As the previous reviewers stated a virtually brand new hotel, in a great location, and a much higher standard than a UK Novotel.
As there are 3 of us we opted to move into a family room rather than share a double at the Novotel Beach side - just send them an e mail they are really accommodating, they even picked us up from the airport free of charge.
The room was a mini apartment, with a separate section for kids; bunks built into the wall, and a door separating it from the main bedroom, great 'wet room' type shower, minibar/fridge, safe & air con, nice balcony, even a kettle arrived after our first day.
The hotel is still 'bedding in', and not everything is finished, but the building work is really unnoticable.
When fully established the kids club will be very good, they have separate buildings for activities, small pool/waterslide area, top quality climbing frame (supervised with helmets & harnesses for the children), mini skate board park (awaiting the instuctors arrival when we were there), mini football & hockey pitch, with a really good team running the whole thing.
There are 3 pools, 2 obviously in the main section of the hotel, the other one a small one at the top of the development, again this had not opened.
The animation & pool staff were really helpful, not pushy so if you don't want to join in that's no issue.
Plenty going on at night on the beach side.
We just opted for B&B, the food was really good, especially if you like eggs!
Our only real concern was the road, which turned out to be a dual carriageway with a very wide nicely planted central reservation, and the hotel must have taken note of concerns as there are now security guards on each side acting as 'school crossing patrols' on each side - although why only one of them had a hi-vis jacket remains a mystery!
Personally I am not a big fan of Naama Bay's shopping & night life, I guess it's a culture thing, but I would have spent more if not hassled all of the time, but this hotel enabled us to avoid that if we wanted too, plus with the added benefit that very few Russians seem to have discovered it yet..........

We have just returned from a week in the Novotel Palm and it was not the week we thought we were getting. My party (me 52, wife 51 and daughter 22) were supposed to be booked into the Novotel beach hotel, after I booked it specifically.
When we arrived, we found out we had been booked into the Palm and I was not amused. The Palm is situated across a busy dual carriageway behind the original Novotel and this is the problem as this is the main road through Sharm. Apart from taking your life into your hands every time you cross, there are the taxi drivers who keep stopping to ask if you want a taxi and this gets tiresome after a while. The hotel is a brand new (as of Feb 2008) complex and is very clean and the staff are mostly very helpful. I have stayed in Sharm quite a few times and I dive, therefore I am out for most of the day, though as my family are with me, I like to have them stay in a nice hotel.
As the hotel is not quite finished, the facilities are limited, with no shop or entertainment unless you cross the busy main road to get to the older hotel and of course you have to go to the older hotel if you want the beach. The rooms we were booked into had no working air con and we requested to be moved, and after a bit of persuasion, we were upgraded to superior rooms, one of which also had non working air con.
Call me pernickety, but when I book 5 star, I expect things to work. If I book 3 star, with 3 star prices, then I am prepared for the odd problem.
The rooms in the Palm are bigger (so I am told) than the older Novotel Beach, but as far as I am concerned they are not fitted out as 5 star rooms and the only difference between standard and superior rooms is a bit more space and a bigger balcony. I compare 5star luxury with the likes of the Hyatt Regency, which I have stayed in a couple of times. The beds in the Novotel are acceptable, but not the most comfy in the world, whereas the Hyatt are literally a dream to sleep on (pardon the pun). On the plus side, the hotel is quiet and there is not a great rush for the sun beds.
Hotel food prices are also very steep and as you can guess, many of the guests go into Sharm for dinner if they are not staying full board. Typical prices for lunch in the hotel would be (Salad £5.20, Coke £1.50, plate of fries £2.00 bottle of beer £3.20) and considering that Sharm is a cheap place to eat, that is a lot of money. If you want good food at reasonable prices for an evening meal, I can highly recommend Pomadoro which is located on the main street in Naama Bay at the Camel Dive Centre. Would I go back to this hotel? NO. Would I recommend it? Only if you can get a good deal and you don’t mind crossing busy roads.

We stayed at the Novotel from 3rd-10th March 2008. We had a lovely time generally. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, which is what made our stay, along with the company we spent it with. Our original booking was for the Palm, and we are glad we managed to change it because we were with a small group and we would have been in two completely different buildings. I didn't venture over to the Palm as everything we wanted was on our side, but there is a noisy and very busy road splitting the two down the middle! Be aware of this when you book. I'm sure it would be like a completely different experience.

The room we stayed in was perfectly reasonable, and clean, but it felt quite small in comparison to other hotel rooms we have stayed in. Fortunately we didn't spend a huge amount of time inside so it wasn't a major problem. We had a balcony overlooking the front of the hotel which was an average location by our standards but our other party had a sea view - however, their view was intersected by trees/buildings and wasn't a true "sea view" as you'd expect, (especially not for the extra cost) and to make matters worse they said it was terribly noisy from the road. For some reason, whenever taxis/lorries pass by they insist on hooting their hoon. So every few minutes of the day you would get this. Also the fridge/air con unit makes a noise more than it should, and this takes some getting used to. Our other party didn't sleep well for a couple of nights.

Our biggest bug bear however wasn't noise, it was prices. The Novotel insist on charging a ridiculous amount for food/drink onsite. We priced up a Jack Daniels and Diet coke at the bar and it was £9! That's for a single measure, and is more expensive than the Burj Al Arab! We wondered why it was dead during the evenings. People would venture 15 minutes out into town, and find a meal and drink for less than a tenner. We signed everything to the room and at the end of our stay we went to pay - we forgot the service charge and the tax, of course, which more or less added another 25% the cost. So a little point to remember, what you see is not always what you get. There's a distinct lack of printed pricing around the hotel. You have to ask for everything.

Breakfast/Dinner in the Novotel is a mixed bag. If you pay for lunch then you get a lovely selection of fresh food/drink and excellent waiter service. If you opt for B&B as we did, you get a reasonable selection but the service is dire. I guess it's a trait of the Egyptian's and the hot weather but service is not what it should be for a 4 star + hotel. You almost get the feeling they try and cut costs at breakfast. If you're happy to pay extra (and by extra I mean a good £30 for lunch alone) then you do get a good service.

I have to say, the nightlife is great around Naama Bay, if you like that sort of thing of course. Prices are generally low, and there is plenty of choice. The only gripe is the constant onslaught of street traders trying to grab your attention. You do tire of it quickly. But as long as you are polite and firm, they leave you be.

Reading back over this it sound like we had a dreadful time - we sound like a bunch of Victor Meldrews. Don't let this put you off however, we did have a great holiday. I guess we are just a little more selective than most people on here. But it was more the company and the exceptional weather than the hotel that made it for us. For all the little problems the hotel is exceptionally clean, and well staffed, and has a great central location. The staff speak excellent english in most cases, and are very polite. They do make you feel welcome.

To sum up, The Novotel is a slightly nicer than average 4 star hotel, with 5 star prices. Recommeded if you have deep pockets.

We have just returned from a week's B&B at the Novotel palms Sharm El Sheikh. On booking we did not know whether we were booked into the palm or beach side. On arrival at the airport we were allocated the palms hotel. I must say a slight disappointment as we had hoped to be beach side. However, on arrival after a brief check in, we were shown through the immaculate grounds, past the two large pools to our delightful room. A large double bed, spacious balcony, huge shower and spotlessly clean. Not surprising as it was evident that the hotel was brand new. So new in fact that a good part of the complex was still under construction. However, all work was discreet, quiet and did not cause us any disturbance all week. As a resident of the palms, we were able to use all facilities of the beach hotel across the road. This was a quick stroll through the grounds and across "peace" road. Dodging the taxis that immediately brake, and flash lights in an attempt to get your custom, the road can be a little intimidating for the less mobile, young children or the elderly amongst us. Especially at night where headlights are generally considered optional! The private beach was well maintained and not too busy. The snorkelling was surprisingly excellent, in fact was almost as good 5 meters from shore as it was on an expensive boat trip. The breakfast buffet was excellent, a huge choice, and our very own egg chef who would rustle up an omelette or scrambled eggs at the drop of a hat. During our visit, the hotel was very quiet, a hand full of people round the pools on any given day. Bliss for us, but may not suit those looking for a bit of night life. Having said that, this can be found on the beach side. All in all an excellent week was had!