Ancient Sands Golf Resort and Residences

After spending an hour and 300LE on transport, we left Ancient Sands having spent nothing at the resort. We’d expected to spend 3000+ LE on cocktails by the pool that evening, but went elsewhere to get pool access. The front desk’s failure to explain the arrangements and the staff member’s poor hospitality cost the resort a potential bar customer. We’d come over in a TukTuk for 100LE after being directed there because the Sheraton in El Gouna is undergoing major pool renovations and sending people to other resorts, with Ancient Sands on the list. We checked with the front desk through several exchanges, and they confirmed pool access. A golf cart then took us to the Leisure Infinity pool for 50LE. We settled in, unpacked, and put out towels. When I went to order cocktails, a staff member said the pool wasn’t for us, told us to pack up, and sent us to a sad-looking pool with just 6 chairs. We’re from the US, and the way it was said felt snarky and crass. Maybe it was a translation problem, since their English is very poor, but it came across badly. The facilities looked clean and the lobby had a great aesthetic, but the resort was nearly empty in summer, with hardly anyone at the pool. I also saw a lack of hospitality training. Please learn what hospitality means.

Mustafa deserves a big mention. He was helpful and friendly, and the trips he arranged were amazing, worthwhile, and cultural, with unbelievable service. Golf was very nice too: excellent staff, a good course, and very decent club hire with new Taylor made gear. No complaints. The location was perfect, with restaurants and shops about 5 mins away, and El Gouna is beautiful with lots to do and see. The hotel was clean and lovely, and every staff member was accommodating, polite, friendly, and provided excellent service. We arrived late on the first day and they still provided a full 3 course meal. Special mentions to Luca from entertainment, Muhmood, kamal, khadeja, and at the pool, Zain, Taymor kirorios.

The things that brought my rating down were the food and drink options, along with a few other issues. There aren’t many places to eat or drink, so you’re limited to one spot for each meal or evening. The piazza has snacks, but everything else costs extra, and no a la carte meals are included. The bread selection was stunning at the start of the week, but they didn’t replace it daily and it was getting stale after 6 days. The alcohol selection needs better quality, and some cocktails were poor because of the companies’ choices, not the staff. Men also have to wear long trousers every evening while women can wear mini skirts. The new entertainment girl was aggressive, had an attitude in front of guests, and tried to force reviews. I wasn’t comfortable with that. Even so, we recently returned from a week's stay and thought Ancient Sands was a gem, though slightly outside the resort centre. It felt luxurious, deserves its 5 star rating, and has an amazing staff team. These are just my opinions about the issues I noticed, and they won’t stop us returning. Next time, though, we’d only book bed and breakfast because of the limited food variety and poor alcohol.

This is an amazing hotel in every way, pure luxury, with great food, drink, staff, and facilities. This review is specifically about the Beauty Salon. I had a facial, a pedicure, and Gel Polish on both my hands and feet. The service was professional and absolutely first class. Thank you, Tarek and Mawar.