hi just got back from novotel palm about 2weeks a go lovely place ,nice big rooms 2 pools good breakfast very clean been to sham 3 times best hotel yet would go back tomorrow

I have just returned from 2 weeks holiday in Sharm el Sheikh staying at the Novotel.
There are actually 2 Novotel Hotels based in Sharm. which you may not be aware of until you arrive .. My original booking was simply for "NOVOTEL" and I expected a beachside location, spa, entertainment each night, and all the facilities described in the Thomas Cooke brochure by the travel agent ( Ilkistone Co-op travel).
Upon arrival we were dropped of at the "Novotel PALM" which is the same company but is situated down a long drive on the other side of the busiest main road in Sharm el Sheikh. and has no facilities other than poor entertainment once in a while and is no where near the beach without a longer walk than was originaly described.
The Novotel Palm Hotel however is a pleasent location and very clean surroundings but not the location or Hotel we were led to believe we had purchased from the agent. There were many unhappy couples that had also been conned by the Thomas Cook brochure and it became apparent that the NOVOTEL PALM HOTEL is used as an overspil to the very popular NOVATEL BEACH HOTEL. and clients are simply pushed into this hotel when the other is full!

The Thomas Cook resort staff were generally very unhelpful in resolving this issue in re-locating us. and refused us a room in the Hotel location we had originally purchased (Novatel Beach) stating that "the Novatel Beach was full ! "They did however offer to stick us in a hotel in the middle of nowhere close to the airport which was totaly unacceptable.

We also had raw sewage backing up through the shower waste outlet on no less than 3 occasions and a toilet that was filling to the rim when flushed. The staff however after several attempts to clear this issue and eventually succeeded.
Also, we were asked to sign receipts for drinks on several occasions even though we paid cash only to find that I was being charged twice when I came to check out.

So, if any travelers manage to read this before they go to Sharm el Sheikh please make sure that your booking form clearly states NOVOTEL BEACH on your booking voucher if this is the hotel that you originally booked into from the UK. If it only states NOVATEL, you may end up with a problem as we and many others did.
Incidently ...the rate for the Novatell Palm is currently under 20 GBP a night per room so you may well be in pocket by adding a flight and cutting the rip off agents out by going direct. My Holiday for 2 weeks x 2 persons half board in the Novatel Palms March 9th -24 th came to in excess of ,1600GBP inc flights from Manchester. ....Thomas Cook...never again!!!!!

The excursions .... some were good and some simply a terrible rip off including submarine experiance that doesnt submerge and you see only very few if any fish.

Recomended ..... LUXOR and CAIRO by flight as the coach option will take you many hours through the night to get there.

The safari adventure trip[ is nothing more than a total rip off visit to a filthy gypsy Bedowin camp in the middle of nowhere, crammed into a 4x4 jeep, driven by a complete lunatic over the worst terrain I have ever crossed and thrown about like a peble in a tin can folowed by a stop at a snorkling location offering filthy sun beds on a filthy beach which resulted in 2 days in bed with a severely bruised back..

The "Bedowin Night" is held at the same disgusting location ...so be warned!

Sharm El Sheikh is a beautiful resort with generally friendly locals all very keen to get a few pounds from you. OLD SHARM is not as nice and the locals there are very in your face and persistant.
I would happiy go back to Egypt booking direct with a Hotel and making my own way from the airport which is only around 10 mins drive by Car to the resort.

I hope this report helps to stop someone getting conned by either the travel agent or Thomas Cook resort reps. I am available to be contacted if I can provide you with any additional information

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.