Renaissance Golden View Beach Resort Sharm El Sheikh

I would agree with previous reports having returned from a super week (23-30Sept) at the Renaissance. Nothing but praise for the hotel, staff, food, and wonderful snorkelling.
We tried the various restaurants and snack bars which had a high standard. Price wise you have to think UK prices. Egyptian beers and wine (red) are very acceptable.EG Sarkara Gold (beer) is £.80 in shops,£2.20 hotel with wine £8.00 in shop (Omar Kafhania) £16.00 in restaurants.
Imported beers are £5.00 a tin and wines £40.00 a bottle!! Beware your bill will normally have 12.5% service ,10% tax with an additional 2% if charged to your room.
The local centres of Naama Bay (neon lights, modern retail) and Sharm old town (dirty, smelly) are worth a visit but only once. Would recommend the restaurants at The Deck (Naama sea front) for Italian, and the THAI in the Hilton Regency Hotel. We did the sunset camel ride and Bedouin night which was good fun.
Tips: Taxis at hotel gate are 50%cheaper than at hotel door. Remember to cleanse hands after handshakes and using paper money.
Beware day temperatures are 33c with no clouds. Sea temp is a gorgeous 27c.Have fun.

This has to be the best hotel I have stayed at and one of the best in Egypt. To start off with, it is not your typical 20 storey hotel. It is spread out over a large area on the coast with individual apartment type rooms, so it is very different.
There are 4 pools, the pool bar is great, where they serve great food, that head chef is always keen to come out and offer the special to you.
The staff were magnificent, from the cleaners, to security, to general hotel staff. Fantastic people work there.
Another good thing was that breakfast is available until 10 or 11am, none of this having to get up early while on holiday just to have some breakfast. And what a breakfast, massive range, fresh, lush and beautiful.
In my opinion, this is one of the best hotels in Sharm, it is not too far from the hotspots either, and about 10/15 Egyptian pounds to Naama bay. Definitely consider this place, its brilliant.

I don't give 10 out of 10 for anything so my 9 score is as top end as it gets.
Me and my boyfriend went there for the Drum ‘n’ Bass week in September 07 (it was at the Movenpick last year) and it was great. MC System topped the bill again and remembered both of us from the year before.

The Hotel staff are excellent; the food is good but a bit pricey. System took us to a place in Naama Bay that was fairer priced (Arabian Dawn I think or Dawn of Arabia?) but anyway no upset stomachs at any time and everybody seemed happy with hotel and other food.
You have to smile and say "no thank you" to the touts and they smile and move on.
My boyfriend got into tipping and then it was expected every time, but it is only odd coins (of any country).
We went the first year with a tour package but MC System said book separately and it worked well. Taxis are easy and I don't think they take advantage.

The Renaissance Golden View Beach Resort Sharm El Sheikh is probably one of the best hotels I have stayed in, in Sharm, and the hotel is being compared to The Ritz Carlton and The Savoy, so quite a bit of competition.
What made it such a memorable hotel was how attentive and willing the staff are to assist you if you need it, this hotel was the first hotel I have stayed in to put your towels on your beds for you in the morning, saving a trip out in the morning to 'claim' your favourite spot!
Big up to Mohamed the pool attendant who was such a friendly guy and was up for a laugh with everyone and generally made the day interesting and amusing.
the only thing that was a down side was the huge amount of stairs from our room which was right in front of the beach to reception but I suppose you get used to it and after a while its nothing. It just depends on how lazy you are really.
The Zinzina bar is a good bar with a pool table but it’s a bit cold sometimes...
Outside by the pool on a night time is a guy called Ahmed doing Shisha which is fun and has to be tried, saying as its only £1.84 compared to a fiver in England.
Overall, I had a really great holiday at this hotel and would go back... Just book it!

A fantastic hotel. Accommodation first class. Food excellent even though we only had breakfast. Location superb. Staff wonderful as were all the Egyptian people.
The snorkelling and diving all excellent.
Trips organised from the hotel exceptional value for money.
Will be going back for sure.
Two minor drawbacks....the amount of steps you need to ascend to get to the main buildings and the excessive heat in August.
For the steps, you can call room service and they will send a buggy to take you to the top. For the heat, don't go in August!

This is a fabulous hotel! We got more than we thought we were going to get.
On arrival you are told to leave your bags outside as you have to go through a metal detector. Don't worry about this; this is something that Sharm does to keep you safe.
The hotel is very very clean, you will see cleaners cleaning all the time. The staff are very helpful and friendly.
Our room/apartment was amazing; I have never seen a bed so big in all my life. It was approximately 7 foot by 7 foot. We took my 7 year old to Sharm, unfortunately her bed wasn't so grand, and it was a camp bed, perfectly comfortable. But a camp bed all the same.
We had two full size TV’s with a fair selection of channels. Unfortunately we found ourselves watching too much TV as it was such a trauma leaving the hotel. The hotel is amazing like I said.
The snorkelling was also amazing! But leaving the hotel was such a trauma! The Egyptians are constantly trying to get your attention via taxi or when you go passed a shop to get you to spend your money.
We quickly learnt the word "la ah" (this is an English translation, as an Arabic word should fit here) which is Arabic for NO! We learnt a few more too, but this word was the one that drove us crazy, and spoilt our stay in Sharm.
The food here was ok; we ate at the buffet restaurant mostly. There is a fair selection of food, but it can often be the same night after night. If you have fussy children then you’re in trouble, GOOD LUCK! All I’ll say is thank goodness for the pasta maker.
My daughter won’t eat chicken nuggets and that's all they really have to offer for the children's section of the meal.
The snorkelling here is great! The brochure lays claims to have a 300 meter beach. Hmmm this is a bit of a lie, what it has are terraces that have been made to cater for sun loungers.
It has two tiny little bits of beach, more like coves which feel like the size of an average living room. So not ideal for children to run around and build sand castles.
If you are going self catering then don't think you will be able to make anything. The shop at the hotel barely has anything in it, and the shops outside that say "Supermarket" actually mean, find something in this shop to cook or even put in a roll and you will be lucky.
So the Renaissance is a great hotel and I would recommend it. Shame I can't recommend Sharm el Sheikh, but I can without a shadow of a doubt, recommend the snorkelling!
If this is what you’re coming to Sharm for, then stay at the Renaissance as you won't be disappointed.

We have just returned from a week here and it was the best winter sun holiday we have had.
The weather was faultless but beware, it can get quite chilly in the evening and be quite windy, so a spare jumper will be needed.
The hotel was great, cleanliness was first class, service was first class, and they can’t do enough for you here.
Buffet breakfast was an eye opener but food was lovely, good selection and local drinks were fairly cheap but Naama Bay is a lot cheaper.
Phantasia which is great at night with all the lights and a fab show with dancing and entertainment and only a 5 minute walk down the main road (quite safe) was worth the money.
You do get stopped a lot asking for you to pop into there shop or sign the visitor book, just be polite and say no they soon move on to the next couple, but they are so friendly.
We will be going back to this hotel and that will be our 4th holiday to Sharm...

This is a fantastic hotel and anyone who experiences otherwise is either unlucky or has expectations that cannot be met.
We stayed in a family room which was very comfortable and exceptionally clean with plenty of room for the four of us. Our bed linen was changed every day for the fortnight we stayed.
The pool was great. The beach is man made and you have to walk on a jetty to swim in the sea - but we were on a beautiful coral reef so what should we expect? Swimming in the Red Sea was sublime.
We didn't have a bad meal while there although we did often eat out once we got used to the way they do things in Naama Bay. Yes, they are very keen to get your custom but if you have a quick chat and then give a polite "no thanks" they happily move onto the next potential punter.
The best thing about this holiday was the staff. They were so friendly and never stopped smiling. Did I tip? Yes I did and so I should, given the fantastic way we were treated and the fact that they work 12 hour days and get paid a month what we were paying for one dinner!
Big up to Mahmood who ensured we had a good spot round the pool every day and always had time to have a game with the kids. Yasser was always on hand with a big smile and our favourite drink - they were absolute stars!
Great hotel, great people and a fab holiday!

I have just read a review for this hotel submitted by Mick in Aug 2006 and was so surprised to read his negative comments that I felt compelled to add my own to address the balance. His experience must have been down to the 'one bad apple' in the barrel (i.e. a rogue member of staff). The consistently high marks and positive feedback is much deserved and far more indicative of the experience we had.
We holidayed at the Renaissance Golden View back in Jan 2006 and I have just paid our deposit to go again in Jan 2007. We are a party of 5 (Mum, Dad, two children age 10 and 7 and my mother 70 something!). Our rooms were upgraded upon arrival and additional assistance was freely given to assist my mother with golf cart buggy rides around the grounds.
We found that the staff were gracious, kind, caring and had a friendly informality that combined the best of American service ethic and training with the traditions of genuine Arabic hospitality. It is worth being on good terms with the man who cleans your room - he will be assigned to your room for the whole of your stay. Tipping is the norm but treating the staff with dignity and respect earns favours.
The onsite restaurants are quite good but you realise how cheap it can be to eat out in Egypt if you catch the free shuttle bus, particularly to the Old Port of Sharm. 5 of us ate a 2 course fish meal (absolutely delicious) with change from £25 - excellent value.
Going into Naama Bay a couple of times is an interesting and enjoyable experience, but, unless you like the commercialisation that's taken place there, you will be so glad that you booked to stay at the Renaissance at Ras um Sid as it feels like a safe haven - a restful relaxing atmosphere and a serene elegance that did not seem to exist at all in Naama Bay itself. Also, having stopped at several hotels enroute from the airport, the security at the Renaissance appears to be somewhat more thorough than at other hotels.
The coral reef at the Renaissance is also one of the better areas for snorkelling with a wider variety of coral and fish species. So don't hesitate - just book it!! You'll be glad you did.

Fellow travelers - for the past 30 years I have been going abroad seeing different parts of the world. In August of this year, I traveled to Egypt.
I had the worst experience I have ever had in all my years of traveling. For anyone going to Sharm El Sheikh who might be staying at Hotel Renaissance, please check your bills carefully. I was overcharged for things, and charged for things I didn't have.
There was not a night went by, during the two weeks we were there, that I didn't see 4 or 5 tables of guests arguing over their bill. It was a disgrace and very disconcerting.