Готель гарний, але горки холодні і рифу немає! The hotel is good, but the slides are cold and there is no reef!

In Albatros Aqua Blu Resort 4 * rested at the end of January 2019. At once I want to tell, the water park in hotel is really magnificent, but all slides without heating! ! ! ! ! It was a rather unpleasant surprise for us. Three swimming pools are warm in winter, one of them for boys on their knees (with entertainment), one near the seventh building and the main one with waves (they were caught, however, only once). The children, of course, climbed the slides anyway, the next day we rode with them, but it's really cold, I'm still surprised how we managed not to get sick, because almost every day it was still windy. The slides are open from 10 to 16.45 (not a few hours, as in some hotels), in the summer for an hour longer. All slides are under supervision, the 9-year-old child was let in without any problems. We also went to 5 *, the entrance is free until 17, there are more extreme roller coasters, but there are queues, we had enough twice, then skated in ourselves, there is more choice.
There are still questions about the beach. This is probably not the only hotel in Sharm that does NOT have a pontoon! ! ! !!
Why - the answer is simple, because first, there is no reef on the beach! ! ! ! ! There are some islands around which fish swim. Secondly, the beach is located in the bay, which is also a berth for excursion boats, so right next to the buoys are constantly sailing ships. Up to 8 ships could be counted at the same time! ! ! Therefore, all you can count on is 20-30m of clear water for buoys, in which in some places you can really see fish. For some reason no one writes about it in the reviews, it was a shock for us. For children, perhaps a good option, you do not need to swim far for the fish, but if you are looking forward to an interesting underwater world, then you are not here. On the reef you can go left to the wild beach (free), where the reef is ugly, but to pay such money to rest among the stones and cigarette butts and beat your feet, because the entrance is uncleaned, somehow not very interesting.

If you go there, you should wear corals, you can also walk on the slides, because the brick stairs are cold and slippery. Regarding the beach, there are other remarks:
- the beach is long and narrow, to find free sunbeds, often had to go all over the beach. The sunbeds are pretty scary;
- at the end of the beach umbrellas without cover, do not save from the sun;
- from the left side of the beach near the water there are some pipes. Whether it is a drain or a water intake is unclear, but it looks unattractive;
- there are no towels on the beach! ! ! considering that this is not the first line, competing with 4 towels to the beach and back was stressful. Towels are issued only once a day! in the afternoon you go with the wet, if you do not have time to dry in the sun;
- there is a transfer to the beach, but walk once every half hour with a break of 2 (! ) hours for lunch. The bus is small, if somewhere nearby the police do not take standing. Since driving 5 minutes by force, why not immediately go back to the beach, it is unclear.
We walked, there is no sense to adjust to the bus, except for small children or you live in 5 *, there to go further, through all 4 *. From the beach to the hotel gate 8 minutes. slowly, through an abandoned hotel, very close, then - depending on the location of the room, we had another +4 minutes. It was surprising that you have to cross the 4-lane road, but there is not even a pedestrian crossing, everyone runs with children as they please, no one cares.
I still lacked the sea landscape. Previously, they were also not on the 1st line, but the sea was visible, though not nearby. Here you will not see the sea from the hotel at all, so he missed it.
On the downside, it's all, service, staff, rooms, territory - all great. All attentive and friendly (except for bartenders), clean, well-groomed. The food was also satisfying, 5 restaurants, the choice is sufficient, without seafood, maybe a little monotonous, but there was always something to choose for both children and us.

Even soups and alcohol were also not bad, about pastries and desserts can not be said)) Wi-Fi in the area is, but weak, catching the worse, the better we had enough. We didn't feel the animation, but we didn't need it.
Went with Join UP, no complaints, all depart on time, support and standards. Unless I advise you not to go on a free sightseeing tour of Sharma, you will visit only the mosque (you can get around in 5 minutes) and the church, then drag on the shops, where everything is expensive. Whether you come for the first time or want to buy oils in a branded store, they are really high quality, but expensive. We felt sorry for the spent afternoon that could be spent at sea. As for Soho, $ 9 per adult is not worth it (including water, ice cream, hookah, cola), you can buy something on the spot with this money, and as we later read, the transfer to Soho should be free.
On the side of the main entrance in 5 * there are a number of shops (go left on the road between 4 * and 5 *, then on the mosque to the right), you can buy cheap fruit, sweets, masks, souvenirs, etc. , so as not to go far. In the old town (taxi $ 2) they bought big shrimps for $ 8 / kg (fish restaurant Fares), even bigger for $ 12, they cook them in 20 minutes and you can take them with you, they are delicious.
Of the pros, I note the hotel's not mean attitude to bracelets. At early arrival bracelets are put on at once, give cards on towels and you can eat, bathe before check-in, etc. At check-out as well, bracelets do not cut off, before departure it is possible to use the territory without restrictions.
In general, the hotel can be advised, a cool water park, if you are not afraid of cold water on the slides (in winter), and you are not bothered by 2 lines and the lack of reef, you will like it. Nice area with entertainment for young children, but the entrance to the sea by stairs, so I do not know if it is convenient. But divination is definitely enough for everyone