We arrived into Hurghada airport after a five hour flight. Do your research on the best way to get through the airport unscathed. You'll be bombarded with agents, but there is a simple way to get your Visa with no hassle or extra charges using the bank kiosks. After a 45 minute transport arranged by the hotel, we arrived to the hotel and were greeted with cool drinks and very helpful service.
It's an impressive resort and the atrium makes quite the first impression. I particularly loved the intricate murals and Egyptian artworks.
I had read several times in our research that a five star hotel in Egypt is probably comparable to a 3 or 4 star hotel experience in Europe. I think that's probably pretty accurate. This was fine with us as we don't really ever go five star. It's a lovely resort and for the most part, customer service was terrific.
We ended up with twin beds somehow, but the room was spacious and well appointed. I was forewarned that the beds were very hard and that was so true. We quickly asked for some bed toppers which definitely helped.
We had a nice big terrace that overlooked the beach. The perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine before dinner.
Our rooms were tidied during the day and discretely turned down in the evening. There was no diet coke in the mini-bar which was also resolved with a simple request.
The pools were beautiful and we were hoping to enjoy the pool bar. Unfortunately, the water was still too cold so we only spent a little bit of time in the pool. They also have a heated pool in the spa area. I didn't enjoy the heated pool but I did have a nice massage.
We went early in the year so the resort never felt crowded and we were always able to find a spot on the beach. The grounds are kept immaculate.
We usually had breakfast at La Terrace overlooking the pool and then lunch at the casual Azur Bar. For dinner each night we had a choice. We had Middle Eastern a few times at the El Tannour Restaurant. There is a Shisha Corner that I was curious to try although we never did.
We tried Italian at Il Portico one night which was a bit disappointing. We never got around to trying the Greek Restaurant. But our favorite dinner spot was Asian Delights on the beach.
The food was wonderful and the service was particularly special.
All of our meals were included, we just paid extra for our drinks. Some people don't really like all-inclusive but I enjoy it. I find it relaxing on holiday to just make those basic decisions like pool or beach, Italian or Asian, White or Rose.
Most of our days at the resort took on a nice rhythm, mornings on the beach, burgers for lunch, back to the beach or the pool bar for the afternoon. After showers and a change, cocktails at Johnny's Bar and dinner at one of the restaurants. We'd take our last drinks back to the room and sleep like babies to do it all over again the next day.
You can't visit Egypt and spend all your time lounging around a resort. We also explored Cairo and the pyramids, as well as breathtaking Luxor and enjoyed a day on the Red Sea. All of that is still to come.
How do you feel about all-inclusive resort stays?
I love all inclusive holidays. It stops you getting that scary bank statement when you get home and you can use the money you would have spent on food & drinks on excursions to get more from your holiday.
ReplyDeleteYou went to Egypt... that's amazing!!! The hotel looks great and the food looks really yummy!
ReplyDelete~Ashley @ A Cute Angle
acutelifestyle.blogspot.com
I'm loving those murals too Selena - gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. I would love to go back to Egypt, Cairo was such fun to explore but there's so much more I haven't seen x
ReplyDeleteWow! What a place! I can see why you were able to settle in and relax in between your excursions out of the resort. Was it hot or were you early enough in the summer that the heat was bearable?? Looking forward to more pics!
ReplyDelete