Far from Turkey

Written: 9 december 2012
Travel time: 24 november — 7 december 2012
Who does the author recommend the hotel to?: For a relaxing holiday
Your rating of this hotel:
6.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms: 7.0
Service: 6.0
Cleanliness: 7.0
Food: 7.0
Amenities: 6.0
We went with the following composition: I am with children 5 years old and 1 year old and my girlfriend. Our guide was Odeon Tour.
1. Settlement. Immediately upon entering, we were greeted by two dirty, sagging sofas that spoil the whole beautiful view of the hall. For some reason, this is the first thing that catches your eye. While the papers were being processed, the waiter came up and brought cool juices. Also in the lobby there is always a table for new arrivals with fruit and iced drinks. It's nice. One of the administrators immediately figured out that my friend was without children and began to offer her a date - it was ridiculous. We arrived at about 15.00, we were settled very quickly, the room was given on the ground floor. We had no problems with moving the child in the stroller.
2. Number. The room has 2 beds, quite tolerable. The child was immediately brought a crib. The floor is tiled and cool. Furniture is old and dirty. The lighting system is very strange, you need to get used to it. I didn’t like the bathroom: firstly, there is no bath - a small nook closed with a door and there is a shower, so the baby had to be washed like this - they laid two towels on the floor, put him on them and watered him from the shower, since he is removable. It immediately turned out that the drain in the shower did not work, the water was drawn in very quickly and flooded the entire floor, the drain in the sink also did not work, the bottle cap was stuck there; they called a plumber, he came, quickly fixed everything - they gave him $ 2. Then they sat and laughed that they themselves were probably putting the lids in there to breed tourists. What is there: shower gel, quite tolerable, shampoo, hair conditioner, moisturizing body lotion, cap, thread with needles, some kind of small fabric bag, 2 bathrobes, slippers were not. There were mosquitoes in the room, biting the baby badly at night. For three days they asked to be sprinkled with at least something. Finally, they brought some terribly smelly product, they said that it was "not good" for a child, and they sprayed it. To put it bluntly, it is also difficult for adults to tolerate. Therefore, if you are going to this hotel with a child, I recommend taking a children's insecticide and a net for the crib. Insects bit us there and in the evenings on the street - it was impossible to sit on the balcony with a glass of cocktail, then blisters inflated in open places of the body. On the first evening we were brought to the room a plate of fruit and a plate of sweets. Minibar free of charge only once, all subsequent replenishment is paid. But we didn't use it at all. There is a TV, 2 Russian channels, but one is purely musical, and the second is all the worst from the first channel: a fashionable sentence, both Malakhovs, let's get married, and so on. So the TV was also not used.

Rooms are cleaned daily, bed linen changed every two days. In the crib, the bed linen was not changed even once in two weeks! Cleaning was done poorly (although we generously left tips as much as $ 2), the floor in the corridor was also washed poorly (if at all), so there was always dirt on the floor in the room, we were afraid to lower the child to the floor; either clothes got dirty, or hands (which the child then took in his mouth. No swans and other curls from towels were twisted for us. Towels were changed daily. There were no cockroaches and ants in the room. And thanks for that. The most annoying thing is every evening at 5 hours annoyingly brought 2 sweets!!! As if it was impossible to leave them after cleaning.
3. Food. Breakfast from 7.00 to 11.00 in the main restaurant. The selection is small, but everything is very tasty and fresh. They give Nestle yogurt in jars, home-made yogurt with fruit and muesli (not very tasty) and home-made ryazhenka (tasty), different cereals, many variations of eggs, cereals are the same every day: rice and oatmeal. Butter, jams, honey - packaged (I remember every breakfast in Turkey - natural honey in combs !! ! yummy! ) Fruits: persimmons and tangerines, bananas, apples, pears, dates, guava - excellent, melon - unripe. Pancakes with a diameter of 5 cm : ))))) The cheeses are excellent, European, even Camembert. I highly recommend the freshest feta with vegetables and herbs. Juices are packaged, coffee is served by waiters, make tea yourself - it is in bags, only by the end of our vacation I saw that they began to brew tea (again from bags) and distribute it.
Lunch at the main restaurant from 12.30 to 15.00, but the lunch is poor, the choice is very small, so we dined at the beach restaurant from 12.00 to 15.00 there was a buffet, then until 17.00 menu service: sandwiches, hamburgers and so on. indigestible food. At this point, I recommend for those who go there with small children to pay attention. For from 15.00 to dinner at 18.30 your child will have nothing to eat! And if you arrive, let's say, from an excursion to the hotel by three o'clock, then know that there are no soups anywhere, that a baby aged 1 to 2 years old can also chew. On the first day, we had a fight with the chefs in a beach restaurant, because. they offered my one year old to eat a hamburger!! ! Then I went to the reception, a Russian girl Yulia worked there, who got into the problem and handed it over to the manager, but in fact nothing was done and we began to hide fruits and biscuits from lunch in the stroller (because food cannot be taken out there), so that the baby has something to eat. But anyway, as a mother, this moment strained me, the child was hungry during this period of time, and it is because of this that I will no longer go to this hotel. I think that there is nothing difficult in keeping a pot of soup in the kitchen until 17.00. By the way, there is no microwave in the beach restaurant either, and they warmed baby food and milk for lunch (they asked me once) in hot water with a sour expression on my face, which they say is enough without you to worry.
Dinner at the main restaurant is good. Service too. The menu is not varied, but everything is delicious. In the restaurant, the waiters are mostly men, but there was also a woman, Amira, who was very efficient and friendly. She served her sector well. What else to tell... eat beef there with care, they don’t know how to cook it, often tough. From seafood only sea bass and squid. Surprisingly good sausages!

There are a la carte restaurants - you can enter them in the hotel lobby on your own computer, or the staff will help you. We were in an Indian restaurant - I recommend, not bad, try homemade ice cream with spices there. Were in a Mediterranean restaurant - terrible (even managed to spoil the lamb ribs). We didn’t go to other a la carte places, so I won’t tell you anything about them. There is a paid fish restaurant on the shore - and be sure to go there !! ! Spare no money. Dinner for two with a bottle of wine will cost an average of $100. But the portions are huge and delicious! I recommend to take a bottle of white Cape Bay, baked whole sea bass, and of course grilled shrimp, soups are also very tasty. Stay satisfied.
4. Beach. The beach is good. There is little sand there and it is heavily trampled down, but the entrance to the sea is excellent, there are no sharp stones and any debris. The beach is located in the lagoon - it is very quiet there, there are no waves, it's just perfect for children. The beach is small but very clean, well maintained and well organized. Sunbeds under umbrellas are divided into sections: 2-3 sunbeds and an umbrella (this can be seen in the hotel photos) behind the trash can. There are beach chairs. The beach towels are really bad; it can be seen that the old, washed out with straps. Water in November-December, of course, is not milk, but many swam, including us. You could feel the fine sand under your feet in the sea, the water is clear. Please note that on the right side of the beach there are beautiful sunbeds with white curtains - they are paid, 30 euros per day.
5. Pools. There is a heated children's pool with a depth of 60cm. The water is always warm there, but there are black stripes of dirt on the walls. Large outdoor heated pool. Small cold pool.
6. Animation. Very weak. The very room where the evening animation takes place is uncomfortable. Children's animation is also weak, at 20.00 very few children came, somehow 2 animators danced with them and that's it. (again, Turkey comes to mind with its wonderful children's discos). In the afternoon, yoga, water aerobics, step aerobics, bocha are held for those who wish.

7. Contingent. The main audience is elderly Germans. Next are the French. There are few Russians. The hotel is quiet and calm. To the right of the hotel there are two more Sunrise hotels. Sunrise Mamluk (now called Sentido Mamluk) and Sunrise Garden Beach. You can safely visit their territories, eat and drink there, swim in the pools and have fun. Mamluk is more fun, it’s family, with a wonderful children’s pool and a couple of slides - that’s where I recommend going with children. There are many Russians there. Mamluk and Garden have a common beach, it’s a little dirty there, “bull-calves” are visible in the sand, stones in the sea and, sorry, poop sometimes swam. They also ride on a banana, a tablet and boats go there, so it smells of gasoline. At the end of the beach there is a stone promenade, approximately 200m long. In the evening it is very beautiful there, at the end of the promenade there is a small dead reef - there are many fish that tourists feed with buns, contrary to all warnings and prohibitions. We saw squid there.
8. Excursions. Because we have a baby, then we went on excursions only in Hurghada. Great submarine excursion - go. Takes approximately 2 hours. Well organized, no long waits and crowds. Interesting. The kid did well. During the dive, a change in pressure is felt, but not much. A lot of fish swim, the diver feeds them, puts on a real show. There is no need for a wheelchair.
Dolphinarium. Go too. There are Russian trainers, well-trained animals: seals, sea lion, walrus, dolphins - a great show. There is also no need for a wheelchair.
Aquapark. Great Jungle Waterpark!! ! Go there for sure. From our hotel on foot about 15 minutes, by taxi 3 minutes. There are slides for every age, taste and risk. It costs $35 per adult and $20 per child for the whole day. Lunch is included in the price. The children's area is heated, the adult is not.
Turkish bath in the city - it's better not to go there. Due to the large flow of visitors there is blatant unsanitary conditions.
Again, I repeat: if you are going to go on an excursion with a baby, remember that in this hotel the child will have nothing to eat after 15.00 to 18.30 - stock up on food.
9. Territory. The area is beautiful, very well maintained, large. The crowns of the trees are cut in the form of cubes. Everywhere there are congresses for children and wheelchairs.
10. Internet and phone. Wi-Fi is free and absolutely dead in the lobby. There is an internet cafe, very expensive. Upon arrival, local lines will be displayed on your phones; Vodafon and MobiNil. Many people recommend choosing Vodafon, but for some reason my card chose Mobinil itself. I didn’t call anywhere, I sent rare SMS. I'll see what the bill comes later - I'll write. By the way, it is in the lobby that you will be given tea in large mugs that Russians love so much, and not in restaurant small coffee shops for two sips.

11. For children. There is a playground, not covered with an awning. The children's room is large, but there are very few toys and games. But there are beds. Basically, there is nothing to do there.
12. General impression. We went there with a great mood to have a great rest, and not to find fault with everything. Therefore, the overall impression of the rest was still good. But in the summer, after all, I will take the children to Turkey. Too bad it's not hot all year round. And I warn you - do not drink cold drinks a lot and in large sips - this can ruin your whole vacation.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original