Hi bairn

can't say we had any problems with insect bites but that may be because it was earlier in the season.

Enjoy and don't worry too much .

Hi. Yes we ate solely at Sonesta club on an all inclusive basis. I did not eat the meal on the plane home as i was too unwell. I was very careful what i ate and stuck mainly to chicken rice veg and salads. I steered clear from the fruit although my friend ate more extensively than i did and she did not suffer once. I have phoned doctors this afternoon and full report will be in tomorro so i will keep you all informed. X

Hi nuttarussell

Eating salads even though they are washed in purified water is water so acts as such, which will no doubt give you problems. I hardly ever touch rice unless its boiling hot, as it is notorious for food poisoning. Chicken is good to eat, any white meat is, red meat harbours bugs.

Hope you feel better soon.

Michelle x

bairn57

I have never got bitten at all, but suggest buying the usual sprays and a mossies plug for your room. When you open the hotel room door, keep the light off until it is closed.

I am pleased you have waived the excess on the insurance. What happens is, first sign of cramps or anything else eg, ear ache etc, go to the doctor which is near the pools and near reception. There is usually a guy who will assist you, find out what is wrong. In turn he will ring the doctor if not there (sometimes he is at sonesta club). It does not take him long to get there. He examines you, then tells you whats wrong with the client. He will bring out medicine for you to take. You do not pay him there, it will be added to your hotel bill. When you pay the hotel bill - save all notes and bills, you will need them as proof. Get back home and inform your broker or insurance company. Take photocopies as back up. Our insurance company was very quick, and because we waived the excess, we got all monies back.

If the doctor (which he usually does) wants to visit you again, then if it is the same illness you will not be charged again.....you will only be charged if the illness is different, eg, a gripe in the stomach, then getting for example ear ache.

Please do not buy from chemists, they rip everyone off and you are doing a self diagnosis, at least going to the GP will give you the correct treatment, and it is not expensive. On occasions if you have cramps etc, and loose motions, he may offer an injection in the bottom. It isnt pleasant but it clears up in hours and the rest of the holiday should be fine. All of it will be included in the price.

Mainly it is the heat and AC as i have said in other posts.

Michelle x

we stayed at the sonesta last year and a number of our party were ill, myself included. I dont know if it was food poisoning or not as I was sooooo megga careful about what i ate..and then realised the salad I was eating was probably washed in dirty water....I was ill for a number of days and for at least 2 weeks after my return. Some in our party were ill for even longer..one was referred to a specialist. Some people tucked into owt and didn't get ill at all. I avoided rice, as that is one of the worst offenders. I even ended up avoiding boiled spuds in the end because i bit into one and it was almost raw!

That said, I wouldn't let it put me off going to Egypt and I would stay at the Sonesta again. Like Michelle says, the time of year going may have contributed to being ill. I was there this time last year and the heat was way way more than what I am used to....I have been to Egypt at other times of the year and never been ill at all.

Hope you are feeling better soon..

Having investigated majority of hotels in sharm have water pumps in place with tap water purified, so having ice in your drinks and eating salads is fine and not in dirty water. Unfortunately salads turn to water like melon so can cause discomfort. Hardly anyone in winter months get ill, only summer .

Hi All,

i just back from Sonesta Club a few days ago, i have a great Hoilday there with no problem of food or whatever related but the weather was very very hot to me and to the rest of my family i think it's the real problem for being ill

Hi just back from Sonesta Club ad was worried before i went however we were all fine. We did have the upset stomachs but only for a few days.
Saying that we met people from other hotels who had the bug as well so i do not think it is just Sonesta Club.
However i did get a few serious bites which i had to go to the doctor with he gave me 2 injections in the bottom some tablets and cream i had to go back in the evening to get them checked and back the following night as well just in casethey had not started to clear but they were fine.He charged me 60 euros which i can claim back from my insurance as i waivered the excess. A few folk were not getting he upset stomachs but were being sick and had to also visit the doctor.

I truly believe it is the heat that contributes to being badly. I have been at various other times of the year and never been ill but going this time of year last year i rayt suffered...

Sorry, bairn57 but when you say 'usual stomach upsets' we travel a bit but from what I have read on this thread, would be enough to deter us from visiting.You say it like that is the norm. Why should you expect that. If it was a restaurant back in the UK, would you return or recommend? Who would want to go anywhere where you had to endure 2 days of a 6-7 holiday with an upset tummy or even worse - serious bites? Is it really worth it? How can anyone look forward or enjoy their holiday with that in mind?
As I have said before, my Husband was ill in Spain and I would not wish that on anyone and I would never go anywhere now where we are advised (even on this forum) what to eat or drink. I am sure that somebody will correct me.................

In response, Egypt is a 3rd world country and like other poor countries can be prone to the odd stomach upset. Many do not suffer at all, but for some of us we either get it or not. Yes it is uncomfortable, but if treated with tablets or even better still see a doctor in resort it may last just a day or so. No one gets ill because of Egypt being dirty or anything like that, its mainly the rich foods and the extreme heat in the summer. Most people who are unfortunate get the pharaohs revenge in the summer months, you hardly ever hear of it in the winter as the AC is off, and temps are more average.

I have been to Egypt 7 times, the 8th coming up in November, it will be my 7th time in the Sonesta beach resort. The first time i got food poisoning and E coli 0157 the serious strength on the mini cruise from cyprus to Cairo. I have had numerous injections in my rear end to stop cramps and the runs, and tablets. It only lasted 2 days. My husband got ill in Florida a few years ago with cramps in the intense August heat, and i get the cramps in other countries as well, not just Egypt.

You may find on here that we go with the flow, the excitement at going to such a lovely country out weighs any thoughts of illness, we just deal with it should it happen. It certainly hasn't put me off, although i do admit to switching to the winter (85f) and practicing what i have learnt with my experience.

I too have been to various bits of Egypt for scuba diving holidays...i have only suffered with ill health once. That was at the Sonesta and I attributed it to the time of year I went..at the end of June beginning of July when the heat was unbearable. I have been usually in October, November and December and never had a problem in the cooler weather. Egypt is still a 3rd world country whatever time of year you travel and generally has the same hygiene standards wherever you travel. Generally, I am the type of person that if there is a dose of pharoahs revenge or delhi belly...I get it.

if you based your choice of holiday destination on whether you might get ill, or might get bit, or might get too hot, or might get too sweaty, or might get sunburnt or might get a whole host of other things..you would never go anywhere.

If you have been really ill, then that experience would make you re-think. I am not talking about pharoahs revenge or delhi belly, that is bad enough if you have it for most of your holiday. How did you manage to scuba dive with it?
When I say really ill, I mean that you cannot leave your room so forget about being bitten, the heat, sweaty or sunburn because all you can do is hope that you will not be taken to hospital or be so ill, you cannot travel home.
You are one of the lucky ones. I hope it never happens to you.

Chill...

I said I had suffered from it on one occasion..and that was when I went in June/July. On all other occasions I have been to Egypt I have been fine...and no you can't scuba dive with it..although people have been known to be daft enough to try. I have been fortunate..but equally, I would dismiss a day of spewing as unfortunate and move on. I would class getting a bend as serious...someone in our dive squad got a bend on the last holiday and she was lucky to survive...I am sure she would have happily swapped that for a day of spewing. I am not going to belittle anyones experiences of ill health..I don't wish ill health on anyone on any holiday but I know the risks I take when I go to Egypt or any other country..and one of the risks is getting ill. Illness could happen anywhere in the world and if I based my holiday decisions on whether or not I might get ill..then I would never go anywhere.
As with any country, if you are sensible, then you lower the risks of contracting illness..but you can never completely eradicate them.

Deli belly is why sometimes people stay in their room because maybe they do not realise that they can get help from the doctor in resort or a chemist, and it is their first visit to Egypt. I haven't ever been sick, but last june in my party my husband was for one night, but still went quad biking the next day. My daughter, Mum and friend all suffered with the cramps. As a quite experienced traveller to Sharm i for warned them of certain things that trigger it off. But hey ho, no one listened and as i predicted by day 2-3 experienced everything we did on our first visit. My daughter was a pain the neck as sometimes teenagers are she wouldnt listen or take the medication), i warned about the AC, eating fruit and not over doing the food. The summer months are rife with illnesses because it is too hot. Visitors have the AC on all the time, its recycled and riddled with germs. This is the main common factor of cramps, it contracts the stomach. In my daughters case she had one injection and refused another, therefore suffered. My mum was ill and Ian was throwing up for several days of the holiday, again AC on all night. But they had to have it on as the room was so hot.

The doctor said to us that in the winter months hardly anyone comes to them with deli belly or other related illnesses, its cooler and the AC doesn't have to be on, plus the food hasn't stood so long in the heat.

A few years ago i was ill for 2 weeks in florida with strep A caused by AC on the Virgin Plane, it felt like flu all 2 weeks. It can happen anywhere, tenerife was bad for my mum, she got food poisoning and didn't g out of her room for 10 days.

We emphasize perhaps deli belly on here to help fellow travellers take the necessary precautions from all of our experience. That is why now i have found going in November a perfect time to go, 85 in the day, and 18c (66f) at night.

SomersetSuzie
It does not matter where i go i get bitten my niece got married in the church 5 minutes from our door and i got bit and had to go to the hospital. As for the stomach bug my husband gets upset stomachs where ever he goes yes 4 out of the 5 of us got the bug in Egypt it but not enough to ruin our holiday. In fact i loved Egypt and would go back but as has been stated before i would go in the winter as i found it to hot not in the day time as i was just relaxing by the pool but walking about at night. But in all honesty you can get ill anywhere in the world but it would not stop me going on holiday.

I have just arrived back from Sonesta Club at 0630am today! We had a great holiday, the staff were excellent and the hotel grounds are fantastic. The food is serving a wide range of international guests, and being an ex rep it was very similar to most holiday hotels that I have worked in. Unfortunatley we did suffer from stomach cramps and the runs which started half way through our holiday, and is yet to clear up, I have suffered food poisoning before and what I have isn't in the same league! It was fairly obvious that the majority of other people on our flight home did suffer from the same condition, so it's more than likely related to the environment (weather, water etc) than a fault of the hotel. The Thomas Cook resort guide mentions upset stomachs and the rep covers it during the welcome meeting, there is some good common sense preventative measures which will reduce the chances or if it happens visit the Dr or chemist - don't just put up with it like we did otherwise there is potential to ruin your holiday!! I think I was too ambious trying food (that if I thought about it) I knew wouldn't agree with me!