Privately owned Luxury Villa in Four Seasons Resort, Sharm El Sheikh

Mr. Moustafa, Director of Operations & F&B, deserves special thanks. Even with our last minute requests and a spontaneous event, he did everything he could to make it work. His flexibility and calm professionalism helped the evening come together beautifully. We were at the hotel for a wonderful weekend that included a small private dinner, and we’ll remember it warmly. The team brought genuine warmth and professionalism throughout. At the beauty salon, a lady whose name begins with “M” kindly helped with my hair and makeup. I’m sorry I can’t remember her full name, but her generosity and care meant a lot. I’ll also remember the golf cart team member who guided me and joked, “I don’t need a hairdresser but the hairdresser needs me to add beauty to the salon.” Those little moments made us smile. Please pass on our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved. We truly felt cared for.

The hotel’s new section has beautiful rooms, and the food and service were excellent. The Italian restaurant was the one letdown, though perhaps that’s because we have high standards for Italian food. Egyptian taxes on wine make European and American bottles mostly unaffordable. Egyptian wine was okay, but nothing special.

The stay was peaceful, and the hotel itself has a lot going for it: a huge garden, quiet grounds, nice authentic rooms and welcoming staff. The gym has good facilities and is open around the clock. But problems during the stay can overshadow those positives. We came for New Year and paid about $400 per person for the festive evening at Yatai restaurant. At that price we expected excellent food, entertainment and special service. The food wasn’t bad, but didn’t justify the cost. Drinks cost extra, and there was no entertainment. Our table was outdoors, but the heaters ran out of gas. Staff hadn’t checked the levels even though they knew guests would be sitting outside, and said they couldn’t replace the cylinders. We were freezing by the end. We also paid in advance when booking for a late checkout, since our flight was in the evening. On departure day, the flight was delayed until the next day, so we asked to extend our stay until 11 a.m. This gave us an extra night altogether. We thought we’d only need to pay for the other half of that night, since we’d already paid the late checkout charge. Instead, reception charged us for a full night, with a small reduction for downgrading the room, on top of the half night paid earlier. They said things like “we need the money now” and “all banks will be closed,” even though we’d been told by phone that we could pay at checkout. The rush made no sense to us. We were also charged again for breakfast even though we’d paid for it in advance when booking because we expected to arrive early. Staff ignored several requests to check the payment. In unusual situations, we found the staff unwilling to help and seeming more focused on making money. This was a truly unpleasant attitude from the hotel chain.

Breakfasts were a highlight, and not even the birds, wind or bright sun could spoil them. Mr. Ragab Hamouda served incredibly delicious food with professional service across the hotel restaurants. Mr. Mostafa Ibrahim gave us a warm welcome and made our arrival comfortable, while Mr. Atef Mokhtar called each day to check on us with care and a cheerful manner. The grounds were beautifully maintained, and the large pool was impressive. The beach was cozy, with comfortable loungers, good service, a short jetty and a lovely reef full of colorful fish. Staff were attentive and always ready to help. A special thank you to General Manager Mr. Leon Baum, who promptly and effectively resolved a misunderstanding at check-in and continued to look after us during the stay. You lead a wonderful team. The hotel was beautiful, comfortable and spacious. It was an unforgettable break that let us fully recharge. I’d happily recommend it to clients, friends and acquaintances, and look forward to visiting again.