Reviews of Sea Star Taba Hotel, Taba, Egypt

My husband and I went on a last...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

Longwood

Submitted By:

Mrs J Myers

Comments:

My husband and I went on a last minute cheap holiday to the Sea Star Hotel for 2 weeks. As we paid very little money we were not expecting a lot, but we were pleasantly surprised at what a fantastic hotel the Sea Star is.



The food was nice but did get a little monotonous by the end of the 2 weeks – but there was always something to eat and there was some variety at times.



The beach was very cosy and the beach bar was open 10am - 5pm. We were a little disappointed with the snorkelling/diving though. Be carefully of the tiny jelly fish (this was not every time we went the beach though), as they don’t half sting you.



We never used the mini-bar but found the prices to be fairly reasonable. The health club looked fairly cheap also, but beware of the staff that come round the pool to ask if you’re interested as sometimes NO is not good enough and you have to be harsh.



On the day of departure the All Inclusive finished at 3.00pm which if you are flying out later on can be a tad annoying. We opted to keep the room and this was £20 until 4pm.



The kids club was never open and a lot of families did say that was the reason for picking this hotel but most kids just seemed to entertain themselves within the pool.



There is nothing to do of an evening apart from sit around reception drinking (not that bad). All the hotel staff are very friendly and really look after you.



We never went on any trips as we thought that looked expensive and but there is a variety of trips available.



Overall I would recommend this hotel if you just want a quite get away with nothing to do for the duration of your holiday.

Having just returned I felt...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

Libra Holidays

Submitted By:

Mr C M Harris

Comments:

Having just returned I felt compelled to write in order to offer any other travellers some good feedback.



The hotel and complex is excellent BUT it really is isolated in the Sinai desert with nothing surrounding it. Taba heights is a good ride away but there is not a lot there either and the same with Taba town situated at the Hilton complex.



In short if you were to holiday here for two weeks you may go stir crazy or spend a small fortune on trips out. The trips are excellent but try to avoid the tour operators as they do work out quite expensive.



There is a place called max opposite the Hilton which offers great choice and better value. Also at Taba is the water sports centre which is well worth a visit....take the boat ride for some snorkelling the owner's name is Ali and he and his staff are wonderful as is the experience.



The all inclusive food is very 'samey' as is the drinks which finish at 2300hrs and then you have to pay and these are quite expensive as is the mini bar. You are given through the day a glass of beer with head and are lucky to actually get a mouthful and yet when buying you get a full bottle (I’m not a big drinker but felt this had a 'rip off feel about it).



Also, even though you may not arrive until around midnight on the day of departure 1200hrs the inclusive finishes even though you can find yourself waiting for the airport for several more hours (I tried to get a soft drink on the day of departure and was told I would have to pay I found this quite offensive and complained).



In short great hotel, great people, great country....not great all inclusive offer, not greatly situated, great to chill out for couples not families.

This is a nice hotel, with...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

Longwood

Submitted By:

Mrs J Padwick

Comments:

This is a nice hotel, with helpful and friendly staff. Great beach with excellent snorkelling, and views across the sea to Saudi and a beach bar serving drinks from 10-6.



It is quite isolated, but within a 10 minute minibus/cab ride to the Israeli border to the north, and 10 minutes to the Taba Heights complex to the south.



Rooms were comfortable, and kept spotless, as were the rest of the facilities. The food was also of good quality, but fairly monotonous. I managed to avoid Egyptian Belly, although a lot of guests seemed to suffer.



There were a great variety of trips available to suit all pockets, but shop around - Max, at Taba border seemed to be best value for money. Breakfast bags for trips are not nice!



There were dolphins at Dolphin Reef Eliat which was well worth a visit, and quad biking was also great fun.. Longer trips to Petra and Masada also good value.



We did not attend the evening entertainment, as we were too tired from all the activity, but believe it to be unremarkable. This is not really a place for younger kids but all in all, a great place to get away from it all and have the opportunity to see so many different places. We would definitely return to the Red Sea.

This hotel comes no where near...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2006

Tour Operator:

Longwood

Submitted By:

Mrs D Morfitt

Comments:

This hotel comes no where near to a 4 star. The water used to go off on a number of occasions one being at 6 o'clock in the evening (when everyone wants to have a shower and go down for the evening meal).



The cleanliness of the rooms was very below standard (floors were not cleaned everyday)



On the food side of things there wasn't a lot of choice and it was very much the same thing day in and out. When we were there quite a number of the guests came down

With food poisoning (including myself) this was due to the food not being kept at the right temperature and using the food again and again, even the next day in different dishes.



They are penny pinching all the time, in the brochure it states that children could have free ice creams as part of the All Inclusive, we had to fight for this right as the management at the welcome meeting tried to say that the children were only entitled to one ice cream per child per day.



Also they tried to add mini bar charges to our bill as we were leaving, after speaking with other guests this also happed to them too.



We had to complain for two days to get the pool bar open, the management kept saying that they were short staffed you don't pay All Inclusive prices to be burdened by the managements problems.

Please ignore any poor reviews...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2006

Tour Operator:

Jetline Travel

Submitted By:

  Clare And Dale

Comments:

Please ignore any poor reviews as we have had the most enjoyable holiday for a rock bottom price.



The hotel itself is really clean and the staff cannot do enough for you.

We were pleasantly surprised when greeted with a welcome drink and assistance to the room with our luggage. On arrival at the room - really spacious, good facilities, air con etc - also towels changed daily and bed linen changed every other day.



Food was nice, my partner Dale ate almost everything - whereas me being a bit fussy stuck to vegetarian and neither of us fell ill.



Towels are provided free of charge both poolside and down at the beach - you are given a token in your welcome pack. Also have extensive book collection that guests can borrow also at the pool.



Both the pool guys really friendly and take your towels and set your sun beds and parasols up for you



There is entertainment nightly including quiz, belly dancer, comedian and disco - also Longwood reps really helpful - although most people arranged their own trips as this worked out a lot cheaper.



Many guests at the hotel had stayed last year and the management planted a tree for each couple as a show of thanks for returning and also send you emails re forthcoming breaks etc.



Overall I would definitely go back - we made some fantastic friends who all said they would return to do it all over again next year.



You can visit either main town of Taba and Taba Heights on courtesy bus provided free of charge - you must book seats for it night before at reception. The Sea star is in the middle of nowhere so if its a lively night you want this really isn’t for you, but if you want somewhere really clean, friendly, good food and atmosphere, and of course all year round sun - this is the place to go.

On 16 March 2006, me my husband,...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2006

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs D Murphy

Comments:

On 16 March 2006, me my husband, my cousin and a friend went to the sea star on an all inclusive basis for 7 nights.



We did not have high expectations but we were just happy to get away from the cold.

From the very start of our journey up until the end we were pleasantly surprised at the fantastic service, accommodation, food, staff ect.....



When we arrived at the hotel, we were welcomed by the friendliest staff and a welcome drink was handed to us while our luggage was taken to our rooms.



Our rooms were spacious, clean and beautifully furbished. We had a full bathroom with a bath and a shower with granite worktops.



We had a balcony with a side sea view and a view of the dramatic mountains in the back.

The hotel grounds are so beautifully kept with the gardens and the building itself, makes really memorable photo's.



The facilities are endless and there is so much to do if you really want to, otherwise just relax on the parasols by the pool or on the beach.



The captain's main dining restaurant offers a buffet style with so much to choose from, were the food are tasty and well presented.(no Imodium’s needed!!!)



This hotels private beach is really 5 minutes walking distance away and there is a shuttle service available.



The beach has soft, golden sand, with a small stroke of pebbles before entering the water. The sea is calm and transparent and the beautiful coral reefs and sea life is right at your feet.



The weather was fab, sunshine the whole week with temperatures ranging between 30-35 degrees(so take sun block!!!!)



The Longwood holiday staff were so helpful and informative and really looked after everyone.



We did the 2 day excursion to Cairo (what a life chancing experience), we also did the one day excursion to St. Catherine's monastery which was unforgettable.



We definitely want to go back for 14 nights and do all the excursions.

The staff are so friendly and humble and nothing is to much for them to do to ensure that your stay is pleasant and comfortable.



Forget everything bad you have read and go have a look for yourself. It is the best value for money anywhere in the red sea area.



We visited the other 5*hotels in the Taba Heights regency, but for that amount of money to be totally honest, there were no difference between the sea star hotel and the other hotels. The sea star only had friendlier staff.



I definitely give this hotel a 10/10.

Had a lovely week at this hotel....

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2005

Tour Operator:

Longwood

Submitted By:

Mrs P G Crosby

Comments:

Had a lovely week at this hotel. The rooms were clean and the staff friendly and helpful. The bed making had become an art form by the end of the week. Look out for the swans, crocodiles and hearts made out of towels and flowers. Great to go back to your room and find them. Food was okay though not a great variety. We upgraded to all inclusive (even though we went to Cairo for 2 days) to cover cost of drinks at night and round the pool but we think the cost would have been about the same.


Easter is a good time of year to go if you want it sunny enough to sunbathe but not too hot at night. However, as it is the start of the season, there was hardly any entertainment and the disco wasn’t exactly buzzing. There was no kids' club at the time we went so children really had to entertain themselves. We were okay as we went as a couple and at this time of year I’d say couples fared better. The staff did say that Entertainment was going to be a priority in the future.


The Sea star is right next to the Taba gateway so it’s usually last pick up and first drop off for trips, which is good, but it’s in the middle of nowhere. There are buses to the other hotels and we spent a day on the beach near the Hilton where the snorkelling is good.


The two day trip to Cairo with Longwood’s was well worth the money. We stayed at Le Meridian which is a higher grade hotel with lots of facilities and a great view of the pyramids but it felt really noisy in the dining room after the quiet of the Sea star. The trip is tiring with a 5 hour coach ride each way but we would definitely recommend it.


If you are expecting a good 4 star hotel then you will complain but if you are looking for value for money, cleanliness, good service and a pleasant environment, then I’d recommend this hotel. We’d go again but use it as a base for Israel and Jordan trips that we did not have the time to cover this holiday (the Taba gateway is where 4 countries meet).

The Sea Star is an ok hotel. Not...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2005

Tour Operator:

Longwood

Submitted By:

Mr M Westlake

Comments:

The Sea Star is an ok hotel. Not a four star hotel as the Teletext ad claimed (although it had the decency to add 'our rating' to the blurb) but worthy of three stars for sure. So don’t get too worried by earlier reviews that talk about building sites and uncovered food. These issues have been attended to – although the obviously hasty paint job throughout was sometimes glaring. We did wonder what the bulldozer working late at night on the area adjacent to the hotel was up to though. But this only happened twice, and for a short period. All in all we had a fine time for the money. Here’s a breakdown of the important bits:



General: more than acceptable. The hotel is pleasant and quiet at night. Rooms are very clean and comfortable - especially the beds - you can count on a good night’s sleep. They were cleaned daily, and quite homely. Also worth mentioning - we were warned to make use of the room safe-deposit box for all valuables. We totally ignored this advice, and left several objects worth probably several months’ local wages each lying around all the time. I’m delighted to report that we experienced no problems. In fact, one of your enduring memories should you stay in Egypt for any length of time, will be the friendly, helpful, courteous and professional staff you will encounter. NB: this statement doesn’t cover the guys trying to sell you stuff at (for example) the Pyramids. Experience it to believe it. To those people you’re nothing more than a walking cashpoint. One more thing about the hotel – there are next to no lights on the stairs, and all the exterior lights get turned off at night - which is not only a fire hazard - but also jolly inconvenient if you’re attempting to catch an excursion bus to wherever at 4am. Still, the lawsuit settlement following a broken leg should more than adequately pay for the holiday... listen up, Sea Star...



Food: monotonous. But of a consistently good standard (bar the chicken soup - I think it was supposed to be chicken, but actually quite horrible whatever it was). The worst thing to say is that even though there was a fair variety present, it was the same boringly unvarying variety every day. But we stayed for two weeks, and you may not have the same opinion in a one-week stay. You can’t fault the quality of the food generally though – it was always well presented and prepared. Breakfast was undoubtedly (for me) the best meal of the day, which - whilst also predictable - always went down well. There were other eateries present, but by special request only, and we didn’t request it. However, we did go for a somewhat pricey seafood meal at the Hyatt Regency on Valentine’s night. Yum yum. And one other thing - it seems that in Egypt it is universal to put the salt in the pepper pot, and vice-versa...



Facilities: limited. It’s bit cheeky to describe a small patch of dirty greyish building material populated with some rather decayed and tragic-looking parasols which had seen better days as a private white-sand beach, but It was definitely white once - I saw the promotional pictures at the border-crossing when we went on excursions. And it is reached by a short walk down the main road along which the local traffic drives with enthusiasm. It has a bar - which has a marble top - which has been smashed up and chucked together again. Also the plastic beakers offered for use at this bar with a cold beer were not in anything close to a hygienic condition. Thank god for bottled drinks. It certainly is private though. Ignore it, and hop on the free shuttle bus to either the Marriott hotel or the Red Sea Watersports Centre for your beach-orientated fun, where at the latter a great bar serves great cheap food all day. Other facilities - non-existent (at least when we went, which was in February). No entertainment, disco not open. Chatting to other guests in the lounge bar near the main restaurant was all.



Organised activities: very good. We went on lots of excursions - partly because when we arrived the weather was a bit disappointing, and we signed up for several, and then the weather improved - natch. But if you’re in the mood, don’t miss the Bedouin Camel Trek, or the day to Petra in Jordan. The Cairo expedition is fun and very good value. Was it reassuring or disturbing that we had our own pair of personal and very competent-looking armed guards?



In conclusion: we paid the same as some who had paid for one week at the nearby Hyatt Regency hotel. I thought we had the better deal. It has to be said the Hyatt is a much nicer hotel though, so I guess you pays your money and takes your choice etc. Would we go back? Probably, although if I’d just received a fat bonus it might be the Hyatt...

Two middle aged ladies, both of...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2004

Tour Operator:

Longwood

Submitted By:

Mrs M N Cooper

Comments:

Two middle aged ladies, both of whom were in dire need of sun and relaxation at a cost they could afford, jumped at a holiday that offered 4star accommodation and an all inclusive board basis. That’s how my friend and I discovered the Sea Star Resort, a quick view of the place via their Internet site showed what appeared to be a fabulous hotel. The first actual sighting of it wasn’t so promising, scaffolding and building work was evident, ouch.




Our holiday straddled the end of August and the start of September, and two sun starved females, which we were, stood looking at each other wondering if we had made a mistake. Had we? yes, there’s a saying don’t judge a book by it’s cover. In this case, it should say don’t judge an hotel by it’s first impression. So being a fairly non-judgemental person, I am biased in my own favour, I decided to wait and see.



The Longwood rep, an English lady, wonderful person called Sarah, who had met us at the Taba International Airport, (grins, it reminded me of Bristol Airport circa 63) soon had us booked in and shown to our room. As is my habit I checked the bed first, I usually find hotel beds uncomfortable, not in the Sea Star. I don’t know who was responsible for purchasing, but in the bed they had chosen one that I have in my home, a memory foam, sheer bliss to sleep on. Things were looking good. However, used to down filled pillows I found the hotel pillows uncomfortable, though adequate, but tiredness softens even floors. The air conditioning was excellent, though I did have occasion to rebuke several of the mainly British guests, for insisting on having their air con set on far too low a temperature and the fan speed far too high. The racket that created reverberated late into the night, so a little educating was in order.



A quick shower in the no bath bathroom, and we set off for the dining room starving and thirsty, our bottled water so thoughtfully provided by Longwood’s at the airport, had been consumed rapidly. We were met by a charming waiter and shown to a table, we perused the bain maries to see what was on offer. I am not a fan of hot buffets, I dislike food kept in Bain marries, but I was pleasantly surprised at the variety and the quality, the desserts were as varied. The salads though fresh were uninspiring, and there was no way of making a salad dressing even though all the ingredients were at hand, what was lacking was a vessel to mix them in.



Replete we set off to explore the hotel and grounds, the first thing we both realised was the hotel was modest in size, 170 rooms. The garden area smaller than it had appeared from the artfully photographed views on the Internet site. Having said that they were well stocked and cared for. A new swimming pool was being constructed in an area that I assume had been gardens, and a new health suite in one of the room blocks adjacent to the new pool, as well as a casino above the disco block. Not once during our two week stay did the construction work impinge on our holiday.



My friend is a sun worshiper, I am not, I have been bequeathed a skin that refuses to tan , instead it burns and blisters then peels at a rate of knots but I love the sun and the heat. Our first whole day there we set off to discover the hotel beach, a shuttle bus that the Hotel blurb advertised shuttled everywhere except the beach, so shrouded in my tent and satellite dish hat, I accompanied my friend on a walk of discovery. We found the beach, there is no sand on the upper coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, only coral shale, sharp and gritty. At the waters edge a band of large stones and rock fragments extended about 6 or 7 feet, undaunted I removed the shroud, hat, and set off to traverse the stony edge. How I wish we had been told about this as I would have taken sand shoes. I am a good swimmer, my friend isn’t, I soon found that the wonderful breeze that exists there created a strong surface pull and I found I had to swim quite strongly to avoid being driven along the beach. It isn’t a place for weak or non swimmers, further out the surface drag isn’t so powerful, my friend decided to confine herself to sitting on some rocks and splashing to keep cool.

The beach bar staff must have thought the luminous white lady who sat covered against the sun was mad, but hey I had another 12 days to go and sunburn didn’t figure in my plans.



We returned to the hotel where I found most of the guests lay on the sunbeds around the pool doing a fair impression of lobsters. After that we decided I would not visit the beach again, my friend would go alone and gently spit roast her body in the pursuit of a tan. I would swim in the pool in the early evening, and sit in the lobby indulging my hobby of people watching or reading, lobbies are great places to meet and talk with guests or staff. The temperature that day had reached 44C but the breeze at the beach had disguised it, a fact I later regretted. A trip to the Longwood office in the Sea Star resulted in a trip to Israel the next day. I spent all of my time at the Eilat water park flat on my back in a dark room suffering from heat stroke. I was furious with myself as I have lived in hot climates and know the score where heat and sunstroke are concerned. I have to say the Longwood tour leader Clive, was very good, and though concerned took my word I knew what to do. He kept an eye on me the whole time but several bottles of lukewarm water with salt and sugar later I was feeling great again.



The visit to the dolphin research park was wonderful, I love their approach to the dolphins, wild free animals not performing artists. Shame other places don’t follow their lead.

We rebooked the trip the following week as I have a reef tank myself and desperately wanted to enjoy the water park tanks.



So we wouldn’t become hotel squatters we booked three more tours through Longwood’s, a boat trip and snorkelling, fabulous, a day in Dahab were I started a friendship which is going well still, and the Israel trip again. The other trips we decided against as they entailed being in the sun for long periods, and ungodly start and finish times. We visited the Taba Hilton a few times for a change of scenery and the Meridian.

I’m glad we visited the two hotels because it brought home to us just how friendly the Sea Star was. The Hilton was very nice, the pools packed, the restraunts busy and the staff polite. What it wasn’t was totally relaxed and friendly, the guests occupied their own personal space and the body language shrieked stay out of it.



The Meridian was disappointing, large, glossy, and seemed unfriendly, maybe because we made so many friends in the Sea Star and among the staff, who called us by name and always had time for us, perhaps this created a bias in its favour, I don’t know. We had gone for an evening meal in the a la carte restaurant, by Egyptian standards it was expensive, the food was bland and in many cases not properly cooked. I do not expect to see most of the meals ordered returned because it’s raw, my seafood pasta was left uneaten and I adore seafood. I must say here that the same dish in the Sea Star ordered from the a la carte fish restaurant was sublime, it disappeared rapidly.



The Sea Star has an Egyptian star rating above the level it would achieve if an international hotel, the hotel was clean, though in my daily natters with Menhir the manager, I pointed out a few little things that would make it immaculate. I’m a born busybody. The bedrooms comfortable but in need of spruce up with paintbrush, the pool was immaculate and the water crystal clear, though some of the poolside tiles needed attention. The entertainment was rank, the Russian dance troupe, that because we were there for two weeks we saw three times, and their belly dancer alone twice, were mechanical, they smiled only with their mouths and finished so promptly we were shocked the first time when we saw them bags in hand rush out of the place. They were obviously bored repeating they’re routine in every hotel down the coast and took no steps to hide it. The manager told me they had great difficulty getting entertainers, the Sharm and Hurghada hotels got the pick of them. There was a plan to install a karaoke, a better satellite TV provision and the casino. Given the lack of non-hotel entertainment it’s an area that badly needs addressing. The staff were superb, all of them, the cleaners, gardeners, kitchen staff, receptionists, hotel maintenance and bartenders. Each of them extended a standard of service I would hope to find in a five star hotel but don’t always see.



I had a few reservations, one was the lack of an English speaker on night duty, ailments have a habit of occurring at night and to find there is no one on duty that speaks more than two words of English was concerning. The lack of tea or coffee making equipment in the bedrooms, I prefer not to use room service first thing in the morning, I like my cuppa to be taken in a state of near unconsciousness, not to have wait till I have showered and resemble a human being again. The nearest chemist was miles away, a problem that we soon found when one guest, who had insisted on drinking ice cold water when badly over heated through sunbathing from 9 in the morning until 5 in the evening got dreadful diarrhoea. In fact most of the sun worshippers who insisted on lying flat out in full sun throughout the day suffered it. They blamed it on the food, food poisoning has identifiable characteristics that none of them displayed. Thankfully on a day trip to Dahab the young Longwood’s tour leader, an Egyptian lad, Ahmed, very courteous and helpful, found me an English speaking pharmacist, and I was able to purchase medication suggested by a doctor who was a guest.

Longwood’s Holiday information pack we received, outlined the problems of consuming iced water when hot, and the problems of imbibing vast quantities of local beers, I have a feeling they don’t get read.



I have given a rating of 8 because although I loved my time at the Sea Star and the great standard of service, I felt the lack of entertainment, the isolation of the hotel and lack of out of hotel opportunities to explore except in organised and choreographed trips or other hotels, disappointed me. I was totally disappointed in the fact that the restaurant never offered any real Egyptian cuisine, a wonderful mix of Mediterranean and Arabic cooking, instead they trod a path down the road of blandness, such a shame as Egyptian food is wonderful. My friend and I were lucky as we found ourselves with other guests who in the main were friendly and pleasant, it could have been very different. The start of our holiday found families whose sole pleasure was to complain constantly and find fault in every single thing. Given the cost of our two weeks I believe we were all extremely well served for our £545.00 all-inclusive package. Where in UK or Europe would we have enjoyed such a modest cost for so good a service and hotel. I think there were some whose expectations were unrealistic for the cost paid, thankfully our time overlapped only for a few days.



I met some wonderful people, English families, Egyptian families and truly warm and gracious staff.

I am going back again to enjoy the peace and tranquillity and hospitality I met before, who knows the entertainment and English language provision might have been improved, I am practising a few phrases of Arabic, but even if nothing has changed it was a wonderful place and the hotel felt like a comfortable garment, a little worn but oh so comfortable..

We booked our honeymoon at this...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2004

Tour Operator:

Longwood

Submitted By:

Mrs A Dixon

Comments:

We booked our honeymoon at this hotel as a last minute deal - it could not have been a better choice. Our room was lovely and air conditioned, the service from all the staff was fantastic, the reps were very knowledgeable (the welcome meeting is to be recommended) and the hotel was very clean. The hotel shuttle bus was very useful (we used it to go to the Hilton snorkelling and also to the border to cross into Israel). The hotel beach was ok but we wouldn’t have wanted to spend a lot of time there.