Le Meridien Makadi Bay Hotel

We enjoyed a week at the Le Meridien. Having read some of the previous reviews i was quite apprehensive to say the least. However, i'm glad to say most of the negative comments did not apply to us. The hotel was lovely, definately a 5 star construction but run more like a good 4 star. The food was good, especially breakfast, however after a week of half board things did get a bit sameish and we were looking at alternative places for dinner. People were friendly, but as with any new country you just have to understand their ways and not take any offence (part of the whole holiday experience i think) Overall, good value holiday, probably one of the, if not the best hotel in Hurghada, I'd recommend it.

Just returned from a 2 week break at the Grand Makadi Hotel - great. The rooms and staff fantastic, food options good. The swimming pools were amazing, but too cold to use apart from the most hardy. The facilities at the Makadi Palace are also excellent with new restaurants opening. The hotels at nightime look like fairyland with the number of lights, I don't think I have seen such a pretty place. Entertainment a bit naive but good nonetheless. Thoroughly recommend the half day Desert Adventure and the trip on the glass bottom boat. Although I would not consider the Hotel as a 5 Star, I would put it more as a 4, but looking at the other hotels in the areas, it was most certainly the most attractive.

Ive just come back from a week here, celebrating my 40th birthday with a girlfriend. Yes all the staff are male, but definately didn't find them oggling us. They appeared genuinely friendly, especially when they knew we were English. Had value for money massages in the health club. Worth paying the extra 7 euro's for a special night in the Karime restaurant as the Alladin did aget pretty busy, and queus to get in at certain time for breakfast and dinner. The pool was icey, but the beach was clean. All the staff were friendly, if you were friendly towards them. Treat others as you like to be treated and you wont go far wrong. Our room was a double with a triple bed on arrival, but once we'd rung reception and asked for a twin, we were immediately moved to a super room, with settee area too in the main building. Ate at the pool bar every lunchtime, superb food and lovely staff. Can't get over the friendliness of the staff towards us. I would definately go back to Le Meridien Makadi Bay and I recommend it.

October 2005 Couple from York. England Makadi Bay excellent location for snorkling and diving. Windy all day, so great for sailing & windsurfing. Daytime activities in the pool and on the beach are good. Brochure stated 6 restaurants and two beach snack bars So, you assume these are included in the all-inc package. They are not. Other than the Alladin buffet, you have to pay for the food. You also pay for fruit juice, ice cream, cocktails, mini golf, indoor pool, table tennis, windsurfers, canoes, peddelos etc. and All food & drinks after midnight. These activities are normally included in the other all-inclusive Egyptian resorts we have visited. But not here. The Amphitheatre, where you would assume there would be entertainment,is a scruffy empty space. Reality is a organist in the reception area, every night and the Dockers Pub. Because everyone is in one buffet restaurant, you have to queue up for a table and then fight to get near the food. Beware,the majority of guests are from the Eastern European countries and they like to stack as much as possible onto their plates. The buffet food was OK and the chefs worked hard. The choice was fairly limited, with a barbeque, a joint and a stew. The veg was better. Breads and sweets were good. The rooms are adequate and clean, but the bathrooms are old and in need of refurbishment. The marble sink dropped off the wall, almost crushing my foot. We paid extra for sea view room, but could only see it with binoculars. Also, no water in the lagoon. If you are prepared to have a huge bill for all the extras at the end of your stay, then Le Meridien has everything you need from a four not five star hotel. But, as an all-inclusive holiday, it falls sort of the mark.

Just back from Le Meriedien and very disappointed by the disgusting service we received. The staff (all men) was staring at the women all the time insulting them and laughing in their language. Very poor choice of food as there was only 1 buffet included in the all inclusive formula and all the other restaurants were not free. Though we were on all inclusive we spent a lot of money just to have some fresh fruit which is really expensive and an ice tea (£1.40 for a glass of ice tea!) The room was very basic and unclean, the fridge empty and the air conditioner broken. I would not recommend this hotel and will not go back there.

Ok but not Ok when it is rated as a 5 star. Rooms varied greatly in quality and comfort and many guests were unhappy with the facilities (eg having booked a triple room, found it contained just one big bed! a little too cosy for most sharers!). The hotel was full of mainly Russian guests who made various trumped up complaints against the staff which in turn meant that the staff were overworked unhappy and miserable and it showed. If you were nice and polite to them they were shocked and grateful. The mixture of half board and all inclusive packages which guests were on made it hard to get served and there were always queues for drinks. Nice pool but very crowded. Nice beach but very crowded. Many guests suffered from stomach complaints which lasted over a week, even in our party who have all travelled to Egypt before and been fine. Would never go there again - don't recommend it at all, felt very sorry for the staff.

Have just come back from a 2 week AI holiday and had a fantastic holiday, can't understand previous reviews, the hotel is magnificent, we stayed in the Lagoon room and it was very big, my friends stayed in the main building and there room was very nice aswell, food plenty and lots to choose, as much drink as you can stand (both alcoholic and soft drinks), but the best of everything is the staff, very friendly, there are Mohamed, Ala and the Shisha man (who work in The Dockers), Hussain (he is the one that always opens the door from the pool into the hotel), and the Assistant Manager Mahmoud, those are the only ones I can remember but with over 1000 members of staff it is difficult as every one of them makes you very welcome and make sure you are having a good time. The pool is fantastic, the biggest one I have ever seen, never had any problems finding a sun bed, they even supply you with the towels for the beach and the pool. The only couple of things that I was very dissapointed is the lack of English children animation as the only entretainers are geared to entretain the German children, the other BIG complain I have is the fact that our flights home where in the evening and the "All Inclusive" finished at 12:00 and then you become invisible as nobody wants to know you, specially as we did not arrive until midnight on the arrival day so infact you are only getting 13 1/2 days AI not the 14 as they advertise. The quads trip is a must, we had a fantastic time riding in the desert and visiting the beduins. Yes you get a bit arased with staff trying to sell you dinners at a better restaurant, fresh juice, milk shakes and hotel trips, but a polite no thanks and they leave you alone. All in all had a fantastic holiday with my family and friends.

Le Meridien Makadi Bay is a great hotel. We had such a good time that we will be going back late in August. Having been to many All-Inclusive hotels worldwide, including Tunesie and Mexico this is by far the best hotel. The staff is friendly and willing to aid. The rooms are good sized and clean. Had no problems whatsoever with the room. The food is of "good" quality, but what do you expect in Egypt. They will not make gourmet meals. We had enough variation during the holiday. And the extra restaurants give great value and service. During the evening you can sit outside next to the swimming pool, and after midnight the disco opens for the party to continue there. The only drawback i could find is the shopping area, they can come on quiet strong, but that shouldnt be a problem if you are clear.

Five stars official rating, the Le Meridien Macadi Bay, so said the web site. What a shock awaited us especially in the quality of the rooms and the service in the Dinning Room The mini bar comprised an empty refrigerator. The rooms had no in room beverage making facility or room service, so a hot cup of anything was not possible first thing in the morning . The tap water was not suitable for drinking but bottled water was not provided on a daily basis. It had to be purchased from the bar and carried to the rooms. No facility at the room to sit outside and enjoy the climate the very reason for the hotel being built in it location. As for hotel provided dressing gowns and slippers, we did not even bother looking. The beds turned down in the evening just forget it The story continues in the dining room .The Buffet meals and the chaos that accompanied them had to be seen to be believed it As for a maitra de or restaurant manager to find or show you to a table that was non existent. Upon one occasion we entered the dining room found a table ordered some drinks went to get our first course only to find upon our return others eating at where we had thought we had decided to sit. for the evening. This really did confuse the drinks waiter On two occasions very extractives roasts of Turkey an d Beef were displayed . On each occasion when I asked for a portion; a mechanically recovered roll of the meat suddenly appeared and we were carved two or three slices of that. Not the fresh attractive joint on display. The final straw came on one evening when having ordered a bottle of red wine we decided to finish the last two glasses in the lounge. We were physically prevented from removing the half finished glasses from the dinning room In a 5 star establishment a waiter would have placed the two glasses on a tray and carried them to the lounge for us. Paper serviettes for dinner was also the order of the day.

Like everything in this world, we need to keep a sense of proportion and use our common sense. When a holiday is offered at very reasonable rates, dare I say cheap, to expect Five Star UK standards is a laugh. You pay your money, you take your etc etc Le Meridien Makadi Bay is now owned by the El Sharkawy Group and operates under the Meridien name for the time being. Hurghada and its environs is not a business destination and relies on mass tourism to fill its hotels, so please don't expect everything to be flawless. On the other hand if you use a little common sense and do some simple research on your holiday you will learn about the great culture of tipping in Egypt. Even the smallest service requires "baksheesh" - and if you don't tip then expect poor service - it isn't blackmail but it is the way of life in Egypt. We tipped people carefully and regularly, just small amounts but it ensured we were remembered in bars! We tipped the room attendant and extra pillows appeared, it really is that simple. And we tipped in bars every night, so that towards the end of the holiday the strength of the drinks was something to behold! Food is often a variation on a theme, but there are numerous choices so we never got bored. The pool is superb, the sea is an amazing colour, and the sun is hot. It is ideal for a fairly cheap break in the sun. Public areas and bedrooms are lovely, they lack the odd Five Star touch, but then most of the guests wouldn't know the difference. Staff are very friendly if you treat them well and not like skivvy's (which some nationalities seemed to do) - although there are several attempts to part you from your cash to try the Prince Karim Restaurant, or a plate of watermelon - a firm and polite "no thank you" and they're gone. The all inclusive is amazing value for money - and to those who think it's complicated I worry about them leaving the country. It's very simple and all explained on arrival in a welcome letter. Four meals a day, unlimited local drinks and a very comfortable bedroom - try getting that in the UK for this sort of price! Hurghada and anywhere in Egypt can be a culture shock to the uninitiated - do not feel pressured to go into shops (the hotel minibus stops by one shop in particular and they try to get you inside by offering a map and business card so that you can find your way back to collect the bus later) - shopkeepers will try to ascertain your language (calls of "lubbly jubbly" are not uncommon!) - smile, say nothing and walk on. There are bargains to be found, so do haggle. And the shopkeepers can be extremely helpful and friendly - one owner of a jewellery shop insisted upon driving us back to the minibus as we were running late - they are a very hospitable people - just remember that the shopping experience is not like Bluewater. Excel Airlines are nothing special, drinks very expensive for the size and wine unchilled. Cabin crew outbound were lovely, returning they were irritable and unsmiling - although paying for extra legroom seats is worth the money - other passengers looked very cramped. It certainly isn't BA. Hurghada ariport isn't too bad; very little to do and eat - it's worth while taking your own bottled drinks and snacks. Overall excellent value for money, thoroughly recommended to all ages, but bear in mind this is a Muslim country and getting legless / topless bathing etc is a little insulting to the locals and very possibly illegal.