Has anybody on HT stayed here recently ? It used to be quite a popular hotel on this forum and I am sure we had a large thread at one time although I suppose the info would be out of date now. I guess the Coral Sea and Holiday Village have taken over a bit.

Would it be OK for a week's winter break March/April time ? I'm sure we drove by it on the way back to the airport last time when doing pick-ups on the way to the airport.

My main concerns are is the AI food OK - not expecting gourmet - but would like good hygenie ? Is there at least one heated pool ? Is their a good spread of nationalities?

Is there a choice of room types, I can't make head nor tail of the Thomas Cook site. Would probably want two twins as we are 4, including two teens.

Thanks to anyone who replies.

Doe

Sorry cant help chris but Pam (keepupwith) has just booked. .I'm sure she would of done plenty of research herself

Thanks Lyn. Hopefully she will see this, I wonder who she booked with. I have a Thomas Cook brochure and it looks nice, but needless to say while I have been dithering it has gone up £150. Its really big 800 + rooms not sure if that is good or bad, I was wondering if the restaurants would be manic with those amounts of guests. I need to check if TC are on quidco to see if I can claw some back. It does seems a long way from Namma Bay to me -23 kms - but shouldn't be a problem as there appears to be so much more at Nabq now.

Another possibility is the Laguna Vista resort, I know even less about this one though, but it also looks nice in brochure, and is up the same end as well.

Hi Doe

We booked with First Choice, but Thomson and Olympic also do it. We are a family of four, girls will be 10 and 13 , so we have been able to book a family room,which has a separate twin bedroom. The brochure says that it will take four adults but they now say on booking that one person has to be under twelve, so that might not be any good for you if both yours are teens.

I'm pretty sure it has a heated pool and the reviews are good considering how mixed the hotel reviews for Egypt can be generally. People always complain about food, but I think on the whole the comments were good. There seemed to be a lot of people coming home and booking straight away again to go back which is always a good sign. The First Choice brochure has it as a Premier Families/Gold Choice hotel, so I'm hoping it will be good.

As you say Nabq seems to have become 'more developed' and from what I can tell there is a fair amount to walk around outside of the hotel. From what I have read of Naama bay we may avoid that if the resort itself is OK for a wander in the evenings.

It does look lovely so I hope we've made the right choice.

Pam

Hi Pam

I am sure you will have a lovely time. Have you been before ? Sharm is a great place for a chilled out holiday. I've been twice before, but stayed in another part of the resort. It's a big decision where to go on holiday and as I am the one that does the booking I feel responsible for making sure I get it right. It does look a nice hotel from all the pictures in the brochures, and I am sure your girls will love all the pools and the slides. As you say the reviews for hotels in Egypt are always very mixed. I think I am wearing my indecisive hat at the moment. Might go and have a look at the Olympic site as that was one I hadn't considered. I was getting a better price from Thomas Cook than I was from FC for the Tropicana, but probably because I was booking two rooms. I don't think a family room would be any good for us as mine are a bit older. (16 & 14)

I think I was spoilt when I went to the Renaissance Golden View last time, I booked 2 twins, but they gave me a twin family room complete with seperate lounge, plus a king sized room for me and DH. We ended up with three rooms all interconnecting, three TV's, huge kitchen (never used it) three terraces, it was Fab lol. But it was BnB and fancy AI this time for convenience.

Doe

Hi Doe

Gosh, it sounds wonderful- all that room, how fantastic!! We've never been to Egypt before, but it was a good bet, firstly for the hotels and AI, and secondly because my husband and eldest are desperate to do their PADI open water course.

We always seem to do AI and to be honest I quite fancied a change this year and thought about going S/C but in the eurozone it's just a no go. I think it would have ended up costing us as much if not more than the 5* AI in Egypt.

Like you I'm the holiday organiser and looked long and hard before settling on the Grand Azure and gauging everyone elses opinion. Unfortunately school holiday prices are so steep that I get really picky about what I'll book, just nervous really about spending a lot of money only to get it wrong!!

We found F/C to be best on price, about £400 cheaper than thomson and cheaper than DIY, but as you say it will depend on what you are booking. The Park Inn Resort, does interconnecting rooms, it's a f/c splash resort if yours are into slides.

Good luck deciding. It took me weeks!!

Pam

Hi Doe,The Grand Azure is next door to the Holiday village and has a very very long jetty.On the other side of the HV is the Laguna Vista which has a very loud disco on the beach until the early hours.Over the main road is a new part of the Laguna Vista.
Look on Google earth as the images are very clear and you cant miss the GAs long jetty!
The whole area is very nice and I felt we didnt get pestered as much as in Naama Bay.
I fancied going in March but the prices have gone up about 50% so its back to Turkey for me.

On the other side of the HV is the Laguna Vista which has a very loud disco on the beach until the early hours

.

Dont tell me that Jean . My boys would love that .

I'm really liking the sound of that end of sharm now

It belongs to the Laguna but is very near the HV on the beach,it is open air.We were in the nearest block to it and to be honest Lyn once we had our door closed we couldnt hear a thing.Then again my husbands snores drowned the music out.
Lots of guests from the HV used it and I think they had to pay a small entry charge.

Thanks Jean

I'm so computer illiterate I can never get on with google earth I dont understand how to put in the co-ordinates properly.

I've got to stop reading reviews on TA as they are all putting me off. I started to fancy the Laguna Vista, when I realised the Tropicana had increased in price, but that seems to have dreadful reviews. I really liked the look of the new bit but couldn't work out how to get a price for it. All the prices that came up for the original hotel. Perhaps it's not offered to the Brits.

I agree with you about the prices what on earth has happened to them a week at easter is nearly as much as a fortnight in the summer.

I think you did well going to the holiday village when you did as you got it at such a great deal.

Doe,If I had waited just one week after booking the HV I would have got 2 weeks for £365! A swim up room for £411.
I think they have stopped reducing the prices so much for late deals as it attracts the "wrong" type of holiday maker!The words of one of the staff at the HV,not mine.
I have just read about the folk on the Ventura at Christmas causing havoc after getting a cheap deal.
The Grand Azure has a new part over the main road and is usually offered at better prices than the main GA.
I have seen it with Late deals.com

Hi Jean
I've managed to get a price for the new part of the Laguna Vista, which I assume is across the road from the main hotel. Did it look like it would be quieter than the older bit ? Don't think I could cope with disco music into the small hours too old LOL

Didnt know there was another part of the Tropicana Grand Azure on the other side of the road, has it got the same name ? sounds like there has been loads of new building at that end of Sharm.

Doe

Its Called Tropicana Azure club hotel and is over the road from the Grand Azure.It looks lovely and I think as it is smaller it will be quieter.I presume you can use the Grand Azure apart from meals.
If you click on the Tropicana website,all the hotels are there.I did fancy the Tropicana Jasmine a while ago but it has bad reviews and is nearer Naama bay.
I have heard we are going to have the 5th hottest summer on record so will be giving Sharm a miss until November/December.

I have heard we are going to have the 5th hottest summer on record

I still have my wellies and brolly ready.

Chris, have you looked on Thomson hotels for the Tropicana? When I looked they were allocating a family junior suite for us. I then added a flight so it was a Thomson plus holiday. It was quite a good price but I wasn't looking for Easter.

Hi Lesley

Ive been looking on Thomas Cook, as they seemed to be getting me a better price. I was going for two twins rather than a family with them, as they didnt seem to have family rooms.

I did realise when I was looking last night that they were giving me two prices for the idential holiday. When I studied it properly, it looked like the cheaper one was with Direct Holiday which makes sense, so I need to investigate further.

I just need to make sure if I want to go and if this is definatly the hotel for us. I am worried about the 800 rooms if they all take 4 that could be 3,200 people on site and sounds a bit large for us.

Ive also been looking at the new part of it across the road which is newer and smaller but the reviews are dodgy.

Begining to wonder if I should leave it till October half-term.

I will go and have another look at Thomson.


Edit. Just tried two twins were less expensive than one family room. Might be something to do with the child ages.

Tropicana Club Azure was an even better price, by about 200

Just realised I did the T. Grand Azure as a package Lesley and I can see you meant a non-package. With the package it definatley won't let a child of 12 or over in the 4th bed, but perhaps on the non-package it will.

Think you are right Chris. Went further with the booking and even the family junior suite said the 4th bed was only suitable for under 12's.

Did notice on the Thomson 'build your own' it wasn't charging any extra for a double family room at the SBR.