We spent one week at the Magic Life Kalawy at the beginning of November 2012. This was our fourth time in Egypt and our second visit to this resort (last visit exactly 2 years ago). We usually tend to give new hotels a trial, but in this case we opted again for the Magic Life as „we knew what we had“ and were confident that the hygienic standard would be high (with little kids this was our main concern, as stomach problems are quite common in Egypt – even in 5-star accommodations).
On the positive side:
• Cleanliness of the rooms is still flawless
• Gardens are meticulously trimmed and buildings well maintained
• Friendliness of staff (especially room staff and at the restaurant) is good, although perceived as less remarkable than on our first visit
• Dive school very well organized and good staff. House reef good for snorkeling, however for the experienced diver rather boring
• The remote location - the road next to the beach is not very pleasant, indeed, but that didn’t bother us as the traffic is very light. If you venture out of the resort (which most of the guests don’t) you have a true desert experience!
On the negative side:
• The club seems to have less staff than 2 years ago. This was confirmed by other families we met there. The lack of staff impacted the service at the main restaurants and the pool bars. Sometimes you had to wait a long time before being served or the plates would pile on the table, before someone came to pick them up. Also the kids club: there was only one girl in the „Mungo Club“ (3-6 years) – 2 years ago there had been permanently two, sometimes three girls. At the children’s Tennis there was one trainer for a group of 20 kids – this didn’t make sense and our kids didn’t learn or enjoy it… In my view the management has room for improvement here, unfortunately several (multiple-visit) families stated that they would not come back again.
• The kids club is closed on Sundays, due to day of departure. We found that not appropriate, as there are no real arrival or departure dates. Guests arrived and departed in equal measure every day. So, why not open it 7 days a week?
• Not important, but odd: old televisions, very little choice of TV stations (20 channels to cater for mostly German, Austrian, but also Polish and Belgian guests) with poor image quality
• Waste separation is a hoax – probably to give the environmental-minded guests a good feeling. I have seen the waste being thrown together in on big waste box. I am not sure if the concept of separating the waste in “paper”, “plastic” and other/organic really exists in Egypt
Insider tips:
(a) the Mountain bike trip to the „Dead city“ is great. The 45Km through the desert brings you to the ghost city of „Umm Huweitat“, a former mining city abandoned 25 years ago. An unusual place that would be a great movie setting
(b) for the arduous „runner“ – it is possible to go jogging outside the resort (although the reception staff would not recommend it). You have to give your room number, when you leave the resort. If you cross the two streets you can easily run inland following the numerous ‘wadis’. There are even several trails (probably for the horseback riding tours) leading to small hills where you have excellent 360° lookouts
(c) Snorkeling at the house reef is best in the early morning hours as the sun “illuminates” the reef from the east. In the afternoon, snorkeling is still ok, but much less colorful.
Conclusion: we would probably not come back a third time as we see a slightly negative trend. But to be fair: it is – for Egyptian standards – still a good resort, well suited for kids and affordable. Therefore we still rate 4 out of 5 points
