Grand Resort Hotel

2 readers found this review helpful

I booked 15 rooms for 30 people for a dive trip through My Trave. Operators being, Direct Holidays and Going Places (Airtours).
I book trips for large groups on a regular basis and have been to Egypt probably 30 times by now. Date of arrival 4th May 07.
Tickets all arrived in good time, I confirmed with the hotel what person was with who and in what type of room as some had paid extra for a suite. Hotel informed me it was all sorted.
Flight out of Gatwick was delayed about 3 hours, the Excel flight was on one of their older aircraft which was very cramped. To get a bit more space you were offered the chance to get a reasonable bit of space, at £35 each way.
20kg baggage allowance unless you’re a diver, and then remember to show your qualification card to get the extra 10kg or you will be charged. Headsets £2 so take your own.
In Hurghada airport you will be asked to join a long queue to get your visa stamp (looks like a postage stamp), as of May 07 this is £10 and they want sterling so save some from the flight.
The stamp/visa could be bought from any desk or person in the arrivals area and at the same price but they like seem to keep the sales to their own company, and consequently the queues get very long. Just say you are ‘flight only’ and get a stamp from any other desk.
Once you get your stamp you have to queue for immigration to frank the stamp and take the entry card (so remember a pen)...
In baggage reclaim they will rent you a trolley for £1 or 2 Euros. They ask for £2 and try it on but just say that’s all you have. Coins are ok.
Several more checks and your outside and you find out what coach you’re on. Don’t let any of the trolley people push your trolley unless you want them to, as they will ask for a tip.
The journey to the Grand Resort Hotel lasts about 10 minutes and there are people on the desk who speak English. You will be issued with 2 room cards, check in is quick.
The GRH looks nothing like the quaint romantic pictures, it is a huge hotel that sprawls out in all directions often making it difficult to find your way about, imagine a squared number 8, with a swimming pool in each of the loops.
In the middle is the reception area which doubles up as a seating area for a bar, off of this is a disco and the buffet restaurant…it gets crowded.
Rooms are well appointed, very clean and are about 4 stars, my group had 12 de-luxe (standard) rooms and 3 junior suites. To be honest the suites are not worth the extra as the only difference is a couple of feet in size which isn’t noticeable and a bidet in the bathroom. Otherwise they are the same. There is a free coded safe and a mini bar which was never re stocked.
Towels are changed daily. There is a selection of cheap soaps, shampoos etc in the bathroom and a hair dryer.
There are 2 pools, one is large with a bridge, more for adults with topless bathing, the other is slightly smaller with a children’s pool. This is where most of the daily sports seem to go on like water polo, aerobics etc.
By the 2nd pool there is a massage tent, where 3 or 4 women give fantastic massages. Cost is 170 Egyptian for back, 200 full body and a bit more for a full body with aroma therapy oils.
They also have a package of buy 3 get 1 free. I have had a bad shoulder for a few months and in 2 sessions the made it feel a lot better.
Sun lounger's seem to be at a premium, as is all seating seems to be in this hotel, due to this the towels were out in force before breakfast reserving chairs.. I’m not sure how you would get a chair in peak season, or if in a group of 4 or more... The holiday makers are mainly German with a few Swedish and British.
Food, the buffet is ok but got very boring after a week, the speciality restaurants can be ok and depended on what you like, however even though you may be half board many of the items are extra and the bill soon mounts up..i.e. for 3 of us it came to 700 Egyptian pounds for one night.
Ice cream is available at the reception bar and is 10 Egypt £ per scoop.
Exchange is in this area as well, and the current rate is just over 11 to the sterling pound so it’s better than the UK bank exchange rate.
All bills are signed for; They will not accept cash…or are very reluctant to do so. Keep your copy and check at the end of the week as mistakes are made.
There is no business facility that we found, apart from a big conference room; internet use is outside the hotel in the plaza.
For a nice meal leave the hotel, turn right and there are places selling pizzas, salads etc, turn left or right out of the hotel and there are bars selling drinks at a lot less than the hotel.
You won’t be allowed to bring drink or food into the hotel bought outside (unless you take a bag and put it under a towel).
Should you wish to keep your room on the last day, passed midday which is the normal check out, there is a 100 E£ charge and lasts up to 6pm..However at 4pm the man who does the room will give you some hassle as he wants to get the room ready for the next guests.
For scuba diving we always use Divers Lodge, they are based at the Intercontinental Hotel just up the road which to be honest is ten times better than the GRH, but obviously costs more.
Cab fare is 10 E£ each way between the hotels but they normally ask for 20. Be aware that not all dive boats carry emergency kits i.e. oxygen so ask before you consider getting on any boat in Egypt.
Getting out of the country is straight forward, easy check in, no departure tax; however we had the same cramped old aircraft.
We had a few situations whilst we were there and I would like to run through them...
The only point I would like to mention is the attitude of a few of the staff and a fiasco at reception.
The bar by one of the pools (outside reception) must have some sort of competition on how long they can take to serve drinks and how wrong the order can be. To get 2 beers an average wait was 15 to 20 minutes, even though we were the only ones there.
On one occasion we asked for 3 filter coffees, a freshly squeezed orange, and 2 bottles of water...25 minutes later 3 espressos and 1 bottle of water appeared.
Not wishing to make a fuss about the coffee we asked for the water, one of the 5 waiters shrugged and asked a colleague who laughed and then said something in Arabic, (my limited understanding meant I could only pick up on the words wait and hell??) they then took another 20 mins to arrive with the 2nd bottle….
When we asked why it took 45 minutes to get the water he said just you come back tomorrow and I will make you British wait 100 minutes…I got the feeling the staff at just that bar had some sort of problem with us…strange the German customers got served straight away and with a smile..
On checking in 2 of the rooms were wrong, the people allocated to a de-luxe room and a junior suite were round the wrong way. Keys were swapped and we were told they reception would change the names.
Obviously this never happened, as at the end of the week the bills were all wrong. Some of the bars had changed the names to what they thought it should be so half matched and half didn’t.
2 hours later it was finally sorted, that was until we got on the coach when a bill we had just paid was produced and they wouldn’t let the coach go till we had paid the massive 25 E£ or about 2 pounds 50p!
After a short explanation on what I thought of their hotel and how regularly we would be returning, I placed the money on the counter, quite heavily, and we left.
Needless to say our stay at this Hotel was only to serve a purpose, in general the food was ok, it was clean, it had good pools, it was close enough to where we wanted to be but it was not up to the expected standard.
I wouldn’t recommend this hotel and would suggest staying at real 5 star hotels like the Inter Continental. A case of you get what you pay for.

Just got back yesterday and it was amazing - this hotel has it all -food, entertainment friendly service and even it's own club.
Try the cheap pizzas in the mall attached. We got hassled a bit walking down the street by shop owners trying to get you into their shops, where you then are made to feel obliged to buy something - be prepared to haggle.
If you don't like that idea, get the free bus to Siva’s hotel, walk across the road and there are fixed price stores which are pretty well priced (Siva’s bar is a friendly place with many English people as it plays all the football games).
Back in the hotel there are two main pools - one is cold and l mean very cold - l got the shock of my life when I jumped in - plus side to this pool is you can sunbath in peace - temperature was about 25 degrees- no kids so it's very relaxing.
If you have kids, then the warm pool is for you as it has a kids pool attached.
Don't drink the tap water, you can buy bottles in the hotel for about 12le which is about £1.20gbp.
There is a man exchanging foreign currency in the mornings and evenings and it's a better exchange rate than over here in England. If you decide to go enjoy - I can't wait to go back.

1 reader found this review helpful

Absolutely fantastic holiday, booked already to go next year.
It was our first holiday to Egypt, so at first we were a little nervous about what to expect, but once we got there we were fine.
We flew with mytravel and had an excellent flight, also managed to get extra leg room seats on check in, which made a difference. The flight was around 5.5 to 6 hours but seemed to go very quickly.
Do be careful at Hurghada airport though, the men that work there want tipping for dusting a suitcase trolley. The airport is quick and easy to get through and the grand resort was only a 15 minute coach ride away.
The room at the grand resort was gorgeous, really big with fantastic views over the pool, the maid brought us fresh towels everyday, fresh pools towels were delivered in the evening to the room and the satellite TV has a few good English channels on. Overall, the room was spotless cleaned everyday, furnishings were gorgeous and maid service brilliant.
The pools at the grand resort were nice too, the main pool was massive, the sun beds were wood and had there own pad and parasol, the lad who worked at the poolside kept our sun beds reserved every morning, and brought us drinks straight away.
We stayed on a half board basis, the food in the main dining hall was nice, but I much preferred the a la carte Mediterranean which was also included on the half board basis, but some meals on menu were a little more such as lobster (which was fantastic!) there is also a Chinese restaurant over in the grand hotel which again, is included on half board. In the grand mall there is an Indian, which is very authentically furnished and the food is very tasty.
I know a lot of people who have wrote reviews have slated the entertainment a bit, but I quite enjoyed it, although it was quite repetitive the African and Egyptian dancers were brill. Just don't go every night.
Not many decent shops in the grand mall, full of touristy tat, but near the Siva grand hotel, there is a large shopping mall, with marble walkways and exclusive shops with nice coats, handbags, clothes and shoes.
We also took a taxi down to sekalla, which is the local town/village. If you fancy seeing some real culture, it’s a must. Loads of cheap jewellery, perfume and leather goods. Don’t fall into the trap of paying for perfume in the local shops, they don’t last long at all.
Another good night out is the hard rock cafe which is about 5 minutes walk away from the hotel and is very cheap. Try the vanilla cheesecake, its heaven.
Overall, we had a brilliant holiday and can’t wait to go back in June, brilliant holiday for families and young people alike! Really didn't want to come home we had such a good time.

Arrived at Hotel Grand Resort with my husband for a weeks break and was amazed, the hotel was huge and stunning. Two pools a lagoon plus a couple of children's pools too. Plenty of room and sun loungers are very comfortable. Pool boy (Said) and our waiter who's name I have forgotten were very efficient, had a laugh with them, didn't tip straight away but used the same waiter and promised a tip at the end (£20 sterling) well worth it, ice cold beers brought to you in an ice bucket, can't stand warm beer! We tipped Said and room maid at the end too.
Buffet restaurant very good, there’s loads to chose from, chefs on various stations cooking/carving different meat etc. We ate in the A la Carte restaurant once and that was pleasant the lobster was nice.
The room was a really good size more like a suite, the balcony was big too. Our room was very well cleaned, fresh towels etc. Mini bar reasonable, and fresh beach towels brought to our room every evening. The place is so big we did get a little lost at first. Thomson Rep was around a lot and very knowledgeable. Not very many shops but ok and prices seemed reasonable. Used the Pharmacy for tablets and they were ok as I had an upset tummy in the early hours of departure day, think it was an under cooked beef burger. We had access to the Grand Hotel over the road but didn't bother.
Altogether a fantastic break and definitely would return maybe at Christmas.

Hotel - the hotel is centrally located and easy walking distance to the beach and the bars.
Rooms - we were on the 10th floor, had a marvelous view despite the fact there is building work opposite. Although this work continues during the week and not of a weekend it does not bother you, you cannot even hear them. The rooms are cleaned every day and they are spotless. Showers are lovely, powerful and warm. Safety deposit boxes can be hired which are inset into the wardrobes.
Food - food is nice. Very plentiful. As soon as something runs out it is replaced by fresh immediately. At the end of the counters there is another counter and here was found beef and ham off the bone, with gravy and Yorkshire puddings, also there was puddings and custard, but they are separated from the main part where you get your dinner and here the food was not as nice.
Staff - staff are very friendly. Our maid Anna loved our children. The staff in the restaurant were great with the children and always made a fuss of them and Franky the entertainments manager wanted to adopt my little boy. Staff on reception were helpful but miserable.
Rep - what rep? Never saw her or him.
Entertainment - the pits. I have never seen such rubbish in all my life. The most tedious juggling acts etc, we only watched two and never bothered again, but every night it was Spanish music and the Spanish all danced before the show, the show came on and then more Spanish music to end the evening. Hey? Do you realise the British have been coming to this hotel for over 50 years. I appreciate it was the Spanish holidays but the hotel was jam packed with them and the entertainment catered for them immensely. There was not even one night were you could say, oh its disco music or its kids night, or bingo night or karaoke night, just Spanish music. The Spanish people on holiday here are so rude, you can be waiting for the lift and when the lift comes they just hop in, I would not have this and told them so, after all I was with my mum who has arthritis in her knees, my two girls and my little boy who was in his pushchair, no consideration for others.
Pool - pool was lovely. Children loved it, English people on holiday here are friendly, daughters made a lovely friend. Spanish hog the entertainment, i.e., volleyball in the pool, tug of war, darts. Only in our second week when the Spanish had gone home did we get to find out what was on in the day and we could join in, the first week they never even came round to ask. The indoor Jacuzzi and sauna and pool were lovely, only 7 euros for two hours, well worth it, we had the place to ourselves.
I have put 8 out of 10 for the Rosamar, the hotel was very comfortable, the showers lovely, the rooms very clean, the staff were lovely with the children, the pool was very safe, the only thing was we heard that from the 1st to the 3rd week in August the Spanish are also on holiday and they hogged everything. As for the entertainment its a good job its Benidorm and there are hundreds of bars with free entertainment. Been back for 3 weeks now loved the holiday flight was ok airport was also ok not long before you are at hotel you arrive at hotel, and it looks fantastic and is. You are welcomed and quickly sorted and taken to your rooms by the bell boys which are very nice not pushy for a tip. The hotel rooms are very clean and big. The view from our balcony was great. Food very good, good variety. Pool very clean as also for the rest of the hotel.
We made some very good friends with the hotel staff they were very good to us. The cleaner was very good give us what we asked for his name was Amged and we still keep in touch with him. And he took us out with him during the day and no body bothers you when you are with the locals. It was interesting to see the difference. We also made friends with the people that waited on you in the restaurants. They also took us out at night into town Hurghada. We went on our own with some friends we met holidaying and we were hassled. But when we went out with the Egyptians no one bothered us at all.
It is worth going out with them if you can as it is loads better for you. Things we did not like were having to go to the other hotel across the road to get to the beach because it was hot and tiring. But ok there were too many Germans and they were ignorant towards the English. There was not many English at all and you did not now what people were saying. Also the only thing we did not like was that if you went off the mall to the other shops up the road the people would really bother you and try to get you in there shops as they did me. But only got stung once I learnt.
There was not enough shops on the mall for me I like at least 10 to look around at night before I go for a drink to walk my dinner off and there are only about 3 or 4 and you get fed up of looking in the same ones if you now what I mean although they were very nice people in them. The excursions were good and good value for the money. We did get a bit ill one of us had to go to the hospital for dehydration but was soon sorted out. But had to wait 4 days for the passport to come back from hospital.
That was a bit of bother rep not to helpful with that. But there was some confusion over it. All in all did have a good holiday and would return.

I have just returned from Hurghada, Egypt with my family, (16/6/06). We stayed at the Grand Resort and found it to be an excellent hotel. Service from the staff was very good, from housekeeping to reception. We stayed Half Board and found the food acceptable in the two main restaurants.
There is a third but one has to be careful as this one is mainly A La Carte, although there are items on the menu that were applicable to the Half Board status. The hotel is connected to an outside mini mall where drinks and food can be purchased cheaper than in the hotel itself, (e.g. 1litre water : hotel - 12 e£ / mall 2e£). A great place to eat is the Hard Rock Cafe which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel, cheap, enjoyable, and great service.
Be careful of the obvious problem, heat, you dehydrate extremely fast, so please take the advice and drink lots of water.
The main problem with our holiday was the MyTravel Flight. This service from Glasgow was an utter disgrace and we pay a premium for a regional flight. The flight time was 5.5 hours and we were provided with a plane from the past. No reclining seats, no entertainment at all, minimum legroom, they ran out of drinks, no vegi meals, ordered.
Complained to Local rep. which was pointless, did not really want to know. This ruined the start to our holiday and were exhausted when we arrived. So check on exactly is providing the flight. Ignoring the flight, do visit the Hotel as it was great.

The hotel was clean and spacious; the rooms were large and comfortable. The service was extremely attentive but overpoweringly male.
Four men on average for each job. No women in sight. What I would have appreciated knowing beforehand was that when the initial patter finished e.g. "Hallo, hallo, beautiful daughters, do you have boyfriends, come out with me tonight." and polite negatives had no effect, they then progressed to clucking sounds, offensive leering and muttered comments. Harmless and laughable on the first day but bloody irritating on the millionth repetition by the end of the week.
Some waiters and pool staff were persistent in this but some shop men outside the resort added rudeness, intimidation and physical obstruction, which seemed to have the intention of being threatening. Word of advice, take male family members on holiday with you and you don't get hassled to the same extent.
Hurghada and the road through to Sekalla appeared to be 20% 5* hotels, 80% derelict building sites. Most of the shops and stalls appeared to repeat 2 themes: jewellery and tourist tat. Some vendors' aims appear to be to rip you off...favourite ploy was to call you back after payment and show you a substituted lower denomination note, insisting that you had underpaid them. One shop and one taxis used this ploy with us but they did back off when we confronted them.
As with all places, we found individuals were friendly and helpful, the organised trips were brilliant, our tour rep. was great and the Animation Team were very enthusiastic.

What a little stunner , the hotel was large but plenty of space for everyone. The bedroom was huge more like a suite than your average holiday hotel room.
Standard of cleanliness was very good the whole place was kept immaculate, two different places to eat meals in and the food varied and very good quality the choice for breakfast was stunning. The staff could not do enough for you and always smiling (considering we went during Ramadan when they could neither eat nor drink during the day ). You must remember to tip little and often it doesn’t cost much and makes a huge difference to them.
Do check out the old town as its a very different environment to main town Hurghada and sekalla is a must for all your shopping needs, if your planning any trips try to book them outside the hotel as price difference is amazing we booked a day sea trip including a meal a drink and snorkelling for 80 Egyptian pounds( 8 English ) the rep wanted 420 pound s and the only difference was a few more drinks on the boat which to buy on our trip cost about 50 pence each. Give Egypt a try it is stunning and great value for money.