Sonesta Beach Resort

3 readers found this review helpful

We travelled here in February 2011 Half Term, just as the whole Egypt crisis was winding down. This meant that other nationalities weren't flying to Egypt, so the hotel was not fully operational due to low numbers. This did however mean that you could always get a sunbed on the beautiful beach.
Dining was haphazard to say the least, indoor cooking, outdoor cooking, odd selections and lots of walking with plates of food - not ideal. Three of us, 40's, 50's, and teenager, all went down with "tummy troubles". Don't know if it was the food, but definitely need to drink loads more water than you would at home. It's free, so just keep knocking it back! Drinks from the bar are a poor selection, and really shoddily put together. I prefer a pay bar so I can have something decent, but even that was poorly stocked and not professionally served. Steer well clear of the cocktails - UGH!!!
The rooms are well kept, although watch out for flaking paint dropping off all the time - humidity will always be a problem.
Despite losing 2 evenings to stay near the bathroom, we still had a marvellous holiday here. The weather is fantastic in February, really warm sun, and the fish you can see in the sea whilst not even in above your knees are simply breathtaking - you don't need to be a swimmer.
Our personal advice, stay on resort unless you like being harrassed and shouted at, the locals are not friendly outside of the complexes, they are aggressive, rude and intimidating.
We will be returning to Egypt next Half Term, but opting for a large complex where will stay inside for the week and just enjoy the weather, the sea, and not having to cook, clean, or do supermarket shopping!

15 readers found this review helpful

This, our first trip to Egypt, was made with some trepidation having had a bad experience in Tunisia a number of years ago. Clearance through Sharm El Sheikh airport was completely painless and transfer to the Hotel was a bit of an eye opener as the Egyptian drivers are mad to say the least.
On arrival at the Sonesta Beach we were met by the bell boy and our cases were taken from us and we were processed by extremely pleasant Reception staff in a very pleasant Reception Area. The check-in was carried out very smoothly and we were shown outside to where the bell boy took us and our apartment.
The apartment was spotlessly clean on arrival and kept that way by daily visits from the cleaner. The beds were made daily and sheets were changed every other day and the towels were changed daily. The only criticism was that the apartment was starting to show signs of age particularly in the bathroom.
The Sonesta Beach was only half-full due, in part, to the earlier unrest within Egypt although there had never been any problems around the Sharm El Sheikh area. With reduced numbers of visitors some of the facilities were not available, i.e. There are two main dining areas in the complex and only one was open although this did not have any adverse effects as there was plenty of room both inside and outside The Citadel Restaurant which was open during our visit.
This holiday was the first that we had taken on an All-Inclusive basis and prior to our holiday we had heard one or two horror stories about the food served at some establishments and how it could become boring with the same menus every day. I am pleased to say that we were pleasantly surprised.
Breakfasts were as would be expected with the choice of a full English type breakfast, selections of cereals, Continental type breakfasts, fruit, etc. Fruit juices were available on a self-help basic and tea and coffee was constantly topped up by the efficient waiters.
Lunches were from choices of Salads with cheese and cold meats and/or at least four hot cooked meats/fish dishes with vegetables, pasta, etc. There was also a selection of cold desserts and cheese to round off your lunch. During lunch the waiting staff are constantly offering to top up alcoholic or soft drinks at your table. Tea and coffee is available on a self-help basis.
Evening meals were varied every day. Each evening had a different food theme throughout the week. For instance, one night might be an Italian Evening and the next it would be a Russian Evening. On each evening there is also a selection of standard british style meals for the less adventurous diners. As at lunch, the waiter constantly topped up your alcoholic and soft drinks at your table.
All meals are served for 3 hours (7am-10am); (12am-3pm); (7pm-10pm).
The one thing I was pleased to see was that a member of staff was constantly testing the temperatures of the food throughout the mealtimes.
In addition to this main dining area, there was another restaurant - The Casablanca serves Lebonese and Oriental cuisine although this is served at table rather than buffets style. Due to the limited size of this restaurant, guests are limited to one visit per week and this visit must be pre-booked 24 hours in advance at Reception.
Bars are scattered around the complex and some have waiter service whilst others are on a self help basis. Either way there was never any long waits - all drinks were free flowing throughout the day.
The Sonesta Beach has several pools (at least one of which is heated) and they adopt a card system for towels which are supplied clean on a daily basis. Pools do not open until 8am so nobody can go out earlier than this to stake a claim to a padded sunbed. At each pool there is a member of staff who will allocate towels in exchange for the ticket given to each guest on arrival. The member of staff is around the pool all day. When you have finished with your sunbed you can return the towels and receive back your towel ticket.
Before the pools open at 8am the areas are cleaned and every evening the pools are closed at sunset and the areas washed down.
The Sonesta Beach has it's own private beach and the towel system and the bars are open in this area. There is a floating pier out from the beach, from which you can see various types of fish in the Red Sea.
From the complex, guest can walk into Naama Bay which has an excellent variety of restaurants, from local Egyptian through the likes of Macdonalds, etc. and usual variety of Chinese, Thai, Indian, etc. Naama Bay also hosts some of the well named UK High Street stores and the Egyptian Markets where the bartering is not only fun but also worthwhile. You must be prepared to be accosted and the traders will all want you to go into their stall (or shop). And don't forget if the trader won't accept your offer - you can always walk out of his shop. I 'll bet you that you won't get to the door before you are stopped and your offer accepted. If you have not bartered before then take a tip - Start with an offer between 10% and 30% of what they ask. Then you can argue the price until agreement is reached. They all speak English and will give you all their hard-luck stories which you can take or leave.
If you want to go out of the complex for a meal, then you can even negotiate the prices on the menu if you are going to a restaurant operated by a local owner. To give you an example, we decided to have a meal away from the complex on our last night. We were stopped by the owner of a restaurant we had previously looked at and the owner offered us a 20% discount. I said, "I'm looking for more than 20%". He asked me what I was looking for and I told him I was looking for more like a 40% discount. He offered us 30%, and when I turned it down and started to walk away we got the 40%.
To sum up. The Sonesta Beach is in an ideal location and had all the facilities that we expected. It is clean, well run and maintained. The staff are well motivated and, although they rely on tips, they will put the client first and most have a very good sense of humour and will go out of their way to make the client feel extra special. Entertainment was limited which I put down to the reduced numbers of visitors.
We had a wonderful holiday and, if circumstances permit, look forward to returning next year.

1 reader found this review helpful

We went to this resort last year,we gave it 9 out of 10, this year 2 out of 10, last year the food & entertainment was fantastic 7 nights a week, thats why we went back this year, there was entertainment 1 night a week and the food was crap, last year we had steak this year was burgers, pasta & chicken, we lasted 3 days & got moved to club magic life,thank god for good reps who agreed with us. The rooms were dark especially the bathroom, the resturaunts were filthy, would I go back to the sonnesta, not a chance

5 readers found this review helpful

My family which consisted of 6 adults and 2 children 11 and 9 years old, absolutely loved this holiday. The staff at Sonesta Beach just couldn't do enough for us. My parents were celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary while there. The cleaner found out about it and left a lovely present in their room the next day, my parents were really pleased with this extremly nice gesture. The rooms were very clean and extremely large. My children are very fussy eaters but always found something to eat. Out of the fortnight 2 adults suffered tummy upsets which only lasted for a couple of days, thanks to the kind barman that made up the special tea to settle their stomach. I don't think it was the food I think it was more to do with the hot weather.
We were all in agreement that this package holiday was the best chilled out holiday we have had. Having been to alot of other holiday destinations. Definitely going back 2011.

22 readers found this review helpful

We were very pleased with our stay at Sonesta Beach we were given a huge room (2705) with massive bed and even had a spare room with single bed. It overlooked the Cactus Pool, it was kept immaculately by the cleaning chap. There was always plenty of gardening staff around and the gardens were very well maintained. We favoured Le Dome restaurant as was close, we could sit outside and listen to the Saxophonist,who we thought was very good. He played easy listening background music and fortunately was not Jazzy (like Cleo Lane/Johnny Dankworth) at all. The meals at Le Dome were really good, with a fair variety. We only thought one selection was poor and that was the roast veal. Trying to get the attention of the wine waiters was a bit tedious though.
We spent our days by the Blue wave Pool and there was always enough loungers available, in the evening Mohammed (who works at Cactus pool during the day) was really attentive to everyone and a more hard working young man will be hard to find, well worth the extra tips I gave him. The drinks are served in decent half pint size plastic tumblers and the local beer, Sakara, is ok. This bar also shows lots of football for free. You also get ice cream and packets of crisps free here as well. Beware of mozzies at sunset though, I sat and watched Egypt in African nations Final and was riddled with bites on my lower legs!
We didn't use the Citadel restaurant. We ate once at Casablanca and were sitting outside, however the light was so dim we could barely make out the menu and both had Kofta which was really dry so we left and went to the Dome to 'top up'. Apparently they do a great fillet steak but we didn't see that, still worth a visit though as it's part of your AI. The animation teams at some resorts are generally not that good, however we felt the team here were actually quite talented, they managed to get several nationalities laughing at same things - no mean feat. They practice really hard until early hours at times, and during the day are not pushy if you don't want to participate.
We did one trip and that was Luxor, it was pricey as you have to go by air, but we knew that and added the VIP package as well which is a much more personalised tour. The Valley of the Kings and Karnak are breathtaking. We booked it through the Thomson Rep John, I can see hands going up in horror at this. Why not book with the rep? This seems to now be a modern taboo, yet it's much safer and reliable. The rep gets a small commission which can be added to their meagre wages. The first person you will run to with a problem is the Rep so give them something back and book your tour with them please!! Furthermore take out some Golden Wonder crisps and Cadbury's creme eggs for them, as they miss such luxuries! John was a very friendly and enthusiastic lad who clearly takes his job seriously and nothing is too much trouble for him.
We went into Naama Bay one night to go to the Tavern, where we had been previously 2 years ago. The bar was empty and it closed at 1am, we thought the resort would be 'bouncing' since it was same night as the Egyptian Football team had won the African Cup, but no the resort was quiet so no late night unless you are willing to pay to go to a Disco.
We had a great time with good weather and didn't let the ill mannered Russians, spoil it. There was not a lot of them there, but mind you there doesn't have to be! Almost forgot the rooms have free safes but are a nightmare to use and usually need several attempts to lock/unlock.

26 readers found this review helpful

This was our 2nd year of staying at this hotel we took a party of 31 last year 42 this year and if you can come back without one complaint something must be right, they are now asking about next year.
We found this hotel just by chance last year as we are a diving school we wanted to be near Divers International for those wanting to do a shore dive Divers International is just a short walk away from the hotel. We are not all divers on this holiday. The hotel is big or should I say massive everything looks so clean staff are friendly food was good the only thing was some of us had stomach cramps but I put alot of this down to not drinking enough water.
I think the hotel has inproved a lot since last year although I had no previous complaints
Improvements since last year staff have new uniforms a lot more choice in food more different types of veg
Quite a few of our people went quad biking said it was excellent
We will be back

20 readers found this review helpful

Just got back from our holiday at the Sonesta Beach Resort and really enjoyed it. I was a little nervous reading the reviews on here prior to going but we really had no problems.
The Egyptian staff can't do enough for you, the grounds are immaculately manicured, the selection of food available throughout the day is fantastic and if you're on all inclusive you will struggle to make it through the cocktail list with the generous measures you're given! Dine in the Dome if you can find it as the main rest can get a little busy in the evening, especially when other guest 'reserve' the best tables!
The excursions are well worth it too. We went quad biking which included a camel ride. An excellent day out and Rami the rep was very helpful.
The location of the hotel is perfect. Excellent snorkelling from the beach and a little walk away from the shops.
We were surprised at how quickly the sun goes down (dark by 6pm in October) but the sun blazes all day which is perfect, it hasn't rained since 1997 so we were told!
We would definitely go back, in fact we're thinking of booking for our honeymoon.

55 readers found this review helpful

The Sonesta Beach Resort and Hotel (not to be confused with the Sonesta CLUB Hotel) is based in Sharm El Sheik and is a pleasant 15 minutes walking distance from all of the main amenities in Naama Bay. The hotel is set in lush green gardens and has a number of resturants, bars, shops and pools to keep you busy. The rooms are spacious and clean and the staff are very accomodating.
FOOD
The food at the hotel was extremely varied, every night there is a different theme for example British, Tex Mex, French. Contrary to some other reviews, at the time of our stay the food was always warm and a member of staff checked the temperatures at regular intervals.
We were a little disappointed that the all inclusive 'concept' only included three resturants (emphasis on the CON Thomas Cook!), The Citadel, Le Dome and Casablanca. The first two restuarants are buffet style, during peak times it was difficult to get a table at The Citadel whereas Le Dome seemed to be more quiet and comfortable. The Casablanca resturant is a Lebanese a la carte eaterie and you need to book through reception at least 24 hours in advance. The atmosphere at Casablanca was good and if you sit outside there is usually some entertainment, the food and service were excellent.
ROOMS
Our room at the hotel was extremely spacious, it was air conditioned at no extra cost and comprised of a living area, double bedroom, single bedroom, dressing room and bathroom. The living area includes a TV and a mini bar, the only fault I had with it was that there is no kettle. The double bedroom was enormous, the standard rooms all have 8ft wide beds! The bed was comfortable and there are extra pillows and blankets in the cupboards if you feel you need them.
There was a huge wardrobe in the dressing room and this is where the safety deposit box was also. There are a few coat hangers in the wardrobe and lots of shelves for you to put your things. There was a dressing table with a big mirror and a cushioned seat, my only critisism of this is that the room was too dark because in order to plug in straighteners etc you had to unplug the lamp leaving only a dim uplighter. We took a travel iron with us but later learned that the hotel rent these out free of charge.
The bathroom was a decent size with shower over bath, the water pressure and temperature was good and I didn't have to play 'shower DJ' once. You can have the towels changed every day or less at your convenience. The hairdryer was in the bathroom but it was very weak and if we hadn't brought our own we probably would have spent all holiday in there drying hair!
ENTERTAINMENT
The hotel has a number of pools and they are spaced out so that no matter where you stay you aren't far from one. They were all clean and varied in size and depth. It's a cliche but I feel the need to air out the old English gripe, yes, you guessed it SUNBEDS! Most days we could get a sunbed after a bit of looking but there are still some selfish people who get up at god knows what hour to 'reserve' a sunbed; only to leave the hotel for half the day and come back in the afternoon. All of the pools are attended so this is not supposed to happen but the attendants are very laid back.
The hotel backs onto the beach, this is the most pleasant way to walk to Naama Bay as the road way can be a bit hectic. On the beach there is a bar but you have to pay for the drinks there, there were always a fair amount of free beds here but the beach was packed out with them.
The entertainment programme was average, the usual singing and dancing etc by night. There is something called the Animation Club at the hotel which look after the daily entertainment and the nightly kids club. They were diabolical. I don't know who gave them the microphone and sound system but if I ever find out I will strangle them with my bare hands!! The noise goes on until 11pm at night, it wasn't in English but even if I could understand the language the sound was so high it was distorted. I complained a couple of times to reception as we were in bed early because of early trips the following day. In these instances the volume did drop. However, if you go to the other side of the hotel or out to the resort you can evade it. Alternatively, putting the air conditioning on seemed to drown it out.
We visited the Spa during our stay, it was quite good though be careful that the things being promised to you by the sales rep are written down as the staff do not speak very good English. We got a 2 and a half hour programme for £50 each, this included a 45 minute massage, facial mask, sauna, steam room, sea salt scrub, coffee and oat wrap and jaccuzi.
RESORT
The beach front resort was well kept and there are a lot of resturants there including Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian and French cuisine. There are also some shops though the main shopping area is Naama Bay.
Naama Bay is about a 15 minute walk from the hotel, the shops sell all sorts; there are supermarkets, clothes shops, shops selling diving and scuba equipment, souveniers, essential oils, jewellery, art, handbags, homewares...the list goes on! There is a bit of hassle with people trying to drag you into their shops/resturants - I would just say no thank you to them as they will invariably try to sell you things you don't want or need.
In particular they will give you quite lengthy demonstrations about perfume and papyrus making you feel obliged to buy something.
The best place to do your shopping is Old Sharm, it's about a 30 minute walk down the main road or 30LE in a taxi (about £3) each way. There is more of a market feel to the place and although you will still be beckoned into shops you can get the prices down a lot lower and can definitely pick up most small souveniers for less than £5. Be sure to cut the price by at least half as they start high and when you are haggling, examine the object for any minor faults that you can pick out as a reason for lower price.
Naama Bay comes alive at night, most shops stay open late and there are a large number of bars and resturants. The resturants are fairly cheap (about the same to 2/3 of what you would pay at home). We found drinks expensive, a small cocktail is about £5, beer is about the same at £2-3 for a pint and a can of pop is about £1-2.
THINGS TO DO
There are so many day trips available it is unreal, we stayed for 2 weeks and are contemplating going back for a week long mop up visit! If there is one thing I cannot stress enough it is not to book through your hotel, they scaremonger you into booking with them citing things like insurance and money cons when they use the same outside tour operaters. The biggie is Cairo and the pyramids of Giza, we flew on a one day trip with lunch and drinks included for £1000LE each (about £110), with Kunoiz tours in Naama Bay. Thomas Cook were trying to charge £175 each which was supposedly a discounted price! Daylight robbery!
We went to Petra in Jordan with Sun n Fun who are located on the beach front, this was a day trip by coach and boat and cost about £130.
An excellent tour operator is Cateract Travel, they are located in Naama Bay not far from the beach front and are part of a hotel. We went on a day long boat trip snorkelling with lunch included for £15 each.
They had other bargains including, Jerusalem, Luxor, St Katherines Monastery & Mount Siani. Quad Biking, Bedouin Dinners, Star Watching and Camel rides.
For long trips it is often cheaper to go by coach, we did both coach and plane and to be honest the former was less stressful after the experience of Cairo Airport! So don't rule it out!
CLIMATE & GENERAL
Naama Bay is set in a mountainous desert terrain so be sure to pack some sensible shoes if you intend to go on any trips. The weather in September was about 38c in the day and 27c at night, though it didn't feel unbearable.
We weren't very well for a short amount of time so make sure you take some immodiums and ibuprofens. I visited the doctor after a particularly bad night and he gave me an injection and some tablets. This service is available on site at Sonesta, I think with the 7 days worth of pills it cost £70 in total.
You can use Egyptian Pounds, Dollars and Euros everywhere so be sure to check the best exchange rates.
Overall our stay was really good, there was so much to see and do, the people were very friendly and it was lovely and hot! The hotel was comfortable and met most of our needs.

2 readers found this review helpful

well maybe next year the hotel will be ready.half of the pools are not open neither are the restaraunts.after being their for 2 days i came down with a bad stomach this lasted all of the 2 weeks holiday and for afurther 4 days after returning home.their is no night entertainment unless you call the fighting at meal times between the staff either with theier fists or carving knifes,no and i am not joking my 8yr old grandson was terrified the fact that they do not have enough cutlery and crockery to go round so people have to wait for it.hey when i went to see the thomas cook rep she said how do you think i feel?well you the difference is we paid for this holiday and she gets paid for being their.it was a holiday from hell i could tell you more,oh forgot their is a serious lack of sunloungers so you have to get up at around 4am and hope you get one or you will have to sit on the floor all day in the baking sun.

4 readers found this review helpful

This was the worst holiday we have ever had. The resort itself was lovely but 95% of all guest were violently ill for 3-5 days at a time. There was a power cut but they still kept the same food out on heat for breakfast, eggs , meats etc, The power was off for over an hour and still expected peolpe to eat the same food. Any fruit that was in your drinks was rinsed under a tal and re used, the plastic glasses from the pool bars were also just rinsed under a tap. Our freinds moved rooms twice and on there final move the sewerage came up into the bathroom and the cleaners the hotel sent round put towels down to soke up the mess and then RUNG THEM OUT OVER THE BALCONY. ( Nice for the people below ). Our rep was uncareing ,obnoxcious and vile.) We had to pay £145 to the hotel doctor to be fit enough to fly home, this was obviuosly a fiddle going on between the rep and the hotel. We were with another 2 couples on this disaster holiday and out of 6 of us 5 were seriously ill for 5 days out of our 7 day break. I had to get the all clear from another doctor as to weather I was fit to fly home. Don`t eat the food and don`t go in any of the UN TREATED POOLS.