Blue Reef Marsa Alam - All inclusive

The hotel is well below a good standard. At check-in, we were asked for a tip and given a sea-view room, which would have been fine. Two days later, renovation started throughout the building. There was dust and dirt everywhere, including all over our room. It was shocking, and the safety situation was concerning too. The food was okay on a few days.

Renovation work went on in our corridor every day, and nobody had told us at check-in. The noise and disruption made an already unpleasant stay worse. Our room also wasn’t properly cleaned once. Turning the sheets over or leaving dirty towels isn’t housekeeping. My friend and I were repeatedly approached to buy excursions or services after we’d said no, which made us feel very uncomfortable. The meals were repetitive, and the alcohol was so poor we couldn’t drink it. I can’t recommend the place, and I wouldn’t come back.

We had a good week overall, with a few frustrating bits. The beach was small and pleasant, and snorkeling there was fantastic. We spent most of our time by the beach since the hotel itself feels dated. The local dishes, especially kofta and hummus, were delicious, though restaurant service seemed a bit disorganized to European eyes. The coffee machine made awful coffee, and two of the six soda flavors were missing. The beach bar was much like others, with cheap alcohol and juices, and the bartender was kind. Snacks there were usually sweet pastries or bread. I felt unsafe because of sexist remarks about my body from the beach service staff. It was disgusting. Room service staff were nice, but our room was cleaned only when we left money on the bed. Three times we didn’t leave any, and three times there was no service. The pizza dinner was a horrible experience. We forgot the small paper with our scheduled time, even though there were only about three families and they had our room numbers. I rushed back for the paper, but the bartender was still rude. The menu had just five pizzas, and what they served didn’t resemble pizza anyway. We left for the buffet, where there was always plenty of good food. In my opinion, the pizza dinner isn’t worth your time. I had three massages advertised as 60 minutes, but none lasted that long unless I specifically asked. Spa staff looked at their phones while massaging, and the quality varied: one was great, one average, and one below average.

The house reef is beautiful, and the snorkeling and diving were good. The animation team also did a decent job with limited resources. Without the sea and reef, though, the holiday would have been completely ruined. One star for each of those. The hotel is very old, and everything feels worn out. Service was poor too. I asked to move from one of the few rooms without a balcony to any room with one, offering to pay extra. They didn’t even check availability, just kept telling me to come back the next day. That went on for four days. At lunch, waiters reserved tables for people who tipped and ignored everyone else. We waited the whole meal for wine unless we gave them a couple of euros. Wi-Fi cost €14 per week and worked on just one device, so we’d have needed a separate access code for every phone or laptop. Water pressure was practically zero during the busy hour before lunch and dinner, so showering from 12:00 to 13:00 or 18:00 to 19:00 was pointless. Worst of all, I had diarrhea all week from the local food. It stopped by the second day after I got home. Keep that in mind if you have a sensitive stomach. Everything else was garbage.