also. can anyone egive me advice on the sunrise makadi bay hotel.

does it have safe&fridge in all rooms.

is it showers or baths?

any recommendations??? or advice...

There are no agents in britain for the Red sea hotel group at the moment although they are apparently trying to negotiate for one.

For info about the Royal Makadi Sunrise follow the link below

http://www.sunrisehotels-egypt.com/Section_Hotel_Home.aspx?HotelID=51&LanguageID=1

regards

Stew

Guess what I received in the post today?

My holiday has been cancelled and we've been moved to the Sunrise, from a junior suite tointer connecting rooms, no good as we have a 3 year old and remember Maddie?!

I am bloody furious and the Mrs is in tears.

I have spent the last 3/34 hours between on hold and I am unable to help you sir please call this number, no-one is helping.

I have just sent this to BBC Watchdog:

Hello
I booked two weeks at the Royal Sunrise Makadi Palace (Summer 2008 brochure page 236) commencing 01/08/08 with Airtours via their website and paid the deposit.

On 01/03/08 I was looking up the hotel on the website http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk and found the following thread:
http://holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=110019

The premise of the thread is that the Airtours group have stopped using the Red Sea group of hotels and that holidays were being cancelled or offered alternative accomodation once in resort.
This obviously concerned me as my family and I had agreed on this resort as we loved the look of it and that we could have a junior suite as I have two children one 11 and one three.
I posted on this thread using the pseudonym big-si, airing my concerns.

In the interim period I have spoken to Airtours on a number of occasions, most recently 19/04/08 each time airing my concerns that we were to be changed and if so to allow us to make contingency plans. Each time I was reassured that our booking stood and we would be stopping at the resort we have booked.

I received an invoice dated 19/04/08 stating the Makadi Palace as our holiday resort.

Today (01/05/08) I have received a letter from Airtours stating that they have cancelled our holiday and moved us to alternative accomodation.

I have now spent 3 and three quarter hours on hold and no-one will deal with me, I just get given a different number and told to speak to them.

Please please help us

Big-Si

on behalf of the Big-Si family

BA**ARDS

I am so sorry big-si,
They obviously dont know what they are doing at Thomas cook!!! Guess what I got in the post today? The same letter dont know if they can remember they changed our holiday a couple of months ago and even gave us it a little cheaper,Though I have to say on todays letter there is no mention of prices, They did however send an updated invoice which says we are booked into a family suite,the latest says two connecting rooms.
God only knows where we will be.
Mel,

Thanks

am gutted, we were really looking forward to this holiday especially as I'm on leave for my Birthday 1st time all the family would be together for it and Daddy's not away working.

I have spoken to a guy at Airtours called ***** today after nearly FOUR HOURS who was very considerate, took my number and called me back as promised within 10 minutes.

I am hoping to hear within the next week as to what happens next.

My worry is that we had a Junior suite and now have been given inter connecting rooms and with an adventurous three year old and the thoughts of Maddie McCann Mrs Big-Si and I don't feel safe with the little one in another room (despite big 12 year old sister in the same room who would sleep through a stampede)

I just don't know where we can get the same quality accommodation, facilities, seats together on a plane at a similar price at this time of the year.

Maybe of Thomas Cook Group had a little more consideration for families (majority customer) I wouldn't be gutted and the Mrs could stop crying.

Oh and do I'd like to see Thomas Cook explain this to the kids
Edited

PS

****** who is very very helpful can be contacted on 08716647940 for Airtours customers

hi
med hotels are using makardi palace, we dropped people off there on our way to aladdin beach a couple of weeks ago.
We flew Thomas Cooke and it was fine, we didnt book seats sitting together, got to the airport two hours before flight and were sat together both ways.
lotty

Hi Lotty, couldn't find it on their website, can you confirm the web url please?

big-si

Have tried alternative routes to book but proved far too expensive. Even the quote I got from Makadi Palace just for the accomodation was far more than the total package cost from My Travel. I think you'll find its a no go I'm afraid

Six weeks ago I contacted Thomas Cook central operations who admitted that they would not be sending gueststo the Makadi Palace but also stated that [u]family rooms were not available at the Royal Makadi Sunrise ( which I might add is not a 5* hotel). It is only listed as a 4* on thier web site for next year. So in other words if your transfered to the Royal Makadi Sunrise Its a down grade!!! but will you get compensation?

Judging from my experience of TC probably not.

As they have no other 5* hotels I opted for a full refund which I still havent recieved after 6 weeks despite several the promises of the chq is in the post.

It is disgraceful the way Thomas Cook are treating customers

I too have contacted Watchdog

I think the message is, if you want the holiday you have booked and paid for, look at other tour companies that are not part of Thomas Cook group

Hi all,
Just rang T.C about recent letter, and have now been told we do not have a family room booked at all even though they gave us one and sent an updated invoice,The recent letter says we now have interconnecting rooms which would be fine,only to be told today that the hotel does NOT have any of these rooms at all and we will have to have X2 twin rooms with no guarentee they will be together!!!
The girl was very nice and like big si she is ringing back Wed.
Any advise welcome.
Mel.

hi all, i have been reading all of these posts with much dissapointment for you all. i am in the same position and would like some advice. here is my tale of woe.

around a month ago i recieved a letter from TC stating that we have changed hotels to sunrise royal makadi from makadi palace, either that or we can accept a full refund. i have phoned operations on numerous occasions and also a 01274 etc number to no avail.

basically, there are 10 of us going to hurghada and we have 4 seperate bookings. this is because we were told when booking that it would be cheaper to book seperately, ideally 2 in 3 rooms and 4 in the fourth. when i initially booked, sept 07, i was advised to add my 14 yr daughter onto my mums booking becasue it would be cheaper still, maybe by 50quid, i can't remember, boy am i regretting that? this was ok initially in the royal,as the room accomodated 4 anyway so my daughter would've just lived in ours and nothing would have changed, however, now we have agreed to go to the sunrise it is causing us all sorts of problems.

i have tried to get a family room/or suite because we have accepted the transfer, (i can't do any other really becasue i will let the rest of my family down if i decide to change or get refund and that is the idea to all go away together, also my daughter is now booked onto my mums so SHE would have to cancel if i did), they are saying that all of the rooms and suites have been taken so i asked for an extra room. but becasue my son is going on a free child place they said even if the room was avaliable they would not be able to offer it to me becasue he hasnt paid.

i then asked what they could offer as a gesture of goodwill and they, after dissapearing for 15mins, came back with a big fat NOTHING.
i have since read posting on sites, not sure if it was here, ive read that many, saying that part refunds have been given, eg, the difference between the cost of a suite and normal room. how can they offer that for some and not others, (my appologies if it was posted here, im not getting at you, im getting at TC for thier fluctuating standards)

since i have spent all day searching for 'back up' from sites like these, i am going to phone operations again on tue, at 9 exactly lol, and ask why the standards vary.
does anyone have any advice to add, maybe that will help my argument.

i have also been in touch with watch dog, but have not heard as yet. has anyone heard back from them? i would be interested in what they say.

thanks for listening to me rabble on, but as one guy, i think wayne, said it has caused many tears.

regards tara (aka KIM)

When TC eventually admited that my holiday at the Makadi Palace was no longer available I asked for a family room at the Royal Makadi Sunrise. We are a family of four I had a free child place plus one child price.
TC had the nerve to ask us for an additional £1200 as we would have to have two rooms at the full adult price as family rooms were not available.

It might be a problem of their making but their certainly determined to make their customers pay for it.

No surprises I took the full refund option and as you will see from my previous posting 6 weeks later TC still have my money all I have are excuses.

Tara stick to your guns tell them exactly what you want and inform TC youve contacted watchdog because that seemed to get their attention. When I E-mailed this little gem, I got a call back within 24 hrs from TC making promises, pity they didnt keep them!!!!

This is the E-mailaddress I used Service.Centre@thomascook.com and if you put on a return receipt you will know exactly when TC read the E-mail

thanks leapy, i will send them an email now using that address and i will also still phone them tues morn, i will persue them until they surrender lol. regards Tara.

back in jan08 i was having the exact same problems, i knew the contract was going to end and that i probably wouldnt end up at makadi palace.i rang operations to see if they could tell me anything, i got nowhere fast, i thought we would get sent to sunrise royal makadi and enquired wether we could switch to that hotel (we are family of 4 travelling in feb half term) i was told that no family rooms were available.this pushed me over the edge as i wondered where we would end upand i canx with a full refund. i then rebooked for hurghada with thomas cook ( my original was direct holidays) for sunrise mamlouk palace and we had a very large family room it was fab.perhaps you could see which other hotels are available.obviously if you def want to go to makadi bay this will be a problem ,but if you are willing to go to hurghada generally there are other good hotels.if i had waited i think my holiday to makadi palace would have gone ahead as the contract only ended in april, but i like to know exactly where i stand and i needed to know for sure that i had a holiday that i had chosen. hope all goes well for everyone still having hassle.

Hi all, have given up have e-mailed TC to say cancel the holiday and give me the refund we've bookedto go to Tunisia instead.

This is the last time I use TC

It's such a shame to read all these about the Red Sea Hotels. I worked for MyTravel when this happened...contract lost when we merged with Thomas Cook. My holiday to Ghazala Gardens was changed to the Sonesta Beach. They honoured W07/08 bookings and all S08 bookings were affected.

If anyone wants to go to the Red Sea Hotels, you can go with Flyglobespan, they have the contract now. They only fly from a couple of UK airports though! Prices are pretty good though. Hoping to go to Hurghada or Makadi Bay in one of these hotels next year.

Hi all,
I can tell you all I have been treat like **** I have had 1 hotel change and 3 room changes and I will not give in like other people have, At presant T.C say (when I ring them and however I must say I have a VERY fast line to them now ) they are still looking into our holiday but I have also done my home work and have decided to go through ABTA and use there Arbitration service , Have rang again tonight with again no answer!!!!
Mel

Still haven't got my refund, they also cocked up the booking for Tunisia so have cancelled that with a refund again yet to receive it and we are now going to Kenya

We should have been going to the Makadi Palace & have booked 3 junior suites. We have been advised we are now in the Sunrise Royal Makadi in twin rooms which are not exactly suitable for our party but we have decided to go anyway. We are due to fly out next Friday morning and have still not received any tickets or our travel insurance documentation!!! I have been given a number to chase tickets but it is an incorrect number. We are now extremely upset and worried.