hi sharron, were off to egypt on the 11th, would like to hear more details if you can bear it.
we need the truth!

jane

hi jane,
things are not that bad so don`t panic....
We landed and there is loads of reps trying to put you in the queue for visas, even my hubby got pushed into a queue until he realised i`d got past to go straight through to passport control..waited for luggage, one of our cases had been smashed to bits so not a good start!! transfers with Med Hotels, bus was late so had to wait in the blazing sun!! Got to the hotel.. room wasn`t ready so had a few drinks while we waited, they did make up for this by giving us slippers, dressing gowns and a big bowl of fruit..
cleaner smashed my youngests bottle of aftershave(£30) 2nd day but thought not to say anything as it would cost him abt a months wages to pay for it..balcony wasn`t cleaned for 10 days, were given cracked mugs all the time in the room.. tried to change money and was told they had none(come back tommorrow)but the taxi driver got our money changed to pay for mcdonalds.. cash machine was broken so had to pay a fiver to go to the nearest cash machine. they charge nearly a tenner for the internet for 1 hour
like i said i feel a bit up in the air abt things at the mo.

sharon

hi sharron,
thanx 4 quick reply, just 13 sleeps to go.

jane

Jane,
you will probably have a great time as my problems were just little things that started from when we landed, so just go with the flow and enjoy.. the hotel is lovelyand it`s very hot so don`t let me put you off. hence the reason i need a few days to pu things into perspective befroe i say the wrong things..

sharon

jane you will have a brill time, we did even after all the niggles. it`s a great hotel and like everywhere you get nice staff and bad.. most are good here so don`t worry, it`s just because we have been here 2 yrs ago and again this year that we have decided not to go again..

sharon

Hi Sharon,
I am going next April for the first time. Can you give me any update on the building work? Do you still get pool and beach towels supplied and what about the food? I too would like all the points good and bad. Always think its best to know as much as poss before going
Many Thanks, Teresa

hi teresa,
there is building work going on. we hardly noticed it but the people staying in the rooms underneath noticed. apparently they were drilling at midnight i think that part of the hotel will be finished soon though..however i do think they will add another floor to the other side of the hotel, when i don`t know..my biggest dissappointment was the last day. we checked out at 11.30 am and hung around reception until 3.15 for pick up.when we got on the coach a porter came on the bus and said there was a cup missing from the room and we had to pay 5 euros, the cup was cracked in the first place and when my hubby put it down it fell apart. i was so mad that they waited til we were on the bus to come home to approach us about this..i would have argued but the coach was late and we were pushed for time.. not how i wanted my holiday to end so they will never get my money again..

sharon

hi can anyone tell me is it a fight to get sunbeds on the beach we love the sea and wont go near the pool , i guess thisn hotel supplies towels aswell . is the access to the sea from the jetty easy .i cant wait till the 11th .

Hi Jane

We are going on 18 September - I cant wait!!!

Maybe see you there!

Karen

Hi Folks

I am going with my bf on 18 September and havent been to Egypt before so would be so grateful if someone could help with the following?:

Whats the best currency to use - euro/dollar/their money?
What plugs do they use so I can take the correct travel adaptor
Please tell me there arent any cockroaches?
Do I need to fill in and queue for a visa at the airport as we are staying in the resort the whole time?
Can I get the beach/sea shoes at the resort or is there somewhere in the uk that sells them?

Sorry for so many questions - but I cant wait to get out there!

Many thanks

Karen

use egyptian pounds and english pounds take small denominations as they love a tip a pound is a good tip . adapter plug im not sure but i always use one of the world wide ones and its fine . sorry but there is the odd cockroach but not many and i have never been to this hotel so cant be sure ,.you dont need a visa to stay in the resort but even if you go on a snorkling trip you will need one ,its between 10 and 12 english pounds you cant pay in egyptian pounds .get beach shoes in the uk they are a must , you can get them anywhere near the seaside or sports stores or these cheap warehouse stores everywhere you will pay about £5 . also get your snorkle and mask in england , it is another world down there and you wont go out of your depth to see it . dont take any towels you dont need too ,all are supplied. we spend our time on the beach so hope to see you there . i have a prosperious belly and steve is 6 2" with no children . we fly tommorrow so any more questions feel free to ask jane

Hi Jane

Prosperious belly??

Will take cockroach killer just in case - hate the blighters but too giddy to let them bother me. My fella is 6'1 and has promised to be on 'roach watch' lol

Thanks for your prompt reply. Are you going for 2 weeks?

Karen

hi karen
we leave on 23rd just 12 night stay' prosperos belly meaning im no size 10 lol c u on the beach

jane

Hi Jane

Ahh right - thank goodness cos me either - Im 6ft tall and well fed! lol

See you on the beach!

Karen

Just got back from a week in the Moderna and was all good - a few hints - tips.

Reception staff are not that helpful - when they ask you to wait 5 mins that is Egyption time which is about 3 times as long as UK time.

Food is good but as with every all inclusive its gets a bit repetitive but never had anything that didn't taste good. Theres a place on one of the terraces which cooks pasta to order, just say what you want with it and less than 2 mins and its ready :-)

There is a supermarket about 5 mins walk from the hotel (out the front and turn left) wetsuit/beach type shoes £2.50, snorkel and mask £10, fins £6.50.

I took sterling and changed it out there - in the bank the exchange rate was 9.54 Egyption pounds to £1 - I think in the shops we were getting almost 10 to the pound.

Snokeling off the hotel jetty was good but just 10 mins away there is a fantastic place which is at the front of a hotel which is still being built. Head down to the beach and turn left along footpath until you get to a fence where the new hotel is being built, go along the beach for a few mins and you will see where people are snorkeling - far better than off the jetty. Not sure how long you will be able to do this for as the new hotel looks like it will be ready by next summer. If you do go down take some water for the dog which is chained up near the fence - he is perfectly friendly and we took water down to him most days.

I have head some complaints about the animation in the main pool but I cant say it was that loud - and there are another two pools away friom the main one if you dont like it.

You have to be out of your rooms by 12:00 on the day of departure - if for example you are leaving the hotel at midnight for a 2:30am flight you still have be out by midday - you can extend the room until 6pm for 50 Euros or until midnight for 90 Euros.

The evening entertainment wasn't up to much but they do put alot of effort in - 12 - 14 hour days seem to be the norm for most of the staff!

In short we had a good stay - only let down by the fact that the one trip we booked the transport didn't turn up, the rep mysteriously was on holiday and when another one turned up the following day we had a struggle to get our money back - we saw him take £100 off another couple for a trip so we knew he had it and told him there was no way he was leaving the hotel without giving it back to us. I have just heard that XL have gone bust and he was an XL rep so I wonder if they were selling trips that they hadn't booked!! - not the hotels fault.

In short - we had a fantastic holiday - met some great people and wouldn't hesitate to go back to the same hotel.

Thanks emf - so nice to know.

Fortunately we are travelling with Olympic holidays and flying Monarch - phew! but my heart really does go out to the poor guys who booked XL.

Thanks for the tips - we are only out there for a week and is so helpful knowing what to expect and where to go when you get there.

5 more sleeps for me!

Thanks again

Karen

XL....grrrrr i am booked with them for Nov, shouldn't lose my money but will probably lose my holiday this year!!!!

Awww merseyscouse thats pants! however, if you booked with an ATOL travel company, the accomodation would still be there and hopefully atol will set up new flights with other travel companies - will keep my fingers crossed for you xx

Awww merseyscouse thats pants! however, if you booked with an ATOL travel company, the accomodation would still be there and hopefully atol will set up new flights with other travel companies - will keep my fingers crossed for you xx

bopked with A1 travel, just waiting for them to come back to me after initial contact