ahmed was brilliant- couldn't have asked for a nicer guy.
Overall had a brilliant time.

1 reader found this review helpful

I stayed in Shedwan Garden this May (2008). The teritory of the hotel is big and as I realised - the greenest in all Hurgada. The gardeners are working all the day taking care of this teritory. So, the surroundings are wonderfull.
Secondly, the food. it was also good and we didn't have any problems with stomach. Desserts were wonderfull.
We stayed in the ordinary room, so it wasn't fantastic, but for sleep it was enought. I should mention, that the first room we were given, we changed, because of the smell of the freshly painted cupboard. it was impossible to sleep and to be in such a room. but that was the only one complaint during the 10 days period.
What was the one of the biggest advantages of the hotel for me, that the majority, living in it were germans.
Staff was also good, especially in restaurant. One thing I didnt like, was that you couldn't take from restaurant even an apple with You. I saw even when this man, standing by the restaurant's door and watching, if anyone didn't take anything with themselves, cheking the bag of one woman and taking away two tangerines. I think, nobody would feel comfortable, when checked as in prison.

2 readers found this review helpful

We Stayed at Shedwan Garden And It was GREAT !!.
The Germans tended to be unpleasant . could of been the year before when it was England V Germany at football haha
the air conditioning was loud but cant complain because we were able to have a great nights sleep.
The staff were friendly and pleasant and would do anything at the click of your fingers.
They come over every five minutes to see iv we had finished our drinks and kept us topped up.
The food Werntas good as i would have expected i would have looked like a peice of rice if i would have stayed longer !
Overall the holiday were great

2 readers found this review helpful

Reading some below reviews I cannot believe that this hotel has been given such a bad write up! I have just returned from holiday and thoroughly enjoyed the week I have had at this hotel so much that I am hoping to return in April.
OK - so not exactly a five star compared to England's standard but this is Egypt! The rooms, pool and restaurants were all clean, the staff were extremely friendly and attentive and the weather was beautiful.
Yes there were not that many English there but everybody spoke in English anyway, even the Germans and Russians. The food was not catered for them, it was just rather repetitive but always at a good standard.
We received excellent service the entire time we were there and were not allowed to lift a finger for ourselves - we did tip occasionally but certainly not every time we wanted something.
Mohamed was our cleaner and he kept the room sparkling and also made interesting things with out towels. We tipped him about five English pounds for the week.
Towels were easy to come by, drinks were readily available both in the restaurant and then pool, the staff were very friendly and gave you no hassle - over all a great way to spend Christmas!
Would highly recommend this hotel to anyone wishing to see Hurghada - and not too far from ministry! You do have to go to the sister hotel for entertainment and you do have to pay for drinks but they are cheap and the hotel is a couple of mins walk away - so go already!

1 reader found this review helpful

I stayed here with my 11year old daughter for one week. We travelled with a large group. Staying at this hotel is like taking a cruise. There will be some things that you do not like, but that's life. Overall, it was fantastic!
The staff bent over backwards for us. Our room attendant always made animals or another design out of our fresh towels. I tipped the equivalent of between $1-$4 a day. My friend gave a daily euro and also had great service. Another room didn't tip and complained, complained, complained. C'mon! You would tip in Europe or the USA, right? Why try to jip the citizens of a third world country?
Don't eat the fresh fruit or veggies. Also, if you mix a small thing of jam with the plain yogurt, then you will boost your immune system. You could eat the plain yogurt by itself but it smells like Elmer's glue. We all brought Cipro just in case.
The hotel provides adequate boxed breakfasts (even for a picky eater like me) pillows, and a body guard for every tour. The body guard is a police officer. Ours was ALI. Please tip him. We only tipped him once and regret not doing it the other days. Your guides only make $20 a day, so consider throwing 10 or 20 LE's for them, too. That's just 2-4 dollars.
My 11 year old and I had a spectacular time. We thought we were going to starve on this trip but ended up gaining weight. Make sure you do not brush your teeth with the water. The bar sells a large bottle for $1 or 8 egyptian pounds. I packed a gallon of water and bought 4 bottles from the bar. You can refill the bottles at the pool, if you'd like. You wont go hungry or thirsty at the bar. If you want stronger drinks, then you have to tip. I tipped 1 or 2 LE each time, even if I was getting drinks for 4. Its just a courtesy. If you want courtesy then give some.
Once you step foot outside of the hotel, YOU ARE FROM CANADA. The shopkeepers don't know Canada's currency which means they cant harass you about a price while you're on the side walk. Also, they cant tell a British accent from an American one. You are in trouble if you're from the UK so just say Canada and you'll get a better deal.

1 reader found this review helpful

Hotel was good, nice and clean, but the beds where rock hard and full of fleas. Majority of the staff were extremely arrogant and rude. Apart from a few!!! Any complaints were ignored.
Towels were extremely hard to come by and you had to wait for hours to get them, after a fight with the manager. You never got the correct drinks that you ordered, no drinks were ever offered in the restaurants, although it was with waiters. Management constantly complained that the guests were drinking to much, so they resorted to changing the cups from tall beakers, to the tiny plastic cups you get in vending machines over in England!!! Had to go to the neighbouring hotel to get any sort of entertainment, where you had to pay for everything, although it was a sister hotel.
The all inclusive, included all the ice creams, but this did not apply to the children as we found out we had to pay for the ice cream for them. Which is absolutely disgusting!!!!
We have stayed at a 2* hotel, and have been treated better by their staff, and the ice cream was included!!!
If you want excellent treatment, you must tip the staff almost as if you have to pay them for actually doing there jobs. Will never return to this hotel ever again, even if it was a free one.

1 reader found this review helpful

Lovely hotel with private beach, staff where always smiling and helpful, would go back. Rooms where cleaned daily by staff who always had time for a chat, and plenty of entertainment in the evening time.