Tropicana Grand Azure Resort

thank you thompson for a fantastic holiday.4 adults and 1 ,11 year old were in our party and we had a fantastic time.food was great.staff excellent and pools and the snorkelling fantastic.we will be going back as soon as we can.Go and enjoy yourselves.We enjoyed eating in the chinese and italian resturants and did so 3 times in each.there is no limit and no extra charges.It is the first time we have been all inclusive and found no hidden extras .the grounds are lovelly and a pleasure to walk around in the evening to walk off all that lovelly cake!

We booked our holiday with thomson we where given our date when we had to pay the balance by, by the time that date come around we owed them £200 i spoke to them and explained i could not come in till the following day due to work commitments. The next day on my lunch hour i went in to pay the £200 only to be told my holiday had been cancelled i had paid them in total £998 and they had cancelled my holiday like i didnt want to go on it i could not believe it they said they could rebook it for me if them dates hadnt sold this was getting worse as we wanted that date as we where celebrating a birthday out there they found our holiday exact dates and times but the price had now gone up an extra £300 what a joke after i had even explained to the lady that i would be in to pay... anyway we reluctantly paid as we where really looking forward to this holiday....so we came home and started reading some of the reviews on here about the grand azure and there where so many negative reports about the food people being ill for days we just thought thats gonna be our luck. Our holiday finally arrived and we landed in egypt bit of commoation at the airport getting thru and also for visa's if you are not going to leave sharm el shiekh ( go to cairo etc) dont bother getting one you dont need it keep your money we got on the coach and arrived at our hotel which is about 10 min drive from the airport we where so pleased. Tthe pictures you see in the broucher dont do it justice the hotel is amazing we knew we had made a good choice no complaints at all the Hotel,staff, the room the pools, the restaurants we could not of asked for more we will defintly coming back.On my partners birthday we booked the Italian and i told them it was his birthday they arranged a cake and after our meal about 8 waitersd came in with a cake and sang happy birthday in arabic before getting the restaurant to sing happy birthday in english my partners face was a picture they really made his birthday special THANK YOU GUYS Dont take the hotel taxis they are more expensive just come outside the hotel and for £5 they will take you to nama bay tell them how much 1st thou we met a great taxi guy look out for him taxi number 1061 his name is ALi he was our personal driver for the week dropped us off and waited for us till we had finished or arranged a time to pick us up he didnt take no money till he had dropped us off back at our hotel say hi to him from us ....So if your going to grand azure egypt you are in for a great time you will be impressed with the hotel i think a lot of illness is noit the food but the dirty money that is in cirrculation out there just carry anti bacterial gel with you and use it all the time especially before eating We are looking to come back to egypt again very soon we had a fantatsic holiday

1 reader found this review helpful

Well what a shock..................never fancied going to Egypt at all. There was 16 of us in total, and we had a laugh from day one.
The hotel was absolutley stunning, i've been to loads of places all over the world and this was by far the most impressive place. The one thing I was disappointed with was the staff never showed you to your room, and because the place was so big it took us about 1/2 hour to finally find it. We had a gorgeous view, palm trees, pool and the beach.
Your room is cleaned every day, fresh towels, hair dryers in the room, but to be fair not the most powerfull. You get beach towels every day, and for a couple of quid tip they will look after you and get your sun loungers every day and position them where ever you want.
The more banter you have with them they love it. For anybody that has recently been to the hotel you will probably remember us all.
We did an army theme night, fancy dress, and loud shirt for the lads and pajama night for the girls.
If you got out of the reception, through the main gate and turn left, there is an English place about 10 shops down called Churchills, great people who run it, and the food is lovely, typical English breakfast for about £5.
Out of the 16 that went, 14 of us all had bad stomachs for a couple of days, two didn't even make it out one night. There is a chemist next door to Churchills who gave us some tablets which did the trick as immodium didn't seem to work at all. Tanya who owns Churchills gave us the name, they are in a yellow box and cost about £2.50 per box.
Watch out for the locals as they try and rip you off. They try to short change you thinking you can't work the currency out so be careful for that. 200 Egyptian pounds is roughly £20 just knock the naught off.
You have to barter for everything, but they eventually come round to your way of thinking.
The snorkelling is amazing, one of the best places in the world to do it, but make sure you buy some of the special shoes so you can walk over the coral.
The only thing i would say is the place is so big, there just aren't enough toilet facilites, and it took us about 10 minutes to walk from our room to the main lobby area.
I would definitley go back here, it's even great for kids, and I hope to get another week in sometime next year.
All the waiters were lovely, and again if you tip them a few quid they really look after you.
Naame bay is lovley too, hundreds of bars and eating places, we were on a special 25th wedding anniversary and we went to hard rock cafe and they let us dress the table up with balloons etc and party poppers. The food was stunning and the service great.
For you clubbers, there is a club / wine bar up the road with great banging dance tunes called "The Zone" come out of main gates and turn right, go past mcdonalds and look for "Le Strada " this is the club, and there is a nightclub called Pataya which i didn't get the pleasure to visit but i'm told that's a great place too. Ask Aran the son of the couple that own Churchills, he'll take you out for a good night.
Julie Atherton May 2008

Myself and the girlfriend (both 28) just spent a week at the Grand Azure (now Grand Tropicana). The hotel was absolutely amazing, the grounds were immaculate and the staff were brilliant. You have to tip the cleaners, they do a great job, and the room was spotless every day.
We were a little concerned about the food as we’ve been to Egypt before, and had read some dodgy reviews on here. The food was ok, it’s not exactly Gordon Ramsey’s, but there was a great choice every night and we didn’t have too much stomach trouble. I have to say though, Churchill’s just next to the hotel, do THE best fry-ups, and it’s perfect for that little taste of home. I hate people who moan about eating English food in, in English bars in a foreign country. So what! It’s your holiday, do what you want!
The pools are spread at well to, and there’s only one pool that has slides and stuff for kids. So if screaming, splashing sprog’s isn’t your idea of a great holiday, you can just pop over to one of the other pools, perfect!
The beach was good, and the snorkelling off the end of the pier was the best. Hiring one of the electric bikes to ride down the beachfront is well worth the money too.
My only complaints would be the heated pools are a little cold and the entertainment was poor.
Oh, one more thing, the Russian’s are idiots. I always say manners cost nothing; maybe they do in Russia...?

APRIL 16/30 2008
LTI GRAND AZURE . SHARM EL SHEIKH . EGYPT.

THIS WAS OUR THIRD VISIT TO EGYPT , FIRST TIME IN SHARM
THE GRAND IS JUST THAT ,VERY WELL LAID OUT , IMMACULATE,
GARDENS, EXCELLENT BEACH, ROOMS - VERY GOOD BUT WATCH OUT
FOR THE BED MATRESS / VERY FIRM (ROCK HARD)

THREE LARGE POOLS , TWO SMALLER ONES WITH SLIDES/FLUTES ETC.
THE LARGEST ONE WAS HEATED (IT WAS"NT) THE OTHER TWO LARGE
POOLS ARE ALSO ON THE COOL SIDE.

THIS IS VERY LARGE HOTEL SO IT TAKES A FEW MINUETS TO GET
DOWN TO THE VERY EXCELLENT BEACH

THE VIEW THERE IS EXCELLENT
A VERY LARGE LAGOON , WARM CLEAR WATER, FROM THE BEACH TO
THE EDGE OF THE REEF( APROX HALF MILE) WALK THROUGH LAGOON
OR TAKE THE BOARD WALK, DO TRY AND SNORKLE OFF THE REEF IT
IS A MAGICAL SIGHT. EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS IN THE BEACH AREA
( FOOD,DRINK,ETC).
THE BOYS WHO WORK HERE DO YOU PROUD FETCHING DRINKS( ETC)
SO A SMALL TIP GOES A LONG WAY WITH THEM.
THE HOTEL IS RATED FIVE STAR- THAT IS EGYPT RATING NOT UK/USA
THERE ARE EXTRAS TO PAY IF YOU USE THEM.
THE ROOMS ARE IN THREE STOREY BLOCKS NUMBERED 1,2,3,ETC .
BUILDING 10 WHICH WAS OUR ACCOMADATION IS BY THE MAIN
RESTURANT , THE BOYS WHO TAKE CARE OF THESE BLOCKS DO
A GRAND GRAND JOB ( rooms cleaned ,towels, etc.) YOU CAN NOT
LEAVE WITHOUT GIVING THEM A GOOD TIP.
NIGHT TIME ENTERTAINMENT IS ONLY THE LOCAL CREW ,BUT IT IS
EVERY NIGHT AND THEY DO QUITE WELL.

MEALS ARE PRETTYGOOD , PLENTY TO CHOOSE , PLENTY TO DRINK
VERY LATE DINNER IS MIDNIGHT - 2AM .

DO BE CAREFUL IF YOU BOOK TRIPS THEY DON"T GIVE YOU
ENOUGH INFORMATION ,OUR PARTY BOOKED PETRA (JORDON)
MY GOD THAT WAS A 20HR DAY. ONLY 2 HRS IN PETRA . IF YOU
DO THAT ONE IT NEEDS TO BE OVER 2 DAYS.
CAIRO IS ANOTHER EXHAUSTING DAY.
THE PRIVATE YATCH IS VERY GOOD.
THE DESERT QUADS (EXCELLENT)

OVERALL A VERY GOOD HOLLIDAY, I RATE IT 8 OUT OF 10
IT LOOSEES POINTS ON THE PAYING FOR EXTRAS
BRIT/AMER RATING YOU DON"T PAY ON 5 STAR.
LAST BIT OF ADVISE IF ITS YOUR FIRST TIME IN SHARM
DO BOOK 4/5 STAR HOTELS SOME OF THE LESSER ONES
ARE NOT VERY GOOD.

when we got to the hotel we were amazed by the enterance and the way the hotel was set out i went with 2 small children who loved the whole holiday the food was good lots of choice and if you dont like anything your guaranteed to have chips everyday the service was mixed the cleaners were very polite didnt do many excurtions not only are they very exepensive they would have been too much for the children overall the holiday was very good when you go think think 5* views and 3 star rooms

honeymoon in heaven the hotel was fantastic clean tidy bright cheerful place to be.our room was very spacious a big queen size bed and very clean and well maintained.resturants were plenty of food was very good and hot.plenty of choices to choose from.waiters were very friendly and helpful.pools were very clean and plenty of sunbeds.the pool lads were happy to put towels onn beds for u and move them to where u wanted them.beach small shingle but not uncomfortable for your feet.jetty a must for walking down to see coral and the loverly fish.grounds are kept loverly always doing them.tips are very much relied on for them but something not expected to do.overall had a fantastic time at this hotel already looking to go back in new year.yes read reviews people write but everyones ideas of what to expect are so different.

Oh my god!!!
We have just got back from LTI grand azure, it was SPECTACULAR!!! Pools were AMAZING, rooms were GREAT, reception was BEAUTIFUL...slides were FANTASTIC (considering im 11 years old, they were AWESOME)
Good points
The cleanlieness of the rooms and the hotel itself was MARVELOUS.
The grounds of the hotel (plants, tree's, pathing) was kept NEAT and TIDY on a daily basis.
The food was really NICE (something there for everyone, even fussy people like my dad!)
Summary of good points 10/10
Bad points
The night life wasnt as GOOD as we all expected, but we made do with the reception bar and the billiard bar (located near the dolphin pool, next to the kids club)
When we got back, me and my nanna had a tummy ache, so stay away from the ice.
Summary of bad points 8/10
We stayed at LTI for 2weeks and it was WICKED!!! Got to go now bye x

Following a number of previous visits to the LTI Grand Azur with Friends and Family My husband and I thought nothing of planning another trip with my sister and her new Husband. The problems started from arrival. As they were on their honeymoon they had been told they would receive a room upgrade, which seems to be standard practice at most 5* hotels. On arrival they were shown to their supposedly upgraded room. It had 2 single beds and was directly opposite the main bar. Not quite what they were expecting. So when they returned to reception they were told that the view of the bar was the upgrade!! After complaining further they had no choice to upgrade to a junior suite which they had to pay for. Myself and my husband were given a nice standard room with a sea view. However after the first day it was clear to both of us that neither of the rooms had working air con, which at almost 40 degrees in the day was unbearable. We both complained time and time again only to be told they were either in the process of fixing it or that someone will be along in ten minutes. Which most of the time was over an hour. Each time the air con broke it would be fixed only to break again after about ten minutes!! this happened for 3 days in both rooms. Eventually my sisters air con started to spill out water, this finally made them request another move. This would be the 3rd room in less than 4 days!. Half way through our holiday we were having a late dinner in the main restaurant, as our rooms were in different areas of the complex we went our seperate ways from there. When my sister and her husband left the building they were confronted by one of the kitchen staff, who lets say for the sake of this review was trying to be a little too friendly with my sister, before running off. They then had to stay up most of the night trying to identify the person. On the night the management were helpful, but my sister was asked to meet with the duty manager the next day. He has got to be the most arrogant and rudest person I have ever met in hospitality. As for customer service they were more interested in brushing the incident under the carpet than being remorseful. They were even asked why they had failed to stop the person at the time!!! I mean as if you would, with everything that happens these days, It's one thing to be the hero, but when you are in a foreign country and you don't speak the language the last thing you want to do is get involved. Thomas Cook finally came to take a statement, but even they didn't bother to ask if my sister was ok, it was so transactional.... fill this form in and call a number when you are back in the uk! oh and if you need councelling here's a number you can call........ Bye I'm off to sell some more trips now. After this happened we seemed to be black listed as residents, and were constantly snubbed at the restaurant, either that or the service was truly awful....either way it desn't make for much of a holiday. Finally on the last night our air con packed in completely and we also had to be moved to another room. I have to say I will never stay at the Grand Azur again and will never reccommend it to friends and family as I have in the past. They are quick to moan about the Russians, but it's the Egyptians in this case that need to change their ways.

I have just returned with my wife & 5 year old daughter from the Grand Azure, having booked this holiday some 10 weeks ago. On arrival we were told the hotel was overbooked and we were to be sent to another hotel, obviously we were not happy with this situation it took an hour & a half of the rep speaking to the Hotel management before we actually found out what was happening. We were shipped out to the other Hotel expecting to be given a room as we arrived but spent another 2 hours waiting in the reception being told by the staff that the Grand Azure had not confirmed our booking. By this time we were tired & hungry, between my wife & myself we had to stand in front of the reception until they sorted out the situation with the Grand Azure. As with most places on the continent the Egyptians seem to go at one speed, SLOW, there also seems to be a lot of beauracracy.
We were told by our Rep that we would get an upgrade when we moved back to the Grand Azure the following day. This did not happen & we recieved no apology for the inconvenience of the previous day. We informed our rep who negotiated an upgrade on our behalf as the hotel staff did not seem to want to talk to us, although i did manage to speak to the Manager after insisting on speaking to him although he was more concerned about telling me what a good deal we were getting with no apology for 2 days of lost holiday moving rooms & hotels. the new room was slightly larger than the Standard room & was sighted in a noisier area of the complex, right outside the kids club & billiard bar, but we were assured the noise stopped around 5 pm every day, what we were unaware of was that the amphitheatre had a show on every night until around 11pm that was so loud it may well have been in the room with us & our 5 year old could not sleep. Another complaint the next day & we were offered other rooms but all were located in what were noisy parts of the complex at night because of various entertainments going on, which is fine if you do not have young children.
In the end we paid for an upgrade to a junior suite which was great & very spacious but the hotel even managed to mess this up by not issuing us with VIP wristbands that entitles you to the use of executive lounge, restaurant & other priviliges, we only found this out from other guests on the last day of our holiday, our rep negotiated a slight discount on our room rate for this error.
We had a 9 day holiday 4 days of which were taken up by moving Hotels/rooms, the point being that if we had had the standard room we were given when we had got to the hotel initially we would have been more than happy. The hotel staff in general were extremely pleasant & good fun especially with our daughter & the food was good.
The rooms at the standard end of the scale were ok but i would say becoming slightly tired with quite a few fixtures & fittings not functioning properly especially plugs in bidets & sinks either missing or not functional (in the 3 rooms we stayed in all had at least one no functioning plug) a maintenance man came to fix the sink plug in one room, after 20 minutes he indicated that it was working, indeed when the lever was maoved the plug raised & lowered but when water was put in the sink it still drained out whatever position it was in.
If you are taking children with the expectation to have a supervised kids club there is none, there are activities but not well advertised or promoted. the on site water park is good & generally well supervised if your children like swimming there is no problem, although the pools are cold, apart from one smaller heated pool, although this did not bother my daughter.
Take some time to go snorkelling at the end of the pier, i wish i had, had more time i went once & can only describe it like swimming in a tropical fish tank, the coral & fish are spectacular especially were the reef just drops away & you cannot see the bottom, it is like floating in the air above a chasm.
What we had of our Holiday we enjoyed but for the extremely poor management in the hotel.
Our Rep, Mohammed from Spring Tours, was fantastic & really did his best for us negotiating with the belligerant management, its a shame but we would not go back there because of the way the management treated us, we never recieved an apology from the hotel.