Stayed at the Ritz Sharm on March 08. The service was really good. The room was always clean, although i wouldnt recommend to take a bath! - the water came out yellow, but I guess thats more a problem of the city water. But the room was beautifull and very clean. The service respectful and nice. They were always paying attention to our needs. The breakfast buffet is very good, I especially recommend the omelets. I wouldnt recommend the package with half pension that includes dinner, since there are many nice restaurants at a walking distance if you want to go to il mercato. Or better yet, take a taxi and go to Naama bay, the restaurants there are very good! We ate only once dinner at the lebanese restaurant of the ritz. It was a very nice 5 course meal, including a great belly dance show, for the accomodating price of around 55 dollars per person- not very good for a student budget! but it was definitely worth trying it, the food was delicious.
The only bad thing i would point out is that in the reception they had 2 annoying girls singing what i can just assume was karaoke, they were terrible, they yelled more than singing, it was worse than seeing some of the applicants of american idol, but in a weird way it was funny too.
The beach was really beautiful, the coral reef is huge! the sad part is that some bad tourists were standing on top of it. But the employees of the hotel tried to stop that. Definitely worth it to buy your snorkel or rent it there (for about 15 euros or so, per day) and take a day or two to snorkel at the hotel. But if you go around march, the water will be a bit cold, so be prepared and go around noon.

Thank you Ritz-Carlton for a wonderfully relaxing week! After reading some of the recent reviews I packed extra underpants for this hotel but really need not have bothered! This is a lovely hotel.

The grounds are very well kept, food very good and the pool, or should I say pools, are magnificent - well positioned and well thought out. Kids pools are a safe distance from adult zones - until 5.00 PM when I attempt to swim up the lazy river (against the flow) and stick my partner in a rubber ring (relax, she loved it!).

I went half board and it cost around $11 dollars per person to upgrade to an 'eat all courses' affair in the restaurants which, in my own personal opinion, with the exception of Blue Ginger, were very good. The chicken in the Blue Ginger tasted a bit rubbery but I guess they (the chickens) do not get to eat much corn in Egypt? Regarding $, the hotel charges in three main currencies: Egyptian pounds, dollars and Euro's. Unless you have less than a grade E in GCSE maths this should not cause a problem. I charged everything to my room, took a note of what I spent and then checked the bill at the end. It matched to the Egyptian penny and I even paid in two different currencies - just to be awkward - but this was no problem.

On the subject of food, the Belly Dancer in the Lebanese restaurant seemed to take a bit of a fancy to me (or was it the other way around?) - she could seriously shake her booty - worth every penny in my humble opinion - until my partner found a new use for her fork! La Luna the Italian restaurant was really nice but it amused my partner that I spotted that their piano was out of tune on the high notes! The buffet was good but I get bored very easy - belly dance take note!

On the subject of getting bored, if you like night life then this hotel could be a good base but you will need to venture out. The Ukranian and Cuban entertainment in the main lobby were good for a giggle for a week but any longer and I would need a frontal lobotomy which I am sure Akmed, the drinks waiter, could arrange.

There is a great gym you can use free of charge, and a massive jacuzzi in rather opulent surroundings that are all free of charge. The dive centre in the hotel is also very good and you can either buy or hire equipment such as a snorkel, mask and flippers and go for a jolly off the jetty at the resort. I did - the water was 25 degree C (in April), clear and a flag system tells you how safe the water is. Amazing experience looking down 30 metres plus in the clear warm water. Below me were all sort of fish, other divers and cute Russian girlls - wee waa woo waa!

The drinks in the hotel are a bit pricey but they are no worse priced than a half decent UK hotel. In fact, the minibar seemed almost cheap in comparison to the Gatwick Airport hotel. I took £400 spending money for a week on top of going half board. This paid for a lunch , upgrading to restaurants (from the buffet) and buying a couple of drinks in the bar each night for me and my partner. If you think this is too much then book a cheaper hotel - don't complain.

Having dealt with drink prices, I will deal with two other areas of contention for this hotel as far as I can see. Firstly, the rooms: I had a basic room which was large, clean but fairly basic. With marble floors, sofa, balcony, bath, shower etc it was more than adequate (I am used to staying in good hotels in Europe and the USA this did fine) and the bed was massive (no belly dancer jokes - big forks nearby!). Do not expect a massive plasma telly and glass floor with fishes floating around - You will have to get your wallet out big time for that kind of privilege - even in Egypt. On the subject of upset tummy's: everyone who gets 'the squirts' is quick to blame the food. Basically if you sit by a pool in 35 degree C plus heat and plop an ice cold drink in your belly then you can expect trouble - whether you are in a 1 or 5 star joint. If you are going to the desert, pack your imodium or a large nappy!

I note that the hotel is under new management as of April 2008 and I noticed someone who looked like a new or interim manager kicking some derriere around the place. Made me feel good to be on holiday. If you have booked and have some spending money to take with you, then I am sure you will have a lovely time. Enjoy. Highlights: Belly Dancer. Lowlight: Forks!

After reading some of the reviews i was very worried about going to this hotel. Everyone has different expectations on what good looks like. I have travelled all over the world so feel I have a balanced view.

If you are going to compare with the Ritz in London you may be a little disappointed but in terms of other holiday accomodation and locations, this was really very nice. Good food, nice poeple, no over loud guests. A pleasent stay. I was only B&B so did eat in the hotel restaurants most nights a little expensive but worth it.

Other revews have mentioned bad service, not at all. I think there may be a language problem at times, but service was good and yes sometimes a little slow, but would'nt you be a bit slower if you worked in a hot climate all day! give the guys a break!

The rooms are lovely and very clean. No problems with the bathroom or anything else. The grounds are well kept, pools are clean and generally the hotel looks chic.

The Management and staff here work hard to make sure everyone is kept happy. I travelled on my own with my small son and I felt that they took extra care to ensure we had a very good stay.

Go and enjoy! and if there is an issue tell the team, they want you to enjoy your holiday as much as you do.

I feel compelled to write this review about The Ritz as prior to my recent stay I read through the various reviews online and was extremely dubious about going.

I can only say that the service that we recieved from arriving to the day that we left was impeccable.

There are several reviews that state that the drink prices are expensive. For starters... you are staying in the Ritz and it can only be expected that you will pay premium drink prices. I can assure you that the drinks are no more expensive than that of a city centre trendy Manchester or London bar. £4 for a beer, £10 for a cocktail and £6 for a glass of wine, plus 12% tax. Please ignore the people that tell you to stay clear of the egyptian wine. Granted, the imported wine is very expensive... but, don't drink it! stick to the local wine. It is very drinkable and a fraction of the price. I can highly recommend the Omar Khaham (I think that's how it's spelt!!) Cabernet Sauvignon.

When we arrived we were greeted by 4 extremely friendly bongo players!!, taken to a comfortable seating area and given a refreshing drink and cold flannel to cool down with. All the while, we were very promply checked in and then escorted to our pool view room. The room itself was extremely spacious and provided for an extremely comfortable stay.

We were staying on a half board basis, which to be honest if I was to stay again, I would perhaps opt for just B&B and have the freedom to dine out of the hotel for a change. We celebrated my friends birthday whilst we were there and dined in the beautiful La Luna restaurant. The pastry chef had specially made a birthday cake for her!

People have also commented on the staff being rude and unattentive. We were treated like princesses and nothing was too much trouble.

We ventured into Naama Bay for one night and had our eyes opened to say the least!! It is very very busy and is world's away from the Ritz so be warned!

If you do want an evening away from the hotel I would suggest the 'Dolce Vita' club at the top of the road which is only open on a Friday. This is a huge open air club, and a great place to let your hair down!!

All in all, we have had a fantastic time and I would have no qualms in recommending the hotel to friends and family.

xx