We have just returned from a week at this property and were very impressed. There were, of course, some issues - most of which were quickly and efficiently worked out, as one would expect of a 4 Seasons resort.
First the good parts... Our room (a Premier room, on the upper level with a lovely view) was very nice and quiet. The living space was very large, the balcony was perfect for an early morning coffee or late-
night cigar, and the bathroom was very large and well laid out. The twice a day room service was perfect, as one would expect, and the room was always spotless. The staff at this hotel are truly world class. From room service to the beach attendants to the wait staff at the restaurants, the service and professionalism are top notch.
The beach is very nice, although crowded with lounge chairs, and there are many other sandy areas over multiple levels on which one can lay on a lounge or in a cabana-tent. The views, for the most part, are spectacular. The house reef, which stretches along the coast, makes it impossible to jump straight into the sea, so one must walk out to the end of a long dock to get into the water. There is generally no problem with this as people do not tend to congregate. The marine life on the house reef is excellent as is the snorkeling. Having over 70 dives in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean I was expecting a lot from the Red Sea and was not disappointed - even someone with a snorkel can have a far far better experience than someone diving in Greece, although this should come as no surprise). The diving is comparable to Cozumel.
The food was generally good, although somewhat expensive for what was delivered. Breakfast was excellent and usually sufficient to tide one over until dinner. Dinners were very nice and scenic and, as mentioned, the Egyptian wines were more than sufficient. We brought 4 bottles of duty free champagne with us and saved the oft-remarked savagery of the wine list prices. Roughly 350 GBP for a bottle of Taittinger, 200 sterling for a bottle of Lanson. Madness.
On the other side of things, the original room we checked into (a deluxe room on the lower level) had virtually no view (as expected) and suffered from rather thin ceilings which allowed us to hear the little chap upstairs running back and forth on the marble floors, trying to wake mom and dad. No fault of the hotel, but it leads to the main objection, that the hotel seems to have become a real destination for families. Meal times, especially breakfast, were generally accompanied by the sound of kids. I would caution anyone without children going during school vacations. In spite of these comments, the resort does a wonderful job of taking care of both adults and children and, for the most part, the kids were not an issue, certainly not at the beach or in the evenings.
We took a quick trip into Naama Bay and can recommend that you give that a miss. Spring Break Egypt style, was not our idea of fun.
We had a wonderful trip and, by our fourth day, were already planning our next visit. Will we be sure to book a Premier (or better) room, and will attempt to come when most of the children are in school (or when we have one or two in hand ourselves). We will make sure that the water temperature is a little warmer (last week was 22-23 C) which will give us more time in the water to stare at the fish, and we will make doubly certain to stop at duty-free on the way over to stock up on champagne.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
Absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Great pool scene
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young Singles, People with disabilities, pet owners
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Beach / Sun