Sunrise Tirana Aquapark

Let me start by saying I would return to this hotel in a heartbeat but conscious of a few lessons learnt. Sunrise appears to be a well executed chain in Egypt and the Tirana is the most recent addition. When fully open it will hold nearly 550 people but last week had room for just over 200 - most building work appears complete and we suffered no disruption whatsover from the remaining work underway (i.e. didn;' notice it). All pools were open (bar the heated one) and all the slidepark was fully operational. Nationality mix was approx 40% Russian, 40% mainland European and 20% British We visited for one week with my 10 year old son and 6 year old daughter - our 1st trip to Sharm In summary I would note the following: Excellent aspects: - Location (it's in a quiet area that is being developed so no tacky touristy shops or immitation markes setc- if you want this go to Naema bay - a 20 min busride away), size, cleanliness, pools,(1m - 1.45m deep) staff, room quality, TV channels(English channels are disney, fox movies, CNN) Very Good: - Sunbeds and towels (you get one towel per person per day based on a card system), poolside service for drinks, Food (one main restaurant with 3 sittings a day) plus cooked snacks at the main pool bar, English language skills of staff, Italian resturant (you are allowed one vsit per stay), beach and pier, animation (entertainment) program - especially for older kids - my 10 year old loved it - Beach - a 5 min shuttle ride away - or 15-20 min walk. coarse sand leading onto a roacky beach with crystal clear waters and a peir from which you can do snorkelling (take your own stuff) - beuatiful if you look seawards - building site if you look landwards. we spent 3 days there as it was very peaceful compared to the hotel and the beach side bar and ents package was very good - beach staff also excellent Needs improving: Pool heat - despite it being in the 30's the main pool was very cold - and as such very empty - slide poels very very busy as they were much warmer - but these had limited room for sunbeds so you usual European towel placement took place Snack bars - there are no crisps, biscuits, fresh fruit and worringly ice cream at the snack bars - tough on kids- only cooked foods ie burgers and chips - so take your own Drinks - juice is a very sweet cordial, and the local alcoholic spirits are dreadful - my kids ended up drinking bottled water and I the weak beer - driest I've been on an all inclusive Dining hours - they need to bring lunch and dinner forward by an hour (ie from 1pm to noon and 7pm to 6pm) to allow kids to eat earlier Russians - a very poor sense of queing and as such the main buffet meals can be like a feeding frenxy - take care of your kids as they may get trampled Coffee/drinks service in the main restaurant - it would be better if they had a coffee station vs having it served - service can take up to 15 minutes for a drink Spare beds - the main bed in our room was excellent but the sofa beds rock hard - I like a hard bed but suffered terrible backache - they woulf be better off investing in stowaway beds with a real mattress Shops - they have on site a small shop selling snacks, books, suncream etc but a) no prices are marked and b) you apparently need to haggle for a good price, even so it is still very expense - a bottle of suncream was £10 compared to £3 at home - the shop would likely sell a lot more if they at least marked prices on the goods newspapers - there is a newstand but an English newspaper was marked at 35 EGP - about £5 - this too is negotiable - best i heard was 15 EGP being paid (£2) slide statf - the chap who pushed my wife and daiughter down the family(green) slide was very aggressive and as such when they hit the bottom of the slide my daughter flew over my wife and smashed her head on the pool floor and my wife smashed in two teeth - be very clear in explaining what you want from the guys at the top of the slides and book insurance Evening entertainment - solo male singer - crap Beyond this things that can;' be changed but you need to be conscious of: 1. the whole place is marbled and as such the corridors can be very noisy - like a cave - a challenge if you are a lght sleeper - take earplugs 2. the hotel is very clsoe - 5 mins from the aiport and feels like its at the end of the runway - so you have very frequent aircraft flying over the complex from 7am - 11pm - the double glazing does a good job of keeping most of the noise out of the rooms, but don't expect to sleep much by the pools 3. Book a way one transfer fmo the aiport to the hotel on arrival but take a taxi back - we paid over the odds for a return taxi at 100 EGP but we had an extra hour at the hotel and still arrived in plenty of time for check in plus would have saved £30 against booking a retun transfer Dean B, South Wales

Excellent hotel, the food is really good, if your English there is not much English food, but we tried everything & it was nice, the staff are really friendly, beware if you leave the hotel because people will drag you into their shops & children begging. The aqua park is fantastic, keeps the kids occupied all day!!. The beach is only 2 mins away, it does not look much but the sea is F A N T A S T I C, make sure you have SNORKELS & i suggest an underwater camera. you wont believe it The coral reef is amazing Rgds PAUl, LAURA, JULIE NORTHAMPTON

Just came back from Sunrise Tirana and before I went I tried everywhere for info so i'll explain all the things i tried to explore. All pools (except wave pool opening in March) were working and slide pools were heated (a must out of season). There are famil rooms with interconnecting doors but all rooms easily accomodate 2 adults + 2 children. Rooms are lovely with terrace, flat screen TV, safe and hairdryer. The bathrooms have showers and are very luxurious they are supplied with towels, shower gel, shampoo and body lotion. Towels are supplied at the beach and pool. The food is fantastic, buffet style and very worthy of 5 star. Breakfast included egg station (no bacon), baked beans, frankfurters, all cereals, yogurts, fresh fruit plus a fantastic assortment of breads, rolls, pastries and juices all self service. Tea and coffee was served by waiter service. Lunch and dinner similiar examples fillet beef in oyster sauce, fesh carvery, pasta bolognaise, fresh made paninis, vegetables (steamed), potatos, meats, chicken. I cant express how good the food was ( on par with Jumeirah hotels) Private beach just across road and openair mini tram arrives every 15/30 mins bus goes up a dual carriageway does u turn and drops you straight on beach where towels are supplied plus bar/waiter service and BBQ. The staff are superior to anyhotel I have been to inc Burj al Arab, Mina Salam, Ritz Carton etc. They would do anthing to help even playing football with kids. In Egypt the wages are very low so we found tipping very rewarding £10 egypt = apporx £1.27 to waiter every now and then) I did not see anyone else tipping and they still got excellent service but I think excellent service should be rewarded. If you do not have transfers the fare from the airport to the hotel is £75 (Egypt) and takes approx 5 mins I was also quoted thi fare for shopping in Nama (20 mins) by hotel taxi - official taxis are not only safer but are cheaper than rogues. Shops at the hotel include and mini-supermarket , jewellers, trainer shop and a very special shop owned by Saeed (married to an irish lady Alison) speaks perfect english and can get anything you need from hair straighteners to baby food. This guy is really helpful and his shop sells lovely all natural face and body products. When I first met him he introduced me to Bedioun Tea and several freebies for my son. His Aloe Vera suntan oil made me browner than i have ever been and i brought 2 bottles home. I hope this helps and I cant wait to go back (dont tell everyone or we wont get availibility!)

i have just returned from a two week holiday at this hotel with my partner and two children. We all enjoyed our time there and cant wait to g back. All the staff were wonderful and did all they could to make our stay enjoyable. The food was lovely with a wide choice. Entertainment was put on nightly ,( my partner enjoyed the mini disco as much as the kids). Snorkling at the hotels beach is one of the mst amazing experiences i have had, there was always a lifeguard on duty,if you are a bit unsure about getting in the water they are more than happy to get in with you.i will end by saying for for the hotel and all the staff APPLAUSO!!!!

About ten days ago I with my girlfriend we were on holiday at the hotel Sunrise Tirana Aquapark in Sharm. I am a disabled person who moves on a wheelchair. We have to make a lot but a lot of compliments to the fantastic animation team: Claudio, Emiliano, Giampi, Stefania and Dasha for their great capability, for engaging themselves in each activity to the maximum, for their kindness and in particular for the smile always present. In these holidays they help me to do thinghs otherwise for me impossible: carrying me and my wheelchair up and down stairs, and carrying me in arm to make the waterslide (FANTASTIC) making me all the activities I want and they made me very happy. WE WANT TO THANK ALL THE ANIMATION TEAM FOR ALL THE THINGS THEY MADE, BECAUSE THEY MAKE IT NOT ONLY FOR WORK BUT THEY MADE IT ABOVE ALL WITH THE HEART. Now we want to spend a few words for the supervisor Claudio Gelotti: Claudio is marvelous, splendid, unique, always smiling and with a charisma that not much person have. Its enormous professionalism can be seen in everything that he makes. Nothing was left to chance from the numerous daily activities and to evening shows in which he gives all of himself (heart and soul). The shows was SUPER AMUSING WITH EXCEPTIONAL CHOREOGRAPHY!!! Here we do an addition: since we were a public multilingual the shows were translated simultaneously in several languages (thing very hard to find). GUYS YOU ARE MAGNIFICENTS, SPLENDIDS AND EXCEPTIONALS!!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR ALL!!!!!!!!! We must make our compliments to two other persons: 1. GM. Mr. Gamal (director) for his daily kindness and for the helpfulness that showed for us. He was always smiling and very kind and he made that he can to facilitate us. He is a splendid person. 2. The chef of the kitchen Mr. Said. He is a fantastic person too and he even asked us if we desire something special to eat. The food was VERY GOOD, EXCELLENT AND VERY PAINSTAKING. Mr. Gamal and Mr. Said THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL!!!!!!!!!!! Diletta and Romano

Just returned from a week at this amazing 5 star all inclusive hotel. we took our 2 boys 14 and 7 and they both loved it. The aqua park is fab the food is divine. they take a lot of pride in the way the food looks as well as tastes there was something for everyone. It has 8 pools in total , 2 are still in completion but not for long. they are just finishing off the wave pool and the quiet pool We couldnt fault this hotel we have now been to egypt 4 times and this is the best by far. We stayed at Calimera royal moderna , hiton longbeach, and the Pyramisa and although nice hotels the Tirana has it all on a class level. GO THERE!!!

We have just returned from a wonderful two weeks at the SUNRISE TIRANA AQUAPARK.The hotel is Magnificent and we experience incredible allround service.The rooms were a nice size with lovely shower area,ours overlooked one of the pools.The room was cleaned each morning with fresh towels etc beds changed and made and bottles of water in the fridge. The restaurant was excellent with a good range of food and nothing was to much trouble for them.The Italian Restaurant is wonderful for that speical evening and is free once during your stay.The AQUA PARK is just great for the children(old & young)as are the pools and there are plenty of sunbeds.The Beach is across the road from the hotel but there are free buses,and it is a very nice beach with a jetty/pier which you can go diving off or snorkaling ,and is wonderful for fish.There is a bar on the beach and they also serve snacks. The airport is quiet close to the hotel,and there are shops at arabsaat which is a few minutes away by bus or taxi.There is also a bus service from the hotel in the shops which takes about half an hour .The shops in the hotel are very good but the mini-mart never seem to keep the same price they seem to change daily and nothing is priced,this is nothing to do with the exchange as it is in egp £.

Very good hotel and the staff really was super! Great animation for the kids!

I agree completely with the previous review. The hotel will not be complete until March next year 2009. The aqua park should be finished in time for Xmas 2008. We had two children with us 7 and 4 who were really disappointed that the water park wasn't open and we were even more disappointed that there wasn't a kids club as advertised either !! The staff are great ,the food is great, rooms lovely including wet room style shower, the weather was perfect and the hotel will be lovely. However one concern I would have even when it is finished, is that there isn't a private beach just for the Tirana even when the hotel is properly open. We were shuttle bused to the beach at the sister hotel Sunrise Island View in Sharks Bay which was packed and we only managed to get sunbeds two out of seven days. I can't imagine how they will cope when the hotel is full I think there were people in about 30 of the 700 rooms whilst we were there. The snorkelling at the beach was some of the best I have experienced in Egypt -this is our 4th visit ! I would not recommend going to this hotel yet especially if you have small children. Ours were very bored. I did try to use the Sunrise Island View pool with water slide but got unpleasantly thrown out!! It was very clearly explained we could use the beach but under no circumstances any of the other facilities there. I have stayed at Park Inn and Hostmark Oriental and would return to one of these next time.

22/11/2008 Just returned from a trip to the Sunrise Tirana Aquapark Nabq Bay, Egypt. The hotel is still being built so i suggest that you leave it about 6 months before going. At present only 2 pools are open and there is none of the following Disco, sports facitities, animation team, aquapark, kids club, Italian,Asian, fish restaurants, midnight snacks, beauty salon, gift shops... the list is endless.... The hotel staff on the other hand were fabulous, the reception manager Wael bent over backwards to help us but the above lack of facilities made what should have been a fab experience into a boring holiday. The hotel itself is gorgeous but is in the middle of nowhere with no shops etc around and at present there is drilling going on around the pool areas which makes in hard to have a relaxing holiday. All in all we had a noisy,boring holiday but i bet its worth going to in 6months when its up and running. Thought id better put this review on as there are no others anywhere on the internet.