Iberotel Grand Sharm

Myself, my husband and our 21 month old son have recently returned from a holiday at the Iberotel Grand Sharm in Sharm el Sheik and we have had the time of our lives. Intially, like anyone with a very young child, we were quite concerned about travelling - the flight, the location, the food etc. We researched many hotels before selecting the Iberotel Grand Sharm and we're so glad that we did. On arriving at the hotel we were so relieved to see a beatiful GRAND (living up to its name) looking hotel and reception area which was immaculately clean, we were greeted by a member of staff who immediately made a real fuss of our little boy and got him a colouring book and pencils whilst we filled in the paper work and waited for our room key. Another person then took us to our room and gave us all of the information about the hotel such as meal times etc. Then another person swiftly delivered our luggage to the room. On entering the room we were so chuffed, a massive room with a settee and chair at the one end, a big (double the normal size) balcony, a beautiful and large bathroom, with a walk-in shower and all immaculate. During our stay, we ate all of our meals in the main restaurant as we were All-Inclusive, the food was fantastic with a wide-range which varied every day, they had different themed nights - such as Mexican, Egyptian, Italian etc. None of us were ever ill and we ate pretty much anything and had ice in our drinks. The service was brilliant, they all went out of their way to ensure that you had a wonderful time with them. The staff were superb, all happy, welcoming and absolutely wonderful with our little boy, right from the Gardners to the bar staff and up to the manager of the hotel. They all knew his name and always made a real fuss of him - which he loved, and I know he'll miss. This hotel certainly well deserved its 5* status, and having stayed at a few 5* hotels, before in other countries, this was by far the best - they even had a man that came around with strawberries in the afternoon, a man that came around to spray you with some cool spray and a man to clean your sunglasses! The view, the location, the swimming pools, the food, the drinks, the room and the staff were all amazing and we would certainly highly recommend this hotel to anyone and we very much hope to return there in the future. So if you have booked to go to this hotel - lucky you, you'll have a great time!

I stayed a vacation in Nov. 2006 , the hotel is generally good I have one explanation here about the prices of wine not only in this hotel but in all Egypt that it will be very high comparing to most other countries due to very high Taxes which is uo to 300%

We have returned this morning from Iberotel. I have to comment that out of the hotels in the area this is one of the best. The staff are very friendly (if not a little over friendly to the english ladies) and the standard of accommodation is high. Food is a little disappointing. If you are paying all inclusive please be aware there are many restrictions. No drinks in bottles, not all eating areas are all inclusive, no room service and a lack of comfortable seated areas in which to relax ie no lounge. The waiters ask you where you are going to drink (in case you take it back to your room and avoid paying for room service) Dont get me wrong, this is an above standard hotel for the area but is new to all inclusive so does not quite have the idea yet. Maybe in 12 months it will have this to perfection as it does it's service. I have to add that upon check out there were many arguments as things were incorrectly billed. One lady was chased up the road in her taxi by the reception staff for not returning her towel card!!!! (at a cost of £10) Again, dont be alarmed - is still one of the best hotels in the area! If you are booking with your agent just confirm the basis of "all inclusive" and enjoy - snorkelling is very good. If you are perhaps a little unsteady on your feet you will struggle with the jetty's in this area as they float. Sometimes Jelly fish are washed up by the reef but they are completely harmless. My 17 year old daughter has just read this and thinks i have been too lenient!!! Egypt is Egypt!!!!

Our third trip to Sharm and our first at this hotel. We got off to a bad start - the airline charged us an eye-watering £148.50 for excess baggage. The allowance is a meagre 15kg per person if one books late, and with two toddlers in tow (zero allowance for them) we had no chance of achieving that. It's very short-sighted IMHO to levy this charge - we've ALWAYS been overweight on luggage travelling with babies, but no other airline has ever charged us, so a black mark to First Choice. Maybe their new owners (TUI bought them while we were in flight!) will change or relax the policy... The hotel allocated us rooms that were NOT sea view. When I asked for a room change they offered us rooms that were so far away from the pool that we decided to stay out, reasoning that the original allocation had us right by the small (heated) pool. Nonetheless, a black mark to the hotel - there were poolside rooms which DID have a sea view, and that is what we should have had. Maybe they were oversold, but it's annoying. The local rep said he'd asked for a basket of fruit to be sent to the room as a gesture of apology. Whether he did or not, it didn't arrive. We were all-inclusive (first time we've ever had this) and found the buffet food a little disappointing (though no worse than that.) Breakfast, as others have said, is defintely the best meal of the day. The "free" beer and cocktails were of very acceptable quality, and cola and lemonade were bottled Coke and Sprite - that's good for an AI deal, I believe. We didn't try the house wine. Waiters were fantastic - a small tip goes a long way in getting you pampered in Egypt - and poolside staff seemed genuinely interested in being helpful and friendly. All in all, a very acceptable holiday, not quite on a par with the Ritz Carlton and Hyatt Regency (where we've stayed previously) but they were both sold out - we booked very late.

My best friend and I spent a week in Match at the Iberotel, grand Sharm and were very impressed. We had stressful flights, so the friendly staff when we arrived helped enormously. Our room was spacious and very clean. All balconies looked out into the centre court and over the ocean. Each day we came back to towel decorations and rose petals on our bed. It was lovely touch. All the staff were very friendly and alway remembered you. They definelty made the holiday. The hotel does not have a beach. I thought this would affect my opinion, however, it did not. The sun-loungers are spaced out and not crowded in compirson to other hotels, and the jetty walks you out into the water over the amazing coral reef into the beautiful, fish filled sea. If nothing else you must pack a snorkel and under-water camera. The hotel provide your towels and you can rent snorkels etc from the watersports hut. If you are not a water baby, the staff come round during the day and explain the offers and activites available. I would definetly recommend the Quad-biking, it is so much fun and anybody can do it. The glass bottom boat was O.K. but if I'm honest you can probably see more fish and coral off the jetty. One little downfall I found which probaly was heightened due to it being two yound females alone, but the all male staff do come round a lot even when you are trying to sunbathe and sleeping they will try and talk to you or something that will get your attention. I found this a little annoying by the end of the week. I do understand this is their way but sometimes you just need to be left alone but this was not true for everyone so I would not let this put you off (to be honest the chocolate covered strawberries made up for it) We went B&B, so were not restricted with our meals. We took part in the Bedouin night which was lovely. The food was fantastic (Need to be a meat eater) and the entertainment traditional as it can get in Sharm. I would definitely recommend doing this. The buffet is O.K. there are different themes each night but I am glad we did not eat there each night. There is La Seppia which is the a La Carte restaurant in the hotel which is a good alternative, and the service is really good and not badly priced. The evening entertainment leaves a lot to be desired, but you kind of get used to it by the end of the week. We just went downstarirs ordered a shisha and tried to forget about it. Outside the hotel is a little sparse, if you want a true egyptian experience Sharm El Sheik might not be for you, but the people are friendly and the desert is spectacular but to be honest there is not much else there but hotels. There is Naama Bay and the Old town, the hotel provides a shuttle bus. You do need to book this early in the day there wise you will not get on, though a taxi is only about a £5 to get there. The 'Town' is worth a visit but do not expect anything to traditional, but the jewellery is definitely cheaper and never accept the first price you can probably get them down to at least half of the first price they give you. There are many restaurants and bars to eat and drink. You will get hassled and you will get exhausted with saying no thankyou, but this is part and parcel of egypt so just go along with it, and do not get suckered in with 'come I have a free gift for you!!!' If you are looking for a week or 2 too chillout and swim/snorkel this is the place for you, the hotel is lovely, spacious and friendly. It is not pretentious but is modern and clean and would suit families, couples and friend alike.

me my husband and my 2 year old daughter have just returned from our two week stay here and we absolutely loved every minute of it! Ive never met staff so nice and friendly before. Rady Ali who is a worker at the pool bar is one of the nicest men i have ever met and he made our stay even more enjoyable (thanks rady). if you want a relaxing holiday this is definately the place for you but there is still alot of trips for you to do. we were restricted a bit because of the baby. we went camel riding in the desert which was fun and then had tea with the locals and watched the sunset which we really enjoyed. we booked this trip off two good lads (said and mahmoud) in our hotel by the pool. They are very friendly and had a few other trips to offer. the quading in the desert looks excellent. we went all inclusive in our hotel and we thought the food was very good for the price. sharriffe was our favourite cheff. but if you fancy a change you can have a romantic meal on the beach which we highly recomend. a man called sameh tiamah sells these nights to you by the pool area he is so friendy and polite and always makes time for you. we also had room service and the food was lovely and very cheap. on our last night we went across to fantasia and we had a great time it is very entertaining. we would also recomend to go to the dolphin show just down the road. there is a kids disco every night which isnt amazing but hermada the man who does it is so lovely my daughter loved going. there is also entertainment on every night (belly dancer etc). of a day by the pool there is also a belly dancing done by olga who is also lovely and water aerobics. the cleaner comes every day to clen and change the bedding. we would just like to thank all the staff at the iberotel espially rady ali for making our stay that extra bit better. all the staff were so lovely we couldnt falt anything. from khaled nicky and aliyah

Four of us went for a weeks sunshine in Sept 2006, Having previously stayed at the Iberotel Palace I was a bit uncertain about this hotel but I had nothing to worry about. This hotel is of a similar standard of the Palace but the staff are MUCH MORE FRIENDLY. They watched for us coming to the pool and had our towels on the sun loungers for us. On the beach we had iced water melon, chocolate dipped strawberries, our sun glasses cleaned every day and the women had a manicure and pedicure also on the beach - what more could you ask for!!! Rooms cleaned and beds changed every day. We were all inclusive and enjoyed trying every cocktail on the menu. Can't wait to go back

just returned from a week at the grand and must say 3rd time lucky for us in egypt. We had previously been to taba and hurghada ,hotels were ok but sharm and especially the grand far exceeded our expectations. Yes the egyptians do ask you to look at their goods but no offense was taken when we didnt buy and the hotel was lovely. We loved the banter every day with the waiters and i would name them but think they all had the same names except rady at the pool bar and samehr who sells the special evening dinners. all were gracious,fun and had all the english patter and sayings great at having a wind up. Tried to teach them some new ones but no doubt if you go you will be met with the good old british sayings but at least they like us slightly more than the russians!! not hard but not here to past comment on others just to say that we had a fabulous holiday met some really nice english and italian people and were treated beatifully AND we have not received a penny for this recommendation! mind you i think the height of the summer would be a totally different experience and the reviews might differ due to numbers and heat and lack of tolerance for others. Do tip if you can as they really need and appreciate it and what ever you do don't go snorkelling when there are jelly fish in the water i did and couldnt get back to the jetty without swimming through 30-40 jelly fish which was the most terrifying thing i have ever done. the quad biking in the desert is great fun but the dvd's they try to sell you of your trip dont come out well watched it once and it packed up!! del boys in egypt too...........go and have a great time go with the flow and relax it beats windy and choppy atlantic sea canary islands any day.

Stayed 5th Feb-1 week, weather about right not boiling hot at apx 85 Deg, light breeze and cloudy after 2pm. Iberotel Grand Sharm (IGS) no complaints re our garden/pool view room or hotel facilities, big comfy king beds, clean, good choice of english movies.... No beech but didn't seem to matter, heated pool (popular with kids) and cold pool was icy cold (and empty)! Good choice of food (very reasonable quality) but after a while needed to get out. Heard poor stories re A'la Carte dinning so gave it a miss.Great view from upstairs outdoor restaurant area. Eating out dirt cheap less than £10/head for great sea food choice (Very Large Prawns, Fresh Squid, Lobster etc -but pick your own before cooking as Lobs'tr and Crab can be small). IGS hotel has quite a mix of nationalties and is apx £2.50 taxi into old sharm and £3.50 Naama bay or 5-10 mins taxi. Hotel runs free shuttle into both areas. IGS within 5 mins walk of KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut and some slightly more up market (but inexpensive) eating/shopping places in the new posh shopping area (little/no mithering). IGS hotel Staff seemed very friendly and some very personal service touches e.g. water sprayer on beech area, room always clean. (didn't tip anyone till my last day, not even bag carrier, just asked for good service with the same cheeky smile back - each to their own style). A good 5 star hotel by european stand's or 4 by American, if i am really picky then a little worn in places but you won't go far wrong. Heard from people who prev'sly stayed in places like Deams, RITZ Carlton, Palm etc that they were all better hotels but all agreed you will pay more. Exchange rate was better at the hotel and other places by 20% for notes compared to UK.

Firstly I must say that my husband and I had a fabulous holiday and a very relaxing break in Sharm. The Grand Sharm is a clean, smart hotel in a lovely quiet location right on the reef. Being out of season it was very quiet - about half full, which suited us as we were looking for a chill out on our own (without our young daughter). To be honest she would have been bored as there were so few children staying at the hotel and no activities for kids at all apart from the heated pool. We stayed on a B&B basis - and when we managed to make it for breakfast were impressed by the quality and selection. Everything from danish pastries to omlettes freshly prepared, cereals, yoghurts and beleive it or not a salad bar! We did not eat from the buffet, but lunched by the pool daily. Good quality food and for two of us to have a burger or spag bol and a soft drink was less than a tenner which was great value. The waiters from here and the beach bar serve drinks by the pool and beach and were very freindly. We ate at La Seppia a couple of times - the fish night they do is good value and superb quality and did the Bedouin night on the beach - well worth it. Below Decks was a fun and interesting experience!!! It is a bar/night club and excellent people watching... Terrible music mostly but if you take your i pod down the DJ can play any track off it!! One thing to watch is the barmen in this and the main bar! If you pay in cash it goes straight in their pockets if the manager isn't around!! I dread to think what the hotel is losing in this way. Unfortunately there were very few English people staying in the hotel which made it hard to have much social interaction. Most of the guests seemed to be Italian and German, with some Russian, Eastern European and Arab guests also. Being low season however we didn't have the typical bun fight for sunbeds as there were plenty by both pools and on the beach. There are two pools - one quite small but heated to 'hot tub' temperature, the nicer of the two was not heated and was freezing! The reef off the hotel 'beach' is one of the best I have seen and comparable to the Maldives. There is a floating pontoon where you enter the water just off the reef shelf. It is very deep here and only suitable for good swimmers. Saw some amazing fish and the sea was very warm. You cannot walk directly into the sea as the reef comes right up to the hotel. It is not a traditional beach, more like terraces overlooking the sea - but a lovely place to sunbathe and hear the sea gently rolling in. We went Quad biking which we arranged via Said at Camel Dive on the beach. It was a blast - although having had a bit of an upset tummy the bumpyness did make me feel rather sick! But the guides looked after me and it was a great afternoon. Amazing scenery in the desert!! A really worthwhile trip for £20.00 each. Be warned the DVD they sell you will not play on a DVD player only via your PC DVD drive - which was a little dissapointing but the camera man did go to any lengths to get the good shots etc while standing in the back of a flat bed truck doing 30 miles an hour through the desert! A brave man! So far so good... now as I have said we had a lovely time, but I have to be honest - we would not visit Egypt again! It is impossible to just have a relaxing wander ANYWHERE! As soon as you leave the hotel the Bedouin taxi drivers are calling out to you. In Narma Bay it was just a relentless stream of harrassment. Your husband will be brainwashed into thinking he is the luckiest man on the planet to have you because he will hear it so often. I have taken to calling my husband 'lucky man' its his new nickname!! And do expect to be asked if you have a sister and an offer of camels to be made for you. This is not an infrequent occurance, it is constant! We would have felt even more uncomfortable if our daughter had been with us. I have lived in Africa and travelled extensively but this is the most intrusive harrassment I have ever experienced and can imagine someone of a nervous disposition would be incredibly intimidated by the whole experience. Stay clear of the Lebanese restaurant in Narma Bay - we got food poisoning! The Hard Rock is good value and of a quality you would expect and Valentinos was excellent food - but empty much before 10:00. The Old Market is worth a visit but much the same experience as Narma in an older more authentic setting - an hour is plenty. Jewellery is very good value - just be careful of the quality in some shops. My husband bought me a couple of early vanentines gifts in the hotel jewellery shop and they are stunning - god knows what they would have cost here!! We tended to use the hotel taxis which were good drivers and polite. We would give a time for them to come back for us which worked well. They all drive like nutters, and the road system is chaotic to say the least!! We worried about the weather before we went - but as it turned out we needn't have it was perfect sunbathing weather - about 75 most days. It does cool pretty quickly after around 4:30 and you do need a light jacket or jumper in the evenings but no more than that. Best bits of advice we got from previous trip adviser reviews were: to book a taxi back th the airport... We got there 20 minutes before all the coaches arrived and had cleared the rigorous security, passport control, done our duty free shopping and found a nice table to pass the time with a beer (only available in duty free not at the cafes) when the chaos began. It is 110 egyptian pounds well spent. Also carry some of that hand sanitiser stuff - the money is hideously dirty...