We had a fantastic holiday from start to finish.
On arrival after a warm welcome and a quick check in, a buggy takes you to your room with your luggage.
The rooms were beautiful, interconnecting, both with bathroom, pleany of space, storage and facilities. The cleaner came everyday and did a wonderful job. Our kids loved the free soft drinks in the fridge to cool them down after a hot day at the pool.
The pools were fantsatic, several to choose from depending if you wanted a lively day, quiet day or some toime without the kids at the adult pool.
We spent most of our time at the family pool, with the slides, entertainment, music and snack food/bar.
While the kids were at club, we often went snorkling and had lunch at the beach snack bar or beach restaurant.
A convienient shuttle bus runs regularly around the complex because of its size.
In the evening we tried all of the restaurants except the French and Italian. They were all lovely, plenty to choose from, hot fresh, very varied to suit all tastes.
We especially liked the freshly made Italian dishes that you choose the ingredients and watch the chef cook it in front of you.
The bar b q was nice to, hot chillies on the salad bear were delicious with the keebabs.
If you ere still hungry late on, the bistro bar will cut up a sandwich for you. Their bar is air conditioned and so it was lovely and cool.
The entertainment was fantastic every evening, the animation teamworked so hard all day long.A great variety of shows, our favourite being Michael Jackson.
The shops were great for a browse round at night.
Sharm town is very busy but worth a taxi trip to experience.
The weather of course is fantastic, 38 degrees most days!
We made some lovely friends while we were there, hi to everyone.
Thankyou for a wonderful holiday
we will definately be back

A BIG HELLO to all the people who stayed at the hotel from 13.09.-27.09.2008.
It was you, who made our vacatin unforgetable. I think, that should be the hotels job, but what a dissapointment.The hotel is selled for a 5*, but that is only the surroundings.
We arrived in the middle of the night and they have given us the worst room possible. We send e-mail a week before to let them now the time of our arrival and also asked for a taxi-there was no response.We have argued for 3 days to get a normal room that we payed for. Their excuse was always that the hotel is full and that all the rooms look the same. THEY DO NOT.The room we saw the last day was a lot bigger and even more beautifully made.We think, that the room and the location of the room depends on the agency that you book the vacation.So, if you book at tomsom you will get a better room than if you book at gullet, althought you all pay the same price for the same vacation.
If the staff is friendly and helpful you give them a tip. At this hotel it works the other way around.You have to give a tip if you want to be served or even get a drink at lunch time.From my experience don`t ever drink watwr, because it`s impossible to get it. At dinner time, if you come at the right time, you have to wait in line. That is not a 5*.
As in every country and in every hotel, the people, the staff are goog and bad, but if you look closly, those are the things that make a hotel 3* and not 5*.You have to experience all, at different times on different places, to see that a lot of things really need a lot more work. Specilly the organization and the staff.

This review is based on Thomson/Portland selling this as a 5* platinum hotel, it is no where near at the moment. I have been to lots of 3*, 4* and 5* hotels and this is NOT a 5* platinum.

The hotel itself is stunning, the pools, beach, rooms and the snorkelling is great however the service/ staff really let this place down.

There is no real waiter service at any of the pools, you get the occasional waiter wandering round at the main pool but they seem to go to regulars who tip them not the new people. We spent most of our days at the Relax pool, no waiter service and the bar staff were rude and grumpy, I took a lot of money for tipping but unless you tip them after every drink you get nothing. I tipped them one morning and they didnt even acknowledge it, I ordered a drink, the people after me ordered the same drink and got fruit, a smile, this should not be the way in a 5* hotel, everyone should be treated the same, I would have tipped more but the service was simply not worth it.

The evenings - The arena bar where the entertaintment is, its a joke, again no waiter service which I've had in every other 5* hotel, you have to que for 10 - 25 mins to get a drink, there are 2/3 bar staff to serve hundreds of people, you have to que to get into the buffet which is so short staffed we sat and waited 1/2 hour one night, we tried to get the waiters attention but they ignored us. In the end we went up and asked for drinks each time. The A la cartes are a joke, the french you have to pay for and the only stuff all inclusive at the others are nothing better than you can get at the buffet which was pretty average.

Reef Oasis - if you read this you have a great hotel but you need way more staff for a 5* service, people expect waiter service and service with a smile.

Sorry to go on but I was so dissapointed, the hotel is 5* but the food is 3* and not the service is 2* - I would go if it was rated and priced as a 4* hotel but I would not go back until they sort out the service issues, they also need to get the lift working to the beach, its too hot to walk and the bus gets too full.

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.