My husband, myself and our 3 and a half year old little boy have just returned from 10 nights at the Renaissance (arrived 1st May) and I have to say we had such a brilliant time, we'd go back tomorrow.

There is so much talk about whether this hotel is a 5 star or 4 star hotel. We are very well travelled and have stayed in 5 star hotels before - we tend to compare to Dubai which we found out of this world. Yes I would agree, it's not a 5 star but that certainly didn't hamper our enjoyment during our stay.

From the moment we arrived at the hotel the staff couldn't do enough for us or be more friendly or accomodating. I disagree that reception are rude. They must have thought I was a complete nightmare! The gold buggy took us to our room at arrival, a lovely ground floor one overlooking the pool and the sea. I took one look at the open balcony and panicked thinking if I sat out at night with our son he'd be prone to running off. So (due to reading tips on this site about saying immediately if you weren't happy) I straight away said I wanted another room. Both my husband and the chap driving the golf buggy looked at me like I was potty! but I insisted, so back on the buggy we go, back to reception where I explain and ask if we can have a room on a 2nd floor, overlooking the sea. Reception oblige and it's back on the buggy to a room in a near block. This is up 2 flights of stairs and overlooks some rooms then the sea. It's a nice room which I secretly thought was'nt quite as nice as the one we'd just left......but I said it was fine. The golf buggy guy leaves the room and hubby is v.annoyed. He's not happy - how will we get our son's buggy up the stairs at night when he's fallen asleep? Oooops! After a bit of a heated chat I admitted the other room was better so I walked back to reception and feeling v.embarressed asked if we could have the 1st room instead? And you know what? they handled it all with politeness and we were given the 1st room back for the duration of our stay - and in the end our boy didn't wander off at all!

In fact the friendliness of the staff made the holiday for us. Yes we tipped, but not everyone and we didn't feel they expected tips or treated you any differently if you did or didn't tip.

Everyone had a smile on their face and were pleased to serve - unlike some countries we have visited. Our little boy was made such a fuss of, the bar staff gave him free bags of crisps, free drinks and even one of the shop owners (within the hotel) gave him a free toy. At night they would make meals for him not even on the menu. They genuinely seem to like people and especially children.

We stayed on a B&B basis but ended up eating lunch at the poolside bar each day and dinner at one of the hotels restaurants at night. Our favourite was Acapulco Joe's the Mexican which is in such a romantic setting (and near our room too so handy for us if we needed to nip back) We also ate at Zinzini and the Italian indoor restaurant (but you can sit outside on the balcony which we did and over look the main pool) and found them all very reasonably priced and the food of a very high quality.

Our son loved the evening entertainment which started each night at 8pm. It seemed to go on for about an hour next to The Rotunda bar and usually consisted of belly dancing or something similar. We usually only watched about 30 mins of it then we'd go to dinner.

While there I booked a massage. I was sure it would be a lady doing it so trooped along in my bikini with just a kaftan over. I was a little bit embarressed when the chap that had showed me to the room then came back in to do the massage but having said that I was NOT asked to strip naked but to leave my bikini on and it was one of the best massages I've ever had. Yes he did undo some straps but in no way did I feel he was behaving in an inappropriate way and I never felt threatened. As long as you are aware it's probably going to be a man doing it, as most of the hotel staff is male then you'll be fine.

We spent everyday round the pool, the biggest annoyance being the russians (who could be a bit loud and agrressive, 1 man slapped his toddler twice across the face in front of everyone round the pool) and even that wasn't that annoying.

The only thing that we did find uncomfortable was the pestering we got outside the hotel. One night we walked down the road to IL Mercato and stopped to look at some shops/bazaars on the way. I say stopped - we couldn't! Every shop owner hassled us to come in and look but we didn't dare because we knew we'd just get pestered to buy something when all we wanted to do was look. I may have actually bought something (the bags looked good!) but their manner is so off putting that it deters you. If they would just back off a bit and let people look then they'd do so much better - it's a shame really. Another night we got a taxi (that drove like a madman, weaving in and out of traffic) to Naama bay and just spent 50 minutes looking round. We found it too hot and again the pestering got to us after a while - so we returned to the safety of the hotel!

The other thing I'd mention (but it's been mentioned umpteen times already) is the steps. Be prepared to do lots of walking up and down them!

We had a few problems with the flush on our loo toward the end of the holiday and each time it was sorted extremely promptly. Another day some maintenance men cut through a water pipe which meant we had no water between 2pm-8pm. Not a problem really as we were round the pool till 4pm then just showered in the spa/gym.

It's worth having a walk down the jetty over the sea just to look at all the amazing fish! We regretted not snorkelling but you can see loads of fish just swimming near the surface if you just stand on the jetty and look down.

One thing to mention is the mosquitoes - our son got bitten quite a few times. We all had repellant on at night but i think when we were returning to the room at night the odd one was getting in then and biting during the night. My husband got bitten a bit on the leg and myself on the back. Nothing that bothered us but 2 elderley ladies we spoke to by the pool had lots of bites on their legs which they mentioned were troubling them. They hotel does employ someone to go round the resort at dusk and spray a repellant but I don't know how successful that is.

All in all we thoroughly enjoyed the holiday and would happily recommend the Renaissance.

This hotel is a two star facility at best. I'm an Elite Marriot card member and have stayed at numerous Marriot properties for work and pleasure and this has to be one of the worst I've stayed at.

The rooms need updating, the shower handles and soap holders were rusting out, the caulking around the tub/shower was falling apart, and to top it all off, the mini shampoo/conditioner/lotion bottles they provide are old and re-used! Yes, instead of replacing the shampoo bottles, they just refill them even though the bottles look like they been in the hotel for years....very nasty! Oh, and the sheets were dirty!

Check-in and out of the hotel was another pleasurable experience. It took nearly half an hour to check in even though there were two couples (including my wife and I) checking in. I could understand if there was a line or if there was only one employee, but no line and four employee's behind the counter.

If you like to lay out by the pool, make sure to go early or you won't find a chair. There are plenty of sun chairs down by the Red Sea, but very limited by the pools. The staff is nearly all men and they are constantly gawking at the women (but you will find this all over Sharm).

The hotel is also a 15 minute taxi ride to Naam Bay, where you'll find all the restaurants and nightlife. The hotel charges 40 Egyptian pounds, but if you walk outside the hotel the cost is 30 pounds (don't pay more than 30 going and coming). If possible, I would recommend staying at the Marriot in Naam Bay; it's a much better location.

I recently took my Girlfriend to Sharm to propose, along with the rest of the family (May 08), and chose the Rennaisance owing to the strong reviews on Trip Advisor and the fact I am a Marriott Reward card holder (not that it made any difference here). Here is my summary:

The Rennaisance Golden View deserves a solid three stars and possibly 4 stars depending on your standards. It is certainly anything but 5 stars, as although the facilities are ok they are not great and the service is very poor in comparrison to genuine 5* resorts.

I suspect with ever cheaper holidays the vast majority of residents in the hotel are the lower middle classes on package deals, and those who rave about the excellent quality of this hotel are far more akin to the 3* resorts of Benidorm or Magalouf, and have simply "upgraded". In fact having held many amuzing conversations with fellow guest on holiday, this is actually the case.

Sharm has only three genuine 5* hotels: Hyatt Regency (average f5*), Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons (good 5*). If you are used to five star accomodation and expect the facilties and levels of service that European 5* hotels offer and want to travel to Sharm, then these are the only three that will satisfy you.

This hotel has four free pools for residents, a free health spar with sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and cold plunge pool, a free table tennis (albeit outdoors in the wind - and its half broken), a fee paying tennis court (yes - even though its 5* and your a guest, you still have to pay), fee paying pool table and fee paying diving.

You bascially pay for almost everything - and despite it being a 5* hotel, they will even barter with you on everything. Disgraceful

Sun lougers and room cleaning are free but you'll be lucky to leave without paying significant tips (in a genuine 5* this wouldn't be a problem), the Egyptian male employees (they are 97% staffed by men) are not afraid to constantly pester you for tips and then frowning if they receive anything less than about a 1GBP.

They also constantly pester you, which desite our family being extremely outgoing and friendly found very tiresome after just a couple of days.

The reception staff are best described as poor and rude, if you have even the slightest complaint, then good luck getting it solved. In fact they may solve it, but be expected to tip...."bribe".

The hotel outsources its gym, spa and sports facilities which is a big mistake as it does not meet Rennaisance (and the wider Marriott family) standards by a long shot.

The massges we booked for the girls cost 200 GBP and even though we insisted (three times during the aggressive sales pitch, once before entering the salon, and constantly throughout) that the girls should have female masseurs, they were actually given male masseurs who stated that there were no female employees available. The girls were made to strip naked, which although they were extremely uncomfortable about they didn't want to appear rude and so did. The masseurs constantly told the girls to turn over which they balatantly refused to do and they left feeling far more stressed than they were when they arrived. There were also other instances which can't be described here.

We complained of sexual harrassment to the manager who conceeded defeat and yet we were still charged the full price.

We didn't get the suites we had booked prior to the holiday, which despite two phone call confirmations prior to arrival, the reception staff had conveniently forgot the converstations. They also asked me the names of the people I spoke to, given that I didn't take the name they suggested that I was lying to them.

On departure we had to pay in Egyptian Pounds, even though I agreed prices in Dollars and was told I would pay in Dollars- they will take considerable advantage of the exchange rate so be careful. They also do not live in VISA culture and cash to them means cold hard physical cash - so when I said I would pay Dollar cash (with my VISA debit card - they said no, cash only. I tried to educated them as to the concept of cash but they got agitated and suspecting I wasn't going to pay, abruptly ordered me to pay. Disgraceful.

The nursery for the cildren is beyond useless, and this is no place for children between 1-8 (we had a young age range with us who didn't enjoy the experience).

Breakfast is good but they close at 11:00 a.m. sharp. Don't think about arriving at 11:01 a.m. as you won't get in. And if they ask you for water - expect to pay 4 Euros a bottle for it - you only find this out once you are about to leave the restaurant.

Prices for everyhting are 5* and then some as you have to add 10% tax, 12% service charge and 2% room charge to everything. Therefore you will always pay 25% more than the stated price. On the whole id the service was excellent, we wouldn't have minded paying 7-8 GBP for a small cocktail, but when you're paying 5* prices for a second rate service at a second rate hotel, you tend to get offended.

We thoroughly enjoyed talking to the 70% Russian occupancy of the hotel - if you think the British can drink, you should see these guys. It was quite funny looking out of our window at 04:00 a.m. every morning and seeing the Russians singing songs around the pools and playing hide and seek with the hotel security. It is noisy and not for everyone, but young single couples might enjoy the experince.

All in all if you are looking to upgrade from a three star Spanish hotel on the Costa's then you will probably be satisfied with this hotel. If you are looking for luxury and real 5* quality then this is certainly not the place for you.

What a wonderful place to stay. Sun, swimming, snorkelling, shopping. The hotel is set on several levels and the steps between your rooms, reception and the beach keep the kilos off after partaking in the fabulous food. The resort is set on a peninsula a 5 minute taxi ride to the old Sharm market.. The prices at the market are much cheaper than Naama Bay and the people are much friendlier. Thoroughly enjoyed buying our fresh pitta bread from the local baker, cheese and cold meats from the general store and bartering with the very friendly locals.
The food at the hotel was excellant and very reasonably priced. The buffet breakfast was certainly a feast to be enjoyed. There are several pools in the complex so there is room for everyone and plenty of lounge chairs along the sea front. A floating walkway out to a pontoon provides easy snorkelling access to the wonderful fish and coral the Red Sea has to offer. There is also nightly entertainment - so you don't even have to leave the premises to have a wonderful stay!