Iberotel Club Fanara & Residence

Arrived at the Fanara Hotel at 10.30 in the evening to welcoming and friendly staff and had this for the duration of our stay. All questions were answered and felt completely relaxed knowing we were going to have a fab time. We were unsure how it would be as were 2 single females staying in a predominantly family / couple friendly hotel, but instead had first class treatment. Staff were unbelieveably friendly and helpful, always smiling and making conversation. Highlights ended up being the things that would usually annoy us -Aqua gym was a must, twice a day!! Club dance at midday, can only recommend going to see how much fun it really was. You were never felt pressured in to anything and left to your own devices if didn't want to join in any activities. Amazing choice of food throughout the day and the Gazelle Italian Restaurant was fantastic too. Food tasted great and had a wide variety. Choice of drinks was also huge and can only say positive things about this Hotel. Entertainment was brilliant with the 'animation team' doing a first class show on Friday nights. Everybody loved being there and it showed in the standard of hospitality. A definite 5*'s in terms of accommodation, entertainment, food and holiday. Am booking to go back again this year!!

We ended up in Egypt last minute for our honeymoon due to the hurricane in mexico flattening our previously booked hotel!!!! Egypt has always held great interest for us however as a luxary honeymoon i could not think of anything worse!!! How wrong can you be. We stayed at the Fanara as part of a Cruise and Stay package following a week on the red sea. The second we arrived the staff congratulated us on our wedding which we were very impressed with and on arrival into our room we had fresh fruit and chilled water etc. Room was always tidy and on retrun they quite ofen made my nightdress into a swan!!! Room was large with walk in shower section in the bathroom Balcoly overllooked the pool and the sea which was fantastic. While we were there the hotel was quite quiet so very peacful around the pool. Entertainment was translated into serval different languages which would take quite some time however understanable with so many different counties in residence, we even played a game of molopy with french instruciton etc . Food was good sometimes had to have an open mind. My husband was a little ill on the last day of our holiday however as a usual fussy eater he did indludge in lots of unnamed foods. Overall would recommend this hotel.

Just returned from the fanara and i have to say that this is more a 3 star hotel than 4. Good flight got to sharm airport and was herded to booth to pay for visa. Had done my research and told them i would not be leaving sharm and would not need visa. There was no problem with that. Our rep told us at welcome meeting that he would sort out visa if we did want to go on any trips and if we wanted to go on any boat trips we would not need one. Be carefull at airport if someone as much as touches your cases they want money just be firm and say no. Very quick transfer. On arriving at the Fanara we were a bit dissapointed how faded the reception looks, we were checked in quickly and taken to our room, we paid for a seaview room and i was so glad that i had must admit the room was very basic but clean but the view was to die for. If you are staying in the residence there are some very shady rooms a lot of them near to the main road. We talked to one person who was in these and she said it was very noisy. Even some of the rooms in the hotel were on the main road and you can only guarantee not to be by paying extra for a sea view. Pool is excellent and there are plenty of beds and umberellas never had a problem with finding one and we are not early risers. Entertainment at this hotel is bad 2hr rep show every night we thought oour selves lucky that the world cup was on and they had football on a big screen each night. This hotel is asleep at 11.30pm so if its night life you are after forget it. The food is ok and i always found something to eat tough i must admit we did order alot of macdonalds from namma bay and we dont normally eat mcdonalds but after a while the food gets very repetative chicken, beef in sauce , chicken, oh and more chicken. The one gripe i have are the drinks,beer is ok and the red and white wine is drinkable but the spirits and cocktails are poison just aload of undrinkable chemicals, if you want a half decent cocktail you have to pay for these and they cost £5.00. On the positive side the snorkling is great plenty of fantastic fish to see.The weather was very hot in the 40s in the day and not much cooler at night 37 but air conditioning is good but very noisy. Rooms were very clean and fridge was stocked every day with water beer and soft drinks but only in the hotel, my son had a room in the residence and the fridges there are not stocked with anything but you can get water from the bar each day. We had a relaxing break and i dont think the fanara is any worse or better than most hotels in sharm. Be carefull if you go to nammi bay at night , we had a taxi from hotel which was fine but coming home we fell into the trap of having a tout get us a taxi which was a very scary ride back to the hotel and we didnot think we were going to get back alive. Trips are very expensive and we heard that they were not worth the money so we didnot go on any so i cannot comment on them. Two weeks was too long to spend at this resort as everything got a little repetitive. Take plenty of sun cream you are going to need it. Also drink plenty of water as eygpt belly is mainly caused by deyhdration not the food i drank loads of water and had no problems but my husband and son didnot and they were ill for 3 days. I wouldnot go back to this hotel again because i would not go to sharm again as there is not enough going on there we are not party animals but would like a bit of entertainment in the evenings.

whilst the hotel itself was brilliant and the staff were very friendly and helpful the food very good we encountered a problem as regards health and safety regarding the scuba boats offshore pumping raw sewage into the sea this was the only thing we found wrong with it. i did bring this to the managers attention and have brought it to the attention of our tour operator

This is a little late, but we stayed at the Fanara in May 2006 and had a really great time - it's a super hotel. It took us ages to decide on a hotel, and reviews and pictures on this site clinched it. The hotel occupies a large area, and is divided into two distinct areas; two main low-rise buildings either side of three cascading swimming pools, and then several chalet-style blocks throughout the extensive remaining grounds. The grounds are immaculate, very green and lush, in stark contrast to the surrounding desert. Staff work extremely hard to keep the place looking nice. The reception is nice and light, with friendly staff. Here's one bit of advice - if you've booked the cheapest possible room, then this is what you'll get. We were quite disappointed at first when we found ourselves billeted in on of the upstairs apartments of one of the chalets, overlooking the road and a building site opposite. It was tiny, with barely room to swing a cat. I strongly advise you to get an upgrade as we did, getting a larger ground floor room by the pool - just walk straight out and you're there. It's not cheap to do this, but definitely worth it That was our only problem, and sorted very quickly. The hotel itself is technically on a cliff about 50 feet high, although there is a path leading down to a private beach with a super reef for snorkelling, although the path can be a bit of a slog in the searing heat. It's not unusual to see stringrays and eagle rays, lion fish and other beauties just snorkelling off the beach. The beach itself isn't sandy - mainly pebble and crushed coral, so you may want some beach shoes. There's a bar overlooking it - beer and soft drinks only - and one of three massage tents. A massage is definitely worth it, and will set you back about 12 quid for half an hour. The hotel has a main buffet for breakfast and lunch, and an outdoor poolside buffet for lunch and dinner - very civilised, with a lovely view. The food might not be the finest in the world, but it's by no means the worst. There's a different theme every day and the chefs work hard to make it a nice splash. It's probably not up there with the Caribbean resorts, but I think it was fine. There's also a bar by this restaurant, with some very friendly staff, and the views day and night are lovely, helped by the lighthouse next door. If you're in to diving then your tour operator (ours was Thomas Cook) will try to set you up with a dive school in Naama Bay. However, there's a fantastic dive school at the hotel itself called Diving Discovery, which is great. There are some great trips to be had, and the Red Sea is deserving in its reputation as the best in the world. We saw eels, turtles, rays, barracuda, tuna and some fantastic coral formations. There's actually an amphitheatre at the hotel for outdoor evening entertainment. There's the inevitable animation, but this wasn't too much of a din. There's also a carpeted outdoor area for smoking shisha pipes - very Arabic - along with tennis, outdoor chess, discos, etc. There was quite an international flavour about the hotel. We encountered Brits, French, Italians and Russians, although there were no noisy cliques. There was no real competition for sunbeds, there seeming to be ample for all. There's an a-la-carte Italian restaurant at the opposite end of the hotel grounds which is quite a hike and rather expensive. The meal is worth it but don't get conned into buying any wine, it's ludicrously expensive. Just a general note on security, should you be concerned. Tourists are well protected throughout the area. There's an armed guard at the entrance and a metal detector, and anybody entering - even guests - must go through this. This might sound intimidating but it actually isn't - it's quite reassuring in fact. When we were there there was a major international conference going on at a convention centre in Sharm, but at no time did we feel under any kind of threat. The climate was glorious, the holiday fun and the hotel excellent. I do recommend it.

Best all inclusive ever on the best location in Sharm El Sheikh. Great reef in front of the hotel! Food is excellent. Do not understand the criticism on the food. There are 4 restaurants to choose from. Different themes, indoor, outdoor with varying entertainment. And ALL part of the all inclusive. No supplements for restaurants other than the main restaurant. I have seen this different in other All Inclusives. I will certainly go back. Enjoyed the evening shows, the animation which was available but not pushing. Rooms are very good. The hotel offers small double rooms which can be used for single use without single supplement. Good nationality mix.

Had one week here in May. Our first time to Egypt and we are ready to book for next year, two weeks this time. Loved the hotel, the staff and the food was very good, a very wide choice. No problems ever getting served. The hotel was wonderfully clean and nothing was too much trouble for the staff. Enjoyed the snorkelling trip and the Bedouin Nights. The one downfall was the room. We booked seaview which the agent got wrong and we ended up with a ground floor pool view. We didnt want that, room very dark. Offered another one with a view of a road. On the third day we were given a room with a partial sea view, this was much brghter. On the last day, we were allowed to stay in our room at no extra charge, what a bonus. Book it, you wont be disappointed

just returned from my second stay at this amazing slice of paradise. i first visited march this year (the lovely laughing ladies, previous review) and i loved it! this time i took my husband with me, one of my friends returned with me and her 18 year old daughter. the welcome i received was fantastic, several staff members recognised us. the food, accommodation was fine, gardens as ever beautiful. i recommend this place, try it, have fun and enjoy. the beach is amazing, this time we saw a moray eel and spotted stingray. i am planning to return next month with my daughter. i might add the same week i spent a night at the four seasons, (out of this world) but the fanarra has heart!

We have just come back from a week's stay at The Club Fanara and after hearing many different reports we were really pleased. The hotel is amazingly clean and well looked after, the staff are friendly and helpful and it was refreshing to be sharing the hotel with a mixture of nationalities. Trips are good, we recommend going on the snorkelling trips through the dive centre situated round the pool, find Mario, he is great and very knowledgeable. We also went on the star gazing trip in the mountains which was fantastic. Make sure you take a trip intothe centre, where it is safe,calm and relaxing. Old Sharm is another story for shopping, lots of hassle given from shop sellers. The only disappointment was the food, there is a good range but not always hot, but apart from that absolutely perfect and definitely going back next year.The Italian at the back of the resort is nice, but lots of food, the pizza is amazing there.

Just got back from Fanara again it has been our third visit to this hotel and we enjoy it more and more every time. There is a new manager there who is very nice and very pleased that there are alot of people who go back year after year,we were surprised how many, we were given a lovely champagne reception over looking the red sea in a way of thanking us which was nice. There has been a few changes since we were last there,the gazelle restaurante up the top end is now an italians you do have to book but it's all free and you can go as much as you like still self service but they do serve drinks and menu changes every day,the best one to eat in we think and the staff not as busy so you get better service. They have a special lobster night which is also up the gazelle £26 in english which is quite expensive how ever you can eat as normal up the gazelle still the italian meal for free and listen to the live music for free which we didn't find out till last week. We didn't get a visa this time we always have in the past we were told you only need one if you go off on trips ie cairo or boat trips and they were fine at the airport when we said we didn't want one.The airport is still not great but getting better. .