We began the holiday with a stay at the Gatwick Effingham Copthorne Hotel which included 8 days parking (working out cheaper than car parking alone) and we used the Spa which included a pool, sauna and Gym. They also had a pilates class while we were there and ran other classes too. This was a great start to the holiday as we had an early check in 06.15 hours and we enjoyed a fabulous meal at their restaurant in the evening.
Our flight was with Monarch Airlines and our tour operator Red Sea Holidays who are a specialist and own six hotels in the Red Sea area and we stayed at one of their own hotels (The Sharm Plaza/Sharm Resort) with an early booking offer of £399 all inclusive. The flight was just 20 mins late leaving but managed to make up the time and land ontime. A meal and 20kilos luggage were included and they have a strict 5 kilos hand luggage. The meal was good on the way out with a full english breakfast, and on arrival at the airport, we were met by a representative and taken to the desk for a visa stamp. They have changed the visa requirements so that you can get a free visa if only staying in the Sinai region but if you want to go outside ie to Cairo or Luxor etc on excursions, you need a full visa which is a cost of £15 approx payable in sterling, Egyptian pounds or Euros.
Generally they accept all currencies in the area but you might not always get the best exchange rate if you do not have the local currency.
I was not expecting much of the hotel as it was large, the price low for all inclusive and was preparing myself for the hotel being tired and in need of renovation; however, I was very pleasantly surprised. Not only was the hotel clean, but I could not fault the decor and whenever anything was broken, it appeared to be fixed within 24 hours or so. The food was very good; not only did they have a main restaurant which served a varied and interesting buffet service, but they also had the choice of bookable restaurants serving Lebanese, Chinese, and Italian, all of which we used and found to serve excellent food and a good selection in the "All inclusive" programme. There were various menu options or wines that were extra but I did not feel the necessity to pay as the inclusive food and local wine was very good in itself. The only thing I missed and not generally included was fresh orange juice (the alternative was a little watered down but not too bad). This hotel is not in the centre of Naama bay (which is quite touristy in parts, offering every restaurant from Hard Rock Cafe to MacDonalds and a good selection of shops) but if you want to visit that area, the Sharm Resort offers regular shuttle buses - two of which are free each day - or you pay 4 euros each way for the others and you can also use the facilities of the sister hotel in Naama Bay. Taxi is also available outside of the hotel, however they do recommend that you agree a price for the taxi journey before entering the cabs generally.
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| Lobby |
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| Lobby bar |
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| Roman pool by Via Veneto Italian restaurant - prebookable and very good food (menu) |
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| pool by beach |
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| beach area |
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| Looking down towards jetty access to sea where coral and fish were in abundance |
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| Quieter pool by gym - our favourite pool |
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| Gardens leading down to beach area |
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| The hotel had well maintained landscaped gardens |
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| View towards our hotel room |
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| View from reception area towards mountains |
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| Outside area where entertainment held in evenings and crepes served in the afternoon |
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| Good sized bedroom |
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| Large walk in shower in bathroom |
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| Balcony area |
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| The evening entertainment was in this area |
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| There was a good childrens club with activities throughout the day |
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There was a tailor on site who would create any item of clothing within 24 hours
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There were foods to suit all tastes at lunches with anything from burgers or hot dogs to seafood or a selection of meat dishes, served either by buffet or waiter service restaurants.
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| Pool by beach with our favourite lunch restaurant C-Vue |
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| Outside seating area for main restaurant |
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| Main restaurant |
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Main restaurant - buffet style all day
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There was an entertainment programme in the evening which was a little varied in quality and every activity during the day from volleyball and darts etc to salsa and bachata dancing lessons (some with a small charge). However, if peace was what you want, then you can find a quiet pool as we did by the gym and spa. Massage and beauty treatments were offered as well as a well equipped gym and exercise classes and for those that like to burn the late night oil a disco takes you into the early hours of the morning.
I good selection of excursions were offered and we decided to take advantage of the Sharm Secrets which included a glass bottom boat trip, old market and Fantasia, mosque and cathedral visit £18 on the Sunday, camel safari including traditional bedouin meal in the desert and star gazing £35 on the Monday and Quad biking in the desert with bedouin tea and sunset in the mountains on wednesday £26. We loved all excursions; the reps were very informative and helpful and I considered them good value and a great way to get a feel for the area and the culture. A full list of excursions are available on application to Emsworth Travel.
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| Preparing for camel safari |
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| Sitting down to eat with the Bedouins after camel safari and before star gazing |
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| Quad biking in convoy - managed to avoid an Ozzie Osbourne moment |
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| Picture taken in the desert and typical terrain |
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| Tea at the bedouin camp for a break during quadbiking |
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| Having tea at the Bedouin camp |
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| Glass bottom boat trip on Sharm Secrets excursion |
Shopping generally is on the bartering basis and you should usually haggle the price down about 40 percent. However, if you prefer to have set prices, then you have this too at places like the Pink House in the old market which offers a good selection of souvenirs.
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Egypt which is a great wintersun destination with temperatures between 25-30 degrees during the day (a cardigan or light jacket is required in the evenings which can be cool when there is a breeze). The staff were excellent, the food very good and I would certainly not hesitate to return to this hotel in the future.
The flight was good on the return, the meal beef bourgignon which was very nice and although we left ontime, we landed half an hour late due to hurricane force winds. Despite this being the case, we suffered very little turbulence. On our return, we did miss the last transfer back to the Effingham Park Hotel, and the hotel lost my car key, but I am assured this is the first time they have ever had this problem and they did deal with it very well and agreed to take us home, brought the car back the following day and agreed to pay for a new key to be cut. If you require any more information, call sue on 01243 377211.
