We booked this holiday through a travel agent and went with Thomson, so we only had their comments and the brochure as a guide. Upon arriving home I checked the hotel on TripAdvisor and got a bit worried. Some of the comments were very negative. So we went with a very open mind and on our arrival were very pleased with the hotel. The grounds are immaculate, they are constantly cleaning and tending the gardens
Rooms
We arrived at the Sonesta Club we were more than pleased with the way we were quickly and professionally shown to our rooms and our cases were sent to our room soon after. Our rooms were very clean and more important the aircon was great. Our rooms were cleaned every day and especially our girl’s room was tidied up and they made a real effort with towel arrangements on our beds. The rooms come with a television, hairdryer and a fridge to cool down the much-needed water, which you get unlimited vouchers from reception.
Pools
There are numerous pools spread around the hotel grounds which you can use. We were late risers so by the time we had breakfast and strolled down to the pools all the sun beds were gone. I have to say that people snatch up the sun beds very early but the hotel does have a policy where if a sunbed is not used for one hour you can take the sun bed. The hotel does supply free beach towels. The landscape gardens around the pools do have grass areas where you can sunbathe.
Restaurants
The main restaurant is next to the reception and is on a buffet style basis. They cater for all types of nationalities. We found the food varied and well presented. The waiters are very busy but always found time to chat and joke with you. They are on a very low wage so tipping them is a large part of their wages. All the drinks in the main restaurant are free and served in glasses.
The other restaurants are at the other bars and are open throughout the day serving snacks and alcoholic drinks, be careful the spirits are not measured so they can be quite strong. The drinks in the outside bars are served with plastic glasses I assume for safety reasons, because they are near the pools.
Tours, Visas and money
We went on three trips :- 1. Cairo ( by plane ) 2. Bedouine Evening 3. Ras Mohammed all were very good and worth every penny. You can either book with your rep as we did or in the hotel there is Medou who sells them cheaper, the choice is yours. Because they are outside the Sinai region you have to have a visa. You can get them when you arrive at Sharm El Sheikh airport in the arrival hall. They cost either $15 or £11 but once you have left the airport you will have to buy them from your rep who may charge more.
All major currencies are accepted such as Euros, Pounds Sterling, US Dollars, Canadian Dollars and Australian Dollars you might have problem with others like Scottish or Irish notes. If you are taking Pounds Sterling as we did the exchange rate at the hotel is better than in England we got 10.30 LE to 1 English Pound (Aug 08).
Naarma Bay is a short ride away but be prepared to be hassled. Its worth a trip there just to enjoy the lively nightlife.
I hope this gives you a some help but go with a open mind and enjoy.









