Reviews of Renaissance Golden View Beach, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Renaissance Hotel

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

lynnisaacs

Comments:

Hotel very nice,clean and staff very helpful,rooms cleaned daily and well maintained,4 pools only one heated that is on the lower part of grounds to hotel,drinks expensive,as we went B&B can only rate breakfast which had a good selection of food,not alot to do in the eveing at the hotel,there is a tourist section of shops in the hotel,if you go to the right when leaving the hotel you can walk to Hassle Alley which has all the local tourist shops etc, by the end of your stroll down this (am i in Blackpool street!!!)you will of wished you had made a bill board to wear saying Yes i do come from england( or where ever,)and no i dont want to look in your shop, thankyou for asking.
Fantasia situated on left hand side of road on walk to shops is not a place i myself would reccommend,the light show is a fast,just men rideing horses round and round a set,as for lights,i have more in my front room,one concern is having photo taken with a worker there,females on your own dont stand in front of them, infact refuse to have pic done "bewarned"i made that mistake.Other than that great time had,OLD MARKET,great but barter well and they will sell cheap.

Amazing Holiday!

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

georgiahappy

Comments:

I loved every minute of my stay here!
it was all great,
the staff are lovely, the food is also really nice and the atmosphere makes the stay even more enjoyable...
and if you read the massage menu before purchasing it the price is in euros per hour!!
I would definately recomend this hotel, for an unforgettable holiday!
the staff are also great and very friendly, especially fatma and the ladies at breakfast and khaled and ashraf and the guys in acapulco joe's.
they are all attentive and more than happy to help.
There is a wide choice of food available on the premisis and a town just a short walk away, i would also definately recomend a visit to the old market that is only a short taxi ride away, it may be a little traumatic but is essential for getting a taste of the culture..
I would also highly recomend the hotels own excurtion organiser as the trips are very enjoyable and at a good price, the bedoin entertainment and camel ride as well as the diving trips are brilliant and a must do .. the on site diving school is also a big plus, and the sites just off the jetty on the hotel beach are brilliant.

we have just returned after a...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs C Barlow

Comments:

we have just returned after a two week stay at this luxurious hotel. checking in was easy, our bags were delivered to our rooms (we had two) and we were driven to our rooms in a buggy. The rooms were very clean and furnished to a high standard. We were amazed at the size of our bed - much bigger than our king size at home! The air conditioning was good, although the electricity went off for short periods (a few minutes)during most days so do not rely on the room clock to use as an alarm.

the rooms were cleaned every day and all our used cups etc. were washed and tidied too.

Staff were very polite and attentive. Every morning our sunglasses were cleaned and we were given ice cold flannels to cool our over heated bodies.Mohammed, the pool manager was very friendly, he totally overwhelmed us on our anniversary by making a spectacular arrangement (out of pool towels and flowers) of swans and hearts on our sunbeds (my husband had casually mentioned that we were celebrating our anniversary during our stay). The waiters at the pool were efficient, friendly and helpful.

There are several restauants but if you wish to eat at the Italian restarant then the men need to take long trousers - my husband and boys did not pack any so we were turned away when we tried to eat there. Dinner in the main restaurants cost about £20 per head (without drinks) but the Mexican restaurant (Acopulco Joe's) was cheaper; the food was very good and we ate there several times.

Eating outside the hotel was considerably cheaper though the quality varied! Melodies, an Italian restaurant in Old Sharm was really good and extremely cheap- we had a dinner for five for £25 - they do not serve alcohol though - you need to take your own. Avoid el Farnel just outside the hotel - the food was terrible.

taxis are cheap - but check the price before you go in one. We used the hotel taxi service which was well managed and easier than being hassled by lots of local taxi drivers outside the hotel grounds.

There is no entertainment within the hotel, you need to find your own outside in the nearby towns. No kids club here! For us it was a relaxing holiday and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

when i saw it and when i checked...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

white rose

Submitted By:

Mr Ahmed

Comments:

when i saw it and when i checked the reception at 1st sight it was more than perfect ... but i stayed for 10 days ... its kinda good but not as i thought ... house keeping is sucks .. its not that much clean ... there`s no much entertaiment inside the hotel ... the food for teh breakfast it was goood but for the dinner it was :S !!!!! but if we compared this hotel to others there in sharm u will find it one from the top 6 of th ebest hotels in sharm i think there ... any way actually i spent goood vocation in sharm with frndz in hotel or out side in city center ... its good place to go ...

DO NOT STAY...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Libra Holidays

Submitted By:

Miss T Cacace

Comments:

DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the hotel is lovely, but the staff are awful never in my life have i experienced such rude staff, the main promblem was me and my parent had a massage and were told 59 egypsion pounds each we had the treatment nd were chargered 984.00 egystion poundsd and were told we had to pay it otherwise they would keep our suitcases, after 3 days of aruging the gave us an disgusting 20% discount, in which we were told the staff memember who lied to us was sacked when to my amazment i saw walking aroud 2days later laughing at us, every member of the staff are awful and should all be sacked, awful cilent care, the laughted at us told us we were english so money meant nuffing to us, they beileve all of us are millionaires. i was scared tol sleep at night incase they did something to our room, it was awful. All the staff are after your money and will be your best friend but if you do not give them a tip turn nasty. this is the most unporfessional hotel in the world. many english people had promblems here, and the food gave everyone food posing, i was sick for 2 days in bed throwing up , 5 * hotel yeah rioght. Every member of staff should be sacked and osmar in the health spa should never be allowed to work with poeple again. Savce your self DO NOT STAY HERE

The hotel was excellent and the...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mr T McClintock

Comments:

The hotel was excellent and the grounds were beautiful. The hotel staff were so friendly and helpful, they even brought a cold face cloth to everyone at the pool and they even cleaned your sunglasses. The food in the hotel was very good and the Mexican restaurant in the grounds of the hotel was first class. I would strongly recommend this hotel to anyone and I will be going back next year!

This was our first time to Egypt...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss CL Howard

Comments:

This was our first time to Egypt and will be our last, after several wonderful holidays in Cyprus we weren't prepared for the culture change in Egypt. The hotel was lovely except our family room which was quite dirty, I spent a few hours cleaning it but apart from the bedroom it never felt clean and I dont think the floors were cleaned at all during our stay because as soon as you stepped out of the shower your feet were filthy. The resort and pools are great but there were no other children there except ours and i felt obliged to keep them quiet because it was so peaceful. If you have children dont come here because there is nothing at all for them to do, mine were bored rigid and i felt really guilty beause they have so much fun in Cyprus. The breakfasts are good with freshly made omlettes and waffles and proper orange juice with bits in it and you can go up to 11am for them. There was nothing to do immediately out of the hotel and any time you tried to walk up the road you were harrassed by dozens of taxis wanting your business and after a while you just got fed up of them. We got a hotel taxi(£7.00 return fixed price) most evenings into Naama bay but to be honest we never had a good meal and good food is important to us on holiday. Even Lido on the deck was disappointing, my prawns were mushy, the squid was like boot leather and the seabass was so fishy i couldnt swallow it and the fillet steak was really tough. We also had fillet steak in Dananeers which you couldnt get the knife through. If you like gourmet food, Egypt is not for you. Finally we were really disappointed with the selection of drinks, I knew before we went there was not a lot of choice but it was really bad, I didnt have a drinkable bottle of wine the whole 2 weeks and my other half who is a budweiser drinker ended up drinking cheap lager and was not impressed. The other annoying thing is having to haggle for things, gifts to take home...fine but having to haggle over the price of admission to the water parks was something else, we went 3 times and paid 3 different prices and we met people inside who had been seriously ripped off, I know its their culture but come on. Finally the golden view beach is a nice hotel, the staff are wonderful and so willing and happy the whole time, it makes you feel very humble when you hear how much they get paid for the hours they work and yet they are still happy. We went B&B because we like to try different food outside of the hotel but because of its location we ended up buying all our food and drinks during the day from here which worked out really expensive, it was like been AI but having to pay extra for it. Also the hotel is built on quite a steep slope which was a killer to walk up in the heat, if you had a family room that overlooked the bottom pool like we did you had a long walk up every day to breakfast and to the bars and reception. All in all this hotel is suited to older couples who want to relax and not to families or young couples. PS men have to wear long trousers to eat in the italian restaurant, we met loads who hadnt brought any and couldnt go in.

Hubby and I stayed for 1 week of...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs K Clark

Comments:

Hubby and I stayed for 1 week of pure relaxation.Fantastic accommodation.Booked a delux sea front room.Not much dearer than a seaview room.Food very good and service exceptional./Love snorkelling so only had to walk 50 meter or so to sun beds and pontoon.Only a few meters from the mexican resteraunt also.Only critisism was nothing much to do at night but it was easy enough to get a taxi to Sharm or Naam.Would definitely stay here again.

We spent two delightful weeks at...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Panorama

Submitted By:

Ms S M Dorudottir

Comments:

We spent two delightful weeks at Renaissance before Easter. The hotel really lives up to the photographs in the brochures! We stayed in a family suite with an ocean view and I cannot fault the rooms. The hotel is built on a hillside leading down to the sea, with the lobby and main restaurants at the top. There are four pools, each with its own character. The main pool is at the top by the main building, one is in a quiet area by the front, one has a swim up bar and snack bar, and one is heated. Along with most families. we stayed by the heated pool, although towards the end, the other pools were quite pleasant to swim in. The two latter pools are by the beach, which is not really a beach, but more of a hillside. A pontoon then leads out to the coral reef, with fantastic snorkelling opportunties.

The hotel is in a quiet location and there is not much evening entertainment.

Finally, the staff were fantastic and always willing to help. They always reported back to make sure any request had been fulfilled (thin pillows, a kettle etc.). The main nationalities at the hotel were British,Danish and Russian. We rubbed along fine with all three. Two years ago we stayed at a hotel in Hurghada which had been taken over by Russians, to the extent that all staff spoke Russian alongside English. This was far more balanced.

great hotel no decent night...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Mr R Bache

Comments:

great hotel no decent night entertainment same every day long way to private beach from reception lots of steps expensive good food helpful and friendly beautiful place expensive on the drinks and service charge big big bill of all charges what we thought was free waiting at the end of our holiday jetty very very hot to walk on with bare feet! we had to change our room because we were given to wrong one and very hard to find your room.... overall nice place wouldnt stay @ that hotel again but would go to egypt again if you need the toilet go before you leave for the airport.... before you leave unfit to use! pretty ruff

Myself, My Partner and Sister...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr Craig Mckinnon

Comments:

Myself, My Partner and Sister stayed here for a week after a fatastic cruise. On arrival the place looks like a palace and your expectations are exceeded on entry to the hotel.



The staff are the true holiday maker at the Golden View and special mention has to go to Samir and Mohammed who work the beach bar and the aqua bar, there is nothing these two will not do for you and look after everything from setting your sunbed up to bringing you food and drinks and basicaly ensuring you have a fantastic stay!



The breakfast was good and served between 7am-11am (I am a vegetarian) and quite a fussy one but found items such as fresh pancakes, waffles, croissants and various toasts and rolls to keep me happy! not to mention the fact that if its not there then they will move the earth to get it for you!



Besides, room service is so cheap that you can laze away from breakfast and have a breakfast delivered with hot/cold drinks for less than we pay for some horrid fast food chains in the uk! also there is ED the room service man based at Zinzina Bar who again is a credit to the hotel.



Wish to eat out and get fresh cooked everything? Then try turning right out of the hotel and head up the road to the the IL Mercato centre (a pleasant outdoor shopping mall with no loud bars and very peaceful surroundings in which to shop eat and relax in).



Head for ONIONS restaurant, 3 of us ate the following - 3 Fresh home made soups, 3 various and tasty mains, water and soft drinks, dessert and coffee - The cost????

around £30 between 3 of us!!! we felt rather guilty eating so cheap so left a rather generous tip, next night we returned and were treated like royalty (even complimentary drinks from the manager) We ate here 5 nights out of 7.



We did visit Naama Bay but was back in a cab in less than an hour! preffered the area surrounding our hotel and found we got less hassle from sales persons, was a little crowded for my personal liking but am sure it is wonderful if you like the hussle and bustle. We had the active bit of our holiday on the cruise and was happy to relax in our own area of Sharm for the remaining 7 days.



To summarise - You cannot find a better hotel with better surroundings and facilities and the staff are a one off (mould broken at birth).



Already booked for another week this year and another 2 next year!



Was our first time in Egypt and are totally in love!



My e-mail address is craigpmckinnon@btinternet.com feel free to e-mail any questions and I will answer from a first visitor prospective (wherever I can) I have very little knowledge but I was very nervous about Egypt as a whole so imagine I felt the same as most first time visitors!



ENJOY!



Craig Mckinnon

Just returned from a week at...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Mrs C Crook

Comments:

Just returned from a week at this hotel. Very nice, but lots of building and refurb work going on around the main swimming pool - disappointed not to have been told about this.



But apart from that, hotel really good - lovely breakfasts; its worth queuing for an omlette cooked to your liking. The mexican restaurant is particularly good. Only ate out one night at Columbus - food much cheaper there - just a 10 minute walk from the hotel.



Room very nice, huge bathroom, very well surviced. Wood definitely recommend this hotel. Its worth tipping the pool attendant - he'll look after you all week. Just 5 or 10 egyptian (50p to £1) and he'll place the towel on your sun bed, and continue doing that for the entire week if you ask.



Lots of Russians at this hotel - yes, they are rude. But just ignore them and get on with it.



Its worth buying a snorkel too, the fish are superb just off the jetty. Enjoy.

Like many other guests to this...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

S Harley

Comments:

Like many other guests to this hotel I found it to be of a very high standard with excellent facilities, good food and breath taking views. Situated out on the point of Sharm it is probably best suited to visitors like myself who likes to be away from the tourist trail of bars, nightlife and cafes displaying pictures of burgers and chips outside them, but for those who expect to see McDonalds, Starbucks, KFC, Mothercare and Claires Accessories these were just 15 minutes walk away and the old market in Old Sharm about 30 minutes. If walking isn’t for you then taxis are in good condition, cheap and in abundance but remember to barter. (It’s a way of life to the locals and a good game to visitors from Europe)



The hotel beach is nicely positioned but beware, you can only access the sea from a floating pontoon and as the sea is rough it may not be suited for those who are nervous in water or poor swimmers, but once in the snorkelling is great.



The downfall for this hotel were the visiting Russians, who are not only abrupt and rude but are the noisiest race of people I have ever had pleasure of sharing a hotel with!! (They make the Germans look like kittens). Be prepared to do battle for breakfast in the main dining room or use the overspill restaurant around the back near the Thomson tour information desk, its a lot quieter and the view just as spectacular (and the Russians have yet to discover it). If you are allocated a room adjoining the family rooms on the beach front and find them too noisy like I did don’t be afraid to asked to be moved to a block that is family free (they do exist) and the staff are really helpful and sympathetic. I got the impression they would rather be Russian free like I did. (They love the Brits).



Having visited Luxor and Cairo in May 2007 overall I would say I was rather surprised how unlike "real" Egypt, Sharm is. Not a relic insight. My worries for this resort is that with the vast amount of building work currently taking place in the area it will eventually become just another "plastic" resort resembling Malaga, Ayia Napa or the Canaries.



A great place for diving and snorkelling so get there quick before it is becomes too crowded.

First of all the hotel was...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2007

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Miss K Lagdon

Comments:

First of all the hotel was amazing! I have never ever seen anything like it .



It wasn’t our first trip to this hotel we also went last year in the Xmas month from Cardiff on the 27th and spent new year here ! Amazing party all the staff are so friendly and can’t wait to help you.



The only bad point is that were ever you stay in Sharm el sheik your always a bit away from the town centre of Naama Bay which is a long street full of bars, clubs , food houses such as McDonald , TGI Fridays etc the list is endless .... But the taxi from the hotel only costs 20-25 Egyptian pounds which is £2.00-£2.50 our money ...... it’s amazing remember to barter though.



This has got to be the best hotel ever ... I would recommend that you stay here if you are planning on going to Egypt... Can’t wait to go again !!!

Visited Egypt for the 3rd time,...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Bed & Breakfast

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

MyTravel

Submitted By:

Mr T Burrell

Comments:

Visited Egypt for the 3rd time, but first time at this hotel. Overall excellent. Staff very attentive, but obviously for a tip. Worth it though.



First impressions were that the hotel was too far from Naama bay, but not really. Close by is shopping centre "Il Mercado" bit of a short walk, but Costa coffee, Starbucks, KFC,Burger king, Ronny Macs etc etc As we were B and B, we went into Naama every night. Strange but, 25EL taxi into town, but no less than 35 to return!!



Hotel is large site and built into a hill. Bit of a struggle if you’re a bit less mobile, but staff always willing to help.



Breakfast had excellent choice. Even Chilli if you wanted it. For the Russians I think. With regards to the Russians, they expect to be at the front of the queue and will push in, Also want everything for nothing. Not my favourite people. You can play them off with the Egyptians as they don’t like them either and will serve you first!!



Room cleaned every day with the occasional flowers or towel sculpture. (Cleaner wants tip) Pool man puts towel on your favourite bed if you let him know. (Worth a tip). Restaurants in hotel very good, but bit pricey compared to Naama. Done trip to Cairo. Flew up, so cost about £150 each. Same trip in Naama about £100. Bit shocked to find Pizza hut and KFC next to pyramids though. Bloody yanks!!



Anyway excellent hotel excellent holiday. Booked for next year. Same hotel, but probably the last time as its getting a bit Benidorm ish. Locals getting greedy and want tips for everything.



They even ask you for a tip. Enjoy and don’t get burnt!