Долгожданный отпуск long-awaited vacation

We rested at the Festival Rivera Resort with my husband in early May 2013. Since we decided to go on vacation suddenly, less than a week before the May holidays, it was problematic to find something free (especially a flight). The tour company offered only three options: this hotel and two more (which I immediately weeded out looking at the photo). Festival Rivera was presented to us as a 5 * hotel, one of the best, which is so often chosen by tourists. I really wanted to go on vacation, and there was not much choice, so they took it without much hesitation. Immediately after booking and payment, I was waiting for the first "surprise": the Club Room. To my question, what kind of garbage is this, they said that all the rooms are standard there ? ! The answer followed: This is the only proposal put forward by Anex-tour. The Club Room is the building across the road. But there are exactly the same numbers as across the road. But you can always agree on the spot, on the transfer to the main building.
Well, I think, okay, we’ll try to negotiate, even if it doesn’t work out, well, we’ll run a couple of times a day across the road) We stocked up in Kyiv with a souvenir box of Ukraine sweets and saved up $ 20 to invest in a passport, we went on a long-awaited vacation. From Kyiv, the flight was delayed for 40 minutes. At the airport of Hurghada, we were met well, except for one moment: . Anex-tour, of course, wants to make money everywhere, so they set up their own counter, where they immediately send those who got off the plane. For what? Paste the visa into the passport 17 USD. + give a migration card for self-filling; 20 dollars = pasted visa + they help fill out the migration card. Having read the reviews in advance, we boldly went to the bank window, where we bought a visa for 15 dollars. We went to the desk of the Anex tour to ask for a migration card, where we ran into a rather rude guide who did not stand on ceremony with those who did not want to overpay money.
Filling out the migration card immediately reminded me of my school years “Sleep with a neighbor” and “Give me a pen”))) We got on the bus and headed to the hotel ... since it is located on the outskirts of Hurghada, we were the last to leave. I immediately glanced at this Club Room. What can I say… A detached huge complex, the size of another hotel on the second line. It has its own swimming pool in the courtyard. It’s not only to cross the road to the central building, but also to rummage decently ... I’m not sure that even from the top (5th) floor you can see the sea there. To the sea, it would probably take 10 minutes to walk there. Having pulled out sweets from the bag and filling out the questionnaire that was given at the hotel, we went to the reception. Smiling sweetly, holding out sweets and giving passports, she asked for a room in the main building, overlooking the sea. Imagine my surprise when the boy returned my 20 dollars to me!

They gave us a room in the main building, and said that if we don't like this room, we can come tomorrow with money, and they will give us another one. We went to the room ... well, what can I say, in what place there should have smelled 5 *, we did not understand. The room is frail: 2nd floor - view of the courtyard, immediately onto the terrace, the sea is not visible, the furniture is old, worn, smeared with plaster, the closet apparently did it yourself, the sliding doors stagger (it was scary to touch so as not to crash, by the way, it did crash on one guy ), bed linen in washed out blood stains, the bathroom is generally horror! Why is there only a shower room, which is separated by a small elevation (such as a border) from the rest of the area and behind an oilcloth curtain. When we took a shower, there was water all over the bathroom. At the beginning of the race, I wiped this puddle with a towel, so wet and left it on the floor, so that the cleaner changed it to a new one. He took the wet, but did not give a new one.
And it stank all the time! Apparently from the sewer so carried. On the trail. day, I went to the reception to change the room to a better one. Gave us on the 4th floor. Paid 10 dollars. The number is identical! Only this one has a sea view! Well, as I was later told, the rooms are really the same everywhere, only the view from the windows is different. In the new room, of course, surprises were waiting for us, such as: the main light in the room not working and dead batteries for the TV remote control. Elevators live their lives there! They break, they drive as they want, the doors close before you have time to enter. Food: in principle, normal, did not sit hungry. Drinking: as in all hotels in Egypt (I personally visit this country for the third time) - fairy! Take with you from the dutik. Beach: a lot of sun loungers and umbrellas, the sea is shallow, but in Egypt it is everywhere. Water: in the lobby, in restaurants and on the beach in large bottles. You can take it with you in a bottle or drink from plastic glasses (they are there). Animation: love it!
Well done guys, it was not boring. And during the day on the beach they entertained with all kinds of dances and aerobics, and the evening programs were interesting. Cons: The disco is terrible! I am 27, my husband is 30 to dance hunting! Even after meeting with the animators and going to the “best disco in Hurghada”, we were shocked and not happy. Hotel staff: they were always polite and tried to fulfill any request (although maybe because I'm a pretty young lady with blond hair and a beautiful smile; )). Disappointed only on the last day. Check out from the hotel at 12:00, transfer from us at 16:00. We decided not to renew the room, but to collect things, put them in the lobby, and lie by the pool ourselves. When we handed over the keys to the room, they said that we would return the towel cards in a couple of hours. To which they received the answer - "You scored a T-shirt in the room, return the cards - get a T-shirt. " Well, they thought that it was a divorce, they decided to scare.
Since, when we were going, both my husband and I looked around the whole room, nothing was forgotten anywhere. Having given the cards, they asked to return the T-shirt. Answer: Come back in an hour. And there the bus had already stopped for us and we forgot about the T-shirt. Returning home and unpacking my suitcases, I still discovered the loss! One t-shirt is missing. Moreover, this T-shirt was never worn, and went from the suitcase to the closet, and from the closet a pile of all the clothes went to the suitcase. She couldn't lie anywhere for me to forget her. That is, we concluded that the staff specifically stole this thing so that there was an opportunity, then to change it for something. Internet: Wi-Fi password cards are bought at the bar. 1 hour - 4 dollars. Catches only in the lobby of the hotel. And then, having bought a card, very carefully erase the protective field! With us, it was erased along with the code (They did not dare to buy the second card.

Separately, I want to say about the Anex-tour.
In addition to being bred at the airport, they are also bred on excursions. Guides are at the hotel for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening. On the very first day of our stay at the hotel, after meeting with the guide, we decided to take several excursions. The meeting with the guide took place on Tuesday, on Wed - jeep safari, Thu - diving, Fri - show 1001 nights. After spending a day on the beach, I got sunstroke, my husband burned out. We decided not to go on a safari, as we could not stand half a day in the sun. We approached the guide, we were told that only 50% of the cost of the tour would be returned! ! ! Their rules say that if you return less than a day before the tour, 50% is lost! I tried to explain that we just ordered today, and maybe their rules do not apply to such situations, but I was refused. And so out of the blue we lost 55 dollars. I liked diving, everything went well. On Fri evening, going to the show 1001 nights (cost 30 dollars per person! ) It turned out that we would not have dinner!
Although when we ordered a tour, the guide said that we would go after dinner. Sitting hungry on the bus, we drove around Hurghada for 1.5 hours, picking up other tourists. We arrived, the show turned out to be so boring and not interesting that I even fell asleep on my husband's shoulder! And it lasted 30 minutes! They told us a little about their architectural structures, then one belly dance, one nat. Dance with skirts, riders galloped (in the circus they jump even cooler) and at the end singing fountains. We got on the bus, everyone was just as dissatisfied as we were, there was not a single person who would have responded positively about this “show”. On the way back, we asked the guide to stop the bus for 5 minutes. near McDonald's, since it was already the beginning of the eleventh and I really wanted to eat. We were told that they would not wait for us, if we wanted to, they would drop us off, we would get to the hotel by taxi. There is no choice, it’s a hunt to eat, they left, two more guys from our hotel were with us.
We ate at McDonald's, got into a taxi, having agreed in advance with the taxi driver where to go and the cost ($ 5). When we started driving, it turned out that the taxi driver did not know where this hotel was located. For about 5 minutes we rode through the streets, trying to somehow explain to him where this hotel was. When it dawned on him where it was, he began to demand 10 dollars. Bargained for 6. We drove up to the hotel, he began to demand 7. Having run into a rude refusal, he agreed to 6.

In conclusion, I want to say that this hotel does not pull at 5 * (by the way, nowhere in the hotel itself is 5 * mentioned), well, maybe 4 at most. But having traveled around Hurghada and seeing the appearance of other hotels, ours looked like one of the best. Despite the fact that we did not like the hotel and the tour operator, the rest was still wonderful. We returned rested and happy, because after all, the person (company) with whom you go and your inner mood play a big role in a successful vacation.