Sunrise Island Garden Resort

The Maxim Plaza is a very poor excuse for a 5 star hotel. The food provided by the hotel was not only repetitious and boring but also poison served on a plate. I arrived at the hotel on Thursday 1/7/04 and by the Saturday 3/7/04 evening I had food poisoning, having spoken to a number of other guests I was therefore unsurprised to find out that every single person in the 20-30 British couples and families that I had spoken to were all suffering from food poisoning.
I returned from my holiday on Thursday 8/7/04 and was, and still am very ill. Having been to the doctor when I returned home I was told that, as food poisoning was so bad it has caused an infection in both my stomach and intestine, which is causing me severe pain and discomfort. Even the food and beverage manager who we conversed with on a number of occasions tried to fob us off with excuses where it got to the point where he implied that we were lying about our illnesses.
The staff at first seemed to be very friendly but once you befriend them they are hard to shake off. All they seemed to be interested in was how much you earn as a Westerner and how big their tip was going to be from you before you left.
The swimming pools were admittedly clean and pleasant, however the main pool, which has the pool bar, is very disconcerting. The seats in the pool are made of marble and precariously balanced on pillars which had become detached. The day before we left we spoke to a Scottish lady who said her small child tried to sit on the seat and the marble disc feel heavily on her foot spraining her ankle badly and very close to breaking the bones. The pools are all one depth which is fine if you’re around 5 foot 8, but too deep for children to even reach the bottom. It got to the point where a number of the members of staff that we spoke to were equally as fed up with the hotel, one member of staff revealed to us that a child of 7 died in the pool last year by the fact that the hotel facilities weren’t up to health and safety standards.
Aside from serious issues regarding safety, the water slides only stay open an hour or two per day, if that, and as for "all inclusive" - you have to pay for Billiards, internet, drinks in the inside bar, mixers in cocktails, and calling the holiday rep to book a trip via front desk.
Also, they will try to force you to settle your bill by using a foreign currency as this is worth more to them than their own Egyptian Pounds. We refused. So overall the message is... if you have to go to Egypt do not stay in the MAXIM PLAZA.
The complaint letter to the holiday company is being penned. So watch this space!

We have just returned form the Maxim Plaza and can only say our experiences were TOTALLY opposite to Mr Khans experiences
Our twin bedded room had a great sea view and was large with private en suite facilities, private balcony, air conditioning, satellite TV, telephone, hairdryer and fridge. The maid service was excellent. Sheets and towels were changed daily and supplies of shampoos and other sundries replenished promptly & without question.
We found the hotel very comfortable with a bright and airy reception, several restaurants, bars, shopping arcade, internet cafe, amphitheatre, gym, snooker hall, disco, kids club etc.
There were 3 fully functioning swimming pools one with a water slide. All pools had ample numbers of sun loungers and parasols. The hotel supplies pool towels for use around the pools/beach and a pool towel exchange service. Two of the pools -main pool and beach pool - have bars offering AI drinks and snacks through out the day the pools were meticulously cleaned & water quality checked each evening. The fourth pool was being renovated whilst we were there.
Food was plentiful - a good mix of international/local cuisine. Mainly self service buffet style. ALa Carte Italian, Lebanese & Fish restaurants with waiter service. The main restaurants offered the opportunity for guests to request personally prepared dishes such as omelettes, barbecued foods etc.
Locally produced fruit juices, soft drinks inc Pepsi, Fanta & Sprite, mineral water, alcoholic drinks and coffee were available without charge from 9am to midnight. Our drinks were always at the optimum temperature and we had no problem obtaining a cup of coffee.
The beach is small but has ample sun beds and parasols. Sadly the peace and quiet of the beach is somewhat spoilt by the loud music which plays incessantly from the bar area. AI drinks/snacks are served from the bar from dawn till dusk. The sea is accessed via a floating pontoon as the reef goes right up to the beach. The variety of fishes that can be seen is phenomenal and the sea is clear and the reefs are unspoilt. Take your snorkels. Poor swimmers beware as the sea is very deep as you leave the pontoon (??20 feet) and it is not possible to access the sea from the beach. The reefs are easier to access from the beach at Naama Bay but no where near in such a pristine condition.
The hotel grounds are meticulously maintained with the gardeners watering the plants, topping up the many waterfalls twice daily
The staff were friendly and efficient. Yes they did chat to the guests but surely that is what they are there for!!
The hotel provides a mini bus to Naama Bay - free of charge in the morning and a small charge of $3 for the round trip in the afternoon/evening. The transport is reliable and we found it as a cheap way of travel.
My only real complaint is in relation to the entertainment within the hotel - I would recommend that you avoid the animation programme at all costs - it is diabolical to say the least.
We would definitely go back!

Got collected in coach whose door refused to stay closed. Driver then proceeded to drop off other passengers at their hotel and was not able to remember where the Maxim Plaza was.
Reception looked very nice. At time of visit only three pools were open and the fourth was being refurbished. The main pool was nice for the kids to play in and it was where all the pool activities took place.
Travelled with wife, two daughters and baby, requested connecting rooms but they only had Junior Suites (at extra cost) which we took two (paid full adult prices). The rooms were not connected but next to each other, but to get from one room to the other was a two minute journey down one flight of stairs and up another. The rooms were clean and tidy.
Asked for a cot for the baby, the one given was in poor state of repair it had many sharp nuts and bolts sitting out....it’s condition was dangerous.
NO kettle in the room and hotel was unable to provide one so we had problems preparing the baby’s feeds. And no hot water to sterilise the bottles either.
Food in the hotel was poor. After 2 nights we had seen the complete range of food. A common theme was to use the left overs for the following mealtime in some sort of cooked curry or stew. Plenty of fresh fruit but again the some every day. But the worse was the deserts these remained the same for lunch and supper every single day.
There were no fruit drinks free, these had to be purchased at the rate of £1.50 (English pounds !!). Also there was no ice in the restaurant, so any soft drinks were always warm. If you really wanted Ice you needed to go to the pool bar and collect it in a glass yourself.
This hotel had the worse staff that I have every seen at any hotel. The only competent ones were the three dressed in black that stood at the entrance to the restaurant. The rest of them looked down at you and there was no service. In addition it appeared the staff had not been trained to use the equipment for example, when I asked for coffee in the pool bar, I got 2 cups of hot water on one occasion and on another it was just black coffee under a froth, we gave up asking for coffee from then onwards. Even worse was when one of the guest in front of me asked for a beer and he was given a beer in a plastic glass which contained about 10% beer and 90% froth and when he looked at it and asked for a second glass he got the same, no apologies from the staff and no attempt to actually give a full glass.
The worse aspect of the staff was they were looking out for single women and spent their time trying to chat them up. Whilst we were there one of the waiters throw a glass cup at our neighbours, I believe he was either moved to other duties or got the sack. But overall it was just their attitude which was poor.
The animation team, which was their equivalent of the Red Coats, were a group of young amateur actors and dancers and it showed. Each of the shows was very similar to the previous night.
The real problem was that British guests made up only between 10 and 15 % of the guests and most things were designed for the Russian guests.
On our return all of us had upset stomach including the baby, who has now had two visits to the hospital and we are awaiting results and the rest of us are still suffering a week after our return.
If I was given the same hotel at half the price I would not go back.
The trip to Naaba Bay was nice, £5 there and £5 back, go in the evening when it is cooler, but be prepared it is Blackpool in the desert. (fake palm trees which light up to the shops all selling identical goods).

Please if you’ve been offered this Hotel don’t book it!! The food was terrible the drinks were poor and the waiters are just sleaze bags!! The holiday started ok but by the third day myself and my Girlfriend was bed ridden as well as all the other English guests we spoke to with food poisoning, but what would expect when the food is used over and over again till its gone! I do admit the junior suite we had was really nice and the coral reef was superb for snorkelling but as I say that was soon quashed after day 3 with there been no toilets facilities on the beech!!
Also we found it quite boring at night with same artist on all the time and a night show that was unbelievably BAD!!
If you’re a sun worshiper who doesn’t eat likes snorkelling & sleazy waiters this holidays for you!!!!
P.S If you speak Russian your on a winner too!

Really good hotel - rooms are great and the complex itself is fantastic - loads of pools, bars and the beach are nice too. The jetties into the water mean that you get to swim in the middle of the gorgeous Red sea, right over the Coral reefs. The amount of fish you’ll see is incredible!!
The only reason for not awarding this hotel a 9 or 10 rating is because of the terrible "animation team" that put on shows every night!! This lot are terrible and their brand of "entertainment" is torturous at best!!! - My advice, stay in the room with your loved one, go into Na'ama bay or go for a stroll along the beach in the evening!!
Local beer is ok too...
We had a cracking time here and there are some great deals going too!! - Enjoy!!!