My boyfriend and I (both aged 22) went to the Sofitel for one week, from the 3rd June. Arrived at Taba airport around 10ish in the evening, which was very small and a lot of security but no bother at all. The travel reps aren't allowed into the building itself but wait outside for arrivals. After collecting baggage and getting onto the coach there was about an hour drive to the hotel. Travelling through rocky mountains and bendy roads (probably best that it's dark at this point and not be able to see how they drive since they don't seem to care which side of the road they drive on). Arrived at the hotel around midnight, checked in and were shown to our room, the staff were very friendly and we tipped the porter as they take the bags to your room for you. Food was laid on for us in the restaurant, though since it was late not a huge variety, however, understandable.

The room: We had a lovely room on the third floor (out of four), and a superking size bed, our view was directly facing the sea even though we'd only paid for a partial view. Both the bedroom and bathroom were immaculate and very pretty, and the balcony was very spacious for a standard room.

The hotel: the hotel grounds were big and everything was well spaced out so no where got too busy, everywhere is clean and very well presented. There are three pools outside which interlink, one cold water, one heated and one salt water - the cold water pool is the best pool. The salt water pool appeared a little dirty and was closed off on a couple of days we were there, however not a problem as the pools never got busy and the sea is very closeby. They play music and have daytime entertainment by the cold water pool/outside the poolside bar, which was quite good to have. Activities included 'Aqua-fit', 'water basketball', and by the pool were dancing lessons and stretching - all took place daily. There are plenty of sun loungers both by the pool and on the beach, we never reserved ours and had no trouble finding some free ones, though the beach tends to be less busy and much more relaxing than by the pool. There is a health club the otherside of the hotel where you can play tennis (though make sure you bring appropriate footwear as the clay courts are very dirty, and book in advance if you want a specific time). There is a small pool by the health club with a few sunlougers in the shade, a quieter environment and very relaxing. You can also shower in the health club on your last day if you do not pay to keep your room on. We did this as we weren't picked up until 6:35 in the evening and you need to check out of your room by 12:00. The hotel has one main shop, but it's very expensive and doesn't sell very much, so it's best to catch a bus to the El Wekela hotel where there are a few more shops such as a souvenir shop, perfume shop, papyrus shop and a few others, you can also get snorkell stuff here. The buses run every 15 minutes from the hotel and are free around the resort.

The beach: The beach was lovely and never busy, sandy until you get close to the water and then you'd probably need special shoes for the sea. Other activities could be played further along the beach such as volleyball and swingball - though much too hot to play for long. There is a set area for swimming which is watched by the lifeguard, however for snorkelling etc you can go to the end of the pier and climb down some steps to the sea. Lots of coral so be very careful, but also plenty of fish swimming around. I didn't go in but still saw some fish from the pier, and my boyfriend went in and saw even more, from lionfish, to seasnakes, and lots of baracuda.

The restaurant: The main all-inclusive restaurant 'Aladdin' (the other is having work done and is closed) offers a variety of food at breakfast and lunch, including pancakes, pastries, cereal, yoghurt, fruit and made to order omlettes for breakfast, and a range of both hot and cold food for lunch. For the evening meal, despite what other reviews have said about food, we found it very nice, always a choice and every night offered something different. For example each night was a different theme: Greek, French, Italian, Mexican, Spanish, and Egyptian. Some were better than others however this completely depends on individual taste, I preffered the Mexican and French. There is also a couple of soups to choose from as well as a range of salad options. The hot foods mainly consists of a choice of rice, potatoes, veg, two-three different meat dishes, fish, and a vegetarian option. The desserts are also very nice, offering a wide selection. I think you'd only have a problem finding something if you were a fussy eater generally. The The poolside bar 'Lotus' make pizzas everyday (sometimes pasta) from 12:00 til 5:00 if you fancy a snack, these are ok but nothing special. The other restaurant at the hotel is a la Carte and is the 'Asiatique', which although looked nice and was reasonably inexpensive we never went as were happy with the other food provided so cannot comment.

The bars: Choice of two (Lotus poolside bar and Sultana inside by reception). Sultana is the main bar open til 1:00pm which we found reasonably quiet for a hotel of that size, evening entertainment lasts about an hour starting t 10:00pm. The show is mostly dance acts by various people as it is international and it is quite limited what they could actually do which would appeal to everyone. Nothing special though we weren't particularly bothered about watching the entertainment anyway. A range of drinks are available and never a long queue for either bar, there are cocktails which were very strong, and the beer was light and sweet, which is probably a good thing in the hot weather.

There are various day trips which you can go on from the hotel, we travelled with First Choice and so just booked our trip to Cairo with them, this costs £69 (English pounds). A range of currency is accepted in Egypt, either Egyptian pounds, English pounds and US dollars. Though if you decide on Egyptian pounds it works out much cheaper to change it once you're there (either in the Sofitel or at El Wekela). The trip to Cairo took 6 hours each way and so was extremely long day, leaving at 2:30am and getting back at 10:00pm!! It was worth it to see the pyramids and the Sphinx (however you have to really want to go).

Overall we had a lovely time at the Sofitel and were pleased we chose this hotel. The resort itself is quiet and so one week was the right length of time to stay, two weeks may have been too long. As other reviews have mentioned, it's perfect if you want to relax, or are happy with entertaining yourselves, if you like beach/pool holidays which aren't too overcrowded this is a good destination. We had amazing weather all week, and it got extremely hot midday so we tried to avoid sunbathing at this time as you could hardly feel the breeze at all. Would recommend this hotel to couples of all ages. With regards to the 5 star status, you have to keep in mind this varies in different countries and so for Egypt this is a very good hotel, though compared to others around the world some may find it compares as a 4 star. In our opinion, regardless of rating, it was a very high standard and we were pleased with everything it had to offer.

I was really looking forward to this holiday and specifically the hotel after having a personal recommendation from a friend. On arrival to the hotel I was very impressed, it's beautiful, the staff are friendly and the room was pretty much perfect in my oppinion (especially the bed which can often be a real problem).

The beach, sea and specifically sea life was great, the only downer was the idiots walking on the coral. I held back from shouting abuse (not that they would have understood as they were either French or Russian), but it really did annoy me that people think its ok to destroy something of such beauty. I do feel someone should be life guarding/watch people to stop this happening. A lot of the coral is already dead, and I did prefer going for a swim from the Hyatt jetty, as there was more coral and hence more fish.

Food was very average. I am not fussy at all, and I did always have something to eat, but the end of two weeks I was skipping lunch. It's the one thing that did put a bit of a downer on the holiday. I did also get a very bad stomache for about 3 days which I did spend in the room, however I can't rule out sun stroke as a possible cause. However I have to say the desert trolly was to die for. It had the best chocolate tart and moose cake I have ever eaten. Hats off to the chef there!

Trips I went on were to Petra in Jordan, which I loved. Great guide who explained everything, and all in all one of the best trips I have done. However we also did the night time mount Sinai climb to watch the sunrise. Please PLEASE do NOT do this! It's the worst thing I have ever done. I'm young, fit and healthy and even I found this "march" up the mountain too much. We were told it would take 4hrs, but ended up taking around 2, so we spent several hours sat at the top in a hut in the freezing cold waiting for the sun. It wasnt until my friend said to the group it had started the guide actually took us to the summit, so we missed the inital rising. I could go on, but I won't...it's too painful a memory lol.

Overall I wanted to love the Sofitel, but the food did let me down. I stayed in a 3* all inc in Gran Canaria last year and the food there was a lot better.

If I was to go back to Taba, and I wouldnt only because I have done the things there I wanted to, I would stay at the Hyatt. It had a really nice layout and some incredible pools. Not sure why the intercontinental is rated #1 now, it looks like a prison (even has the search lights) and when we walled past it, it smelt really really bad.

Me and my partner have just returned from a week's stay at the Sofitel, Taba Heights (ages - 27 and 30).

Overall, I would say this hotel was good, but I think there is definitely room for improvement. I have summarised below in more detail:-

Hotel Rooms/Exterior

The hotel building is very lovely, it is clearly well looked after. All of the grounds are beautifully tended to with lots of colourful trees and flowers. The architecture has a very Egyptian feel to it and the reception area is huge.

There are three pools (1 large fresh water and 2 sea water pools), which are all very warm and clean.

The hotel rooms are very clean and spacious, with a huge tiled shower area.

Beach

We found there to be plenty of sunbeds with sunbreaks and umbrellas. We certainly didn't rush out with our towels at sunrise (you'd be amazed how many people do this!) and we never struggled to get a good spot on the beach.

Trying to get into the sea is quite rocky, although the Sofitel definitely has the best location on the beach as there is a jetty right outside the hotel. We bought some cheap sea shoes in the hotel shop which were perfect for our snorkelling - there's some amazing fish out there!

Weather

This time of year it is extremely HOT! I am a bit of a sun worshipper, but even I had to keep in the shade for most of the day.

Food

I am by no means a particularly fussy eater (nor is my partner), but we both found the all-inclusive food pretty dire!

It was bland, repetitive and offered some rather odd combination of dishes. If we had been staying here for two weeks I think by week 2 we would have lost about two stone each!

We did try a couple of the a la carte restaurants (the Asiatique in the Sofitel and Tuscany in the Marriott hotel). Both meals were very good - but very expensive. I read on here about the wine prices and thought I must have misunderstood, but it is really pricey.

Please bear in mind that all-inclusive finishes at 11.00pm, after which you pay for all drinks in the Sultana Bar etc.

Entertainment

We found the entertainment pretty cringeworthy. The Sultana Bar was about the only place to go for a drink after your dinner, and we found it quite dark ,dingy and smoky - not our cup of tea. They did have various "shows" each night but I can't say either of us were inspired to stay and watch.

Overall, we both had a nice relaxing week - which is what we went for. If you want to go somewhere lively and where you can explore then this isn't the location for you. Taba Heights only consists of of 5 hotels along the sea front. Also Taba Airport is the funniest little airport I've ever clapped eyes on - if we'd have been delayed there I think we'd have slit our wrists!

Just something to note, although we have no way of ever knowing for sure, my partner had a pair of swimming shorts go missing and I had a bikini go missing. They could only have been taken from our room because we didn't take them outside (apart from when we were wearing them). We didn't want to accuse the cleaner - as we both felt a bit silly over a bikini and a pair of shorts, but we turned that room upside down and we never found either item....very strange.

We've stayed at Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada previously - and would recommend these locations over Taba Heights if you're interested in going to the Red Sea.

Overall we would rate this hotel 6/10.

I have been to a fair few 5 star all inclusive hotels around the world in my time and so far this has been the most disappointing experience of them all.

The hotel as a structure is fine and ver appealing to the eye, the rooms are cleanand the airconditioning is very good as long as you can handle the nightly smell of sewage in the bathroom, I haven't quite figured out why?

As a comparison i stayed at the 4 star Concorde Hotel in Sharm a couple of years ago and it knocks the spots of this hotel.

The food is bland and boring with very little choice and as said earlier the "restaurant" is more like a staff canteen (certainly underpar for a supposed 5 start hotel), you take a seat whwre you can find one if you can find one and if you don't you just lurk around till one is available. Forget waiter-service it does not exist, every 5 star i have evr stayed in always has a waiter service at least for the drinks. The waiters are so busy trying to keep on top of the table situation they do nothing else.

What makes a 5 start hotel is service and the sofitel does not know the meaning of the word, I asked for an iron in the room and was told "sorry you cannot have one you will need to pay for the laundry to do it for you", that in a nutshell is the essence of the hotel...to make any extra money they can.

As for the entertainment, forget it... it can best be described as mediocre.

I got the impression that the staff at the sofitel were not very happy and it was just a job, and not a job that you wake up in the morning and are happy to go to.

In a nutshell, will I come back...NEVER. Will I ever recommend it to anyone ...NEVER.

If can get a bargain price and are will to settle for 3 star or 2.5 star quality then go otherwise if you have been around and know what to expect from a 5 star resort, you will be thoroughly disappointed