taken a while to sit and write review, i'll start with airport which as we walked in was a bit mad people shouting names and hotels at you but nothing to complain about, we got the visa it was £11 each and worth it as we went snorkelling. make sure that at passport control in the airport they stamp the visa! thompson reps or any british reps are not allowed into the airport you are met by a TRAVCO rep and their very helpful, once you get onto your transfer bus you have the thompsons rep.

THE HOTEL AND ROOMS-, driving through the grounds on the bus it is beautiful, clean and very well looked after. when you arrive at reception your bags are taken off the bus and you are shown to reception which is beautiful! you have a cold juice and check in the staff are fantastic and very friendly. once you have your card for your room and towel cards you are taken on a golf buggy to your room and shown into your room, your bags are brought to you a short while later. the rooms are lovely we had 2 double beds, beautiful bathroom, balcony lovely (didn't go on balcony as it was to hot!). rooms and beds, towels are cleaned and changed EVERYDAY the cleaners are lovely mini fridge is stocked daily and the cleaners will leave the drinks you like if asked. in the hotel grounds there is spa, shops (selling sented oils, bags, souveniers, pharmacy, photo shop as there is a photographer in the hotel who takes lovely photos, you can smoke the shisha, a room with pool tables and many more yet to open)

FOOD- the BBQ is lovely same kind of food most days but its a BBQ! meat, jacket potatoes, salad, breads, rice the meat is really nice so tender and tasty!! at the BBQ the views out to sea are fab

THE MAIN RESTURANT- breakfast here is great loads to chose from eggs, toast, cereal, bacon and sausage (beef bacon andf chicken sausage) pancakes, waffles the bread selection is lovely. for main dinner always a variety of food steak, chicken, lasagne, pasta, cassarole, duck, chips, chinese stir fry, egyptian food which is very tasty the ice cream at main dinner is lovely as are the cakes look out for the apple pie!!

THE BEACH RESTURANT-, they do breakfast here but we never went there for breakfast but people we spoke to did and said it was lovely and the views are brill. here they also do lunch which again has a big choice pasta, pizza, potatoes, rice, spag bol, meats, bread the cakes are lovely and the melon!!!

THE BEACH BAR-, serves burgers, hotdogs and chips which are very nice if you just want a quick snack

THE SLIDE POOL-serves food again burgers, hotdogs chips meats rice, pasta, salad which is again lovely and very tasty the bar staff here were a little annoying but this was sorted whilst we were there and was improved.

ITALIAN RESTURANT- is lovely you have to book this with the lady in reception, the food is goregous some free and some you can pay for. we didn't go to the fish or french resturant but heard they were both lovely

DRINKS- all drinks are local, vodka was fine, bacardi was fine if you told them only a little bit of bacardi as they use black rum, all wines were very nice as was the beer and cocktails, branded coke and lemonade used.
places to drink, the arena bar is open in the evening and on most nights has entertainment, the main reception serves drinks until 12 o'clock the staff here were fantastic the air con goes off at 10 o'clock in reception but was never really a major problem some night there would be a pianist he would play for about 1hr, the bistro bar which looks out onto the sea serves food (sandwiches and toasties) and drinks 24hrs, the roof bar is very lovely my favourite bar but the music was a bit depressing!
the carribean bar opens at 11o'clock this bar is where the teenagers would go and was good but some of the music played wasn't to everyones taste (even the teenagers asked for different music) but it wasn't anyhting to spoil your holiday if anyhting you would just laugh at it. the big ampitheatre hosts the big shows done by the animation team who work so hard all day, there is no bar in here but you can take drinks in from other bars.

THE POOLS-, we went to the infinity pool and slide pools mainly these 2 pools were lovely the slide pool has things going on all the time great for children/teenagers, music playing the infinity has things going on but no music. adult pool very relaxing there are jacuzzis in most of the pools which are lovely and there 3 /4 on the beach. you can always get a sunbed.

THE BEACH- is beautiful, the sand is clean but i did get bit by something whilst on the sand nothing serious, the water is amazing so clear the fish and coral is amazing if you don't like swimming in the sea you will not miss out on the fish as they come in close to the shore all colours and sizes but of course off the jetty you see bigger fish! there is a bus in the hotel that will take you to and from the beach.
we went on a boat trip snorkelling (visa required as you go to (RAS MOHAMED) the V.I.P boat trip with Thompsons is absolutely fab we paid £50 each (no children allowed on this trip) we seen giant black eels, nemo, butterfly fish, turtles loads and loads of fish and coral with this trip there are 3 stops, food is provided which is a BBQ and is lovely.

NAAM BAY- the hotel has a bus that runs to naam bay you need to book this at least a day before you intend on going as it is only a mini bus it drops you off and picks you up 2hrs later which i found plenty of time to look around, you can also book a taxi from the hotel to naam bay a taxi to and from naam bay cost us £13 (english pounds) naam bay is full of shops market stalls selling bags, purses, fags, etc they do try and get you into the shops but are not frightening or forceful we found if you said to them FI MISH MISH which means in your dreams they would fall about laughing and leave you alone. in naam you have a KFC, Mc donalds, tgi fridays, hard rock cafe. there is also a duty free shop in naam which if you wish to purchase alcohol this must be done within 48hrs of you arriving in sharm and you must take your passport.

when we went in july 08 ice creams throughout the day were not including in the all inclusive but this may have changed now. take loads of un cream as the pharmacy is expensive for things like that. in the pharmacy you can buy the upset tummy tablets and they work within hours also anise tea helps if you feel a sick and that also does work.
take £1 coins as they love to be tipped with these but in no way do they make you tip them, we took travellers cheques but next year will take english money as you get more for your money.
there were alot of russians, germans, italians and french in this hotel but we didn't find them a problem except for the way they treated the waiters! We didn't have a problem with mosquitos but took repellant which contained 50% deet this seemed to work.

we had a wonderful time in the reef oasis blue bay resort and spa and have booked to go back again next year with 16 friends and family, the staff are friendly and work so hard to keep everyone happy.

What a honeymoon! This resort is a must for anyone who wants to relax, soak up the sun and overall have a really good time! The facilities are lovely, although our room was at the very back of the complex, we were over looking the leisure pool (where we spent most of our time) it was a five minute stroll to reception/bars/resteraunts etc...
The room itself was huge! Really could be classed as an apartment, cleaned daily, we were kept stocked with water and soft drinks and always had a spotlessly cleaned bathroom.
The food was excellent, a wide variety with something for everyone! If you try a different restaurant each night and vary the food you eat you will find that you can eat something different every day. We loved the fish restaurant, but didn't go to the french one as it was not all inclusive and we felt we had paid enough! The bbq was lovely and the waiter service there is excellent.
The bars were great, for sports fans The Bistro bar showed every kind of football, rugby, golf that you can imagine, it was hard to tear my husband away, The disco bar opened at 11pm after the nightly entertainment had finished and the service in there was fantastic, the waiters/barmen took care of you regardless of whether you tipped them or not, we gave a tip at the end of our holiday to thank them for taking such good care of us.
"THE ANIMATION TEAM"
What can I say, these guys are going to be our friends for a long time to come. The work that is put into the shows, game shows and daily activites is outstanding. I CANNOT understand the previous reviews I have read that class these people as 'amateur'. This place is not a west end theatre, it is a holiday complex with a team of people that work tirelessly to provide adults and children alike with a holiday they will never forget.
However, if this type of involvement is not for you, you will be asked but not harrassed.
To Alex, Luca, Liliya and the rest of the team "Mr & Mrs SCOUSIE thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our honeymoon so special xx
The Reef Oasis Blue Bay is a fantastic holiday for adults and children of all ages, we can't wait to go back next year with our children!!!

My boyfriend and I have just returned from a week at the Reef Oasis Blue Bay Hotel and on the whole we had an enjoyable stay. However, I wouldn’t say that the hotel is ‘brilliant’ as some other reviews have said and think that there are a few things to be aware of before booking, which I’ve detailed in my feedback below.

ROOMS
We stayed in a Junior Suite, which was very spacious and comfy with two bedrooms and two bathrooms (there were only two of us!!). While the room was cleaned everyday, don’t expect a 5* service. Things like mirrors and the sinks didn’t get much attention, although overall the cleanliness is fine. Fresh towels are also provided each day. The air-con in the room wasn’t the best and it was quite noisy, especially at night.

POOLS
The swimming pools within this hotel can’t be faulted. There are numerous pools, which each cater for different needs. We spent most of our time by the relax pool (for over 18’s only) and thought it was great. The pool overlooking the sea is also lovely. As with anywhere if you want a decent sun bed be prepared to get up early. Each pool has its own bar for drinks during the day.

FOOD AND DRINK
Food wise the hotel again can’t really be faulted. There is a variety of food, which is fresh\well cooked. We didn’t have any tummy upsets. Drinks are another matter. For breakfast (in the main restaurant) it’s self-service for juice, which is fine. However, lunch and dinner drinks are provided\served by the waiters and frankly we found this service poor. In the Beach Restaurant, where lunch is served, we NEVER had a drink brought to us at the table. Eventually after trying to get the attention of waiters we’d go to the bar area (which is only meant to be used by the waiters) to request drinks. The waiters became quite rude when you did this, but there wasn’t any other way to get a drink! In the main restaurant service was just slow and on occasion we didn't get a drink until half way through our meals.

TIPPING
In relation to tipping, the Thomson Rep advised in our ‘Welcome Meeting’ to do one large tip per area at the end of the stay. Based on some reviews on this site and our experience, I’d advise you ignore this and tip little and often if you want a decent service.

ENTERTAINMENT
The evening entertainment isn’t the best, but no worse than other hotels we’ve stayed in. The spa facilities are good, and I’d recommend using the Jacuzzis on the beach (which are free!) Snorkelling in the sea by the hotel is also brilliant, and was a highlight of the stay.


We don’t go back to the same hotel twice, so wouldn’t visit the Blue Bay again. I’d probably recommend it to a friend, but based on the service we experienced only if they were able to get a cheap deal.

We have just returned from a 2 week stay, and have to commend the staff on their hospitality. We did not tip anyone until the end of our holiday and have to say we didn't notice any difference in treatment to other guests. On arrival we were allocated a ground floor room although we requested an upper floor, we contacted reception once in the room and we were moved to an upper floor within ten minutes, no hassle.
We were offered bar service at our sunbeds, attendants took our towels to our beds for us and always had a smile, be it morning or evening, even though it was the start of Ramadan and a long day for them.

If I have one disappointment it was having to que to get a table at the buffet restaurant in the evening, and for this reason I would say this downgrades the hotel. The food was okay, hot and covered not much more I can say about buffet food. The waiter service was slow, but who's in a hurry when your on holiday. We did one evening get up from the table to get our starter only to discover they had given our table to someone else on our return. I would advise you to leave something on the table ie sunglasses etc. The fish restaurant was very hot and uncomfortable, but the good news is they are in the process of installing air conditioning. We did not try the French retaurant as I think if you pay for all inclusive you shouldn't have to pay extra. at breakfast it was 3 euro's extra for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

The swimming pools were excellent, the Adult pool and the Leisure pool are 1.5 mtrs deep, the infity pool was 1.2 mtrs.
The animation team were very good and accepted no as an answer and didn't hassle you. The evening entertainment left a lot to be desired but you have to give them points for effort.
We had an Anti-stress massage at the spa costing 35 euros for 30 minutes - excellent.

As I have said previously the staff at this hotel helped to make our holiday more enjoyable. I would recommend this hotel but it is not 5 star.