Супер отдых! Super vacation!

We rested in the Sultan (former Holiday Inn) at the very beginning of June 2007.
Previously, we rested in the Hilton Fairows and in Marriott, so there is an idea of ​ ​ good hotels, there really is something to compare with. Naama Bay hotels are convenient for those who like to splash in the clear sea without corals, close to parties. However, this time we purposefully went snorkeling and were not mistaken in choosing Sultan Gardens. The hotel is ideal for snorkelers who are not obsessed with discos, without small children. Solid rooms, a huge green area, 5 meals a day, calm animation, and the sea, sea, sea!
We checked in late at night, 20 people at the same time, but at the reception everything was prepared in advance, and the process took only a few minutes. We were taken to our rooms by bus, our luggage was dragged free of charge to the rooms behind us. We got a wonderful sea view on the second floor of the building by the sea. Sunrise over Tiran Island was watched from the balcony at 5.30 am. When settling in, keep in mind that from the first floors in buildings 2 and 3 you can see the roof of the building in front and a piece of a steeply descending garden, but not the sea.

The hotel has received 5 stars and is trying to match, but so far this is a solid four. The rooms are large, decently furnished, although it is noticeable that the hotel is not new, shabby is present, but not annoying. The room has a safe, a refrigerator, shampoo-gels, a hairdryer, etc. In the role of a bidet, a hose with a shower. We left a small amount of money for our attendants, incl. the room was always literally licked, constantly different figures from towels. Gardeners work tirelessly, turning the territory into a real garden. The kids club has a guest garden, you can plant a tree and put a sign with your name under it.
The service is excellent, all the staff speak Russian to one degree or another, excellent Italian and English. Russian Elena works at the reception, if there are problems with the language, they say, it helps. We did not approach, our English is quite enough for communication.
The all inclusive system in this hotel is excellent, not every stomach can withstand 5 feedings a day. Breakfast is standard and monotonous. Fresh for breakfast for a fee, 10 pounds. Immediately after it, by the pools and the beach, a brunch begins, consisting of pastries, sandwiches, and sliced ​ ​ u200bu200bon the beach. Lunch and dinner in two main restaurants, there is also an afternoon snack on the beach and by the pools (salads, meat, french fries, etc. ). For lunch and dinner, the number of dishes exceeds all reasonable limits, it is simply unrealistic to try everything, every day the assortment is 70 percent new. Everything is amazingly delicious and very nicely served. Unfortunately, there is no separate menu for very young children (there are yoghurts, but not portioned, but general buckets, and cereal). Drinks - water (cooler and bottles), juices, beer, sodas, local alcohol (vodka, gin, cognac) in any quantity from 7 am to 11 pm, at all strategic points, wine for lunch and dinner. Many fellow citizens do not go to the beach at all, they have enough bars. From 11 pm to 6 am, drinks are paid (imported alcohol and cocktails of the day are always paid). A 1.5 liter bottle of water is brought to the room daily. We arrived at night, the bottle was already there, then the service-boy regularly added a new one to the row delivered earlier and not yet opened. We washed our faces and washed our masks. Children are given ice cream from 15 to 16, latecomers were also not offended. There is a fish restaurant that is not included in all, but almost no one goes there. But in Italian it is necessary to sign up, 2 times you can have lunch or dinner according to the all system, then for money. You won't regret it, try the freshest fish that melts on your tongue and lime sorbet. Even the mashed potatoes here are a work of art.
The territory descends to the sea in terraces, you have to go uphill from the beach, which is difficult at 40 degrees above zero, so people ride on the "trip" bassik Taf-Taf. The beach is not very large, when the hotel is fully loaded, there may be problems with places, but with us the occupancy is less than half. In the mornings, a snow-white ibis wanders along the beach, collecting crabs. You can enter the water at 1.5-2 meters, the depth is knee-deep, then there is a strip of corals (gray in the pictures of the beach), then the depth is from 4 to 15 meters. It is along this coral wall that everyone swims. A little further from the coast, corals grow not in a wall, but in gardens, but deep, you can’t see very well, and the fish there are too large for a close acquaintance. You can get into the sea either from a pontoon, or along three underwater paths. The paths are very slippery without shoes. The reef is very rich, in terms of the number and variety of fish per square meter it overtakes Raz Mohamed. We saw almost all the fish that are found in the Red Sea, most of them are arrogant like monkeys, rub against their legs and can bite. They fled from the moray eel at the speed of a torpedo boat, got to know the stingray-cat closer than they wanted - it got hit by a tail prick a meter from the shore, quite painfully. In the distance there are parrots and groupers of decent sizes, but a fish one and a half meters long, naturally gnawing stones, somehow does not cause a desire to swim closer. You don’t have to go to Ras Mohammed, you won’t see anything new there, except that the corals are a little better. You can also swim from a pontoon, but those who like to flop into the water with a running start scare away all decent fish, only the simplest and most uninteresting ones spin. Nothing to do here without a mask! The only negative is that at high tide the excitement is quite strong.

The animation is unobtrusive, once you refuse and you will no longer be approached, although they constantly smile and say hello. Friends highly praised the Russian animator working with children. The disco takes place in the reception basement, i. e. doesn't bother anyone. We didn’t go, after active swims we don’t have the strength to dance. The evening show is weak, takes place in the amphitheater, once a week, amateur performances from Naama, the rest of the time the animators are trying. In the main restaurant in the evening, a local bard sings past the music, I wanted to give him money to shut up. You can go to Naama for fun, but expect that the free bus runs only during the day, and taxis are $ 7 one way.
There is a free well-equipped gym, but without special shoes (barefoot or beach shoes) they are not allowed there, so if you plan to overwork yourself on the simulators, take sports slippers.
As a conclusion. Arriving at this hotel, you can generally not spend a penny more than what you paid for the ticket, and at the same time enjoy your vacation to the fullest. Small children are difficult to feed. If you are going to hang out, you will be bored here. If you don't snorkel, you may not like it, you won't see the 100th part of the underwater fairy tale that people come here for. Watching fish from a pontoon is a pathetic substitute for diving. But this is the best hotel located on the reef (in terms of price, quality of the hotel, food and snorkeling opportunities. Additional advice - take all the necessary medicines with you, you can’t buy anything other than antipyretics at the local pharmacy. Even if you manage to explain your problem to the Arab pharmacist (in English, he doesn’t know any other language! ), he will offer you a locally produced medicine with dubious ingredients, of known brands only Panadol and sunscreens.
In general, we are very satisfied with the rest, next time, most likely, we will go here.