Royal Beach Resort

The beach and pool are lovely. The beach is shallow, and I walked 500 metres before I could swim, but the view, privacy, quiet, and beauty are special. It needs regular cleaning, which I ended up doing myself. The windbreaks are a great addition, and I loved how uncrowded it was. The pool and garden area are fantastic, though on day three the pool was emptied for essential maintenance without any warning. This was a difficult stay to review because the staff are trying, and management is working on some serious issues. There aren’t enough staff, and nobody cleaned my room during my six days. The hotel is a mix of hotel rooms and leased apartments, and there seems to be some reluctance to take responsibility for rooms, which puts paying guests in an odd position. My first room was mouldy, dirty, and flooded, so I was moved. Some rooms seem built so that the shower flooding is inevitable. The better room was more accessible and didn’t flood, and I appreciated the table, chair, fridge, and microwave, but it still had no internet. In room 104 east, the electricity tripped whenever I turned on the hot water. After a long talk with the lovely manager Mr Fouadi, my stay improved considerably. Dina at reception is still learning the ropes and lacks confidence, but she’s smart and capable, and helped me enormously. Sima at the beach bar is lovely and works really hard. After 14 hours of travel, finding no drinking water in the room was really disappointing. I was exhausted and hot, and being told to go to a local supermarket for a drink wasn’t acceptable. The four-star hotel oddly has no room internet or safe, no coat hooks, and no phone to reception. I spent over £20 on data over six days to use Google Maps and other things. Patchy internet is apparently a regional issue, not just this hotel’s. Reception didn’t brief me, give me an internet code, or explain where to find nearby restaurants and supermarkets, even though they’re very close and there’s a good range. Breakfast was lovely, but on my first morning it was hard to get normal Egyptian coffee rather than instant, despite breakfast being included. It really should include the excellent local fruit and fresh juice. There’s a resident family of cats, tame and clever, and very good at making you feel like you’re their number one. 🤣 The neighborhood is pleasant and easy to get around. It’s 20 minutes and 150 Egyptian pounds by taxi to the center. On day one, I swore I wouldn’t return, but by day six I was genuinely sad to leave. I hope the staff and manager succeed. The place is unpretentious and safe, and the team deserves to see it thrive.