Sonesta Beach (Taba) or Sonesta Beach Resort (Sharm)...

If it's SB, Taba then forget a resort based holiday, it is rather isolated. I've only stopped off there to drop/collect folks using the same travel comany but it looks nice and clean. Usually the guys getting onto the bus have enjoyed themselves...

Hi phil.

I havnt stayed at the sonesta beach but we are also booked there for next easter . We have been to sharm twice before staying at the Hilton in sharks bay. first of all April is an excellent time to go as the weather will be hot but not too hot so it should limit the old pharoahs revenge .

Decided next year we would like to be a little nearer naama bay for a change and thought it would be a nice change for our teenage boys as they could walk in if they wanted to get out a little more than us oldies. That and the fact that we couldnt afford to back to HSB

Whilst I havnt read too many of the reviews lately I read through them before booking as I always do and whilst those for the sonesta beach were better than the sonesta club they were a little mixed but nothing that bad to deter me from booking . Michelle (Derwentrocker ) has also stayed there a number of times and did her best to reassure me .

Im sure we will be fine Phill but having just looked at the latest reviews

I'm sure the hotel will be fine Phil. What more worried me was that you were trying to do more of a resort based holiday rather than a hotel based holiday.

I would say that in general the Red Sea is the other way round i.e. more for hotel based holidays. The 4 and 5 stars are often huge beautiful hotels covering lots of grounds, farmore so than Spain, Greece, Turkey etc as presumably at the time they were built land was dirt cheap. They tend to have many swimming pools, a few restaurants and bars each, sometimes a gym and spa, but this is because there is little to do outside of the hotels. There is always the sea itself with the snorkelling and diving though.

Namma Bay is really the main 'hub' but you could get round most of it in an hour on foot and lots of folks dont like it because McD's Hard Rock etc give it the 'could be anywhere in the world' feel. There is a couple of main streets with various small streets running off of them a bit more authentic I suppose.

Unless you intend to do Cairo and Luxor of course which is a different matter and will take you out of resort to the historical areas of Egypt. Although these area are about 500 miles from Sharm.

Hi,

Just to clarify this is Sonesta Beach in Naama Bay.

When I say resort based what I mean is somewhere in the evenings to have a stroll, places like Holiday village Costa Del Sol and Titanic Lara Beach really are hotel based, with good english entertainment.

Fingers crossed that I havent just wasted £3,300
Must keep an open mind is the order of the day I think.

LOL. I think you are right keep an open mind and it will be fine. You can definatly stroll around Namma Bay of an evening and pop in the various bars for a drink or coffee, so if that is what you fancy you have picked the right place.

I stayed there at the beginning of July this year and the hotel was fine..it is a little out of the centre of Naama Bay..but it is only a short walk. I did do a review and my review was mixed but that was due to other circumstances rather than the actual hotel...
Your best bet is to look on the thread about Sonesta Beach Resort and i am also sure that if you PM'd Michelle ( DerwentRocker and Sonesta Beach Club Queen!) she would be able to answer any additional questions you might have not that are not covered in the thread.
If you are into diving, I can recommend Emporer Divers..

Hi phil
I have been to the Sonesta Beach Resort (not to be confused with Sonesta club) 5-6 times, sometimes twice a year. I like this hotel particularialy because of the area, and the fact that we have friends at the Oonas dive bar next door. But do not worry, we do not go diving but when you want a more english type meal we go there, also to the roof top bar, which is a must.

I was a little bit disappointed in the food this year when i went, it does tend to cater for more of the International guests, but saying this pasta was on the menu every day. The breakfasts and lunches were nice. I am a person that does tend to like eating out. I do not like A1 options of food wherever i stay. But we were very lucky, we booked as a B & B option, but upgraded free of charge because inline with most hotels, they changed. I think this would be the hotels downfall. They should have stayed a B & B. But that's me being picky
Naama bay is approx 20 mins walk, and has an array of lovely restautants, fairly reasonable prices i thought.
Everyone is friendly in the hotel, and depending who you are going with (T O wise) i would pay £28 for the upgrade to the bigger rooms.

Please let me know, if there are specific questions you want answering.

Michelle x
(sonesta beach resort queen)

Just to let you know that this is begining to be a bit of a habit going twice a year to the same hotel but going again to the SBR in November, trying it winter time this time. So whatever reviews said it is bad etc, i would say it cant be can it, its my 7th time. Believe me i am picky as well
Michelle x
sonesta beach resort queen
under 5 weeks to go.

Hi Michelle

I must say I am a bit surprised at you going back to SBR after your last not so happy stay, I thought you were going to stay at Oonas when you went back to Sharm ?

I hope 'your baby' is back to normal and you have a good and pleasant time at SBR
Enjoy your holiday and have a smoke on the Oonas roof at sunset for me

Graham

I agree Graham what you say, its true i actually pre booked the Oonas, it was £250 per week includes bed and breakfast, but not the flights. I went on every available internet web page to get a good deal. The cheapest one was £300 each. At SBR we do get A1 even if the food is more catered to Italians. My experience in June wasnt good, but that wasnt really the hotels fault, it was who i was travelling with, we were not compatible to put it midely So cannot wait to get back, just me and hubby SBR came out cheaper than the Oonas overall.

Michelle x
sonesta beach resort queen

we've stayed at the sonesta beach and i have to say we loved it and will definately be hoping to go back next year.

we chose this hotel because...

1. it had a great "moroccan" feel to it. i actually felt like i was abroad looking at it.

2. its on the far edge of naama bay..far enough away not to get any unnecessary noise...but near enough to be able to stroll in in the evenings. and

3. something that was very important to us....i thought the snorkeling from this hotel was brilliant. loads of coral reef...and easy access to it!

i can remember when we first walked into our room...pmsl..we paid the extra £28 and ordered the "double double" room....we literally thought we were in heaven!! bathroom, dressing room, bedroom, seperate lounge area and another spare room!!

ok there were silly things that weren't right....the false door on the fridge falling off...having to run the water first...the gap under the patio door...but we could certainly live with them.

its by far not the best hotel in naama bay but, all in all the price we paid for this hotel, for its location, we thought was fabulous.

i must admit i try not to read to much into people "reviews" of places now. i have actually made myself near ill worrying about other peoples reviews!!

I agree medot about reading too much reviews. I normally go on the majority. I basically agree with everything you say. I love the area, and i made great friends with next door. Also the fact the staff remember us from year to year.

Michelle x
sonesta beach resort queen

With regards to SB and SBR, I tend to read the reviews and hope that everyone is honest in what they put in the reviews. I would end to be sceptical about a review that was totally negative. I know I certainly tried to put across positive and negative points about SB and SBR ( can't even remember which one is which or which one I stayed in! )

I think on the whole if you holidayed there you would enjoy it..and a holiday is what you make it anyway!

Justval you stayed in Sonesta Club hun, you know the one across the dual carriageway with a gym and disco
Sonesta Beach is the one with the casino, and the beach well it was when i went in June, or is it Only joking
Michelle x
sonesta beach resort queen

Ps....Mods, this topic may need merging with sonesta beach resort queries me thinks, we're hijacking it

Thanks for all the replies, I must admit to feeling much happier about going to the SBR..

One thing though, I booked with Portland, through Thomson Holidays, but I did not ask for the double double rooms, can I pay for these directly with the hotel, or do I go back the tour operator

Also, how much extra are the rooms?

ok..i know someone who has just come back from the sonesta beach hotel...they booked with portland...and didn't pay for the double double room...which is £2 a day extra if i remember rightly.

thats a brilliant price for the extra space....£28 for a fortnight.

it was her hubbys "special" birthday whilst she was away and i told her to e-mail the hotel and ask ...very nicely...if she could have a double double room....she got it.

worth trying.

edited to say.....
just checked portland site...and the double family room is £28 per person for a fortnight....still really worth it in my eyes.

e-mail details for sonesta here..... thats the one my friend used....

http://www.sonesta.com/SharmResort/index.cfm?fa=contactus.contactus

If its a prioity to have the big double rooms with the excess of £28 be sure to ring portland to change your room request. You can email the hotel and do it with them, but you are taking a chance because thomson and portland guests have the allocation for those rooms and the Russian and Italians also. So its first come first served so to speak. Its not a lot of money and in the hot weather is a great asset as all the rooms are white with thick walls that keep the cool in. In June and even June and August last year we didnt have the AC on that much as the rooms are very airy.

If however, you choose to risk it and are unfortunate not to have the biggest rooms, then the smaller family 4 rooms are ok, but get over hot, the AC vents are mostly waist high above the bed. The family 4 rooms are nearest the reception, where as all the biggest rooms are a good few minutes away. I always stay in room 1105, straight out the door into the pool We class it as the Italian pool but it isnt, but its a great laugh doing areobics with italian animation team (Julie), takes 5 mins to walk to reception.

If also you want to purchase exit seats for your journey around £50 return, ring thomson fly up and book asap, they go quick.

I usually go with thomson/portland. When at the SBR please take my advice, do not listen at the welcome meeting when the rep says to sit together going home you have to pay £7pp, this is rubbish, the airline/airport hasnt changed and normally everyone is sat together. It is another money making racket on behalf of TUI ! We asked at the airport when we departed.

Michelle x
sonesta beach resort queen

Thanks again guy, quite exited about going now! Which is amazing when you think at the begining of the thread I didnt want to go!!

Another success for Holiday Truth!!