Reviews of Sunrise El Palacio Resort, Hurghada, Egypt

I went here in May 2005, and...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs J Law

Comments:

I went here in May 2005, and thought after reading these comments, I had to write one. I was there with my husband and another couple of our friends, whom, may I add share the same thoughts. This hotel should be classed as a 10* never mind a 4*.



Food excellent, rooms excellent, staff cant do enough for you, entertainment team were brilliant. You are treated like royalty.



The 2 weeks we were here, my husband celebrated his birthday as did my friends husband, and the waiters put on a party at meal time in evening, decorated the tables with the most gorgeous flowers and petals and all dressed in their whites for the occasion and came out singing happy birthday in Egyptian. Also, hotel management were there.



All in all the hotel is first class, no-one in their right minds can say different. Sad, the taxi driver is worth his weight in gold. Took us all over the place for next to nothing.



If you treat them with respect, they treat you the same and make your holiday 100%.

Great holiday, staff really...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs D Urquhart

Comments:

Great holiday, staff really helpful and nice. The night-life was well away from the room at the hotel, and the room was so peaceful. We had a brilliant time and would definitely go back. The Thomas Cook rep was brilliant, really helpful and friendly, but not too pushy. We went on several trips and was happy with the price and the experience. Highly recommended

A friend and I spent an amazing...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss A Smith

Comments:

A friend and I spent an amazing two weeks in Egypt, the hotel was great, had no bath plug but one was delivered ten minutes after phoning down to reception.



The food was good, especially the fish restaurant, the laggoon is great for relaxing in, just be careful not to get burnt.



Had two fantastic day trips Luxor and Cairo. Both left us wanting to see more of Egypt and we had such an amazing experience that we will be going again next year.



Would give it ten out of ten.

We spent 3 weeks at the El...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

Select

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2006

Tour Operator:

Cosmos

Submitted By:

Mr C Bolton

Comments:

We spent 3 weeks at the El Palacio over Christmas and New Year. After spending 11 consecutive years in India for Christmas all we can say is we are back to India for Christmas 07. This is a 4 Star hotel with a 1 Star restaurant.



The food was terrible. We were all ill, with my wife actually in hospital for 3 days. The hotel doctor is excellent (practice I guess). The staff was friendly and liked the English.



The hotel was fully occupied over Christmas and New Year with 90% guests Russian.

I would recommend you eat early in the restaurant because the majority of guests don’t understand the difference between all you can eat and as much as you can carry away! It was not enjoyable and we will not be going back.

Stayed at this hotel for 2 weeks...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Delboy2005

Comments:

Stayed at this hotel for 2 weeks in August. Really good.



The food wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst. We ate well every night. Didn't go to the fish restaurant, but had a couple of visits to the Italian. Very nice. Food was available all day. Late night room service was very good and very cheap. Staff in dining room and bar very attentive.



Room boy looked after our room to a high standard throughout our stay. The pool got a bit busy, but the lagoon was always quiet and always warm. Be aware that the lagoon is pretty deep, so not safe for unsupervised kids. Probably over 20 foot deep in places. Snorkelling is really good from the far side of the hotel.



Never a problem getting a sun bed whatever time you get up. Beds around the pool do get full early, but it’s far nicer around the sea or lagoon and there are always beds available.



Booked PADI open water course for myself and PADI junior open water course for my 11 year old son. We did the course with Easy Divers. They were great, especially with my son. I would certainly recommend them to new and experienced divers alike.



They picked us up from the hotel every morning, 3 min drive to another hotel and the class and house reef. My wife came with us and sunbathed while we dived so she wasn't left on her own.



Overall, we would definitely consider this hotel again next year. Although it’s not really a 4*+ hotel, it’s certainly a decent 3*. The British are in a minority at this hotel which is a major bonus for me.



I go away to experience different cultures and its nice to escape the fish & chip brigade, although there are the normal fast food outlets in Hurghada. The hotel taxis are very reliable and reasonably priced.



Went to Sharm last year, but preferred Hurghada.

The hotel appeared to be lovely...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs LJ Allen

Comments:

The hotel appeared to be lovely and clean. Staff very friendly and plenty of good food to choose from, but.....



After 2 days there we got awful stomach cramps, then diarrhoea and then the vomiting on top of all this. We constantly felt bloated, spent most of our Honeymoon on the toilet.



When we returned home, stool samples were sent to our GP and the results tested positive with Shigella. A very contagious bacteria infection. This is caught from either drinking water or eating food, that's contaminated with human faeces!!!



We had a further week off from work due to this and our local council wrote to us concerned about this and advised we post this alarming incident on this website, to warn other travellers.



We were careful and only drank bottled water, no ice in our drinks etc and still became ill. Many other English we met were also poorly with the same symptoms!



Our travel rep told it's an Egyptian bacteria in the air and everyone gets it and to go to the hospital for tablets. Please be warned.

I've recently returned from...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss BB Bray

Comments:

I've recently returned from Egypt and had a fantastic time. The hotel was amazing and was very relaxing. The food was great, there was a choice of dishes you could choice from, each night being a different oriental night.



We booked a few trips through our Thomas Cook Rep, they were amazing, the top ones i would rate would be 2 days Cairo (prepare for a long coach journey though), one day Luxor and finally star gazing. All Superb!



The only thing I can suggest to people going to the area, is do not take the new American Express Travelers cheque card by Thomas cook, yes it is widely accepted out in Egypt, but no where near this hotel. The Thomas Cook representative couldn’t even accept the card herself, madness considering Thomas Cook invented the card.



If you’re prepared for a 50 minutes walk to go and get your money out or to pay out for a taxi journey, then its fine. If you’re not prepared for this hassle, all other cards are accepted and travelers cheques near the resort.



Other than that the evening entertainment wasn’t superb, but it was bearable to sit out in and relax, however we went up to the new town and spent most nights there. A good night out!



Overall though this hotel is definitely worth staying in. It was fantastic, other than a few minor details which I’ve explained about



Enjoy Egypt its delightful country.

We have just returned from our...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs J E Padley

Comments:

We have just returned from our holiday in Hurghada. We went to Sharm last year and thought that it would be the same, how wrong can you be.



For the past few years we have chosen all inclusive so that we do not have to carry money with us but everyone here seemed to want to be tipped even when they had not done anything (not the hotel staff).



I am not a fussy eater but several times I was unable to get anything that I could eat and ended up with bread and fruit. I think the hotel is trying to cater for too many national tastes and I think they should concentrate on preparing their own food well.



We went to Luxor via a cruise on the Nile and stayed there overnight. The following day we went to the Valley of the Kings it was amazing and I would strongly recommend this trip. We loved the lagoon although we were quite alarmed when we saw that it was 7 metres deep. Snorkeling in the lagoon was OK but just 50 metres away you can go directly into the sea and it is fantastic how many fish there is and the variety.



Look out for Naser (Mustafa) who sells massages he is a lovely man with a wicked sense of humour, he can sell sand to the Arabs!



Our room was spacious and had a sea view. Our room boy could not do enough for us and he kept everywhere absolutely spotless. I also used the hotel laundry I had all our T Shirts & shorts washed & ironed and it cost less than £14.00



Overall we did enjoy our holiday but for me I think I was spoiled in Sharm last year.

Got back last week after a...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs T Parham

Comments:

Got back last week after a lovely 7 nights at the sunrise palacio. Having read the report from March I was a little worried before we went but once there, those worries were soon long gone.



The hotel was lovely and clean, the staff were 1st class, they love the British and can't do enough for you. Andrea the Thomas Cook rep was a great, she was always there and willing to help. The food kept coming and there was always something different for the evening meal. The fish in the lagoon and coral reef are unreal.



We went on two trips the 5 hour quad biking which ended up 8 hours, what a great afternoon and evening well worth doing and the next trip was a trip to the island which went to fast but was lovely.



One of our party my 70 year old father become ill, we called the hotel doctor out at 22.30 at night and he was with us within 15 mins, great service.



We all had a great holiday even with my father getting sick thanks to the doc he was up and about the next morning. I would recommend the sunrise el palasio. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

The hotel is beautiful, staff...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs D Davies

Comments:

The hotel is beautiful, staff very efficient and attentive, marvelous views from balcony, excellent room very clean and tidy, well worth going fish restaurant, Italian restaurant very nice. All staff go out of their way to make your holiday. Will definitely be returning for 2 weeks next year, excellent cocktails, good selection of food. Beach clean pool spotless.

excellent for snorkeling.



Waiters friendly excellent service, large non smoking dining room with buffet service, large variety of food, lots of freshly baked bread, kids disco, evening entertainment, aerobics, water gymnast, volley ball, French boules', Oscar the camel very friendly, likes to be given bottles of water, and bread, he stands proud wearing his big orange sun hat.



This hotel is definitely worth visiting, wish I was still there now.

We have been to the Red sea 5...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mr H J Filio

Comments:

We have been to the Red sea 5 times now. This is by far the worst hotel we have stayed in and the most expensive. We paid more hoping this would be extra nice for a special occasion (anniversary).



We were hugely disappointed. The overall standards of the hotel were of a scruffy 3*. On top of this it was really quite dirty.



There are much better hotels around the Red sea, try hotels in El Gouna 20km north or many in Sharm el Sheik on Sinai.

This was the second time we had...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs Judith Harris

Comments:

This was the second time we had stayed at he Sunrise El Palacio and we weren't disappointed the second time - it was every bit as good as we remembered, even better in some ways as some of the staff recognized us as having been there earlier in the year!!

The Egyptian people really can't do enough for the Brits. They are the nicest people we have ever met, very courteous and polite. A tip to the waiters early in our stay ensured excellent service for 2 whole weeks.



The only drawback is the tummy upset which almost everyone gets. Our advice - see the doctor in the hotel clinic immediately, don't waste time with your own remedies (we did the first time for a couple of days - big mistake, second trip we knew better and went to the doctor within a couple of hours of starting with it and were completely better after 24 hrs).



Although the massage people on the beach can be annoying, the massages are well worth having and are not expensive. Once you have booked there is no more hassle.



Oscar the camel enjoys fruit and bread and is very friendly.



We are looking at going again in October, it really is a fab holiday and you don't have to be a water port fanatic. Hubby went snorkeling, etc, but I chilled on a sun lounger instead.

Just writing about us makes me eager to go back, I can feel the sunshine already.

Our family (mum, dad, and 2...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs S Moreton

Comments:

Our family (mum, dad, and 2 teenage boys aged 13) all thoroughly enjoyed our holiday at El Palacio. We can endorse all the positive comments of other reviewers, not least the charm and friendliness of the Egyptian staff, the cleanliness of the hotel, and excellent facilities throughout.



A generous tip to our waiter on the first night meant we never had to look for a table again, either at lunch or dinner. Our teenage boys particularly appreciated the seemingly non-stop supply of food out of restaurant hours!



The snorkelling at the hotel is brilliant. We liked it so much we are going back this Autumn!

This was one of the most amazing...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss E Richardson

Comments:

This was one of the most amazing holidays I have ever been on, it was a real eye opener for me and my family.



The hotel is beautiful and the staff are so friendly, the one downer on this holiday was the amount of Germans occupying the complex, arrogant, loud and rude to us and the staff, but no worries if you are British be prepared to be treated like royalty, the Egyptians love the English, we got our tables reserved everyday at dinner and tea, and even when there was a big queue at the bar if they know your English and see you as there friends then you will get ushered to the front of the queue and served there and then, know matter who's behind you.



A little annoying factor was the amount of times we got interrupted by the pool/lagoon by the massage staff, trying to sell you the Cleopatra deal, by the end of the holiday i could walk around the pool and sell it myself I knew it off by heart. But my love goes out 2 Kimo, Mario and Amhead Saad who made our stay an unforgettable experience.



If I knew there wasn't going to be so many people and Germans there I would certainly go again its absolute paradise, I recommend it 2 everyone, I will never forget my trip 2 Egypt!!

We loved this hotel right from...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

leeann

Comments:

We loved this hotel right from the minute we saw it in the brochure and we wasn’t disappointed when we arrived.


The staff were very friendly and helpful, the room we had must have been the best in the hotel overlooking the pool and the lagoon it was air conditioned and had a fridge which you could fill up (foc) with bottled water from the bar. There was a wide variety of food available every day and the bread is baked fresh everyday and is fantastic so no good for diets! Along with the cake stand a little tip is get your desert before you get your main meal as the Germans and Russians tend to get all the good stuff piled up before they eat.


We went as a couple but there is plenty organised for kids of all ages and also the adults.


A must do here is to go snorkelling I cant tell you about this enough its such a amazing experience. I was a little worried at first but once I was in there was no stopping me. The fish you see are unbelievable so don’t forget your underwater camera or two. Just be careful of the rocks as they are slippery so you need foot wear.


Another tip is either take your own snorkel gear or make sure you don’t buy it from the people who run the excursions (like we did) we got totally ripped off. Buy it from the hotel shop instead.


I have to tell you that you are almost 100% certain to get a dodgy stomach. Everybody that we met had it at one time during the holiday. They advise to get their own brand of tablets (90p) as Imodium etc just will not touch it.


The entertainment is low key but they try their best and the kids enjoy it, they have pool tables and plenty of bars to occupy adults!

One last thing, the reps will tell you to tip the pool/ beach/ cleaner boy but be careful as to how much you give them at the start as friends of ours gave a good tip at the beginning of the hol and never saw them again.

We had a fantastic time and I'm sure anybody going here will too.

Chris & Leeann