Hi I stayed at Sunrise Mamlouk Palace 30th June - 10th July 2009 which is the sister hotel next door which you can use. Both hotels are really nice they are lovely and clean and the beach area although man made is lovely. You can use all restaurants in either hotel and I would recommend you try the mexican in the Mamlouk it is beautiful. The food in the buffet on an evening wasnt very good I lived on boiled pasta and bread when we went in there. Stick to the a la cartes as you can use them however many times you like. The only bug bear was booking in for them the day before you wanted to go. To book the asian(nice and overlooks the sea as it is built on the beach in Mamlouk area) and the mexican (brilliant) you have to be at the mexican restaurant located in Mamlouk for 1pm you get a ticket from the staff so there is no pushin in and then you are called in order and you can book. I think you booked the oriental and italian down by the beach but we didnt try them so cant be sure. My friends that we met ate at the oriental and they were really ill with stomach upsets this could be to do with the heat though as it is very hot. Another tip is take some cheap old Kaolin and Morphine ( buy it in any chemist) with you I took it with me and it out did any of the other remedies taken by lots of other people. I know it tastes awful but believe me it works better than anything else you can buy. Hurghada at the minute is like a building site but I expect when it is finished it will be lovely. The egyptian people are extremely nice towards you they cannot do enough for you and if you struggle for a sunbed just ask one of the poolside workers and they will find one for you. We went out one day at 11.00am and there was not 1 sunbed left as our foreign friends had already had them reserved from 5.00am and never been on them. My husband asked one of the workers if there were any available to which he replied "one minute Sir" he came back 5 minutes later with 2 sunbeds for us as he would just remove the towels from the reserved sunbeds. We gave him 3 egyptian pounds as that was the only small notes we had left and he was over the moon he found us beds everyday after that.As for diving we never did any but there is a dive centre on the beach where you can book. There are trips going to a small island that you can see in the distance and they do diving over there.There are 2 jettys around Mamlouk and Garden beach with dive centres on both so you should be sorted out by them. I have heared some say they can book diving in Hurghada privately but I cannot comment as never did it.If you smoke try the Keralia cigarettes as they work out at about £3.50 for 200 and they are just like english ones.Buy them at the airport.They never ask for boarding cards or anything you could buy as much as you liked and no questions were ever asked. Anyway hope you have a great time and if you need to ask any other questions please ask. OH p.s Take loads of sun cream as we ran out and they charged us £14 for a bottle that would be £4-5 in the UK. Enjoy yourself when you go

Thanks for the information. We are booked for the Sunrise Mamlouk so that was really helpful. We go the end of November so shouldn't be too hot.

Hi I have just returned from staying at the Sunrise Garden Beach Hotel with my two daughters aged 16 and 4. This was a our first trip to Egypt and we had a great time. The food was good although sometimes could not always find something we all liked. The rooms were kept spotless and the cleaner was lovely. Locals are lovely, they will try and tempt you into their shops but if you are not interested in buying then a firm polite no and it worked for us. In one of the shops the man gave my younger daughter a camel (cuddly toy) free and me and my older daugther smoked some shishar (not sure of spelling).

There were not many British there but we had no problems with any other nationalities.

We did not do any diving so cannot comment but there is a guy on the beach called Sam who sells trips out on the boats where they take you to Maymaha and you can do some diving which I have been told is well worth doing.

A lovely guy called Mina down by the Beach bar who does Henna tattos, my two daughters had them done. If you see him say Sue, Sofia and Olivia said hello.

I hope you have a great holiday (wish I was coming). Look forward to hearing how it went

Sue

We went to the Sunrise Garden Beach in July it was very very good I could not say a bad word about it ....we also went in and out of the Sunrise Mamlouk palace the sister hotel we had such a good time in both hotels we have booked to go to the Mamlouk palace next july I think this post tells you all you need to know its great colleen

Colleen, thanks for the info. Am feeling a bit more positive now. First time to Egypt for us so was a bit unsure especially when I read a lot of people get upset tummies! Was the food o.k? Also do you think we can tip in u.s dollars at the hotel or is it better to get some Egyptian pounds when we arrive? Thanks in advance

Minione there was a cash point in the hotel so we just took out what we needed in Egyptian pounds to tell you the truth we did not go through a lot of money there ...
when we gave tips we gave the staff 10 or 20 Egyptian pounds thats a pound and £2 that is more than enough to tip them ..
The food was fine we found you could always find something to eat breakfast is very good there is a lady making pancakes a fellow making omelets or he will fry eggs for you if you want them ..
The only thing we did not like Minione was on the night they had the meal outside the food got cold as you had to wait to get things like (chips salad + bread )So when we go back in july we will make sure to book one of the many restaurants the night they do the outside meal ...
the hotel had a snooker room ...shops ....a disco ...a bank ...big water slides ...everything you need you will love it .........colleen

Colleen, thank you so much for the quick reply. i am looking forward to it now thanks to your positive comments. 10 weeks on Friday! We are going for my husbands birthday, first time away just the two of us as youngest is off to uni in October. Think we will avoid the outside meal then and book one of the other restaurants. Which would you recommend for a birthday meal, or would we be better going to eat somewhere other than the hotel for his birthday?

NO minione have a nice rosemantic romantic meal in one of the restaurants What kind of food do you like there is about 4 or 5 nice ones you can choose from (rest).....
If you go on to you tube and type in the Mamlouk palace hotel you will see what its like because you and hubby can use that hotel too as well as the one your going too you could also have a nice meal in that hotel on your hubbys birthday ....

We are actually staying in the Mamlouk. We like any food really, chinese,indian,mexican, which would you say has the best atmosphere? Did you have any problems booking these restaurants? I am hoping we can try all of them in November, thinking maybe hotel will be quieter Looking forward to some sun at the very least! Thanks again for your quick reply.

Hi - We are leaving on 18 December for our third visit to Sunrise Garden Beach. Myself, my husband and our two children love it - it is the easiest holiday I have ever had. We get thoroughly looked after by members of staff ( we have had the same four sunbeds for the last two years!!!) and cannot fault the hotel in any way. Some people will of course but depends on what makes a holiday good for you. Hurghada is split into all different sections - marina, new town, old town. Lots of building work around as you would expect but also buzzing town - bars restaurants shops etc. We have been to Sharm but prefer Hurghada.

hopefully you will like it and have a reat time.

Hi,
most of the travellers who are visiting Hurghada want to discover that amazing underwater life what the Red Sea can offer. This is one of the most beautiful divingplace in the world. Once you are here do not miss the chance to see it for yourself. You can do it from the surface with a mask and the pipe (snorkel) or u can `dive into the spectacle`. Don`t worry you dont need any previous knowledge or licence for diving, because during the time you spend under the water your company is a certified diver who controlls everything. Your job is only to enjoy the view of a thousand-colored fishes and corals....
This is usually an all day program (9-16) with 2 dives and a lunch on the boat.
The team, the divers and the staff on the boat are very friendly, the atmosphere relaxed because there is no crowd on the boat.
If you book your trip by your travel agent in the hotel you have to pay a lot more than to book privately. We offer snorkeling for $15 and diving for $35.
If you need more info about the program or discount for multiple booking, do not hesitate to contact me!!
Adrienn

Hi - just saw minione that you are looking or a restaurant for a birthday. If you and your husbanmd like fresh fish then go to Star Fish in Sekkala (not spelt right sorry). Top restaurant we go every year. You go in and choose your fish from the counter - also do calamari and king prawns. It is really nice.

Thanks for that info, I love fish but unfortunately my husband doesn't. If you know of anywhere else please let me know. Alternatively, do you recommend any of the a la cartes at the Mamlouk? Thanks.

Hi - we didn't try Mamlouk - that will be something new for us to do this year. But all the Garden Beach restaurants are really nice and you can use them. Also we find tipping goes a long way - we tip the man by the pool and our beds are always ready for us, the man in the restaurant - always gets us a table even when its full. They will look after you and it makes your holiday so much easier and enjoyable.

Is there any where in particular to request a room for its just me and hubby would like a quiet room away from entertainment but not miles away from everything ...anymore tips etc for staying here many thanks