Nice little trip out
by clueless83
We decided to take a glass bottom boat trip because I had never done one before. We booked it at the sister hotel to ours (i think it was Albatros something, ours was the Aqua Blu) as they offered better prices than our hotel but I think you can do trips like this from many places around Sharm.
Anyway we hopped on a little speedboat from the beach which took us over to the glass bottom boat. I think the trip lasted about an hour and on the way out to sea we sat downstairs looking at the fish below. The boat then stopped and we could buy ice cream (yum!) then we could watch the waves and the boats on the shore from the top deck on the way back.
The Red Sea is teeming with beautiful fish and is one of the best places to snorkel. We didn't snorkel as we'd done that in the Great Barrier Reef Australia and decided to spend our money checking out Ancient Egypt with a pricey trip to Cairo.
Glass bottom boat is worth doing but it won't blow your mind.
Cairo from Sharm El.Sheikh by Plane and By Bus
by DoDoo
Hello,
If anyone will be in sharm el.sheikh and want to visit Cairo. There are two ways to be there, by plane or by bus.
This is really a great excursion from sharm el.sheikh. In it you'll visite the pyramids which will be excellent and the Egyptian museum also very interesting and you also had a trip on the Nile. At finish you'll go to the sound and light show at the pyramid.
I would highly recommend Aqua Blue Sharm and also recommend you take the flying option.
And i really recommend to go by plane bcz bus takes 6 hours to be in cairo.
NOW; HOT OFFER for August Only : By Plane it's only by 135 GBP // By Bus Only 38 GBP.
Don't forget to take with you: Sun glass, Breakfast Box from the hotel.
What a hotel!
by TripAdvisor Member meisi_4
It is an amazing hotel! Unfortunately we stayed there only for one week. THere is so much to do for everyone! Hotel is very clean!!! Food is excellent and always different! Staff are absolutely amazing! Made so many friends over there! YOu dont even need to leave the resort, they have all the tours. If you're not sure what to do or how to get somewhere, just ask one of the staff and they will be more than happy to help you! People in reception speak perfect english, russian, polish and german! I would love to go back there again! Stayed in some 5 star hotel and it wasnt as great to be honest! Will upload pics and videos of Aqua Blu very soon! Stay tuned :) and enjoy the hotel!!! :)
Fantastic holiday.
by TripAdvisor Member TISAK
We stayed at the Aqua Blu hotel between 25th August and September the 4th. There was 4 in our party, me my wife and our two daughters aged 8 & 4. We met some lovely people there and most of them have already contributed their reviews or added to the Forum started by Sassybob. Hi everyone!
In our opinion this is an excellent hotel to consider whilst staying in Sharm. It is extremely well kept by the hotel staff, and you must take into account that this also reflects the hundreds of day visitors it attracts to the water park in addition to serving the guests staying on the resort.
We had a great holiday and whilst most of our friends have covered the positives in earlier reviews, here are some of the highlights during our stay.
Dining – There are two restaurants and both have different menu’s so please check them out before deciding where to eat. The Aqua park restaurant next to reception was our favourite as it was quieter and had the pizzeria which the kids loved. There was plenty of daily choice and the chefs would make certain dishes (Chinese/pizza/pasta) to your requirements if you asked. I was a vegetarian and had no problems.
The kids club – There are also two kids clubs one exclusively or the Germans and the other for other Nationals. Our one is located underneath the King Kong slides and is managed by Merry who speaks perfect English. Our kids made some great friends.
Please note that Merry will let your kids design a Tshirt to keep and get a certificate at the Mini disco. It cost EGP 60 (£6) and she does not tell you this in advance. We got caught out with some other families so please make sure you tell her when dropping them off that if you don’t want this.
The mini disco starts at 9pm in the outdoor food court and the bar does not open until then. So plan your mealtimes accordingly or you may have to sit in the lobby bars which allow smoking.
The Toilets – Not well signposted but you will find them under most of the slides.
Taxis – There is an official price list set by the Sinai government. If you are lucky enough to receive a welcome pack at the airport, take it as it has a map, a booklet, discount vouchers and this price list on the map. Show this price list to the Hotel management or the cabbies and you will get your discounted trip! If they remain stubborn mention the Tourist Police which normally does the trick.
Papers – You cannot buy the papers in the supermarkets located outside. A guy comes round everyday trying to sell them and will barter the price. The most some idiots paid was £5 and the lowest was £2. This was for a Sun newspaper that was two days old. Take a good book instead or a cap with MUGGED on it.
Wet shoes – Takes some wet shoes with you as the steps up to the slides and the pool areas get extremely hot to walk on. They sell them in the park at a premium. They will also come in handy at the beach where it is a rocky surface not sand as you enter.
Pyramid Tour – We did a tour of Cairo and booked it independently. We booked Flights with Egypt Air and a hired a Tour Guide through the recommendations on the Cairo forums here. (Mohamed Komaty – excellent and great value for money). This was the highlight of our holiday).
We would definitely recommend this hotel to anybody and would not hesitate returning again in the future. We hope you shortlist it and have an enjoyable stay and that this review helps towards that if you book there.
Regards
TISAK (Asit & Tina)
Great time
by TripAdvisor Member paula_mackay
We travelled here for seven nights at the end of August 2008.
We didn't go there with high expectations due to the mixed reviews but we were pleasantly surprised. We met some lovely families (Hi to you all) and did have a great time.
The water slides were amazing for the teenagers and all of them were working.
The whole hotel, grounds and pool were kept lovely and clean.
The food was a little repetitive but there was plenty of it. Try and eat at the Aqua restaurant near to the wave pool as opposed to the Cafe de Roi (main restaurant) which really is a free for all.
The animation team are very friendly and work really hard. Do have a game of water polo with Mario twice a day. My husband did at the end of our week and wished he'd joined in sooner.
The evening entertainment is adequate and quite fun. It is all in English and just about everyone who was watching it was English. Try to sit near one of the huge outdoor air-con units.
The drinks are served in tiny tiny cups or glasses. Ask for a large glass or take your own insulated mug or something.
We got three bottles of water a day in our room.
Do the desert quad biking, I didn't go but my husband and teenage son loved it and it only cost £22 for them both.
We got no mosquito bites whatsoever and no tummy troubles to speak of.
We tipped the pool boy two USD each day and we had the same spot every day with clean towels put out for us. We tipped the cleaner at the end of the week.
All in all it was a fun week and we would go back.
Absolutely Fantastic Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member MDW491
We stayed at this hotel from 25th Sep - 2nd Oct 08, and I can't praise it enough.
The hotel itself is absolutely fantastic, totally blows anything else we've stayed at out of the water.
There is so much to do, you don't need to leave the complex.
The hotel is full of Russians and Germans, but don't let that put you off, the Russians are easily dealt with when they try to push in, as are the Germans.
There were three of us in the party, my partner, her son and I, we were made to feel so welcome by everyone from the Pool Boys and Life Guards to the Bar Staff and Entertainment Staff.
We stayed All Inclusive, and I do recommend that you tip the Bar Staff, as they will look after you for your entire stay.
The Russians are rude to absolutely everyone, they seem to have an inferiority complex, but it's dealt with easily.
The drinks are given out in small plastic cups, but as I said if you tip, you will be looked after, not that we're alcoholics, it's a lot nicer to be seen to be nice and polite, the staff love to speak to the English people.
The food is nothing like you get at home, but you shouldn't expect a full English Breakfast, we all found something that we could eat each day, I would recommend the Italian/Chinese Restaurant as opposed to the Cave Du Roi, as it can get busier, and the food is generally better.
The Entertainment Staff are wonderfully, especially Mario, who's a bit of a lothario, but a totally cracking guy.
The Pool Boys are a little competitive with each other, trying to get your tip each day, we stayed with the same guy all week, and out towels were placed each day by our favourite spot, and we tipped him EGP20 every day.
The Life Guards are wonderful with kids, an extra special thanks went to Luka, he was brilliant, there were no English children at the hotel, but this was not an issue.
The only bad experiences we had were outside the hotel, and one thing I would not recommend is the hotel Taxi Service, a very frightening experience for my partner and her child. The second night we were there, we wanted to visit Naama Bay. We went to reception, got the taxi (the prices are listed to various destinations). We got into the taxi, commenced our journey to Naama Bay, having seen were we needed to stop on the way to the hotel, the driver drove straight past, and made a U turn about 200 metres further down the road, he then proceeded to drive back up where we'd come from and stopped at the side of the road next to a bunch of Egyptians, I was practically manhandled into this guys shop, given a card and made to promise to return once we'd finished before he let us out of the shop, not a nice experience.
When we left to go to the Airport, we more or less didn't have a choice by to use the hotel Taxi service, the stated price is EGP105, we got the same driver as we did when we went into Naama Bay, I wasn't happy about this, and it made it the most uncomfortable 20 minutes of my life, when we got to the airport he demanded another EGP50 from me, to which he was politely told to go forth.
We would return to this hotel again, but we'd book transfers instead of taxis.
Forum Posts
what area is best
by threelittlepigs
Planning a trip to Sharm el Sheikh at the end of March beg April. Looking at 2 hotels, both which include a water park - Park Inn at Naqb bay or Albatros Aqua Blu, Sharm el Maya. The water park would keep the kids occupied (5 years - 9 years old) which water park is best? Also what area would be best for adults to snorkel direct from the jetty/beach. If not great snorkeling, is there somewhere nearby? Believe from what I have read that Naqb might be windy. Would it be too cold at this time of year for kids to enjoy the water park? (do not know if pools are heated) Thanks for any info
