Tropicana Grand Azure Resort

17 readers found this review helpful

I think I'll start by trying to justify a few of the main complaints of Eygpt, and this resort.
1. Hassle from Shop owners - In and around the hotel I would occasionally get someone trying to coax me into his shop. But this was done in a friendly, polite manner, and a simple "No thanks, I'm not interested" would suffice. I think there are a lot of tourists (mainly English) who think they have the god given right to strut around someone else's country, then moan like drain when they encounter some of the local culture.
If you thought it was bad by the hotel, take a trip up to the pyramids in Cairo....!
2. Food poisoning/upset tummy - I'm sorry but I would bet my right ball that in 99% of cases it's dehydration. Have a look at the top 5 symptoms of unabated dehydration. We all like to hit the sunbeds when we're away in a hot sunny climate, and so we should. But I can guarantee nearly everyone doesn't drink enough water whilst sunbathing. It is advised to drink between 3 and 4L of water a day in a hot climate, not taking into account you could be sat in the sun for up to 5 hours. Add to that, most people like a tipple at the pool bar throughout the day, it's no wonder people are Ill. People need to use a bit of common sense and not blame their ignorance on the hotels cuisine...
3. Women being hounded/"looked at" by the locals - If they were dressed appropriately in, what is, a Muslim country that wouldn't happen. How many local women did you see while you were away? Nope, I didn't see many either, so it's no wonder the local men don't know where to look when scantly clad westerners trot past.
Anyway.... Having just got back from our second trip to The Grand Azure, myself and the girlfriend had an even better time than last year. The food was good last year, by no means Gordon Ramsey, but good. It was even better this year, and there seemed to be even more choice. Also a lot more of the food seemed to be cooked in front of you (e-coli accusers take note) and seemed a lot fresher.
I will agree that the hotel entertainment is as bad as ever. I was also disappointed at how long you had to wait at the main lobby bar if you queued for your own drinks. The table service is all well and good, but none of the guys seemed to have any real experience of how to run a bar, which by 10 o'clock equated to mayhem! The snorkeling was stunning at the end of the pier, and I even used the gym this time round, which was adequate.
If you want a nice relaxing break, in lovely surroundings, being looked after buy some very friendly people, you'll do well to beat this place for value for money.
I would however advise booking 2 weeks either side of school holidays as our tranquility was thwarted by the influx of about 30,000 kids during the last week of term time. Also if you plan to do any excursions, don't book ANYTHING through your tour operator. The mark up they charge is astronomical, definitely head into Namma bay and have a shop around. And never take the first price, I usually halved their offer (they'll look at you like a piece of dog dirt though) and barter from there...
Enjoy!
Oh one more thing. Apparently a 2 year deal the hotel had with a Russian Tour company has now expired. We hardly encountered any this time round..... Lovely.

7 readers found this review helpful

Just come back from Grand Azure on 07/04/09, first time in Egypt, wasn't sure what to
expect,but needn't have worried as this place is fantastic. The hotel certainly is grand
the swimming pools, water slides wonderful safe fun for children, but also quiter areas for
adults. The landscaped gardens are extensive and full of flowers and green lush grass going
right down to beach. The food is of high standard and lots of choice as to where and when
to eat. The staff are extremley helpfull and friendly. You will not be disapointed with this hotel.

10 readers found this review helpful

You may well read the tittle and steer well clear but its all fact and First Choice to this day still have not contacted me.
We arrived at a very bust airport terminal and then we ushered to a coach at the top of the Car Park.
Arrived at a beautiful Hotel 10 min later along a wonderful stretch of road out of airport, We went to reception helpful polite charming warm & friendly.
Our rooms very clean & spacious & a delight with exceptional views
Our large family were advised to book Trips via Churchills Cafe attached to the Hotel, Quote he will give you a better deal (Fully Insured) i get better commission from them rather then use First Choice Quote You will be safe & there British.
How wrong we booked Quad Biking for there to be an accident family member broke Shoulder Arm & damaged a leg, In hospital three days what a disgrace tried getting the Rep did not want to know, went to Churchills Not a Sorry or howes your father, We have reported this to First Choice Head Office & No response as of yet we are seeking legal action, make no mistake.
Alarm bells should of rung when i left there cafe two nights earlier after having a beer and the Police stopped me i was took to Tourist police for over an hour its now apparent they have no licence if you are caught drinking there or they are caught serving you , you end up arrested i was Fined 500.00 Egyptian pounds because i drank in Churchills Cafe, I warn others steer cleer, I reported this to First Choice again & was told i choose to drink there.
Also steer cleer of a Company Called Lion Resorts ( Time Share ) They jump out of cars & give you a scratch card Blonde Divies, Youve won youve won they say come with us and collect your prize, its a farce they want you to sign up for a time share, i was there 4 hours and had to pay for my own transport back...
LTI Grand Azure in general is lovely the beaches food and people are kind and caring shame you cannot say the same for the British Cafe

5 readers found this review helpful

Are first trip to Sharm El Sheikh Egypt and what an experiance we had put it this way we will deffiently be returning and hopefully next time for a little bit longer.
The hotel was massive with seven pools it was brilliant for the kids never once did they get bored and were constantly entertained. The hotel itself was spotless the room was amazing and each day we 2would come back to another animal on are bed that would be made up of towels. The food in the hotel was standard nothing to fancy but by far edable and alot to choose from we stayed for 2weeks so near the end of the second week some food was being repeated but you expect that anyway.
As for the reps in the hotel for kids entertainment cant get better but foer anything else i advise people not to use them. We went to the welcome meeting and were advised by them not to use any tour companies outside the hotel as there not insured not to use the blue and white taxi's use the limo service from the hotel and not to go into some places of sharm el sheikh because it wasnt safe excuse my language but what aload of crap.
We had read a number of other reviews before we went on holiday and in alot of reviews St George's Bar came up and how good the english guy is and how cheap his trips were so we decided to go for a wonder down after already seeing the reps prices for trips. We wanted to do the quad biking, tiran island snorkling and cairo by bus and the kids also wanted to do the water parks. The reps gave us a pricing of £25 single quad and £30 double for 2hour quad biking tiran island snorkling was £45 adult £35 child cairo by bus £90 adult and child as it was still a seat on the coach and water parks £35 adult £30 child ticket only. We met the English fella himself nice enough guy also met his daughter and son its a family run bar and pete also said they would accomany us on the trips apart from cairo as he couldnt travel to cairo everytime someone booked it. He gave us his prices list which was very good price considering what the reps had gave he accompanied us on all the trips as promised and made are holiday so much more cheaper and so much more fun so anyone whos goin to sharm i would deffiently stop off and see him.
As for the limo services dont use it, its a normal care just that they charge you 100le each way to namba t the taxis costing 50le each way or a shuttle bus for 3le to nambabay each way. As for your not safe in some parts of sharm dont believe it youyr totally safe yeh theres hassle and bassle but nothing dangerous theres police everywhere but for your safety i would rate this holiday 10 out of 10 and would reccommend this hotel to anyone and everyone

5 readers found this review helpful

My family & i travel to Sharm el Sheikh, What a beautiful place, the people so friendly & warm i will be as honest as possible...
Arrived at Airport what a joke its like a cattle market no organisation what so ever, queuing pushing shouting and police everywhere what a joke..#
We had to walk 1/2 mile to get bus it seemed First Choice Reps were no where to be seen ( Do not buy Visa Do Not Listen to Reps )arrived at the Hotel 30 min later.
The Hotel is Beautiful and like a palace the Food is plentyful Fresh Well Presented & Plenty of Choice, Breakfast Lunch & Dinner Amazing ( Do Not Believe Reviews About Food )
The pools Surrounding area & Beach was magnificant & beyond our families dreams, We booked various trips ( Do Not Trust First Choice or Churchills Cafe )There seems to be a scam Rep does a welcome presentation then takes you to one side has a quite word, Tells you First Choice use Churchills Cafe attached to Hotel for trips & that they are fully insured and to book direct and save money(THEY ARE NOT) My son had anaccident on a quad biking trip broke his shoulder when the bike he was using had no brakes, he spent two days in hospital & CHURCHILLS are NOT insured & the Rep has no right to say they are FIRST CHOICE want nothing to do with it.#
After my son was released i spoke to another guest who booked trips & were not collected told they need to reclaim, there money when back in UK, beyond there control..
Churchills is a disgrace English Run with a respectable name if only it lived up to the tittle..STAY Well clear.
Holiday apart from the latter was great hotel was amazing staff & everything else a dream come true believe in the Egyptians yes they hassle you but do not lie or Rob you...
First Choice & Churchills alais Arran & Tony are a Joke...

6 readers found this review helpful

ive started with this paragraph as i think its the most useful and some people only read a few lines!!....
nobody mentions in the reviews to take ENGLISH MONEY! rather than exchanging it all to egyption money, as our rates for exchange in this country are ridiculously low, you get much more for your money in english pounds!! there exchange rate over there for the egyptions is 10 egyptions to the pound, where as we get about 5,6 or if your lucky 7.. so thats almost double the ammount! also, the shops start prices high... you can usualy get them down to 1/4 of the original price!! 1 flash of your cash and they will fold =) and i must say, egypt has THEE best replica handbags i have EVER seeen! =) so make sure you leave some space in your suitcase adies, i ended up taking about 6 bags home =)
Me and my boyfriend went to grand azure in december, a week before xmas, it was our 1st holiday abroad together, we are both 19 and i must say, this holiday tops anything ive been on before!
usualy i go to typical brit holidays, spain, greece etc, but thought we would try something new! (and i am soooo glad we did!)
the hotel is stunning, you could eat off the floor. staff couldnt do enough, the italian resturant staff were great (as were the chinese!!) buffet was a bit plain (but we were picky eaters!) we used to go for something light in the buffet around 6pm then book in to the resturants every night for 9pm for a great steak meal! =)
the beach wasnt as nice as i thought, you had to wear flip flops or the sand hurt your feet.. same with the sea, very rocks so you needed some form of footwear in the sea!
the pool is a bit on the nippy side but very clean, fish and chips on the beach bar is a must before you leave! delicious!
entertainment was very poor (perhaps it was just the time of year) but we met another couple and spent most nights playing cards and having a good laugh - you need to make your own entertainment really!
anyway to some up... best holiday ever and i think we definatly picked the best hotel! =)

2 readers found this review helpful

this hotel is like paradice. nine of us went, 4 adults and 5 children ranging from 15 to 9 yrs old in september 2008. once you have been here you wont want to go any where else. when you first arrive you are greeted by very friendly staff in a magnificent reception area which takes your breath away. you are then shown to your room by a member of staff who tells you all about the hotel.your luggage is brought to your room within a half hour. the rooms are a nice size and very clean with air con [much needed]. the main resteraunt is always very busy thats because the food was very nice with differant themes every night. their is also an italian, chinese and a fish resteraunt within the hotel, although we didnt go to these we herd they were excellant. during the day you have 3 fair sized pools, which unlike most places ive been, the water is warm. [so is the sea]. you also dont need to pack any towels as they supply them at the pool for you. their is always a lot going on during the day, with volley ball, water arobics,and water polo. at night their is lots of entertainment in 3 different areas. we did a boat trip which is highly recommended which included snorkelling, we also went on the quad safari in to the dessert and camel ride (a must). a truely fantastic holiday with excellant staff and service highly recommended we will definately be returning again next year.

3 readers found this review helpful

Arrived back on 2nd January after 2 weeks.I have no complaints what so ever,except for the rude arrogant Russians.The hotel is cleaner than some hospitals in the UK.The staff are so helpful and friendly its unbelievable.Food is really really good and there is sure to be some thing for everyones palet.If you want a holiday thats relaxing or full of pace go to this hotel you will find it here.Listen to the reps talk and prices,then find the Jasmine Centre,left out of the hotel and only 5 minutes walk.You will find St. Georges Bar see pete or Holly and see the prices they can do the same trips for!!!! If you want diving or snorkeling see Pete or Usama in the shop below the bar or visit www.butterfly-egypt.com and compare the prices.

1 reader found this review helpful

I went on this holiday with my husband and child. When we first arrived we were shown to the lobby it is very big and amazing architecture. We were shown to our room but it took quite along time for them to deliver our suitcases. The next day we just relaxed and wandered around the resort the day after we went snorkelling. We saw a puffer fish and a lot of different coloured fish. On Christmas day we went into the Sinai desert and went on some quad bikes but it is better to go on the electric sand buggies. I also rose a camel. Then we went with the bedouins and watched some dancing and had a meal. The next day I woke up and had an ear ache, stomach ache, and cramps all over and was physically sick twice. I had this for 5 days and have still got it now. This has put me off going to Egypt ever again.

3 readers found this review helpful

Having never been to Eygpt and having never investigated it before going we didn`t know quite what to expect.
Well, what a fantastic surprise that was about to unfold.
This is a secret resort and destination that will take off in the near future like Turkey has in 2008.
The Resort is large and the accomodation is built around a number of large pools, which are good sized tasteful and spotlessly clean.
Having its own private beach front and jetty which extends 900 meters into the Red sea
where the coral shelf falls into the abyss .:The marine fish are swimming all around the snorkelling holidaymakers. Its like falling into a massive fish tank and finding another world, breath taking.
The beach , was clean tidy equipped and looked after every evening, helpful waiters and beach staff tending all your needs.
The main food hall was spotless and fully furnished with room to manoevre It had a super choice of food and drink on any night of the week staffed with pleasant well mannered and friendly waiters who catered for all needs.A shame the Russians did not show a little appreciation but we bow to the superior race.
The staff at the hotel , from receptionist to chefs and waiters to cleaners and beach / towel lads were without doubt the most polite ,helpful people we have ever encountered on a foreign holiday, most speaking several languages
Yes we did have a little tummy trouble whilst there, but not due to dirty conditions or unhygenic kitchens, more to do with the nature of going abroad eating different food and a complete change of food and spices.
The childrens club was every evening for an hour , our little girl thoroughly enjoyed it.
To conclude I feel that you would travel to many places in the world in many countries to find a holiday resort with guaranteed sun, hospitality and cleanliness to compare with this in every way, and even though there were a few to many Russians at times, at this time of the year it wasn`t full of rude English people who ruin everything they go near, the ones we did meet were nice people with the same views of the Hotel as ours.
9 out of 10, we will be going back without doubt
Only one small point the pools are quite cool and would benefit from heating at this time of the year