More about Le Meridien Dahab Resort
Lovely, relaxing break - loved Le Meridien, Dahab
by TripAdvisor Member J-Wo-2
We have just returned from a week at Le Meridien. It was early season so very quiet but suited us perfectly. We took our 1 and a healf year old daughter who loved it. She was adored by all the fantastic waiting staff, Eqyptians and the excellent Kids Club. I can't praise them enough. Although you can only leave under 4s with them alone we hung out at the Kids Club and they entertained us all.
We also went diving from the hotel centre and snorkelled from the beach. My husband was incredibly lucky and saw Lion Fish, a moray eel and beluga whales!
We were on half board and were embarrassed with how much food was provided for so few people. The breakfasts were everything you could imagine - hot and cold. We did not get sick from the buffet.
The room was fantastic - beautifully laid out with the wonderful bathroom and outside shower area other people have described.
We went into Dahab and tried the tourist restaurants which having travelled elsewhere are very relaxed. SeaBride for seafood was highly recommended. We found the Egyptian shop owners really friendly and generous and not pushy. You just need to haggle and be friendly back.
Overall, this was a fabulous break. The staff were wonderful, room great and pools/weather lovely - we were sad to leave. I was impressed from the start - having been delayed on our flight we were greeted with cool face towels and juice while we signed in. It set the tone for the week.
Like everyone else says, go now while it is new and getting started before others discover it.
Don't Stay Here!
by nigelkrohn about Helnan/Meridien Dahab
We stayed here in 1999 and went back in 2004 - what a mistake! Food was awful, hotel empty, we moved after 24 hours.
Blissful experience
by TripAdvisor Member CarolineLondon
During a tour of Egypt we originally planned to stay only one night at the hotel but ended up staying for four nights. Whilst the hotel is slightly out of the way if you are looking for perfect rest and relaxation this is the place to go. It seems to be not fully open yet but the benefit of this is attentive 5 * service and comfort. Everything is brand spanking new. Our room was superb - we were like a couple of kids trying out the new features! A private terrace at the back with shade and outdoor shower, a view of the sea from the bathroom shutters and all beautifully designed. The staff were helpful and friendly although sometimes language was a barrier. The pools are great and the hotel can arrange diving or snorkelling trips if you wish. The food is also excellent especially room service. The only drawback of this hotel is that it is not right next to Dahab town but as other reviewers have mentioned it is a short taxi ride away. Generally a blissful experience.
a taste of paradise
by TripAdvisor Member braeholm_broadford
After booking a late deal with Thomson holidays, and checking the tripadvisor reports, we were looking forward to our trip to dahab. WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED!!! This resort is amazing- it was pretty empty, so we got an upgrade to a luxury suite with a sea view. There was a beautiful terrace looking out to the sea and over to the mountains. The luxurious rooms had tea and coffee making facilities, LCD TV, bathrobes, slippers, and sitting area. The bathroom had a lovely sunken bath, with a massive shower. The piece de resistance was the small outside courtyard with a recliner and outside shower- excellent for the end of a day relaxation. The pool area was great- lots of shady parts to keep us cool. The boys came round with complimentary water every day, ice cold facecloths to keep cool and even offered to clean our sunglasses. The food was excellent- we ate at the a la carte restaurant in the evenings, which I would recommend. It was usually quiet, as most people went to the buffet. prices (around £7-10 main) and excellent quality. We travelled with a 4 month old, and the resort was perfect for them, as there was lots of gardens to walk with the pram (however lots of stairs) and the staff were all great with him. The resort had a steam room and sauna, which was a little piece of luxury at the end of a days sunbathing. The only problem is location- you have to get a taxi to dahab (around £3 each way), which is no problem (unless you have a 4 month baby with you!). There were a few russians that unfortunatelyseemed to live up to their loud reputations, but otherwise it was very peaceful. I suggest that you go now before the masses arrive.
4* delight in Dahab
by TripAdvisor Member bw27
This is a good 4* hotel in a lovely location outside of Dahab itself. It is quirkily designed - lovely beach club and pools but disappointing public spaces. But in terms of hotels in Egypt it is good - although most definitely NOT 5*, contrary to what many other reviewers have said. The staff are charming and competent and try very hard to ensure that all guests are happy and have everything they need.
We booked a deluxe room - it's nice to have the outside shower and space, although our shower already had damp patches up the walls where there were leaks behind the tiling. As for the room itself, we found the dark decor a bit oppressive with no light by the bed to read by. The bathroom, by contrast, was lit to hospital standards! Nice walk in shower (although the tiling had been installed so that the drain was uphill not down!) and whirlpool bath which we didn't use. The TV was stuck to the wall so that you could only sit on the sofa to watch it. However, a lovely view over to the sea.
The pool area is very nice although it seems a shame that you can only sit round the freshwater pool on comfortable loungers; everywhere else they are less comfy. As there are about 20 or so of these it's going to get very competitive in the morning to bag one once they are full - and nigh on impossible when they have expanded the hotel. The largest of the pools is surrounded by grass and has no loungers so that it was never used which is a shame. The kid's pool is on a concrete ledge below the main pools. The staff are attentive and especially nice to small children.
The beach club is a lovely bit of design with loungers, pod chairs and sofa's. Once the restaurant has opened it will be a superb spot to spend time at. Be warned, there is no sand as such but red gravel so a pair of surf shoes might come in handy if you are planning to swim.
The buffet restaurant serves a very good breakfast and ok food in the evening. The best meal was the 'oriental' buffet (for which read local food) with lovely barbecued meat and amusing entertainment (belly dancing; Nubian dancing etc). On some other evenings there was a singer - we thought she was pretty dire but still. The décor is a bit bland and lacking in character.
The a la carte restaurant is well-designed and serves good food - with bizarre titles! Lovely accompaniment of man playing the mandolin/zither (we couldn't decide which!) during dinner. If you are on half board you can use your meal allocation in the a la carte restaurant.
On some nights the bar had a dj mixing music and this had a nice view over the resort to the mainland of Saudi Arabia beyond. The public space is cavernous with loads of sofa's - for what reason we couldn't fathom.
The dive and windsurfing schools - which are NOT part of the hotel but are located on their beach - are popular. Didn't windsurf although local conditions suggest it must be heaven for the experienced. The dive school was one of the most professional and experienced we have come across and would highly recommend them.
All in all this hotel deserves to do well, and if the staff dedication and enthusiasm can be maintained will prove very popular. It will have to keep on its toes, however, as and when it is busier and expands further.
It is windy here and can get chilly so take a sweater for the evenings.
As other reviewers have said, go now before it is found out.
Quality time
by TripAdvisor Member Lynphd
We flew out of Doncaster Robin Hood on Easter Monday for a week of relaxation. This was our first time to the Dahab area and we preferred it to Sharm. Le Meridien gave us a week of pure luxury - the hotel seemed very quiet, maybe as not all of the rooms are up and running yet. So go before it gets fully opened!
It is almost an hour to transfer from the airport but there is some good desert/mountain scenery. Weather was very hot. Our room was luxurious with the sunken bath, stone sink, large shower as shown in previous pics. We were given a room on the front row with a front and rear patio area (which seemed to be a free upgrade). The staff are very attentive and helpful. There are towel boys by the beach and by the pool. There were always plenty of sunbeds (a variety of different luxury models!) There is a sauna and an excellent steam room, again with plenty of towels. The bar was always quiet. The food was good (but equivalent to English prices). We went B&B, booking through Thomson and ate in the hotel every day. We had some really nice lunches on the beach or by the pool. For evening meals we had the buffet a few nights and room service other nights. There was also an a la carte restaurant option but we didn't see much to tempt us on the menu. The evening buffet was always good quality, but not a very wide choice. There is a house reef which you get to from a wooden jetty off the beach. We only went into Dahab once, it is about 5 mins by taxi (about £2.50 each way). It was nice to look round, the shop keepers hassle you a bit (but not as bad as Sharm), but we didn't risk eating out there after a previous experience in Egypt. We preferred to eat at the hotel even if the prices were relatively high for Egypt. We can highly recommend this hotel and will be returning; we just hope it doesn't get too busy when it is fully finished.
so relaxing
by TripAdvisor Member caroldh
Le Meridien is a lovely peaceful hotel. The staff are extremely friendly and polite - nothing is too much trouble.
Everywhere is spotlessly clean all the time.
We had the buffet breakfast each day. There was a good range of breads and pastries, but the hot meals lacked variety and the fruit was mostly tinned. Nevertheless, there was plenty of food and it always seemed fresh.
The a la carte restaurant at lunch and in the evening has an unusual menu with some very tasty choices.
We only ate in the buffet restaurant once in the evening and found it disappointing - bland and not very hot.
Downtown Dahab is lively and good fun. It's easy to get to by taxi and there are some good restaurants. We ate at Al Capones, Aladdin and Tota (the boat) and enjoyed them all.
We only had 2 complaints about the hotel
1. The air con in our room was very noisy, but they are in the process of replacing the units so that should get better.
2. Mosquitoes. Take some industrial strength repellent! They are very persistent.
Don't let that put you off tho'. It is a beautiful hotel and we were very sorry to leave.
Pretty but WAY overpriced
by TripAdvisor Member Mona2008
OK, this place got glowing reviews and I'm guessing it was because 1) people reviewing it did not pay almost $200/night, which was the resident, not the foreigner rate or 2) they wanted a quiet little getaway, and were not too interested in the sports aspect of Dahab.
We stayed most of our vacation at the Hilton Dahab (fantastic!) but they had no rooms for the last night of our vacation due to the holiday, and the Meridien did, so I thought the "splurge" would be worth it, just for a night.
The hotel is nice, no doubt, but the service was not up to 5 star standards. When we got there, we were told that there were no king beds--huh? You expect a couple on a romantic vacation to sleep in twin beds? They did put the beds together with one sheet, and it was pretty stable, but only after I took a firm stance that we would not stay in twin beds at such a ridiculous price.
The rooms are well-appointed but again, there is not a spectacular sea view from the rooms, and from the bar, also, the view is nice but not as spectacular as that we got at the Hilton for almost half the price.
Then, when I asked for a late checkout, I was not only told no, but the night BEFORE we left, harassed to set up a time for the bellboy to come by for our bags. I hung up on the guy. Now, no matter how full they are, the checkout time is a full two hours before the checkin time, and cleaning is not a two hour job, so accomodating us for at least an hour, and at those prices, two hours, should NOT have been a problem. And the flunky harassing me was really not conducive to the relaxing atmosphere they try to project. Again, the Hilton gave us a late checkout, no problem.
Dinner was mediocre, the plastic/glass around the dining room reflected the inside rather than allowing a sea view, and there was terribly tacky entertainment that I could have done without.
On top of that, all drinks and food are 30% more expensive than everywhere else, and it's a bit far from any of the action--you are really stuck with what the hotel has to offer, can't just walk down the beach to find a sailboat, or kayak, or whatever.
If you want a quiet little getaway, AND you get a better price, maybe as part of a package, it's fine. Be ready to wait for taxis when you want to go to town, deal with so-so food, and have limited access to the sports for which Dahab is famous. If none of that concerns you, and price is not an object, the rooms are fabulously appointed. The private "courtyard" with the outdoor shower is lovely--we took advantage of that--as is the large hot tub in the bathroom.
But for the price, I vastly preferred the Hilton Dahab.
Blissful Meridien
by TripAdvisor Member chives123
We usually go to Dahab for windsurfing and stay in the Hilton, but chose this new resort for a change, and when we arrived in the evening the welcome was execellent. When we arrived at our room we had been upgraded to a deluxe suite which was lovely. A 2 minute walk over to the beach. The only thing with the room was the lighting, as you really could not read your book in the evening, but this is being addressed. The breakfast buffet was o.k. and service fine, but we did eat in the other resturant for much of the holiday, The evening buffet was luke-warm , but o.k. The actual lay-out of the resort is fantastic, all the pools etc And in the evening it was lovely with the way they have done the lighting. The cocktail bar was very good plus the cocktails. The service during the whole trip couldn't be faulted, nothing was too much trouble,and the cleanliness was execellent too. The beach bar was very good too, and there is soon to be a barbeque, the food there was also very good especially the salads, and it did help to have water brought to you while being on the beach. This is a very chilled out and relaxed resort, I think sometimes you missed a bit of the buzz if you stayed at the Hilton. But go sooner rather than later.
Nice hotel but.....
by TripAdvisor Member summerhill
Nice hotel but certainly not raving about it. Design of hotel and landscaped gardens are lovely, as is the pool area. They do need proper sunbeds around all pools though, as several only have the thin wire ones!.
The rooms are lovely, albeit too dark. Also the flat screen TV's do not swivel around so you cannot watch them in bed that well.
Staff are absolutely lovely and cannot do enough for you.
Food is what really lets this hotel down. All the meals are quite bland - the buffet looks great on first arrival but it all tastes quite similar as does breakfast. Room service is the best of all the food options. Also I would expect an international hotel brand to sell international wines not just Egyptian and certainly not at £13.00 per bottle!.
Dive centre is good but disorganised. Make sure you clarify costs for extras such as boat trips etc.
This is the first time I have been to Egypt and I have to say I found Dahab pretty basic and a bit dismal and dirty. I have travelled extensively in Asia which can be just as basic, but somehow different. We did dine out at restaurants recommended and the food seemed fine although I did come with an awful bug for 2 days and had to stay in bed.
It seems stomach bugs are quite a common occurence in Egypt judging by conversations with other travellers which is all the more reason why the Meridien needs to improve its food as so many feel captive to eat in the hotel.
I am not sure, mainly for this reason, as to whether I would return to Egypt although the diving was outstanding and the hotel was clean, comfortable and accommodating. Fine for a relaxing diving week though.
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