Reviews of Sabena Marmara Formerly Club Casablanca, Sharm El Sheikh

just home from a great holiday at the marmara hotel..

had mixed feelings about the place with some of the reviews,i didnt enjoy the food and got a bug while i was there, not sure it was the food i think most people get holiday tummy but there was a chemist close by.. the hotel was clean and the staff are fantastic.. it does lack entertainment but your only a taxi ride from nama bay.. it is close to everything i think..it has a bus to take you to the beach and nama bay and if you do miss that taxi`s are cheap.. be prepared for people to ask you into there shops as you pass, it can get on your nerves but if you say no thanks its usualy gets through!



some hotels are in the middle of no where so we was very happy.. it was vey hot about 38 degrees for the whole 2 weeks.. we booked a trip to cairo on the coach through dreams entertainment which was in the mall next door to the hotel cost 40 english pounds each.. took 6 hours the coach was nice and had air con.. lunch was included.



it is very cheap to eat out.. and as for the food in the hotel same old, same old.. you get that on every all inclusive holiday dont you?? what id say is you will prob get quiet a good deal holiday here and if you want all the extras.. then pay the extra and go some where else!



i will be back next year for the red sea reunion.. see you then :-)

I have just returned from our trip to Egypt and thought we'd write a review. The hotel was really quite nice, very clean and rooms lovely and big and the staff very helpful. The hotel is right next to a small shopping mall which was really nice to have a walk round in the day/night

The hotel lacks entertainment and the food is well...horrid!!!

Actually, the food is ok but very bland and repetative!! we only stayed for a week and probably only ate at the hotel a couple of days which defeats the idea of going all inclusive. Also, this hotel offers a 'light' all inclusive which means you get your breakfast, lunch and dinner plus drinks but NO SNACKS. You can order snacks at the pool, which arn't that expensive, for example, we had burger and chips and chicken bagette thing which only worked out about £3 for the lot!!

After speaking to a local it would seem that the food here is no worse or better than any of the other hotels...maybe a larger hotel would have a larger selection though. Hotel geared for Eastern European more than the English which probably represents the food served too!

We actually enjoyed eating out so the food wasn't really an issue as it was only for a week but might of been expensive if we had stayed for two weeks!

One tip, if you do stay here to reserve your sunbeds by the pool (which is lovely) bung the towel guy some cash and he'll make sure you get your sunbeds...unfortunately we didn't realise this until halfway through our holiday!

There is a fab heath spa place there....i indulged in quite a few treatments which were all

fab and nowhere near as expensive as the uk.

They love pound stirling and us dollar for some reason, so if you take either you can normally haggle more

If i went back i probably wouldn't bother with the all inclusive, but sure i saw that you can upgrade there for about 6$ per night which i'm sure would be a cheaper option than booking it here.

We went on a boat trip for the day which was great...and we also did the trip to cairo by plane. Early start (pick up from the hotel was at 4am) but well worth it

We booked our trips from the guy in the shopping mall..can't remember his name but he looks like a younger version of dev off coronation street! He did us a good deal on our trips as our rep wasn't very helpful either and they wanted £150 for the cairo trip and I think we paid that for both our trips

If you've booked this hotel, dont be put off but any of the reviews cos it is one of the better ones and remember everyone has their own opinion. enjoy

I have just come back from this hotel, i thought i'd write a review as i struggled to find a good review on it!

3 of us went - all girls 27yrs old. Went for a sun holiday, just to laze about in the sun!

We arrived at Marmara in the afternoon, the bellman brought up our cases for us.As we entered the room, there was 2 double beds, as we decided who was sharing our maid man said he would get another bed for us so we all had our own bed!

The room was clean and neat, the bathroom didn't have a bath and was a little shabby - needed re-tiling as bit scruffy. But overall i found the room fine. We had remote air con and a tele! Oh and a fridge!

The pool area was lovely!! Could not be nicer! The pool got hoovered every night and morning! So sparkling clean! The staff where amazing!

Breakfast was lovely, omlette/pancake/egg chef that made whilst you watched, pastries, sausages etc (best meal of the day)

Lunch, spag bol with different types of pasta -EVERY day, some sort of Chicken, beef and fish dish with some different type of potatos and veg, lots of diffrent salads.

Dinner, soup and chicken,beef or fish dish, salad too again. And always yum deserts.

All inclusive wasn't bad but so cheap over there too eat out you could prob go half board and not spend much. We got a very good deal so we just went all in.

All drinks all in too, we mostly had fizzy drinks by the pool and beer - coke, fanta,pepsi and sprite. Beer is local Stella. Never tried any spirits, although my friend did n said gin was very srong, think that was due too the half glass measure she got!

Only had a few nights entertainment - narma bay is about ten mins away in a taxi.

Overall the hotel was lovely, although it is not a ENGLISH 4 star hotel, but an egyptian 4 star,i would say a 3 star. I found the staff wonderful and hotel friendly, lots of couches about to lounge on and 2 bars inside and one outside, a pool table too!

The hotel has a FREE shuttle bus too beaches and narma bay everyday!!

If anyone is worried about what they have heard about this hotel and have booked here, its not as bad as people have made out - i enjoyed it and would go back!

Enjoy!

We holidayed at Sabena Marmara for 2 weeks from mid Feb 2008. The majority of the guests at the hotel at that time were from Eastern Europe, Russia and the Baltic states. Whilst most of the guests were fine and enjoyed themselves without causing anyone any inconvenience, it has to be said that there were a loud and obnoxious minority who behaved yobbishly. These people were annoying to other guests (including, I’m sure, to their own countrymen) and who were particularly difficult for staff to deal with. However, the staff were generally really helpful and friendly. We really liked Said on reception (fantastic sense of humour and a very learned and intelligent man), Adam and Ramy on the bars (they affably dealt with everything the ‘guests’ threw at them, but they were particularly attentive to those that treated them with a bit of respect) and the pool guys, who despite having to listen to ‘No Woman No Cry’ and ‘Habibie’ (which I believe means something akin to love or great friendship) numerous times each and every day, remained enthusiastic!



The pool area was very picturesque and was always kept very clean. There were ample sunbeds to go round and once the pool guy got to know us he would put our towels out in the mornings to reserve ‘our spot’. However, we went in February and I’m assuming that this is the quiet season. I’d find it interesting to see if there is still a glut of sunbeds in June, July and August. I was advised, prior to going out, that in February the temperature in Sharm at this time of year is comparable with a spring day in England. On reflection this advise was obviously from someone who thinks that July/August is the UK springtime! To me it was hot during the day and I’ve come back with a fantastic tan. However, the temperature in the evenings at this time of year definitely warranted a cardigan and the unheated hotel pools were absolutely freezing on most of the days (the sea was always much warmer).



The food at Sabena Marmara was only ok. As with a lot of all inclusive holidays, it was very repetitive after a few days and there really wasn’t much variety to choose from. Eggs are cooked to order each morning – omelettes, or boiled or fried eggs, but I didn’t ever quite manage to convey the concept of ‘scrambled’ egg! There is always also the regular continental breakfast to fall back on (croissants, jam, fruit and coffee) and cold pancakes and salad (Salad? For breakfast?!).



Considering that this is a coastal resort there was a serious, serious shortage of fish dishes available on the all inclusive menu (I don’t know if this was the case with the ‘a la carte’ menu, which you have to pay for). During the fortnight that we were there the only fish dishes on offer were white fish (it could have been cod, pollock, coley, Birdseye boil-in-the-bag or whatever – they all tasted the same and were indistinguishable in appearance and texture). The main thing that these dishes had in common were that they were, without variation, cooked totally and overwhelmingly in garlic. I actually really like garlic but fish has such a delicate flavour that you just cannot add more than the tiniest bit of garlic before you are unable to distinguish much more than the texture (this is a very personal gripe of mine). I also have to mention that the plates and glasses were sometimes less than clean and often had cracks and chips in them.



As far as the all-inclusive bar at the Marmara is concerned you can have beer (Stella), basic spirits (rum, vodka, gin or whiskey) and/or fizzy drinks (pepsi, diet pepsi, 7 up or fanta). If you want cocktails (other than those you’re prepared to make yourself from the very, very limited drinks on offer), or even something as basic as wine then you’re going to have to pay for it. Additionally, your basic meals are included in ‘all inclusive’ but you have to pay for bar snacks and there is no ice cream or any other additional frills. In my opinion, it is totally not worth paying for all inclusive when food is so cheap locally, with a much, much better variety – unless you’re going to drink yourself under the table every day on cheap lager or spirits.



The entertainment at the hotel was absolutely rubbish, The resident DJ was more interested in ‘chasing tail’, which left the pool guys to keep playing the same three tired CDs day after day. During the two weeks that we were there, there were four evenings of entertainment put on. On both of the Sundays there was an Egyptian dancer (nothing else during the first week). The second week was marginally better, with a magic show on one evening and some sort of African tribal dancers on another. There is one computer at the hotel, which you have to pay to use, which the two young people in our party spent an great deal of time on (and fought over!) during the evenings that we didn't go out to try to relieve the boredom!



The resort as a whole is great if you’re into diving/snorkelling or watersports. There are two free beaches which are available to hotel residents and which the free hotel shuttle bus goes to but they are not what I would call ‘private’ as they are shared with other hotels. The first beach is in a small cove, which you have to access by walking down the cliff via some pretty steep steps. Once there the beach is absolutely rammed and you can lie on your allotted sunbed and touch the other sunbeds on all four sides. However, the sea is clear and good for snorkelling. The second beach is less crowded but the sea is absolutely filthy as there are numerous boats and ‘submarines’ which use the bay – forget snorkelling as the sea is murky and the fish are either dead or have escaped to cleaner waters). We used the private beach of the Albatros hotel (which obviously you have to pay for, unless you’re staying there) as it is much less crowded and the sea is clear and absolutely fantastic for snorkelling. On all of the beaches that we visited we were constantly pestered by people trying to sell food, drinks, trips, tattoos, newspapers or massages. If you learn no other Arabic you need to know ‘la shukran’, which means ‘no thank you’ - and say it firmly if you want any peace!



This phrase will serve you well when out and about anywhere in Sharm, as taxis are constantly stopping to offer you a ride. Additionally, shop keepers and bar owners will not allow you to pass their premises without stopping you and attempting to lure you in with phrases such as “Asda price”, “lovely jubbly”, “You’re a lucky man, I’ll give you 15 camels for your wife” and even “how now, brown cow”! A classic is “Ah, English – will you come into my shop for 5 minutes to translate something for me/sign my guest book?”. Once inside you will more than likely leave with something just to get out! You definitely need to be firm or know how to barter if it’s something you actually want and you’re not going to be ripped off. One thing that I did find quite bizarre was the fact that some shop keepers are cottoning on to the fact that European people generally want to look without being hassled and they will stop you in the street to point out signs which say ‘no hassle in this shop’ but will refuse to allow you to pass by without entering in order to demonstrate their ‘no hassle’ policy!



The Sabena Marmara is locate in Hadaba (roughly 5km from the main resort of Naama Bay) and it is basically a developing resort - or a bit of a building site to be blunt! In my opinion this is not good because as more and more hotels are built the beaches will become more and more crowded. Additionally, there will be more and more shops and other tourist businesses springing up, which will mean more competition and consequently more hassle for the tourists. Because of this I would probably not go back to Hadaba again unless I was going to go in the next couple of years.



The Sabena Marmara is a nice friendly hotel with quite picturesque surroundings and all of the necessities present. However, (of course, depending on what you’re used to) you’re probably not going to be living in the lap of luxury. I would consider going back to the Marmara again but I would never go all-inclusive again and never for more than a week. I would tend to use the hotel as a ‘base’ to explore the surroundings or as a reasonably comfortable place to lay my head at night. Anyway, the upshot is that in my opinion for a week ‘all inclusive’ at Sabena Marmara might be ok but anything longer and you should really seriously consider going half board or B&B and have your meals out (there’s plenty of variety to choose from locally at much cheaper prices than the UK).

WENT 2 EGYPT NOT KNOWING WAT TO EXEPT HEARD MANY DIFFRENT REPORTS.AFTER OUR STAY AT MARAMARA I WAS TOTALLY OVERWELMED.THE HOTEL AND THE STAFF WERE BOB ON AND TREAT US WITH THE UPMOST RESPECT.OUR ROOM WAS CLEANED DAILY THE BEDING WAS SPOTLESS CLEAN AND THE FOOD WAS DECENT.COMPERD TO SOME PEOPLE WHO STAYED IN 5* WE HAD AN EXELLENT HOTEL.WE WILL BE GOIN BACK THIS YEAR AND WE WILL BE BOOKING THIS HOTEL AGAIN.WE WILL GET A DIFFRENT FLIGHT BECAUSE THOMAS COOKS SEATING WAS NOT GOOD.

We arrived at the Marmara on 8th Jan this year for one week all inc. 2 couples, I have to use a wheelchair for distance for which I had notified the hotel. On our arrival Sayed on reception couldn't have been more helpful! He arranged, because I was unable to climb the large flight of stairs for us to take all our meals on the ground floor in the non all inc restaurant for our evening meals and the bakery bar for breakfast and lunch!



It wasn't until the next morning that we realised this meant staff opening the room early and bringing their full selection of food from the restaurant for each and every meal. The service and care was exceptional!



The staff were fabulous, this was across the whole hotel it was 5 star!!! Even the head chef who was in charge of the hotel could not have given us better service, while there I became ill with a stomach bug, when they realised I had not been around, they made enquiries and he turned up at our room with a tray of bananas and toasted cheese sandwiches and the tablets required to make me well!!!!! He was I right and I recovered with the aid of more of the same the following morning, again organised by himself.



There were a few things in the negative that need to be mentioned. Firstly the washing up of the cups and glasses leaves a lot to be desired they are only rinsed and not dried, no detergent was used, and I would recommend anyone staying to wash and reuse their own! We all ended up with stomach problems in varying degrees and this might well of contributed! There is no way of knowing where these things come from but the previous would be wise. Also there is a very high number of Latvians using the hotel who seem to have taken over the UKs title of yobs, although singularly they were fine, on mass they were intimidating, so think hotel is more suited to couples not singles as a result!



I have to mention the pool staff; once again they were amazing including the outside barman, all of whom had to deal with legless Latvians, as well as apparently parentless children left to wander the hotel at will. Had they tumbled into the pool the health of the pool guys saving them would have been close to hypothermic!! The pools were pristine but Baltic in the extreme!



Would I return, definitely but for the fact of the extra work I incurred for ALL of the Fantastic staff who work in this lovely hotel!

We are currently living in Cairo and decided to take a short break in Sharm El Sheikh -after living in Egypt for 4 years we had never been before.



The hotel is superb - very, very quiet - apart from the daily disco around the swimming pool - having said that after complaining the music was turned down. The staff were very good - attentive but not overly so.



Bar prices we thought were a little high but, out of the Hotel, turn left and take the next left (approx 50 metres) and then straight down the street you will find a little bar called 'Mayday' - run by a charming young Italian couple - drinks approx half price of the hotel - a must - and they serve all kinds of Italian sandwiches with imported meats - a little oasis.



Plus, if you are that way inclined, a free internet connection. We were on half board at the Hotel, and enjoyed every minute (and meal) of it - the food was good, well prepared and offered good variety throughout our stay. It’s not 5 stars - but then it’s not supposed to be - good value.



Overall - we would certainly book again and indeed are looking at going again next month - you will not be disappointed.

I stayed at this hotel in December 2005 and I have to say that I loved it. I stayed here alone during a quiet time of the year and I felt spoiled rotten. The staff were really cheerful and more than happy to help, they weren't intrusive but nothing was too much trouble for them.



My only negative feedback was that the food wasn’t that good - I probably wouldn’t spend extra doing a half board.



During my trip I felt very happy and relaxed.



Loved it.

We found the Marmara a great hotel in a good location. I agree with the previous feedback regarding the food. It was a bit samey so next time we'll do B&B. Half board certainly isn't worth the extra cost. There are a few restaurants, bars and shops about 10 minutes walk away (turn right and keep going til you see the bright lights!) and a cab into Naama will cost you about 25LE (£2.50) and 10-15LE for Old Sharm. The hotel runs a free bus to the beaches and Naama bay. There wasn't any evening entertainment (which suited us). The main bar played music.



The pool and pool area was lovely, and empty, but if I ever hear 'Hotel California' again I'll scream. It did seem to be played everywhere so there was no escaping the dulcet tones of Don Henley or the screeching of Celine Dion. Perhaps if we had asked them to change the music, they would have! No-one likes to complain do they? The pool was a tad on the freezing side so you have been warned.



Our room was clean and well maintained with air con, fridge, TV etc. The staff were excellent from gardener to front of house. The bombings in Dahab went off whilst we were there

and everyone was very helpful. Big thank you to Thomas Cook as well.



Overall I would highly recommend the Marmara. Very good, value for money hotel (if you go B&B) in a great location to get about. We will definitely be returning.

Its a very clean hotel, food is not with a lot of imagination and not a lot of variety.

Every day the same music by the pool, and every night from 7 until midnight very loud music from the hotel next door.



The area is a building site at the moment, they are building a lot of new malls and hotels.

The bellboys have deals with the cabdrivers so it is best that you make a deal with the cabdrivers yourself it is much cheaper. Take a cab a bit away from the hotel.



Everybody is nice if you give them a few pounds now and then otherwise they are not even polite.

We have just come back from staying at the Marmara Hotel and we loved it there. The place is beautifully furnished with interesting pieces of furniture everywhere. The staff are extremely helpful and very friendly. Breakfast was OK, nothing special and overall the quality of the food was rather disappointing!



There is a lovely rocky beach which is good for snorkelling just a few minutes away (5LE by taxi) called El Fanar beach. You have to pay to use the sunbeds, roughly (30LE) when we went in the low season. Always remember to wear swimming shoes on your feet as there are sea urchins under the water and it is also quite rocky! There is an excellent Italian restaurant at the top which is rather pricey but the food is very good.



If you come out of the hotel and turn right towards Fantasia, there is a restaurant called "Hum Hum" which is small but the food is reasonably priced and the fish is very good and the owner speaks good English and is very friendly.



The hotel offers free courtesy buses to Naama Bay which is only 5 mins away. We didn't like Naama Bay but it has all the usual souvenir shops, restaurants, KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Hard Rock cafe, etc.

Having just returned from a wonderful holiday in Sharm I thought I’d put my thoughts down for other holidaymakers thinking of going to this hotel. It has got to be one of the nicest hotels I have been to. The staff were fantastic, helpful and professional.



The rooms and grounds of the hotel were kept spotless by the ever present house-keeping and gardening staff. The food was lovely and the chefs were ever so helpful. The rooms were huge and cleaned every day. There is a beauty therapist on site offering facials and massages along with the use of the sauna and Jacuzzi. A small souvenir shop and jewellers are also available near reception. The pool bar is staffed from early in the morning until early evening and the waiters are very friendly.



It seemed to me that anything you asked for was never too much trouble at this hotel, I will definitely be going back! One small minus though is that the pool is absolutely freezing!!!

My friend and I visited Sharm in October this year and stayed in a not too good hotel called La Perla however just around the corner from our awful hotel was a place called Marmara Hotel & resort. The Marmara has only been open a few months and is aiming for the western European tourist who appreciates comfort whilst on holiday. We decided to spend our last day at this hotel and they treated us like royalty.



This hotel is spectacular, with three swimming pools and beautiful rooms all with verandas or balcony's. A large hotel that still manages to remain friendly and personal. The customer service is 110%. The staff are friendly yet still professional and nothing is too much trouble. I believe this hotel will be one of the best in Sharm for the everyday tourist who goes on holiday to enjoy good cultural food, and fantastic customer service.

Just back from this hotel. Although annoyingly located about 2 miles from Naama Bay, cant complain about value or standard of the hotel. All staff were amazingly friendly, food was decent quality if a touch samey, and the hotel was very quiet. Evening entertainment was almost non-existent (which didnt bother me much!) and I wouldnt recommend it for kids or the easily bored. Only German and Egyptian TV, rooms very clean and comfortable enough - no bath though. All inclusive included beer (nice). soft drinks by the cup and local wine, which was horrible - spirits are extra, local and frankly disgusting. The pool was vast, very clean and deserted, although for some reason it was tremendously cold. Worth spening evenings in Naama (a £2-3 taxi away) which has nice outdoor cafes and restaurants as well as the 'delights' of KFC, Pizza Hut and Hard Rock cafe. I would go back.