Royal Albatros Moderna Hotel

9 readers found this review helpful

Well were in this Hotel in April and got caught in the volcano prob...I have just Read a few reviews and all I can say is don't judge the place but these remarks...I am picky and not easily pleased..but I found this hotel fab and will be returning...it took a while to get used to the food..lets not forget..its not the uk...they are not on a mainland, food has to be shipped there...it is hot..so they cant keep normal food fresh easily..but all in all...good food ...ok..no Roast meats every day...the food is put out in large Bain maries..so buffet style..with so many guest eating how can they produce that much fish tender??? no Mosiquitoes in our room...no chipped paint/tiles..the beds where pulled out every day!! and cleaned under!!..every where was clean...staff where polite and friendly..if you were to them?...once you spoke to them ..they greated you every day with the same...I would highly recommend it to any one...yes the towels on the sunbeds where a problem ,I told reception..then it was alot better the very next day....great holiday..cant wait to go back!!!!! 150 %

8 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from the Royal Albertross who positively encouraged us to place a review! This is our 4th. time here and they are trying to upgrade to 5* quality. Over the years we have noticed changes. The staff are helpful, friendly and are customer friendly. Check-in is slowish, as you have to register all your details and then hand over your passport, but hey, no problem, you're on holiday now. If you treat them like dirt, expect the same. Chill out! Our room was cleaned and had new towels every day. They clean the pools, wipe and brush paths, corridors etc. daily, although there are still several lights still missing on corridors / walkways, chipped plaster that should have been repaired and the finish of the tiling in the bathrooms still remains poor but acceptable. They are now making use of the outdoor Theatre in an evening with the Animation team (who work hard) and occasional visiting dancers. (Don't expect London Theatre standards, but accept the time & effort they put in to entertain in an evening in an attempt to entertain and amuse).
They now have a total of 4 restaurants, plus a Chinese and a Beach restaurant for which you pay. This is where we feel they come unstuck! There is now a definite swing to the Russian, Italian and German palate. Scrambled eggs, fried eggs and bacon in a morning - no chance. Cereals, fresh bread, croissants, jams, hams and even salads - fine. Queues for crepe are long, but worth the wait. Lunch - fine, and as with most mealtimes what you don't like in one restaurant, you go to another or possible take from one to the other. No problem. Evening meals, they definitely come a cropper. Don't get us wrong, it's clean, and reasonably efficient and appetising, but for 5* rating you expect 5* meals (and 5* standards, not shorts and a tacky vest for the evening). At worst the 4 restaurants are like self-service school canteens. Only one has table cloths and proper napkins. There are insufficient roasts for the British tastes, (beef, lamb, turkey, ham cut straight from the joint and served - as they did several years ago). Fish is generally over cooked, and you can hardly detect any flavour. They used to have "theme nights" (Spanish - fresh paella, etc), but these have disappeared. However, there is a fabulous range of salads and sweets, so all is not lost. You or the children can fill up there. All inclusive means drinks are free, so wine, water, lemonade etc. are on tap most of the normal hours. If you are German or especially Russian, you will fill your boots with food and drink on every conceivable occassion.
The animation pool is lively, and there are superb childrens pools that are now very popular, safe and colourful. We used the Relaxation pool, which is less lively but equally spacious this time of year.
We did have misquitoes in our room, as did others, so be warned. The cleaners tried to remove, but failed.
Overall, we enjoyed the 1 week break, but will go elsewhere next year. (2 weeks would definitely be a no!) For us, the food is definitely only 3* and the facilities are now improving, approaching 5*, but there is some way to go. At he end of the day it was good value for money. Want 5* ? - pay 5*.

5 readers found this review helpful

we returned here for a quick relaxing week and we were not diappionted staff were brill food good and everyone was so helpful would go back again.

8 readers found this review helpful

OK!!! I'm not one of these sad people who moans 'cos the maid didn't smile or I had a cracked glass in the bathroom. This was far more serious.
If you're easily pleased and happy with a hotel with the ambience, food and aesthetics that just scrapes a 3* standard then this will suit you. On the other hand if I explain that the customer care and service from the management is more in tune with that of a concentration camp then you may want to think again.
I'll sum it up as concise as I can: -
Arrival and Check-in:-
After a long 5 1/2 hour flight (10 Hour total journey) we were hurled off the coach like cattle and summoned to a very warm waiting area within the hotel. We were left stranded by the Reception Manager for over an hour with no means of knowing what the check in protocol was, not knowing where any facillities were (toilets etc) and left with no means of refreshments. Given this was 23.00hrs, 24 guests were NOT happy. We eventually signed our lives away, relinquished our passports and were finally given our room keys around midnight. At least we weren't as unhappy as the 14 people that were overbooked and asked to share rooms despite being strangers. Our baggage was taken to our room and left unattended outside the door in the main corridor. (What a start!!!!)
Our stay
The room was average with a view to the east resembling a war zone. Poorly fitting patio doors howled like a hurricane with the lightest of breezes keeping us awake most nights (BUT at least we had a room hey??) The pool and grounds are beautiful and well maintained. The bars are substandard for 5*. Service staff were very good. The food was generally tasteless and very monotonous. Saying that you wouldn't starve at least. the entertainment barely existed and that which did was very poor and extremely amateur.
Check out....... OH gosh this was fun!!!
Our 6.00am alarm call request was ignored despite signing for it. This genuinely almost resulted in us missing the 6.30 Coach to the airport.
During check out, our rooms were searched and checked. I was pulled off the airport departure coach at the request of (wait for it;,, the same Reception Manager that had left us stranded upon check in) He interrogated me about 2 mugs that were apparently no longer in the room. I endured 50 minutes of abuse from him in front of a large audience of guests being accused of losing the mugs. It was then implied I had thieved them and ordered to pay 12 euros and have my luggage taken off the coach to be searched. I naturally refused and I was furious as any innocent person would be. With the upper hand being his due to the time getting on, I had to relent with offering some payment to prevent the coach load of people missing their flights. Oh! The MTS rep was also unsupportive and useless in these circumstances. HOW APALLING is this for a 5* hotel?

3 readers found this review helpful

e arrived at the hotel at around 1700 hrs after flying from Belfast via Gatwick. On arrival at check in we were asked to take a seat, as were a number of other guests who had arrived at a similar time. We took a seat, waited, waited and waited some more, eventually after 2 hours and urgently requiring a room in order to freshen up, I approached reception; I was informed that there was a slight problem and that they had no rooms. I was told that the hotel had drinks arranged for me and told to relax while they attempted to sort the problem out, (I must add, we were all inclusive and all drinks were included!!!!) Enough was enough and I began to raise my voice demanding that I be provided with a room, I was approached by other guests who stated that they were afforded the same treatment on their arrival the previous week. I was ushered away from other guests and told to relax as they had found me a room but not to inform the other guests, my partner and I were brought to the room and on entering we were disgusted, the room was small, dirty, a shower with a tacky curtain, no balcony or terrace (All rooms advertised with either a balcony or terrace with views over pool, sea or gardens) The view from this WINDOW was of a building suite complete with JCB. I immediately returned to the reception and demanded that we were moved rooms; the reception area was utter chaos. I was told “No other rooms, no other rooms.” I demanded to see the manager, he invited me into his office and had the audacity to ask “What’s the problem” This inept, incompetent, sorry excuse of a manager stated that he would upgrade me to a room with a balcony and pool view the next day, I explained that we had booked a pool view and a room with a balcony, I was then offered a fruit basket!! This incapable little man sat and lied stating that we would be provided with complementary trips, this of course never materialised. We stayed in this awful room that night while other guests were bused off to other hotels some of which were some 50 minutes drive away, In the restaurant that night the manager walked by our table and I reminded him of our problem and asked if he would assure me that I would be moved rooms, He tutted and stated “I’m eating.” We were moved the following day to a suitable room overlooking the pool, I could find no faults with this room and we were happy to make a start of our holiday.
Every night as people arrived we witnessed chaos in reception as guests arrived and told the same story that they had no rooms and the holiday company had overbooked. During our stay I didn’t speak to one person who hadn’t had problems on arrival.
Egypt is very nice and we have stayed in other hotels and have had a terrific time in the past, THIS IS NOT A 5 STAR HOTEL. THE MANAGER IS RUDE AND UNHELPFUL.

just returned from a week in the winter sun,which was wonderful. The hotel is good,although as the other reviews state is looking a bit tired & could do with some TLC!
Our room was superb,we where given a suite for my husband my 13yr old son & myself & it was vast! cleaned every day,fresh towels etc couldn't fault that.
The only problem we had along with lots of other people we spoke to in the hotel we all had tummy problems...some of them where very poorly. I am very careful & had even made the 3 of us take a course of probiotic tablets before we left as had heard about the problems in Sharm, we never drunk the water or even brushed our teeth in it! We used hand wipes & gel ect. but we still went down with it,I popped to the chemist [of which there are more in Sharm than hotels!...]& he gave us the local immodium as i'd also read that was the best thing to do,it definatly helped us all & it most certainly didn't spoil our hols at all.
If you love snorkelling the hotel has its own jetty about 1/2 a mile walk out to sea[still shallow] & i was blown away by the fish we saw, lion fish,clown fish you name it, we saw it on out doorstep. Would recommend the hotel,just take care re possible tummy troubles!

27 readers found this review helpful

The hotel is absolutely spottless. they clean, clean non stop. we found the food good, no tummy upsets as all from a party of seven.
the beach is great. the pools are very nice but very cold (jan 10) the heated one gets little sun and smaller than the others. But the kids pool looked great lots of slides etc.
the down sides were that some of the hotel staff are rude and abrupt. One recepttionist on our arrival was rude when we were not keen to hand over our passports, they normally photcopy them and keep them for 1-2 days. however because we made it clear that we didnot like this they did retern then withing 10 minutes.
two of the waiters were very rude indeed. taking plates away before we had finished. Laughing at us in their own language, tutting at us etc. best to ignore them. the evening entertainment is awful, singers that cannot sing. Namma bay is aprox 20-30 min taxi drive away!
PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN THE SEA!! PLEASE!! my partner and i got caught up in a strong current and swept out to sea. we really struggled to get back to get back in! One lady had a life guard to rescue her. Dont be put off too much the snorkeling is the best ive ever experienced. Just check with the life guard when is the safest to swim.
over all a fantastic holiday. There is something for everyone

18 readers found this review helpful

This was our second trip to the hotel. We went in November and decided to go back for christmas. One of the beter decisions I have made. Christmas eve was fantastic they threw an excellent party. We meet wonderful people there and this added to the holiday.
The staff are excellent and can not do enough to help.
The accomodation is not 5 star but we spent little time in the room anyway.
If you are looking for a quiet holiday this is where you will get it not recomended for teenages. Not alot to do in the evenings.
Great for snorkeling and so peaceful.
I would definately return.

25 readers found this review helpful

hi i can recomend this hotel to anyone ,food great ,accomadation,well i didnt like the room they gave us so i asked to be moved ,no problem they were falling over themselves to make sure we were happy,staff ,i cant fault them,but dont forget to tip,just a few pounds,it works wonders,a must is the seafood restraunt on the beach,yes there is a beach a long sandy one,ahmed is beach bar manager hes brill a good laugh,the rest of the staff are brill too,my hubby and i had a fantastic holiday,this was our third time in egypt,the jaz next door is highly recomended too.

17 readers found this review helpful

Just arrived back from the Albatros, what a great hotel, the staff are fantastic and so friendly. My partner and I had a room overlooking the beach which was in a great position and adequate. The beach was very busy however every day the attendant always found us beds and parasol. The best thing we bought were beach shoes to wlk in the sea to look at all the fab fish and coral, we didnt bother snorkle the water was crystal clear. we went out on a speed boat for hour highly reccomended.
Food was excellant with several restaurants to choose from you can pick from any of them at one sitting.
The only problem we found was with the russians they are so rude, greedy and in your face.
Ignore them and go and enjoy