Reviews of Marriott Taba Heights Hotel, Taba

My favourite things:



the poolside swim up bar, the size of the pool, the proximity to the beach, amazing, snorkelling - absolutely stunning - so many fish that I was a little scared at times, good food & friendly staff.



The only thing I would add is that the cost of boat trips and diving was rather expensive. Apparently there is only one business running boat trips (although there may be more now) and hence no competition/higher prices. It doesn't matter though - you don't need to dive when you can get amazing snorkelling.



Also, take your own snorkel, cheaper from Argos than in Taba.

I booked a family holiday through Peltours who advertised in the daily mail. The Marriott Beach Resort in Taba is advertised as a 5* Hotel. I can assure you that it IS NOT A 5 * and the Marriott are fully aware of this fact! They play on the fact that once you are there, it is very difficult to go anywhere else. The Rooms are average 3* No tea coffee facilities and no complimentary water which is essential for washing your teeth with. They charge you approx £1.00 per bottle. And if you use the bottle in your room next to the bar it costs you a fortune as they add a room tax and then another tax at the end of the bill. (Watch they also charge you for things you haven't had out of the mini bar and wait to see if you notice!) They tried to charge me for items missing from the mini bar on a day I was in Cairo on an overnight excursion. When challenged they said they would take it off the bill, but it was still there on my day of departure and we had to go through the same thing again! Room service is very expensive and the food quality is poor, the Conrad in Cairo a proper 5* hotel is cheaper than the Marriott so beware.



It is well documented through out the trip advisor comments that the food is very poor in quality and quantity, the soup is very watered down and it is a shame that the breakfast orange juice is made from orange powder and it depends who mixes it whether you can taste the orange or not!



The service is very slow if you are at the hotel when it is more than 30% full. Having spoken to Janet the Marriott representative on many occasions while I was staying at the Marriott, they are fully aware of the food situation, but the hotel is running at a loss so they have to cut down on the food and staff costs to recuperate as much as they can. They are hoping that most of the guests will decide to use the Tuscany restaurant so they can make more money and as they only give a supplement of £3.00 per person DO NOT do this Complain to Janet or the general manager Mr Looitens! The staff do not eat the same food as they serve the guests as witnessed by me! My family eat in the Tuscany twice out of the two weeks and it cost approx £70.00 on top of the £12.00 voucher for 4 people without wine. The food was not that brilliant! And the service was very slow! What I would suggest is that you go to the shops area and try the Flying Carpet ( this cost a family of 4 with wine and 3 courses £40.00) or the Pub Tandoori ( Limited menu but very good).That's if you want the 40 minute round trip ( that's if you get a seat on the shuttle bus!!!! On occasions we waited over 1 hour because the buses are always full by the time they get to the Marriott and they only have two buses.) Remember that you have paid for a 5* hotel and that is what should be delivered. Speak to your representative and tell them you want something done about it! My representative Peltours are quite frankly useless and their was a queue of people waiting to complain about the Food and the rooms. While I was staying the capacity was 70% the hotel just could not cope with it! They didn't have enough food in the kitchens to cope with the amount of guests, so when it was gone they just stopped replenishing the dishes. And hid in the kitchens. One night I had to queue for 30 mins for a table and then it wasn't clean and all that was left by 9.00pm was scraps my family eat a bowl of soup and that was it! This is not acceptable for a Marriott Chain Hotel. The staff are fully feed but the guests are left hungry. When this happens you will not find a member of staff anywhere and the reception staff suddenly don’t understand you!! I had to spend over £600.00 on Food to feed my family for the two weeks even though I had paid for half board.



I have complained to the hotel while I was there and when I got back. The response from the general Manager is this I paid for 2 rooms for 2 weeks Half Board. He is offering me 7 nights 1 room no food no flights. It is a shame that Marriott takes this attitude that they really don't care!!



Peltours were my tour operator and again they are only interested in the money not the customer they are also fully aware that they are advertising a hotel as a 5* when it clearly is a 3*. They are not interested in discussing compensation of any kind. Their response is that they have had good reports in the past. Obviously not people who are used to staying in real 5* hotels.



I have contacted ABTA who are interested in taking this case further

Booked through Lastminute who guaranteed the price. The tour operator added an extra £120 - reason was that Lastminute quoted on 5 people and operator quoted on 2 rooms. In any case it was Lastminute and still cheaper than a Costa del somewhere.



Food excellent and plenty. No pork sausages or bacon. Not surprising as it is an Islamic country. Good decision to go half board for could not eat anymore, certainly any all inclusives are too much.



Water and can drinks are expensive from the hotel. They do a deal of 12 bottles for the price of 10. Taking into account room service and tax it works out to be 12 for the price of 12 and that's £1 a bottle. In the second week we discovered Mario Market - a supermarket up at Three Corners - via the free bus outside the hotel. Water at about 20p a bottle and cans even cheaper. Worth the trip and the saving considering the length of stay, the number in the party and the weather in August.



Staff are all brilliant and go out of their way to please. Ramadan, the Enrico Eglasias look-a-like, is an asset to the place and best customer service.



Great sea and a good place to relax and if you like small crowds. Certainly I felt safe in this current world climate.



Good value for money. Would go back again. Oh, and the hotel offers and exchange meal scheme where you can have your evening meal in one of the three other hotels. This is the best hotel and so never exchanged.

The resort was fantastic, we went at a perfect time as there were not a lot of people there. However by the end of the week the marvellous pool did become slightly crowded. The staff were attentive to our every need and the rooms were cleaned every day.



They put on special nights in one of the bars/restaurants; we went to one of these which was a Bedouin night with belly dancers and folk dancers. It was amazing and lots of fun.



Although it is in the middle of nowhere, literally, there is a lot to do. From snorkelling and diving, to excursions and quad biking. We went quad biking through the canyons, fun and educational!



If you are one for going out clubbing I would say that this holiday was definitely not for you.



The beach was very clean and the sea very clear, the fish could be seen without snorkelling gear on!



If you do go, I recommend the one day trip to Petra in Jordan. The views and history were astonishing.



We had a highly enjoyable trip!

I was really dubious about going back to Egypt having had an awful holiday in Sharm but this couldn't have been more different. I went on my own, needing a last minute holiday without a single supplement to somewhere warm and the Marriott couldn't have been better.



My husband couldn’t get the time off work and I was a little bit worried that I would feel uncomfortable as a lone female, however the staff couldn't have been more welcoming and it was only other guests who looked at me suspiciously as I ate on my own.



The hotel is wonderful - the grounds are beautiful, the rooms are wonderful and cleaned to a really high standard every day. The food was fantastic - I really missed my buffet breakfasts when I got home! I think one of the other reviewers must have missed all the savoury bread, cheese, meats, cooked eggs, tomatoes, sausages, fresh omlettes, cereal etc that they had on offer every morning, as ell as fruit salad, yoghurt etc that was laid out!



The beach was nice and it's a real luxury (for me anyway) to have waiter service by the pool and on the beach. The sea was freezing but full of fish. I was going to dive but as I hadn't dived in the last six months they wanted me to do a pool and then a sea 'refresher' dive - normally this wouldn't have been a problem but they charge more for those two dives than two 'normal' dives and you are only brushing up on your basics in 9 feet of water! I stuck to snorkeling!



I only went for a relaxing 'need to have a week away from work and the snow' break - and I got that and a tan at a bargain price. I would also thoroughly recommend Longwood - its a shame they only operate to Egypt and the Middle East!

I think Taba is the perfect resort for 100% relaxation, but at times I felt like I was in prison. It is a very remote place and you are confined to the hotel.



There are several trips or tours but they all involve long coach journeys, I think it was 5 hours to Cairo, so obviously I think you would have to consider doing an overnight stay.



With regards to the food, there was of course the breakfast and dinner buffet, which by day 3, I was totally fed up with as there was little variation.

Hotel clean, staff friendly. Waiters have good "banter" with guests in broken English. Especially Ahmed Mahmoud.



Grotto bar best for a quiet drink. You can try the local "shisha" - hubble bubble pipe. Mahmoud gives swift efficient service from the bar.



Always have plenty of one dollar bills for tips. Which are expected, but never demanded.



Egyptian people are very nice and always greet you with a smile. They are keen to learn about Westerners and their language.



Only downside is that other hotels may charge for beach access and the Hyatt has the best reef and pier access. Strong swimmers can swim to the Hyatt pier (about 2Km).

Surprising palacious hotel offering good food, polite staff and great evening entertainment. Clientele thankfully were not the sort to wear football shirts and were generally very friendly.



There wasn’t a great deal going on outside the complex but saw that was likely to change in the not too distant future as a great deal of building work was going on in the surrounding area.



Would definitely recommend visiting xmas time as it was pleasant during the day and cool in the evening.

Just returned from the Marriott Hotel Taba Heights. The holiday was fantastic. The Hotel rooms are large, and the grounds are really nice the gardeners work really hard daily to maintain the beautiful gardens. The pools are all very clean and safe. The staff are all very friendly and kind.



The food is plentiful in a large buffet for Breakfast and evening meals a relaxed atmosphere and smart but casual dress code for evening meal.



I also did a day trip to Cairo some clients did stay overnight at the Conrad hotel in Cairo which they all enjoyed, but personally I just did the day, as I could not wait to get back to this hotels luxury. Cairo was fantastic and we were given a packed breakfast and taken to a 5 * hotel for a buffet lunch. they also provided sandwich for the return journey and free bottles of mineral water.



The only thing I would add to this day trip is that the guide will instruct you not to buy from around the Pyramids, but they will later take you to several shops which they would like you to buy from, and they are much more expensive than the traders around the pyramids. Quite a few of us on the trip did buy from the pyramids and were glad we did, as the others who did not were very disappointed with the shop prices.

Barter with the traders and buy if you are happy.



Also the Hotel has a free shuttle bus which takes you to a Golf hotel called ' Three Corners ' here they have a few shops including one that sells drinks including water and soft drinks at Half the price what you pay in the Hotels, you can take them back and put the drinks in the in -room fridges.



I will definitely be returning to the Marriott at Taba Heights.

Accommodation, rooms: very spacey, large bed, furniture and equipment not like in European 5* star hotels but clean and in order



Staff: very kind and helpful



Pool: clear water but a little bit cold for me



Hotel area: very nice, a lot of flowers, palm trees



Food: dinner - many different meals to choose from + everyday different European kitchen and various desserts, breakfast: not so much to choose from non sweet meals (only eggs, cheese, one kind of salami) but rich variation of pastries, rolls, bread, toasts, cakes, cornflakes...



Water: not so clear because of strong wind but with wonderful underwater life - corals, fish

Two weeks of pure relaxation. Wonderful food, clean hotel in all areas... Staff friendly. Unfortunately not for those wanting disco’s or night life... but those who want to chill out and do nothing but enjoy the peace and tranquillity it is ideal.

Not alot of shops need to hire a taxi who then spends the day with you taking you to the shops and making sure you are safe. Well worth the little extra as we went out twice and they really could not do enough for us.



The Cave Bar "grotto" is wonderful, and again the staff are always welcoming. If you are going ask for Basim, he appears everywhere with the biggest smile on his face.



One thing that the staff do not like is those who go topless, this is a Muslim area, and it is unreasonable to behave in such a way...



Will be going back there next year most definitely..... felt totally refreshed and ready to face the fact of job hunting with a new look on the prospects, it worked I got my ideal job after being redundant for 7 months.

Hotel was lovely, but this really is a beach holiday. You can go on tours, but the minute you are outside of the hotel you have hawkers pestering you all the time. make sure that you take plenty of small notes as you do have to tip everybody.



Food in the hotel was fantastic, different theme night which gave good variety and good service by all staff.

Our room boy made sure that we had clean sheets and towels every day. Evening entertainment could be improved, as all we saw were belly dancers each night.

Make sure you check the temperature for the time of year as we had rain.



All in all it was a relaxing holiday and we had good value for money.

I would recommend your holiday to the Marriott hotel in Taba to anyone who wants a quiet relaxed holiday. The staff in the hotel were very friendly and mostly spoke very good English. The rooms were excellent, clean sheets and towels every day.



Even the streets were clean no litter anywhere. Courtesy bus to the water world could have done with windows in, very breezy.



The entertainment could have been more varied, can only do so much belly dancing. The food and restaurant were excellent looking forward to the golf course! Would certainly go back.