hi
I returned from the crowne plaza yesterday, we had a really nice time even though we were slighty guarded in our expectations to the hotel due to such a mixed reviews.
The first few days the diggers next door ( which overlooks the beach and pools) were out in force it didnt bother me that much as I has my ipod on for most of the day. When it got really hot it seemed to stop for a few hours. Towards the end of the week the diggers had stopped and I think the building work continued inside the new hotel building. As far as I could tell this work would be on going for the next few months at least.
The hotel itself is lovely, very big (we got lost on the first day!!) staff are very helpful, except reception who were not very informative at all.
The rooms are spacious and have a good size balcony, ours was on the ground floor and overlooked some gardens which was away from the noise, the seaviews would of been subjected to most of the building works.
The bathrooms are nice, showers good, with a hairdryer.
I have stayed in Crowne plazas around the world before and I would say Sharm Crowne is a good 4*, which is good the vibe was laid back unlike the Hyatt which we went to for dinner and found the guests, staff etc a bit more stuffy
Naama Bay is great at night, we went every night, Whether you want to eat, have a few drinks or shop its all there. You can make it as you want. There are clubs etc but we liked the camel roof garden the best very chilled and you can look out onto Sharms skyline.
You can wear whatever you like, there are so many tourists there. some dressed in mini skirts etc..
Let me know if you want to know anything else! Im sure you will have a great time, we did.

Hi, im also travelling in july and was also quite worried about this hotel as have also heard very mixed reviews! I was wondering what the beach area is like? Can you just go snorkelling whenever you want? Do you have to pay? Also how much is a taxi into naama bay from here?

Thankyou to anybody who can help with this

The beach area is ok, its on different levels, with a jetty leading out to the sea, which you can snorkel from ant time you like no charge.
But there is no beach as such.
Taxis from the hotel is 30LE, which is about £3. These cars are much nicer than the blue and white taxis but are cheaper cause you can haggle but they stink of petrol and drive like maniacs which is either fun if you like that kind of thing or quite hellraising!!!!

Hi all
All our views on the Crown Plaza are positive myself and hubby returned end of April 05 we stayed on bed and breakfast but ate in the restaurant buffet a couple of times and enjoyed our meal. While we were out there the last minibus into namma bay was 18.30 and if you go to book and its full ask availability for the next night they will let you book for the next day if its full. The restaurants on site are ok CV BBQ and the Italian which is a lovely setting by the roman style pool really romantic in the evening. As for the snorkelling its fab I found it easier to enter the sea via the dive jetty which is to the right of the pool facing the sea its stable unlike the other jetty which moves on the sea and quite wobbly. Great meal in namma bay is the Hard Rock Cafe quite entertaining. Our room was roomy and cool also overlooking the gardens which were quiet - there was a problem with hot water not getting thru but it was all sorted before we returned home. Already looking to book to return in October. Have a great hol.

Elaine28

I'm travelling to the Crowne Plaza August 8th for 2 weeks.

Booked a family room through Thomsons which i think is a room classed as standard by the hotel itself.

Did you have a standard room?

Barney

Help!


Just had a letter from Thomson saying that heavy machinery is being used on a complex next to this hotel - laying foundations for another hotel and also work being carried out to extend the Crowne Plaza itself. Subsequently the Kids play area will not be available when we go ( August 8th) for 2 weeks.

Not sure if i'll find anywhere else this late in the day - anyone been here that knows how bad it is?

Is building work all day long?

Or any other decent hotels that may have availability?

Barney

There is someone who has just got back from here who has written a review HERE

Thanks Glynis.

Thomson says the building work is 1km away - can anybody add to this?

Hi i'm going on the 31st of july would like to know more about this hotel noise might be a problem........just turn the mp3 up.

Deeping Vet

When do you get back?

Hey everybody, I got back from the hotel on sunday and all I can say is WOW!! we both adored it and will definintly be booking to either go back here or the hyatt down the road (another amazing hotel out there). The noise was there but you could only hear it when on the beach area - it never bothered us (and i am NOT tolerant of any noise atall usually)- we spent most of our time around the pools anyway as it was way to hot to be frying on the beach without the pool right next to you to jump into every now and then. However I must admit that our first week here was a lot more pleasant as quite a few non-english familiys arrived the second week with their children in tow so im guessings that maybe the old italians and egpytian kids must of broken up from school last week? They never majorly bothered us though and pretty much all the familiys we saw there spent their time at the roman pool (a gorge pool by the way) so we just went to the other 'beach pool' which is bigger and sunnier anyway any other info anyone wants and I will be glad to provide it - overall we both really liked the hotel and we both aggreed we were glad we went now before the hotel is extended (thats what they are building next door) as we feel unless they are also making a new pool and extending the beach area, it may end up being a very busy hotel

faye

Fayeg

Can you tell me what the rooms are like? View/size etc.
Which type did you stay in?

Barney

Hi Fayeg

Just to add to Barneys request on the rooms can you also advise of facitillties in the room. IE ,tea coffee making facillities, Iron?

Also ive read that the hotel provide beach towels that you can also take off site...is this true? oh...and (sorry)....is it just a 2 pin (circular pin) plug adaptor?

ta

Stayed there last Christmas and the building work was ongoing, but it never bothered us. Great room, but ours was on the top level near the Roman style swimming pool (which was drained as they build a stage on it for a New Year show!) and we had a great view over Naama Bay. Those near the other pools are down the cliff so you need to climb plenty of steps to get to them. Tea and coffee in room, don't know about the iron, never bother with that on holiday. Beach towels are given out and a note made of how many you take, you can take them anywhere (put them in a bag and who will know?), but if you don't take them back they charge you. 2 pin adaptor required. The snorkelling is great off the piers which run in to the sea. Take your snorkelling gear or buy some there.

We had a hot water problem which took a few days to fix.

Courtesy bus only runs in the evening - it does about three trips, then it's a taxi back. Haggle hard and you'll get a cab for 20 egyptian pounds - do not pay more than 30, the first taxi has to take the first fare, so go when there is a queue of people and you will get a better price as the fare has to be taken to allow the next taxi to pick up. If there is no queue they will haggle for ages - 15 minutes in one case and it does get a bit tiresome haggling every time.

hey guys,

The rooms were lovely, we just had the typical room I think with two double beds in it? Il describe our room exactly - although there may be some slight variations depending where you were etc (but from the outside they all looked the same to me)

- You go in the huge wooden door that has a cute terracota lantern thing outside it. You come to a little corridor - the bedroom is at the end of it, the huge wardrobes (with the safe inside one of them) was on the right hand side and the bathroom door was on the left) The bathroom was very spacious - had a huuge shower, with a lovely glass brick floor to ceiling wall for the screen, and the sink was all white marble with shelves either side and a huge mirror covering the whole of that wall - you also get provided with the usual hotel style shampoo,shower gel, soap, shower cap etc if you want to use them. The beds were very comfy, large and quite high up, (and as with all the furniture in the room, also made of nice big chunky wood - The picture of the rooms in most of the tour brochures were spot on so check them out if you are worried(although they do make the rooms look smaller than they are). Opposite the beds is a large dressing table where there is the tea and coffee making facilities, a cuboard/drawer thing that the tele stands on and that has some drawers and the fridge inside) and a chest thing (that looks like an old treasure chest) but we didnt use this (just put our suitcases on it). There is also a little comfy sofa chair thing and a small table just by the balcony. On the balcony/veranda thing (we were on ground floor) ours had a fab view of some pretty gardens, abit of the roman pool and the spanish tapas bar - (also of the movenpick ice cream cart which prooved to be very tempting when sitting out on there- as you could just walk over to it in about 1 min) - There was a small table and two wooden chairs with cushions on it, and these were great to just sit out on and relax in the mornings, evenings, just after a shower, or to have room service on!! Room service in the hotel by the way is so amazingly cheap and the menu is pretty good (probably better than most of the restaurants there) - we had it many a time

hope ive been of some help and not gone on abit too much hehe

anything else, just ask

faye

Hi Faye,
We are going to The Crowne Plaza on 16th Oct. Four of us sharing one room, (works out lots cheaper for us) me, hubby, our 18 year old and our 11 year old. Will we be really cramped all together??
Thanks Daisy may

Im not sure really, I guess it depends what hotel rooms you have been used to in the past, as to whether you will find this one small for the four of you. You should be fine though, the bathroom is bigger than many other bathrooms Ive had in hotel rooms so two of you even three could probs stand in front of the sink and do your teeth and stuff at the same time (?) and there should be plently of wardrobe space for all of you - there was waaay too much for us (i think we left two sections of it empty). Its really hard to say though, especially as im really petite (only 5'1) so I rarely find anywhere too cramped - U should all be fine though, anyway you probs wont be spending that much time in the room - theres so much to do!! The leisure centre at the hotel is also fab aswell, if you like the gym and tennis and squash and that type of thing

Thanks Faye, Sometimes I have to get away from a stroppy teenager and I have been having second thoughts about us all being together 24/7. Chris (hubby) normally shares with him and I have our youngest, but the difference in price for 2 rooms was considerable so perhaps I will have to practise my deep breathing!!!!!
Do you know how much it is to upgrade to HB as we are only B&B, or is there plenty of places to eat out?
Thanks, Daisy

We are going to the crowne plaza on sunday so i'll let you know what its like, begining to look forward to it again, been to rugby trg tonight spoke to the boys they all say go and enjoy so I think we will!!!!