We got a cracking deal from Thomson and after reading the reviews we opted for AI. It was well worth it. You do not however get any alcoholic drinks except beer and local wine free. Beware that if you order a bottle of wine it is brought to your table and is absolutely fine on tatste but if you order wine by the glass it is from a big carton and is completely different (and awful). We drank lots of different non alcoholic cocktails and got our moneys worth from the bars!We ate twice in the Italian and had the set menu (which was more than enough) and enjoyed that as part of the AI.We had a partial sea view room but we were on the garden and had lovely views of the sea and the garden.It was nice to have a patio area.Nothing was too much trouble. The first room we had was for smokers but we were moved immediately. The food was amazing in the eveniings and very good at lunchtime in the beach restaurant.The sea was very cold but we hired wetsuits for snorkelling(although there are lots of things free with Ai to do with watersports,wetsuits are not).The beach was very clean but we were disappointed to have a dog next to us one day.It was an exception and it was meant to be in a car but it was not pleasant when it went to the toilet on the beach!The evening entertainment was limited as it was indoors but ok.The TV could do with one Uk or USA news channel. I did suffer with gastroenteritis which the Doctor said was a change from Europe to Eygptian air! Mmmmm. But he gave me some drugs and advice. Cost of 77Euros.Bike hire has to be paid for and there isnt many places to cycle to.We had a few ants in our room and it was sprayed and so we got wetsuit hire free the next day. I would return but I dont know if I would pay the brochure price. Look out for deals.A lovely hotel,peaceful and restful and suprisingly hot for December.

Returned from my second stay at Soma Bay Sheraton late last week. I stayed for 2 weeks and had a lovely time at this relaxing and peaceful resort. I think the hotel is probably one of the best in the Hurghada area especially after talking to other holidaymakers. Hurghada itself seems a bit grim and although Soma Bay has very little in the area (save for a golf course and spa) it is far nicer. The treatment centre (thermes de marin) in the resort is very nice actually and recommended. It is a little costly but the treatments were relaxing and the centre is very clean, tasteful and tranquil.

The hotel itself is very good especially for Egyptian standards however I will pick out some small negatives. I would thoroughly recommend staying there however and am merely trying to mention any improvements that could be made. I am also a fussy traveller who likes my home comforts so this should be borne in mind!

Positives:

Clean rooms and hotel. I found the whole resort to be very clean and hygienic. Rooms were checked twice daily and small additions made it special – a home baked cake left in the room or flowers on the bed.
The food – excellent quality and the choice is really sustainable for about 3-4 weeks. There is so many different dishes catered for – eggs cooked as you like for breakfast or pasta dishes individually crafted if you do not fancy anything else at dinner. I personally liked the stir-fry outside which was additional to the nightly theme (Far East my favourite).
Service – the staff in the restaurant were very attentive and friendly. There was one nameless waiter who was a little inappropriate in his physical boundaries with my partner. However that was avoided soon after and this resolved itself. Most waiters however were very genuine and lovely people.
Pool area and sea – always plenty of places to sit (in Nov) and lovely clean and spacious areas. Very few children when I went so it was very peaceful all day. Great private beach area with plenty of room for everyone to enjoy.
Gym – great addition for a gymaholic. Could do with a few more running machines or bikes as this gets full at 5pm but kept clean again and allows you to exercise while away from home. Air con a little lacking but the windows outwards make for an inspiring view while running.
Snorkelling – my partner did this the once – she found it an amazing experience. This was only off the jetty in the hotel so no doubt the trips out are better. The hire equipment and staff were very helpful and well stocked.
Cairo trip – the best and the worst day. Booked with Longwood – great value for money – packed a lot in and no doubt an experience to be had both to see the way of life and the sights. However the day was very long (4am-10.30pm) and this could have been shortened by an earlier flight back or later outwards. The lunch restaurant was also a little dodgy and we were all cautious in our eating. I looked awful on my return but was worth it 48 hours later when the day could be reflected upon!


Negatives:

Service – great in the restaurant and room but the reception staff could be a little friendlier. One of my traveller’s cheques was almost refused as apparently my signature didn’t match!
Dinner – not enough tables to sit everyone when they arrived for dinner. We managed to suss this out by the second week. Tip – get to dinner between 6-6.30 and bag a table especially if you want to be outside. The mainly German clientele are early eaters and are often seated before the buffet begins. If you got to dinner at 7ish you could be waiting 30 mins for a table. One night we were offered to sit in the other restaurant. This was empty of people and seemed silly for the tables and staff to be surplus. The buffet dinner caters for everyone and this restaurant seems unneeded. The waiters were also funny about us sitting in there and taking food from the other restaurant despite being told to do so. It is the same hotel and we shouldn’t have been made to feel unwelcome.
Occupants – a mainly older affluent german presence. Makes for a quiet and peaceful holiday however found other residents a little rude and stern in their manner especially when they heard where we came from! Younger residents were a little more relaxed.
Money/Charges – these seemed to be made up as they went along. We paid for dinner on two different rates although the bill was computerised. Dinner was either 95 E for hot and 55 E for desert or 85E for hot and 75 E for desert. I queried this and was told I was mistaken – I kept the receipts but as I was charged the lower rate mostly I did not bring this to the attention of the management. I was charged a better rate by waiters who I was familiar with which I think says everything. I would fully recommend paying as you go in the resort to prevent any over charges!

I went on a B&B basis with free water during my stay. I would highly recommend this financially unless you wish to drink a high quantity of alcoholic drinks and/or are a big eater. I saved about £100 not going half board and about £300 not going AI.

All in all – a lovely resort which I would return to.

Literally just back from the third stay at the Soma Bay Sheraton - arrived home in the early hours of 29th September. No big surprises from the last 2 visits!

The main reason to go to Soma Bay is to have a restful holiday in a good hotel on a lovely bay. Its fantastic for the stressed out and watersprorts enthusiasts. It is also very isolated and can feel a bit like you are in a time loop reliving the same day over and over. We have seen teenagers going stir crazy there!.
You can go to Safaga city (20 mins) or up to Hurghada (45 minutes). There are glass boat trips to see the beautiful reef and snorkelling trips out into the bay. The hotel organises evening shows, has a disco, a health club, kids club, and animators who organise football matches etc. There's golf and the nice Thalasso centre at the Cascades - you can eat there for a change. There's a Marina still under construction which apparently will have a couple of shops and a cafe and another large Hotel. Robinsons next door is a German all inclusive.
And that's it. If you want nightlife or shopping with your Egyptian sun and sand go to Hurghada or El Gouna.

The rooms are really comfortable and very well maintained with everything you need for a nice stay. The towels are changed twice a day once in the morning by the room attendant and in the evening by the towel man. They have their own brand of toiletries now which are surprisingly nice and you wouldn't mind using - not the usual washing up liquid shampoo and thin body lotion. All the rooms have a minibar stocked with soft drinks, juices, chocolate and beer. You have to pay for the minibar if not on all inclusive. Its about 30 Egyptian for a can of beer. All rooms have or will have soon a kettle and mugs and a tray with creamer, sugar, teabags, decaff nescafe. They are also going to provide for all rooms bathrobes and slippers/flip flops. When we were there in March last year it was slippers this time it was flip flops. There are 42 channels on the TV with Euronews, CNN, and 3 movie channels with movies in English subtitled in Arabic.
A couple of days in a weeks stay you normally get a plate of little pastries or biscuits.

The food here is still the best we've had in Egypt. There's always a good choice no matter what time of day you want to eat.
Breakfast is from 6.30 am to 11am and the choice is amazing.
Juices including fresh squeezed orange Fruits fresh, dried, stewed yoghurt (5 kinds) cereals (10 kinds) , breads (about 15 kinds) pastries (about 20 kinds) , cold cuts and cheeses, jams. The hot food includes burgers, chicken and beef sausages, beef bacon, baked beans, tomatoes with cheese, potato cakes, fish cakes, french toast, porridge and pancakes and waffles with all the toppings. There is a chef on hand to make omelettes to your taste. You can also have the Egyptian breakfast of brown bean stew - Fool - with white cheese, hard boiled eggs and pitta bread.

Should you feel you need any food after breakfast the Copper Crescent Grill is open from 11 till about 5.30 for grills, salads, sandwiches, huge pizzas fresh from the oven, fish, ice creams and desserts. It can be crazy in there at lunchtime - it is as previous reviewers have said best before about 1 o clock. You can get sandwiches, juices and ice creams from the Beach Hut.

There is afternoon tea at the Solar Bay bar.

In the evenings you can eat at the buffet L'Abydos or the Italian L'Emporio. The buffet has a different theme each evening or you can choose from the A' la Carte menu. We tend to eat at the Italian. The four course set menu very enjoyable. Example antipasti for starters with good breads including olive bread, second course a choice of two pastas or a pasta and a risotto, third course a meat or fish dish with a nice sauce and some vegetables and a choice from the dessert table.

There is 24 hour room service with soup, sandwiches, pasta, salads, grills, burgers, desserts.

None of this is cheap. The set menu at the Italian is £22 a head, a bottle of wine £15. So £60 for dinner for 2. A bottle of water is £1.50, a bottle of beer is £2.60 - Sakkara is MUCH nicer than Stella Local. Room service is relatively inexpensive - fillet steak and chips £8, spag bol £4.00) I believe that from the 1st November all water will be free at all outlets in the hotel.

I agree with previous reviewers that the all inclusive is definitely worth the money normally. We don't usually spend a lot on food and drink on holiday. We don't normally eat lunch (it's too hot adn we have to fit it around snorkelling trips) , we drink water or tea/coffee during the day and have a couple of bottles of beer or a bottle of wine in the evening. We ate in the Italian and had a room service meal on the evening we arrived. We had nothing out of the minibar and no ice creams or afternoon tea. The food and drink part of the bill was still £350.

Front desk and housekeeping service is normally excellent. Service elsewhere can be a bit patchy, not their fault when you see how they run around, they sometimes just don't have the time for you. It's due primarily to there not being enough staff to guests. It wouldn't stop us going there again.

We have stayed in a number of all inclusive hotels from Mexico to Mauritius and the one area that most seem to stumble on is the buffet restaurant. Even the really good ones become stale after 2 weeks, but i can honestly say that even by the 14th night we were still having difficulty deciding what to eat, not because it was normal buffet school dinners, but because the variety and quality were superb. Choices of Beef wellington, Leg of Veal perfectly pink, Sea bass, Duck, etc.. etc.. Even the lunch time meals near the pool were sensational, fantastic Fillet Steak again cooked perfectly, (the service at lunch time is a bit slow though, 10-15 mins for an ice cream to arrive) It is brilliant to see the executive chef Colin out in the restaurant meeting and chatting to the guests, and contrary to a previous review he does smile and even laugh occasionally. You know they are proud of wwhat they do when they want to come and talk to you about it.
The hotel is impressive to look at, built to look like the temple at Karnak. The rooms are ok although we had to upgrade to a suite as the first room we were given was too small for a couple and 2 kids.
The kids loved the kiddy club and Lucy (4) was there most of the time making all sorts of things and often returning with not just her face painted but her legs, arms and back too. The staff were excellent especially Eli.
The first few days i was frustrated with the lack of service around the pool, but once we got to know the bar man he started coming over and asking us if we wanted drinks, after a week we started getting the beds next to the pool bar anyway. He was a very nice bar man. You can also order your lunch at the pool bar and he will bring it to your bed. By the way, the beds all have thick matresses and pillows on so you will fall asleep. We tried the beach a couple of times but although it is a brilliant beach for kids, gentle shelving sand to waist depth after 30mtrs, i'm not keen on being sandy and salty, so we mainly stayed poolside.
The house reef is fantastic, i dived twice but whilst snorkling we saw Morays, blue spotted rays, squid, Napolean fish, you name it it's there. Some of the best snorkling around, absolutely no need to go off on a boat trip for it.
All in all a really nice hotel, the evenening entertainment is a bit ropey at times but hey ho. Will i go back? i never return to the same place twice.....but i might this time, maybe for a week.
It's ideal for romantic couples, young kids and everyone else, but not groups looking for nightlife as its 45 minutes away from anything. There is a spa but in another hotel, the sheratons sauna and gym are basic, Golf is next door also, i would say it was mainly a couples resort.
We went to Luxor for an overnight tour booked through the spring tours rep. Opting for a private minibus for six of us and a night in the Luxor Sheraton. (Better than the budget hotels normally included but still very 1970's) Fantastic time in Luxor including the usual sites, but Felucca trip and sunrise hot air balloon ride were the highlights.