Just returned from our 3rd trip to the Holiday Village - and still love it and want to go back next year!

The whole place is spotless, the staff work incredibly hard and are constantly cleaning everywhere, tending to the gardens (which are really lovely) - I cannot believe some of the reviews which say the hotel is dirty - it is completely and utterly pristine.

We had a junior suite and the cleaner kept it fantastically clean. A bulb was out in the bathroom when we arrived - went to reception to report it after dinner and by the time we walked back to the room, the repair man was waiting at the door to change the bulb! Public areas, including toilets, are kept incredibly clean (despite some of the filthy people using them) - report something and it is fixed immediately. The public toilets are cleaned regularly, not just once a day.

Food is great - absolutely tons of choice, if you want to be a bit adventurous you can, if you want simple food well prepared you'll find that too. Breakfast - mountains of choice, freshly cooked eggs and omelets, cooked, continental, pastries (to die for) etc.. Lunch - similar great choice, pool side different every day with chips, salad, etc. Dinner - themed evenings, freshly cooked pizza for the kids, pasta bar, hot choices, salad bar, lovely dessert counter (about 20 deserts to choose from - cocktails if you arrive early! Pastries and buns for afternoon tea - I could go on forever (and ate far too much again!).

Pools - lovely. Yes you have to get up very early to get a pick of the sun beds - but I have traveled to loads of places and it's no different here. Yes there was a problem with some idiot or idiots poohing in the main pool every day for about 8 days - the hotel did what they could and eventually identified the culprit and evicted them. The hotel senior management were on site and doing everything they could - difficult to check every person! In terms of cleanliness they were efficient in cleaning the pool as soon as it happened. Quite how anyone could do this for some sort of kick is way beyond me, hope they are banned from every hotel forever. The pool is cleaned every day at about 5.00am (couldn't sleep so went down a couple of times).

Kids clubs great, frequent, loads of things to do. My daughter did Razamataz and absolutely loved it (£35 for three days - money very well spent!). The shows in the amphitheater are of course cheesy but it's a holiday - chill and have a laugh (we're still doing the Court of King Caractacus now!).

Staff - so friendly and helpful - special mention to Mustafa the pool attendant - lovely guy. Bar staff great, really friendly and helpful. Will bring drinks to you at poolside if you're polite - the occasional tip is nice too, they deserve it but do not expect it.

Beach is lovely but very hot - and the snorkeling off the jetty - beyond fantastic. Saw more this year than in previous years - not sure why. Just breathtaking to swim amongst the beautiful fish in crystal clear water.

My wife and daughter had slight tummy upsets but nothing serious - I do not believe it's due to a lack of cleanliness or hygiene more to do with dehydration, different food and swallowing pool water! To read some of the reviews on here you would think that they were bringing out the dead on a regular basis - not true!!!

I could go on and on, this probably sounds like an advert or written by First Choice but it's not - we simply love the place and have had a great holiday three years in a row. We have traveled quite a lot and seen varying standards (and have high standards given that we pay a lot of money for a holiday) but this place really ticks all the boxes - I cannot believe some of the reviews on here that say this place is dirty or lacking in facilities or choice of food - it feels like they're writing about a different place! Someone actually complained that the grouting in their bathroom was poor.. Get a life!

We also met lots of families that we have seen in previous years - a good recommendation if people return regularly. Really want to go back in 2011, had a great time. Take some of the reviews on here with a pinch of salt!

This was the best family holiday we've ever had - it's a fantastic hotel with something for everyone.

We were in block 10, which overlooks the quiet pool and is right next to the main building which houses the Reception area, main bars, shops, main restaurant, indoor entertainment room and clinic.

We had a standard family room for 4 which was huge with an enormous patio. We had a triple bed plus 2 singles. There was also a walk-in wardrobe/dressing room. The bathroom was huge too but only had a shower not a bath. There's a hairdryer, TV and mini-bar. We asked the cleaner (Mohammed) to empty the bar on the first morning so we could use the fridge for water. Mohammed was amazing, working 12 hour shifts 30 days on, 10 days off. Every other day he made us a sculpture out of towels or bedclothes, including a swan, flower and crocodile. He was always polite and very helpful. A couple of 100 EGP tips probably helped!

The hotel was spotless with cleaners and gardeners working long into the night. There are over 300 Egyptian staff living on site and they are all extremely hardworking and very friendly. We were there during Ramadan, and they weren't allowed to eat or drink between 4.40 am and 6.20 pm. I don't know how they survive working 12 hour shifts in temperatures in the 40s and 50s.

The food in the main restaurant was ok (breakfast was best), and dinner time was a bit of a scrum, but we were there in the first 2 weeks of August. The food was always hot and fresh, and they even served roast beef with Yorkshire pud! The 3 A la Carte restaurants were excellent, the Indian being our favourite. We didn't try the beach restaurant but were told that this was better than all the rest.

Location wasn't bad, but you will get hassled the minute you walk out of the hotel. All the locals want you to go into their shops. Just be polite and say 'no thanks'. There are banks, a McDonalds, a KFC, a Burger King, a TGI Friday and a 24/7 supermarket within 5 minutes’ walk. The pharmacy at the hotel entrance was very good, and they sorted out my 11 year old son's dodgy stomach within 2 days.

The beach is a bit of a let-down, but the snorkelling off the jetty makes up for that. It's best to go out to where the water changes colour and the floor drops away. It's like Finding Nemo!

The entertainments team worked tirelessly although some of their productions were better than others. The amphitheatre wasn't very comfortable, but the kids loved it. The daytime stuff for kids was great, and ours tried the zip wire, high ropes, canoeing, hamster ball, movie night, chocolate party, the list goes on. Special thanks to Jake who made friends with my youngest.

The main pool was the cause of a lot of complaints from other guests. The 'poo in the pool brigade' were at it big time. The pool was closed 8 times during our stay, and the staff were convinced it was malicious. They had their eyes on 3 groups of people, but they hadn't caught them in the act by the time we left.

The other issue was sunbeds. Most were reserved by 6 am, and there were complaints to the management resulting in all the towels being removed at 7.30 am. Then the rush started again. They also decided to enforce the policy of removing towels from beds that weren't occupied after 10.15 am. I'm not sure what people expect when the hotel is full in peak season, but there was always the quiet pool or the beach. Some people also thought that being rude and arrogant to the pool boys would help, but we found that a friendly chat was much better. Thanks to Omar and Hassan who always seemed able to find us a bed.

Finally - the dodgy stomach. Every family we met had some experience of it! Even the First Choice staff said they get it every couple of weeks. As mentioned, the local pharmacy is the place to go, plus there's a doctor on-site. Everyone uses hand gel, but it's a dirty country and it's easy to pick bugs up. Our son's problems were down to the heat and him not drinking enough water. I suspect a lot of other peoples' were too.

Don't let it put you off though. It's a wonderful hotel in an amazing country where you have the chance to see and learn about a completely different culture.

Ok so I have just got back from the holiday village red sea and I thought it would be good to share my views on the place for once from the view of a 15 year old teenager.

The hotel was pretty much spotless but sometimes the hotel staff missed out certain aspects such as polishing the room or emptying bins.

The food however was incredible! You couldnt fault it there was something new to try every day and even though I am an extremely picky eater I enjoyed EVERYTHING I ate!! Also the indian, asian and mediteranean al a carte restarunts were delicious and the fish at Le mer were to die for!!

The location of the actual hotel was pretty good but as it was not very close to the main shops there were family buisness' just outside the hotel and if you visited them you would get very badly hassled. However I gave the location 5 stars as the hotel itself is set in some fantastic grounds. The hotel has absoloutly fabulous gardens that are very well maintained (I saw the gardeners cut the grass at least twice every day!!)

Most of the staff at the hotel are pretty friendly perhaps a little to friendly some of the egyption staff tend to flirt a little with the british teenage girls but its pretty much harmless. Also the first choice/thompson reps how ever it is in the first choice offices are not brilliant some are but others are a little unreliable.

The entertainment at the hotel is pretty good every evening there is an i5Live disco with fantastic party songs to dance along to like choc-o-late, cartoon heros and king court a king caractacous. Its qreat fun for the 11's and under but can also be fun if your over that age and just want to muck around with your mates especially if your hyper!!!
Also the kids club and creche for 6months-2 3-5 and 6-8 yearolds is good to and for the older ones wavelength for 9-11 and 12-15 year old's is fantastic and of course all the reps are great fun you even get a free t-shirt. But as there is nothing for the 16's and over except the day time activities the entertainment only gets 4 stars.

Ok so I have just got back from the holiday village red sea and I thought it would be good to share my views on the place for once from the view of a 15 year old teenager.

The hotel was pretty much spotless but sometimes the hotel staff missed out certain aspects such as polishing the room or emptying bins.

The food however was incredible! You couldn’t fault it there was something new to try every day and even though I am an extremely picky eater I enjoyed EVERYTHING I ate!! Also the Indian, Asian and Mediterranean al carte restaurants were delicious and the fish at Le mer were to die for!!

The location of the actual hotel was pretty good but as it was not very close to the main shops there were family business' just outside the hotel and if you visited them you would get very badly hassled. However I gave the location 5 stars as the hotel itself is set in some fantastic grounds. The hotel has absolutely fabulous gardens that are very well maintained (I saw the gardeners cut the grass at least twice every day!!)

Most of the staff at the hotel are pretty friendly perhaps a little too friendly some of the Egyptian staff tend to flirt a little with the British teenage girls but it’s pretty much harmless. Also the first choice/thomson reps however it is in the first choice offices are not brilliant some are but others are a little unreliable.

The entertainment at the hotel is pretty good every evening there is an i5Live disco with fantastic party songs to dance along to like choc-o-late, cartoon heroes and king court a king caractacous. Its great fun for the 11's and under but can also be fun if you’re over that age and just want to muck around with your mates especially if you’re hyper!!!

Also the kids club and crèche for 6months-2 3-5 and 6-8 year olds is good to and for the older ones wavelength for 9-11 and 12-15 year Old’s is fantastic and of course all the reps are great fun you even get a free t-shirt. But as there is nothing for the 16's and over except the day time activities the entertainment only gets 4 stars.

The hotel was lovely, it was beautiful, the staff work well and very hard.

We were amazed with the selection of food we had on our all-inclusive holiday, and the quality was fantastic. The location of the hotel was great, we had a few shops around the site but were also near to Mc donalds and TGI Fridays etc .

The staff at the hotel seemed to work 24hrs a day and trust me they did work, they couldn’t do enough for you and nothing was too much trouble.

The entire hotel was spotless as was our room. Room service came every day and it was always done immaculately. We would defiantly recommend this hotel to anyone and will defiantly be going back again.

All i can say is excellent would recommend to everyone try the red sea holiday village superb !!!!

This was by far the best holiday we have ever had. The hotel staff can't do enough for you, they really do treat every single guest like royalty. The complex was spotless, cleaners working around the clock and gardeners hard at it too. Rooms were really big and yet again, spotless.
The bar staff were excellent, they work 15 hour shifts for weeks and weeks before getting a few days off, yet they never ever complain, genuinly happy to help and always joining in, having a laugh round the pool etc.
The restaurants had plenty of choice available, even the desserts were nice,in other holiday destinations the desserts have been tastless but not here!
The locatio was great, only a short distance from the airport, hotels own beach, shops, banks, pharmacies all on your doorstep and much more being added to the area in the very near future.
My husband broke his ankle 8 days before our holiday, the First Choice Rep,Rami, did everything possibe to help him get the most out of his holiday even with limited mobility. Also the hotel staff drove him round the complex on a golf buggy type cart and didnt once complain.
The kids clubs were also great, my 3 boys (10,8 and 5)all joined in and loved it.
I could go on forever about how wonderful this place is because there really wasnt anything that we had a problem with. If you're considering booking this hotel then go for it, you won't be disappointed.
We will be returning.

The hotel is very clean, even the toilets around the pool were kept well cleaned, ladies and gents( my husband informs me!)Wherever you were in the hotel during the day there was cleaning going on somewhere.
The food was good in the resturant, to say how many clients were being catered for, I feel they coped well. It was very rare you went in to a dirty table, and if you did the waiters were on to it immeadietly.We found it more peaceful if we ate later in the evening.
Hotel is located very central, almost oppisite mc's, kfc, tgi fridays etc.
We found the majority of the staff were fantastic, this wasn't just because they were tipped as some people said, as we didn't tip until we were leaving the hotel, and were given fantastic service throughout our holiday, both at the pool and resturant, etc.
It was a pain at times the amount of times you were pestered about having beauty treatments! I went on holiday intending to have a few massages, and completely changed my mind because they asked me so many times,it put me off which is a shame. If they introduced themselves with pricelists once, and left the rest to you they would probably get more business.
The entertainment is good if you have small children, lots of dancing, game shows etc.We went into that room a few nights and were always acknowledged by the entertainment team, even though we did'nt get involved.
The reps always spoke when passing in the grounds, and I thought they did a fab job during the delays, considering they had alot of people demanding answers of when we were getting home.
First choice are a credit I feel, the way they looked after us! 5 extra days, kept in the same hotel all inclusive with not a penny to spend, would have taken the worry away for alot of guests.
Could have done with more sunloungers at the beach, and more seating at the upstairs outdoor area,for a evening other than that it was good.
The other resturants we visited were good too, I particularly enjoyed the chinese, and my hubby enjoyed the indian best, we didn't get round to trying the med, as there were only early times left, and we didn't want to eat that early.
We are going to visit this hotel again, I'm looking at booking now, we were considering trying the hotel next door as it looked nice and has a longer jetty,which is great for snorkelling, but since we enjoyed our holiday here so much, we worried that we wouldn't like it as much, so I think we will returning to this hotel.
It would be nice if there was a club just for the teenagers to hang out. The kids club was for 9 to 15 years, but my daughter who is 13 wouldn't entertain going to a club with 9 year olds, she is quiet too, so it took her over a week to make friends, if there had been something for them to go to, I'm sure a few more would have mixed quicker.
Overall we thourghly enjoyed our stay at the holiday village and the weather was fantastic!
The extra days were a bonus!!

The flights were fine, and we had no hassle at the airport.
On the outbound my bag was 25kg, I was only supposed to have 20kg, the girl said they can only take a bag up to 23kg, I stuck my toiletries in my brothers bag, and off we went.
On the return, my bag was 29kg, no-one blinked an eyelid! (the check in guy was sweet and just let it go!)
The man loadeing the bags on the coach, was trying to get some tips, but we had no change, and were happy to load our bag on anyway if we needed. just say no, respectfully, it will be fine.
Hotel greeted us with a cocktail, and lovely room after quick check in.
bags brought to room after about 20mins.
Lovely big room, great balcony, twin large beds, couch, bathroom was useable, but looking abit old- pealing paint etc. We were only in it for a shower, so no problem really. (room 10215.) Great location for main restaurant, entertainment, bar, and heated pool view.
All staff were great, food excellent all meals, buffet and beach, pizza all fab. (And I'm a vegetarian)
Ate at the Sari once, it was fine, nice location, food good.
Entertainment was mostly good, Loved the Harper Bros, both shows different and hilarious.
The snorkeling was great, just a bit of a walk out, but great fish just off the shelf.
Enjoyed the waterslides, beach cabanas with swing beds in them.
Staff are all really lovely, be polite to them, they don't have it easy.
We did the Ras Mohammed through "x" at Aquarius on the beach, nice day out, bit choppy that day, so the visability not so good.
Thats it- i would recommend it to anyone, adults families everyone.

You would have to be very picky to not love it!



Jules