Sultan Gardens Resort Review

Our Opinion?   The best "quality" hotel with value for money in Sharm

This is such a great hotel we thought we'd try a different approach this time and write a little each day or so.  You can click the pics for larger views.

Day 1:  Tuesday  We arrived after dark the previous evening.  Our first impressions were good.  We were checked in quickly and efficiently although we waited 15 minutes for the cart to transfer us plus bags to our room.  The hotel was extremely busy though and the complimentary collection from the airport more than made up for this.  I know this hotel has excellent management who are keen to hear comments and act accordingly so a suggestion here might be to seat people with a drink at busy times.  That said it was pleasant after a long journey not to spend 2 hours waiting for your luggage as happens in some hotels and to find tea and coffee making facilities in our very spacious room and lovely fluffy bathrobes.  We have 2 very comfortable pillows on each large single bed plus 2 extra in the wardrobe.  Fantastic.  Satellite TV plus wired and wireless internet.

We woke this morning to find we had the most amazing view.  We sat in bed with our coffee looking out towards Tiran Island as the sun came up.  At breakfast we met Khaled who worked very hard looking after us and still found a few moments to chat.  The restaurant is very busy and as others have commented on trip advisor the Russians are a nightmare greedy rude and loud.  However there is little the hotel can do about that.  The food at all three meals today was excellent quality including beef chicken fish and quail.  We made a decision to go easy on the wine.  Unlike many hotels it is served in generous quantities and with both us suffering with colds it's early nights for us for a few days.

Day 2:  Wednesday   Helens in bed with eyes and nose streaming thanks to the English weather back home so I got to breakfast alone.  7am and the restaurant is fully functioning but lovely and quiet.  It can be very noisy since it's the run up to Christmas and the hotel is full especially in the evening but the second area in the Linah Restaurant is a quieter room and this is where we are eating.  We sunbathe around pools 2 and 3.  These pools are not heated but it's never really that cold in Sharm and here there is never any problem getting a bed and some peace and quiet away from children and boisterous games.

A nice surprise this evening.  Our table is waiting and Khaled has remembered what we drink and a glass of wine is ready for us.  Brilliant!  The party at the next table find their table decorated with balloons and flower petals for their special occasion.  Their drinks are ready too.

Day 3:  Thursday   Today is a complete washout for Helen.  She is so poorly she doesn't want to get out of bed or even eat anything.  So breakfast alone again for me at 7am.  The restaurant is quiet with hardly a soul in site but getting very busy before I leave.  I decided to try room service for lunch - an excellent club sandwich with fries and coleslaw costing 32 LE (less than £4/$6).  It took 20 minutes - they had said 30 minutes - so that was very good.  I ate later than usual .  The restaurant was crowded again.  For myself I prefer it quieter but I guess that's the price you pay for a well run hotel that is very popular.  One small moan here - and I will say it's common to many Egypt hotels - I realised that because the room wasn't cleaned with Helen being ill in bed we had no water.  I explain to the waitress and ask for a bottle.  She checks with her manager but it is only available at a charge.  I find this a little annoying as Helen and I drink barely one glass of wine a day where others drink everything in site morning noon and night but as I say it's common in Egypt.

Day 4:  Friday   Helen is well enough to get up so breakfast in the Linah.  Khaled fetches coffee and water for us so Helen has a relaxing breakfast and saves her energy for some serious sunbathing.  Pool 2 is very quiet and peaceful - plenty of beds and we sunbathe until lunch.  Towels are part of the package and are plenty big enough to cover the beds which are very comfortable.  This pool isn't heated but even so it's warm enough to swim and all the pools are very clean.  We have a late lunch and even though its nearly 3pm the food is still plentiful and hot with a full selection.  In the evening we eat at the Italian.  We are 30 minutes early for our sitting but we are welcomed and seated with a drink.  A few moans here from some guests (dare I mention the Russians again).  The food is 'Nouvelle Cuisine' small quantities but very nicely cooked and presented.  Frankly after seeing the Russians taking 8 bread rolls 6 oranges etc. at lunch (and leaving half) it doesn't surprise me that they find the food inadequate at the Italian.  Personally I thought it was a very pleasant change in a lovely setting with full waiter service and you can eat here at no extra charge twice a week.  If I had a criticism at all it would be that there are only 4 preset menus and you can't choose a starter from one a main course from another etc. so picky eaters might have a problem.  That said this is a good service for the price of our holiday.  If we had paid true 5* prices I might have expected more.  At this point it might be worth showing the prices I collected from Flightline for 2 weeks accommodation only departing in 4 weeks time ie last minute bookings.  It will illustrate that you should take note of the price you paid before you compare one hotels facilities with another.  Compare Hotel Prices in Sharm

Day 5:  Saturday  We decide to skip breakfast from now on.  Its too easy to eat way too much here.  So we get to pool 1 which is heated and closest to us around 9am.  Another great thing about this hotel is that they enforce the 'no reserving sun beds' rule.  The first time I've ever seen it enforced and it makes a real difference.  I hope they keep it up.  The hotel is full in the run up to Xmas yet there is still never a problem getting a sun bed in a good position.  I suppose if you arrive at 11am at one of the heated pools it will be a little busy but pools 2 and 3 still have plenty of beds in prime positions.

Before we settle down for our sunbathing Meroo from the Health Club catches us.  I negotiate a discount for several massages and book for 6pm that evening.  Dina is my masseur and all the staff are vey friendly.  I am very impressed with the massage.  It is the full amount of time and she is an excellent masseur finding the places I have problems (too much computer work knots my shoulders especially the right).  She deals with this very effectively.

Day 6:  Sunday  We've been here almost a week now so perhaps now would be a good time to talk about food.  Almost every hotel in Sharm gets reviews that say the food gets a little repetitive by the second week and it has to be said the same is true here.  However again I will say that what you paid for your holiday has a lot to do with this.  If I'd paid the price I pay for the Maritim Golf I would be expecting more but here I think they do just fine considering every day we watch the Russians eating and drinking enough to bankrupt any hotel.  Today we watched one couple take in a carrier bag and fill it with oranges and bread-rolls.  Yesterday another family piled a table with enough food for 10 people - they were 2 with 2 young children.  There were 11 drinks on the table.  Having eaten what would have lasted me for days the rest they left and walked out.  This is typical - we see it every day at every meal.  I wish some-one would explain to me why the Russians feel the need to do this.  I know we shouldn't assume they are all like this and sometimes the English can be just as bad but it does seem a growing trend for people to moan about the Russians and for some reason I have seen a lot of it this holiday.  I do hope the hotel continues to improve and takes itself up-market rather than cater for this type of thing.

Day 7:  Monday  Today seems very quiet especially in the Restaurant.  Maybe it is changeover day.  There seems to be a change in the mix of guests fewer Russians who seem more 'polite' more English and a mix of other nationalities including Japanese.  The atmosphere seems to change for the better.  This evening we meet a very nice Russian lady and chat for a while.  I can't imagine her stuffing herself with a ridiculous amount of food or filling a bag with oranges so it just goes to show that we shouldn't make assumptions.  We eat at the Italian again tonight.

Day 8:  Tuesday  Today the wind is howling a gale.  I love it like this.  It makes it very pleasant for sunbathing and it's easy to find a sheltered spot.  Breakfast is very busy though and clearly is it going to be very hectic over the holiday period.  We sunbathe all morning skipping lunch and in the afternoon I have another massage with Dina.  Moataz at the health club helps me with my Arabic which I am learning very slowly.  I hear him offer to play squash with an English guest who has no partner and ask if I can get a lesson.  I tried to learn years ago but was unsuccessful.  Now at almost 57 maybe its a bit late but it will be fun.  The evening meal is horrendously busy.  No-one is eating outdoors with the wind being so high the hotel is fit to burst for Christmas and everyone seems to have arrived at the same time.  The staff are really under pressure but no-one has to wait more than a few minutes for a table.  The managers are all out helping with whatever needs doing including clearing tables and the food never runs out.  The only real slip I could see is that some of the desserts were nearly frozen.  I don't know if this was a problem with the chiller or maybe a miscalculation of how busy it would get.  I make a mental note that when a resort is as popular as this one it perhaps is not the place for me in the run-up to Christmas.  I am looking forward to January when I return with my husband for 3 weeks.  I like a quiet holiday but I think most people will enjoy the atmosphere for Christmas.  Most places I would be worried by now that they simply wouldn't cope but here I see the management is on top of any potential problems before they happen.

Day 9:  Wednesday  I am up early and looking forward to squash with Moataz but also wondering if I will last 30 minutes.  I haven't played for 30 years and even then just a few lessons and I was never very good.  However he is an excellent teacher and I manage to burn quite a few calories.  When I get a bit fitter maybe I will ask the guys at the health club to help me work out with some weights.

Already I am looking forward to another lesson next day as we head for breakfast and then a walk along the beach.   Its another lazy day for me sunbathing then another massage with Dina at 5pm.  I am so pleased I organised my massages.  The staff at the health club have really made my holiday extra special.  I know they work very long hours but they are always ready with a smile and a few words of Arabic which I am trying to learn although I am painfully slow.

Day 10:   Thursday   Another squash lesson with Moataz and this time I am not so out out breath.  I have ME and asthma which doesn't help but Moataz is a wealth of information on how to breath and when and how to rest (and when not to) and I find I am coping better than I thought.  This evening it is Egyptian night in the restaurant.  The food is tasty one of my favorite nights.  The clienetele for Christmas has definitely changed and the atmosphere is very pleasant.  Although everywhere is busy busy busy things are under control and everyone seems happy.  Khaled really looks the part in his Egyptian outfit.  Nagla and Ahmed are always helpful also.

Day 11:  Friday  Another great day and the hotel is now very lively as things pick up for Christmas.  I'm sad we're leaving on the 22nd but we will be back in January when we will have chance to see the hotel at a quieter time.  More squash with Moataz and another massage with Dina.  I can't believe the time has gone so quick.  Today we talk to Mohamed Zaki who supervises in the Linah Restaurant - an excellent job he does too. 

Day 12:  Saturday   Meet our happy helpful waiters starting with Mohamed who keeps everyone on their toes but like all the managers is not beyond helping out wherever needed the ever-smiling Khaled who never seems to stop and Ahmed and Nagla. Between them they made us feel very special and welcome at the Sultan Gardens Linah Restaurant.  All the staff deserve a mention - they work long hard hours to make every-ones holiday great but we felt we should single out these four.

Day 13:  Sunday  

Sadly I can't dive - my asthma is playing up but we have a quick trip down to the dive centre so I can at least dream about the next visit.  The guys are all busy but still find time for a quick pic.  More about the dive centre next visit.

In the evening we meet up with a friend who work at the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf and have a great night out in Naama Bay.  A fitting end to a fantastic holiday.

Our congratulations go to Basel the manager for holding together a quality value for money service at what must be one of the busiest times of the year.

and one last very festive shot of the staff at the health club.

Reviews about Sultan Gardens Resort

Here are some recent comments:

"Food is very good and everyday you can find something different to eat. We especially liked the Italian restaurant Casa Mia which is served a'la carte. "

"We had one night on the hotel beach where we had the seafood barbecue. That was an AMAZING night with a table in the sand candles and food that was better than anything I've ever tasted. This was by far the best night. The chef came over and chatted to everyone it was definitely something special."

"All the staff cannot be praised enough and the owners Basel and Mohamed were fab too and happy to help. The rooms were great spacious clean and the beds were so comfy.  I can honestly say I have never had such good food and such a variety the kids enjoyed it all too they have never eaten so much on holiday."

Read our interview with the Sultan Gardens Management

Sultan Gardens Resort Videos:

As a diver myself I had to put this short clip first

And a couple of guest videos