Reviews of Calimera Royal Moderna Hotel, Sharm El Sheikh

I had been recommended to this hotel by a friend who stayed here in July 2008. Myself and my boyfriend had the most fantastic week and really didn't want to leave. You could easily eat 24 hours a day if you wanted to! We were more than happy with the food, breakfast and lunch particularly. The hotel was about half full and we stayed around the relaxation pool which we had e mailed to request a week before travelling. It was quiet and relaxed and Bob, who ran the relaxation bar, was wonderful and really looked after us for the week. We tipped him about £15 -£20 during the time that we were at the hotel which paid off. We also left about 9 dollars for the cleaner on day one and had no complaints about the cleanliness of our room at all. In fact, I have never seen so many staff and the cleaning of the hotel is constant although not intrusive. We found the staff very helpful and polite, although it was rather odd that the worst english speakers were manning reception! Evening entertainment was a bit lack lustre, although I gather this was more to do with the time that we stayed there as my friend had experienced a lot more in the way of entertainment a couple of months earlier.



No complaints at all about anything at the hotel.

We fancied a change in June and booked the Oriental and my god what a big mistake we made, compared to the Calimera this hotel was never going to catch up and can only advise not to go there.



We are back to the Calimera in November and this will be one of our many visits.



Oriental has no food choice and the bar area is limited.

This is a good hotel overall, and it served its purpose.

I booked last minute, desperate to escape the constant British rain, and came on my own with my 5 year old daughter. I was meant to be staying in the 4* sister hotel at the other end of Sharm, but was transferred here (a rather hairy late-night taxi ride) for reasons that still remain obscure.

The main objective for me was to have a kid-friendly holiday, and perhaps manage to relax a bit myself!

Our room was large enough (the twin beds were a good size), clean (apart from some strange, and very small, bugs in the kettle), and the cleaner created some interesting dressed-up animals with the towels which created much excitement and amusement. The staff are very friendly and affectionate towards children. We were in a ground floor room, so the patio area was very safe. There was some English-language children's TV for those way-too-hot midday moments. Bottled water was usually readily available - when it didn't materialise, a phone-call to reception ensured that it was delivered within minutes.

I didn't use the kids' club, mainly because I felt it was aimed at slightly older children. The kids' disco was scheduled every night at 8.30, by which time my own kid was asleep. That said, she had a great time in the pool (children's pool area is integrated into the main activity pool) and learned to swim whilst we were there. The playground is very good, but in August it is too hot to use in the day. She ate pasta and salad every day, and enjoyed the wide range of patisserie available at breakfast.

Overall, I thought the food was pretty good, considering. They cater for a very wide variety of tastes - which mirrors the different demographics they are hosting - so, for example, there are British, French, Scandinavian/German/Dutch, Egyptian, Eastern European etc etc varieties of breakfast. I thought the lunch/supper time fish and vegetables were particularly good when considering that this is mass catering. The restaurant is distinctly less 'canteen'-like if you pick your moments. Early is good. Chip-free days are good. The hotel ensures that some form of food is available at all times, which is very useful when you are accompanied by an erratic sleeper. If you miss lunch, snacks are available...'late' everything is catered for...

The MedHotels representative is not particularly given to assisting lone females with children in tow. Prepare to be overlooked, dismissed in a perfunctory fashion, or summarily ignored. I felt most of the trips would be too arduous for a small child, particularly given the heat, but was keen to go to Petra. Having sat through the sales pitch a few days earlier, it was disappointing to be told that 'the visa is too expensive, we're not doing it. Next!'...hmmmmm.

The worst experience in the hotel was the departure: the towel card is apparently 'very important', and even though I hadn't received a card in the first place, and had used my own towels throughout, I was interrogated on departure, my taxi driver was prevented from leaving, the manager called, and my room checked. Like I need to steal yellow/white stripy towels.

I hadn't been on a package holiday for over 20 years and am perhaps being naive, but the biggest complaint may well be the sheer number of British plebs present...perhaps that should be expected? Witness, for example, the mass scrum that occurs on the (rare) occasions that chips are served in the restaurant; observe with shame the Brits ranting at the waiters when they can't find any ketchup; curl up when they sneer at the fact that 'cheese' or 'cakes' are available at breakfast; cringe at the condescending, aggressive and offensive behaviour towards other nationalities; sigh when women take off their bikini tops right in front of the 'no topless bathing' signs to reveal their pierced nipples; wonder at the persistence of the sense of cultural superiority which is seemingly inherent in these intolerant and ignorant ambassadors of Britain........

We arrived at 10.30 in the evening and were checked into a fab room.......only to be told it wasn't ours, only for the one night, which was a shame. 2 days later eventually got our room, just a basic room for two adults 1 child with a pool view, a bit of a comedown from the fab room we previously were in. We were on the side the building work was taking place in and I must say it was at times really noisy. But if you are like us and spend as little time as possible in your room then it didn't bother us. People on the other side were oblivious to the building work. All in all had ace time, staff brill, food good, weather brill and pools clean. Are now booking to go back at Xmas with a group we met there. At the end of the day a holiday is what you make it and we made it great!! Would definately recommend to others especailly after speaking to other people and hearing their awful reports of the supposed 5* accomm they stayed in.

my wife and two children aged 11 and 12 have just come back from here, this was our fourth time in egypt,

holiday booked with imperial travel also for the fouth time and again very reasonably priced.

flight from east mids with xl and was a lovely smooth flight both outbound and in.

we booked transfers and lucky for us we were the only ones on a little mini bus so were at the hotel for around 10pm.

we were checked in smoothly and shown quickly to our room, which is where the fun stopped.....the room was a double with two single beds also in it, my wife and i just stared at each other, however one of the reception guys had come down with us and as soon as we questioned him (we had booked a large family room) he told us to see him at 2pm the next day and we would be moved.

the next morning we were loudly woken at around 7.30am by the building work (this is really loud let me tell you) and was not funny.

we did manage to get back to sleep for a while though so all was not lost.

bang on 2pm we went to reception and the guy gave us a key and told us to go and look at the room and if we were happy with it our cases would be moved.

we had room 129, wow, this was the biggest room i have ever seen,(fun was back on again) absoloutley huge.

a lounge with a three piece suite and what looked like an lcd tv from the front (it wasnt though). two huge bedrooms, both with tv sets, a fridge in the lounge and each bedroom and two bathrooms.

each fridge was filled with at least two large bottles of water every day which was more than enough, there was a kettle with tea, coffee and two proper sized coffee mugs but for some reason, no whitener. best not to forget to mention the great air con in the room, a blessing at night.

our room had been recently been painted and was very white, but the bathrooms need updating, the grout in the tiles is ready for replacing,

i do agree with other people on here that parts of the hotel are getting tired and are ready for re furbing, but if you look around you will see that money is being spent,

no this isnt the poshest hotel in sharm but there is a nice feel about it

the food was nice and there is always some time of the day you can get something to eat, there was even food out from the late dinner when we came in at 3.30am one night, we could have taken a full cream cake lol.

breakfast was the usual cereal, omlets, bread etc, if you have been to egypt before you will have an idea, the food in all the hotels is basically the same

lunch and dinner were pretty predictable but were all fine.

the animation team were pretty good and interacted well with all the guests, there shows were quite good too, lets face it you dont come to egypt for its hotel entertainment but these were one of the better ones we had seen in our times in egypt.

guests also have the use of the titanic disco in the hotel, open till around 3am but you have to pay for your drinks after midnight, it did seem pretty poular while we were there.

unusually for the first week and some of the second the hotel was mainly populated by english.....yes english, this was a first for us

just to quickly run through some other things :

if you take a couple of pint glasses and leave them with the guys in the lobby bar you will always have your drink served in it while you are there, you just leave it them when you leave, beer is always ice cold unlike some more expensive hotels we have stopped in.

Gary in the pool bar is excellent, always smiling, and will always look after you.

You will find if you go to the pool much after 8am you will not get a sunbed, i was having to get up at 6.45am to go and put our towels on beds (sorry folks)

If you want to avoid the animation staff or any of the people selling trips, massage,etc etc, go to the relaxation pool as none of them are allowed over there,

You have to pay for the mini golf which is a dissapointment.

Relaxation pool is a proper sun trap and very nice, cant remember the guy at the bars name but he is excellent and will really look after you.

The hotel taxi will cost you £20 return to nama bay, go outside the hotel and pay around £5 - £7 one way, once you are in nama bay you can get one back even cheaper, good value as you are the last hotel in the line (furthest away from nama bay).

Didnt like the reception staff, i found them mostly unhelpfull and very abrupt.

They are in the proccess of building another Hard Rock Cafe not far away, and there are a lot of new shops in the area, in a couple of years time there will be another nama bay, so you dont have to go to nama bay...if you see what i mean.

We would definately go back to the Moderna, we had a very pleasant stay and enjoyed it all

To ANYONE considering booking here, please read this first:

I am a young (mid twenties) professional living in London, I have just returned from a 1 week holiday to Egypt with my boyfriend. We had booked to stay at the Albatros All Inclusive and we moved after the first day. I had read such good things about this hotel that I was utterly dismayed and completely dissappointed with this hotel. I have never complained about anything before but I felt the need to warn anyone else thinking of booking here.

In honesty the staff were very accomodating and tried all they could to help. When we arrived at approx 11 pm we were shown to our room - this was so shoddy at first glance, but we brushed this off as possibly just being tired. The bathroom was mouldy and caused such a smell in the room it was unbearable, also turning on the taps left you with dirty brown water.

I felt the general hygiene of this hotel was not up to a so called '5* Hotel' - NEVER is this a 5*, at a PUSH I would classify this to be a 3* international standards and I still feel this to be generous. According to one source, the fact that the room had a hairdryer included upped another star to the hotel?!!?

So, after checking into our room, we went back to the lobby to enquire about some dinner. We were shown the 'restaurant', which I would say amounted to a school hall with about 4 dishes placed out. Hardly what I expected of an all-inclusive hotel. There was no one on hand for drinks so again had to go out to ask for this. The food was definitely not for those with delicate stomachs.

After dinner we went back to the room, where we find the hotel entertainment is located just outside our room - the term 'entertainment' being loosly used, more like bad karoke singer. This carried on til way past midnight, which I just didn't really need after my flight there. So we went to bed to try and brush it off (twin beds only, no double).

We were rudely awoken in the morning at 7AM by the loudest drilling and banging known to man - turns out they are building another floor on TOP of the area they had put us in. As we had arrived in the dark we didn't see the fact that the outside of our room was boarded up like a building site!! Team this with the foul smelling, mouldy bathroom, extremely outdated decor, and nasty food, to say we were unhappy would be an understatement. We decided then and there that this place was not for us.

I do not wish to undermine anyone with this comment and I am just being honest, but if you are a large family who save all year to holiday once a year and just need a getaway then I'm sure you will have a wonderful time, but for me this was just cheap tacky and downright nasty. After complaining about all of the above, the staff did show us to 2 other rooms, both of which did not change our opinions, so we moved the day after checking in and went to stay at the Ritz Carlton, which was, in comparision, sheer heaven. I would recommend anyone considering a holiday to Egypt who has not been before to not mess about, don't try for the cheapest deal as you really do get what you pay for - if possible book your flight and hotel seperately as the rates are very reasonable once there. Staff at the Ritz were outstanding and I would stay with them again most definitely. I would also advise you to ensure you have small change (small dollar bills $1, small Egyptian notes EGP5) as everyone and anyone will try to have you over for money/tips. I hope this has helped/save at least 1 person a holiday from hell.

WE HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM THIS HOTEL AND ALL I CAN SAY IS HOW FANTASTIC IT WAS.THE HOTEL IS FANTASTIC AND THE STAFF ARE SO HELPFULL TO YOU. OUR ROOM WAS VERY CLEAN . WITH FRESH BOTTLES OF WATER DELIVERED EVERY DAY . THE FOOD WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM . WATCH OUT FOR THE DESSERTS THEY ARE SO DELICOUS THAT YOU HAVE TO TRY THEM AND I CAME HOME AND HAD PUT ON HALF A STONE . WE TIPPED THE WAITER ON OUR FIRST NIGHT AND FROM THEN ON WE WERE TREATED LIKE ROYALTY IN THE LOUNGE BAR THE WAITER WOULD NOT LET US GO TO THE BAR AND WOULD ALWAYS FIND US A TABLE AND THEN GET OUR DRINKS FOR US. THEY ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR NAME ALSO . I MUST MENTION MOHAMED IN THE RED SEA RESTAURANT HE WAS SO CUTE AND WORK VERY LONG HOURS FOR ABOUT £5 A WEEK . WE TIPPED HIM £3 ON THE LAST NIGHT AND WAS WELL WORTH IT . WE DIDNT HAVE THE ICE BUT ATE ALL THE DELICOUS SALADS AND FRUIT AND NOT ONCE DID WE GET A DICKY TUMMY . WE ALSO HAD A FEW LAGERS AND WINE DURING THE DAY BUT PLENTY OF WATER ALSO . THE WEATHER WAS EXTREAMLY HOT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR IT WAS IN THE 40" EVERY DAY SOMETIMES UNBEARABLE . WE SPENT MOST TIME DOWN ON THE JETTY WITH THE BREEZE BUT IT WAS STILL NO COOLER AS THE BREEZE IS ABIT DECEIVING. WE WENT SNORKLING AND THE FISH ARE AMAZING . MAKE SURE YOU TAKE SOME BREAD AND AN UNDER WATER CAMERA . THE FISH WILL EAT OUT OF YOUR HAND.WE WALKED ALONG THE BEACH TO A LITTLE COVE . VERY HOT THERE BUT THE FISH ARE BIGGER AND THE COLOURS AMAZING. WE TOOK THE SHUTTLE BUS INTO NARMA BAY ITS FREE FROM 2PM AND YOU GET PICKED UP AGAIN AT 6PM. WE WERE HASSELED A FAIR BIT THERE AND SOME CAN BE RUDE AT TIMES . ONCE AGAIN BEING OUT IN THAT HEAT WAS UNBEARABLE SO WE HID IN A PIZZA HUT WITH COKES UNTIL IT WAS TIME FOR THE BUS TO PICK US UP.OVER ALL WE HAD THE TIME OF OUR LIVES WAS VERY SAD TO LEAVE . I WOULDNT RECOMEND THIS TIME OF THE YEAR AS FAR TO HOT . WE ARE DEFINATLY GOING BACK TO THIS HOTEL NEXT YEAR BUT A DIFFERANT MONTH. THIS IS A MUST AND IM IN LOVE WITH EGYPT .SO IF YOU PICK THIS HOTEL I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT YOU WONT BE DISSAPOINTED .

Excellent staff, facilities and beautiful location. Both my girlfiend and I got engaged whilst over there. Enjoyed the holiday so much we are going back to the same hotel, same time this year. Would recommend to anyone!! +++

FABULOUS,STAFF ARE SUPERB,FACILITIES GREAT,A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL CONCERNED PARTICULARLY SALA THE WAITER,SEEK HIM OUT AND YOU WILL WANT FOR NOTHING.VISIT THIS HOTEL AND YOU WILL HAVE A HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER.

Majority of the reviews say it all for this hotel.

The staff are fantastic and look after you throughout the stay.

We found giving the bar waiters a small tip at the beginning of the night resulted in you not having to leave your seat all night apart from the toilet.

Eating from the outside areas of the Red Sea Restaurant probably resulted in bad tummies as I often saw flies on the uncooked food.

Private beach and small pier are fantastic for anyone who has never snorkled before as it gives you the confidence to venture out.

Overall, a nice hotel with much to offer.

My family and i went to stay at this hotel in 2007. It was one of the best holidays we have been on!!!!!!!!! The heated pool was nice and warm but the other two wernt. the hotel was very clean, with people mopping the floors every day. The kids entertainment wasnt very pleasing but the adult entertainment was quite good. We went with my friends and they had a good time as well. We did snorkelling and I did my diving course. It is a once in a lifetime opertunity aand you should deffinately do it.

My family and I have just returned from the hotel and I wouldnt hesitate in recommending it to anybody. The staff are all really friendly ( especially Gary in the pool bar ) and the hotel is spotless. The only issue I would have is the choice of food for children. I would certainly return again.

Really Pleased.



I took my family to this hotel/resort in April 2008. There was myself, my wife, my mother and four kids (2year-12years).

Having read the various reviews I formed my own opinions prior to leaving, which was that generally if you look for problems you will find them. If you don't you'll enjoy it more.

This proved to be the case at this hotel. We found the service and general treatment from staff to be good to excellent. Everyone was curteous and helpful.

The Rooms we got were excellent and reasonably well cared for. There was always someone on hand to check things were okay and if a problem arose it was quickly resolved, with a follow-up call to ensure you were satisfied - spot on.

Always plenty of towels and bedding available and soap, shampoo even shoe shine provided. We found the bedding particularly nice (Egyptian Cotton - can't beat it!).

On site facilities were a little disappointing as they focus on the chargable elements and the mini-golf seems a little expensive - but quite good. The entertainment - didn't bother generally, but from what we saw it looked passable sometimes.

The food could have been better, but did provide some limited choice and always seemed to be freshly prepared. during the day it seemed better to use the beach provided eating facilities. Ice cream only available on the beach, but drinks available everywhere.

Security appeared to be pretty good as there were constant men everywhere and an armed Tourist Policeman at reception at all times. If you exit the resort by the service entrance there are some taxis and shops across the road. We used the shops a lot as they were very reasonable (with no haggling). We even caught the service bus to the next shopping area with little trouble (next shopping area - more hassle draging you into the shops). The Khan Shopping area does have a McDonalds for the kids so that was a treat for them (Chips not on offer in the main resort restaurant often).

I would be happy to return to this resort as my overall experience was favourable. Yes there are imperfections and based upon facilities this would be a 4 star. A little tired in places but generally pleasant and relaxing. We all stayed away from the alchohol and none of us were ill. My guess is most who are ill are dehydrated from the Dry-heat and the alcohol. I did not meet anyone who said they were ill, or knew anyone else who was ill - just lucky I suppose.

We stayed at this hotel from 23 March - 7 April. My partner and I loved this holiday and will be going back. The staff could not do enough for you. Our room was fantastic with a great view. They were cleaned every day. There were a lot of Russians but they kept themselves to themselves, they don't have any manners at all! The relaxation pool is lovely, the main pool was too noisy for us! The pools were freezing! After a couple of days we stayed on the beach which was wonderful - waiter service! The food was of good quality - always a lot of choice. I would highly recommend this hotel. Don't be put off by the negative reports - enjoy.

we (myself 37 and my girlfriend 30)have just returned from this hotel for the 3rd time, the 5th time for sharm. i was a bit weary returning after reading some reviews as we loved this hotel the last twice we were there. we had a fantastic time yet again we were there for 10 nights and got treated like royalty for the whole stay, i will give you a little tip take some Carling pint glasses with you as they dont get them over there and see Mario -pool bar and Sharky- the main bar (both bar managers), leave the glass behind the bar for your full holiday and every time you approach the bar it will be filled up for you and brought to your table, all they want is for the glass at the end of your stay, believe me its well worth it.

Yes the hotel is not 5 star in England(remember its only costing you about £150 per week to stay here) but is very clean and hygienic they hold a Cristal certificate which is a hygiene company that inspect hotel weekly and used by British travel agents to ensure high hygiene, the bedroom is cleaned every day, the food is a mixture of English, Russian, German and Italian mainly so if you want a full English breakfast im affraid youll have to stick to going to Blackpool or Benidorm (yawn).

The Russians and Italians are a bit ignorant and do push in but all i do is do the same back to them

I went to 3 other countries last year (all 5 star inclusive)and paid alot more for my holiday and never got looked after half as good as i do at this hotel, i am looking to book to go back in August.

if you are looking for a relaxing holiday then this is the hotel to go too. not much entertainment on a night but they try(pool bar just got an English singer so not too bad)

if you want trips there is the pyramids,valley of the king quad bikes into the dessert etc, snorkelling is a must at the beach along the road 10 mins walk (huge parrot fish etc just like swimming in a tropical aquarium)

i hope you find this usefull ,well bored you enough enjoy your stay if you go here