Hi Flowerpot,

that sounds really bad, bet you were so panicky that you wouldn't check in on time. We are getting a taxi to the airport so maybe I should order one for three and a half hours before check in.
Guess they don't favour families travelling with kids. We went to Cancum when our daughter was 7 months and the queue there was massive and we were at the end. However, my husband had her on his shoulders and an offical spotted us and took us to the front. Now that was ace.

Bridgy - thats funny with the water, although I am sure I have read someone on here that one water causes tummy upsets and another doesn't I just can't remember where I saw this, does anyone else know so that we can avoid this water. What did your 6 year old drink and what did she think of the kids club / disco if she went?

Nicky

I two have been to Cancun and that is a breeze compared to Sharm.

Funny you should mention the bottled water cause that is all my friend and I drank and we were both quite bad. The doctor has put me on antibiotics today. The two year old just drunk cartons of fruit juice and he was fine.

I will have to try and find out what the water is. Would it be ok if you boiled it first. Guess I really need to find out as we will be using the water for by sons milk.

Did the hotel provide cartons of orange juice?

Nicky

Juice just appeared in the fridge every morning, but think, but not sure that was part of the upgrade to the suite benefit or green bands as I have seen described here. I'm sure if you ask the cleaners, who are very friendly, they would be able to get some for your fridge. We used bottled water for the kettle as well.

Myself and daughter drank the bottled water and were ok.
Some people may be sensitive to the high mineral content of some water!

With regard to the wrist bands, I would not personally upgrade.
We had a std room with red wristbands no complaints,
The branded drinks are only available in the lobby bar and very limited.

We are in a suite also, so hopefully we will have the juice for our daughter. We upgraded for the extra room as generally hotel rooms are a bit of a squeeze with a cot in and extra bed.

I guess then it all boils down to how sensitive your insides are to all the different changes in food and drink you experience on holiday.

I found a site listing all the botteled water in Egypt and one called Bakara seams to have the highest sulphur and sodium content. What was everyone else drinking?

Nicky

I'm not sure which it was, bakara sounds familiar but can't be definite that we drunk that. I still think it odd that the child didn't get ill. I'm not sure if the other nationalities there suffered in the same way as the English as well.

Hi Karen

Good report, my family and I are going eary July, we only had the choice of a standard room, do you know if you can upgrade to a suite and at what cost, where in the hotel do you recommend asking for a room (prior to going) and is the on site dive centre good for learning to dive?
many thanks

Nigel

Hi Flowerpot,

I am sure that I read that the hotel offers two types of bottled water, they generally give out one (possibly the Bakara but I don't know as Ican't find this thread anymore), which causes people to have tummy problems, but if you ask for theother one they will give you as much as you want.

Maybe your child, didn't eat as many different food to you and so wasn't affected if she lived on chips which I know my daughter will do.

Nigel - A post by Kef was on a few pages back with the costs of upgrading, here is his email.

have a nice day from LTI-Grand Azure
Re your kind mail Please note that the upgrading to a junior suite & the
green wrist bands will cost you 25 $ per adult person per night if you want
to upgrade to the green wrist bands only this will cost 15$ per person per
night if you want to upgrad to a junior suite as a room type only this will
cost 10$ per person per night
I hope this help you
Thanks
Ehab Nawar
Reservation Dept.

Ehab is very helpful Nigel so just email him at grandazure@tropicanahotels.com

Have a great holiday

Hi Tracey

My husband and I are also travelling out on the 12th May. We are travelling from Gatwick.

I have read so many reports on this Hotel. Some very bad, Some very good. We changed our dates due to personnal curcumstances, we were due to go last Sept. Had I of read the reports before I booked I would have choosen somewhere else possiblely. But I am really looking forward to going now the time gets nearer.

We will have fun as the holiday is what you make it yourself.

Thank you to everyone who have been and had a great time. Your comments are invaluable to me and others.

Will write a comment when I get back.

Have a good holiday Tracey.

Hi pushkins59

I agree that the hotel did have a lot of poor reports at the beginning of the year but since the hotel has changed hands, it does seem to have improved.

As you say, a holiday is what you make it although I am a little worried about the amount of upset tummies! I have been told that taking a pro-biotic tablet (acidophilus tablets) does help and I intend to purchase some.

I understand that the entertainment isnt the best but I am sure that the Russians and German will provide us with entertainment!

See you at Gatwick

This time next week i shall be there, i am so excited.
Anyone else flying on the Birmingham flight on the 5th May.
It is just me and my mom going for a girly holiday, i hope we feel safe while we are there, but on the whole i cant wait!!

Hi TJ50

EGYPT HERE WE COME.

The acidophilus tablets are suppose to work very well. I did a nutrition and diet course and my tutor recommended them. I do have some some where. I will have the imodium at the ready just in case.

Don't think you can miss us at Gatwick. We will be the ones with the biggest luggage. To cope with every eventuality. Lol Lol.

If I hear the name Tracey during our stay I will ask if you are TJ50.

I'm Diane and my husbands Michael.

We will sit people watching. Seeing which person can be the rudest or who dressess the funniest.

Count down. 14 days to go.

Hi All

Hotrodder - not sure about upgrades but see there is another posting above about upgrading.

Way earlier in this forum (and sometime in March I copied the link) a guy call steve posted a copy of the map layout of the hotel the numbers on the room blocks are used as the first number of the rooms, followed by the floor (1 down stairs) 2 second floor and last two digits the room itself.

We were in 4217 (block 4, level 2, room 17)

Look at the map and see what you want to be near, the lobby bar, the restaurant (dont recommend as the amount of evening people traffic) or the beach.

The outside blocks might get some noise from the building going on either side (not obvious and not continuous - but it is going on)

Personally we were inblock 4 - this gave us a sea view in the middle of the site with no pools or night time bars outside our room. We did have a long walk to reception - but used the phone if I needed them - we did have a long walk to lunch - burnt off a few calories. We had a short walk to the beach which was great. Some evening noise from the Laguna Visa hotel (poor people there must have needed ear plugs if I could hear it) but not regular and not a problem to me.

Werner Lau were EXCELLENT - hubby (master diver) and son 12 (doing open water referral) could not fault it. Email them they are really nice people.

Hope this helps ..................... enjoy

PS Bakara water - is what they gave you in the hotel, we all three suffered different toilet habits to home!! Munched some diacalm every other day it didnt put me off my food it was more "bottom" than stomach. We took acidopholous too, brushed our teeth in bottled water and took anti-bac gel hand wash (hospital stuff) (99p in superdrug) and regularly cleansed our hands.

Too much food, too much alcohol, too much fruit, too much sun I reckon

KAREN

Hi Steve

I have just gone over all your e-mails and found your web site addresses. For any one who has not found Steve's web sites they are brilliant.

A big hug for sharing all your information with us. It is fantastic to have all this information and to feel so happy about going after all the bad reports.

Please can I ask everyone who is going to spare a little time when you come back to write your views on the Hotel as I have benifited no end from the past e-mails.

Many thanks again Steve

Have a could holiday all who are going soon

Might see you there.

Well I am here now, sat in the lobby thought I would get a bit of rest from the sun so here goes.

Anybody that says ANYTHING bad about this hotel is on another planet, it is, without exception, the best hotel I have ever stayed in and believe me I have stayed in 5 star hotels all over the USA and Caribbean/Mexico before now. It is well deserving of its "Grand" title. We only have a standard room but it is gorgeous, plenty of room for clothes and a nicely set out bathroom. They are kept spotlessly clean also.

Not been here long enough to enjoy the delights of all of the restaurants but booking them is no problem at all and am looking forward to the Chinese tonight.

Egyptian men (you don't see many women) absolutely LOVE blonde English women, some can be a bit pervy, even when you are sat with your boyf but they're not threatening at all, they are very friendly people.

Well, I'm back off now to sit by the sea, do a bit of snorkelling - it is a long way out and don't even consider going out without any beach shoes as it's a nightmare to walk on, really really shallow as well - will definitely post again maybe whilst I'm here but maybe when I get back!

Bye for now everyone, hope everybody is looking forward to coming now

hi going in july cant wait. see skully you have kids of a similar age should see you round one of the pools. does any one know where the family rooms are located presume they are different from the junior suites. The pictures look fantastic . tipping the staff, which currency is best uk, usa or egypt pounds or does it not really matter.what did the beduoin tent entail it looks to be quite an experience? looking forward to hearing more from anyone over there. counting the days!

hi kazz ,
i probably will see you at the bar , make mine a large one !
will you be checking the gym out when you are there ?
i fly out on the 30th june for two weeks !
as for the kids , whose bothered about them ??????????

see you soon skully

has anyone been bothered by mosquitos in the evening, i read on someones report they had loads of bites, so just wondered if we needed any repellant as we like sitting outside in the evening