Shams Alam Beach Resort - All inclusive

The hotel itself was fine, with nice beach, pool, and bar, good service, and kind, smiling, helpful staff. There are many employees around. I had water trouble in the shower when I first got to my room, then an electricity issue that evening, but both were fixed quickly. Still, this is a trip I wouldn't take again. There's little to do nearby and you need a 40-minute to one-hour drive to get anywhere. It's not really a tourist area, and the location and activities made the place feel like a tourist trap. I strongly recommend against booking the excursions through the hotel. They all have to be paid for at reception and include a driver, but most felt like wasted money. I took three trips. One went to a beach called Mangrove. It had no bar, restaurant, or anything else. I paid 80 euros including lunch, stayed 20 minutes to take a few photos, then left. The water was beautiful, but that was all. Another trip went to a local Egyptian area with dirty old streets and fruit and vegetable sellers. There were no cafés, bars, or restaurants and nothing to do, so I don't recommend it. The one good outing was to Port Ghaleeb, about an hour away. It had bars, restaurants, shisha, music, and a real tourist atmosphere. But the driver kept asking where I was, just so he could go back and finish his job. I spent about 1h30 minutes there. I also had a very serious problem with one of the hotel drivers. He acted inappropriately, was very touchy and flirted a lot, put his hand on my knees and touched my hair. I told him to stop, but he carried on for the whole one-hour drive, even while I was on the phone. I complained and provided proof through WhatsApp messages, since you have to exchange numbers with drivers. I clearly asked not to have him again, especially for the airport transfer. Yet he showed up at 8 a.m. on departure day to take me to the airport, and I refused. That showed poor communication within the hotel team. They eventually sent another driver, but I had to wait 20 more minutes. Luckily I was very early, since the airport is 1.5 hours away, and the delay could easily have made someone miss a flight. The city and surroundings aren't worth it, and I won't return.

The hotel is quiet, peaceful, and free of pushy vendors, and the location is a real plus. The staff were very friendly, and the food was standard for Egypt. I think hotels of this level all serve much the same thing. There's a small gym, though it's very poorly equipped. Every room has sea views, so there's no need to ask. The hotel also offers trips to interesting snorkeling spots, but avoid their diving center. It was a complete misunderstanding. The reef is dead and doesn't exist there, but the sea life is thriving. Snorkeling means you're likely to swim with the huge turtles any time of day. There are rays, guitar sharks, and other small fish too. I think we'll return if we're in the area. A couple of things to know about the room: don't book near the grill corner. Smoke and stink can get into the room, and staff hang around there until 1 a.m. playing music on their phones and talking loudly. They ignore guests and quiet hours, so you have to go to the front desk. The AC in our room sounded like a helicopter and made it impossible to sleep while it was on. The kitchen's outside ventilation was just as bad.

This was our fourth trip to Egypt, and this hotel was the best one we've stayed at. It's an intimate place with a large beach and beautiful coral reef. Unlike many beaches in Egypt, you can walk down into the sea without any trouble. Rooms were clean, the food was good, and service was friendly. Thanks to Terek for keeping our room lovely, and to Mohamed at reception for his help and kind service.

We had a lovely stay at this beautiful hotel and enjoyed everything. The staff were kind and helpful, especially Mr. Fathi at reception and Amr, the porter, who was always smiling and ready to help. Mr. Abdullah, who manages housekeeping, was very helpful too.