Before I start, please note that I have holidayed in all inc. resorts in the following destinations before and am therefore basing my review on comparisons to these resorts: Dom Rep, Mexico, Kenya, Egypt plus a Caribbean cruise. (all inc. being a package holiday whereby all meals, drinks and activities are included in the price....usually!)

HOTEL:
We booked with Portland Direct on the internet who has rated it as 5*. The hotel has been open for only 8 months and it shows as arriving at the reception you will be amazed by the décor and furnishings, they are very grand, modern and immaculate. Marble surfaces galore, fountains, massive chandeliers and very cosy sofa's! Leave your cases at reception and they will be brought to your room by the bell boys. You can be taken to your room on the golf buggy or you can find it yourself from the map they give you. The complex is massive, it could be a problem if you are not too mobile. The nearest town is Na'ama Bay which is a half hour taxi ride away. There is a hotel shuttle service which costs 5 euro per person return trip. Na'ama Bay is a smart, lively place.

POOLS:
2 huge freeform non heated pools and 1 small heated. During our stay the non heated temp ranged from 20- 22 degrees C, there was rarely anyone in them but they were getting a bit warmer just as we left, we tried them and they are lovely once you have got above tummy level! The heated temp ranged from 25 - 27 degrees C. There are loads of loungers and there is no need to be next to anyone as there is so much space. Don't bother bringing your beach towel, you have a free hire of one from the towel hut. We unfortunately got in the 'missing towel chain', as someone stole our towel off the lounger, we told Osama the pool guy and he said in not so many words….it happens just take someone elses! We did…so, sorry if it was you, but it's a chain and I'm afraid we weren't going to pay £8 for a missing towel!! By the way there is a selection of about 30 paperbacks in the hut so you can exchange your reading material. There's 2 pool bars - no swim up bars. You can get coffee's, waters, beer (local Sakara - very nice, like 5% conti lager), sprite, fanta (beware of orange mouth!!) and spirits/cocktails. The bars are big but there's not much on display so you have to ask what they've got and if they can do a special cocktail for you. If you position yourself in the middle of the pool areas, it's a long walk to a toilet, a bit of bad planning really.

FOOD & DRINK:
2 main buffet restaurants with a different theme each night i.e. Mediterranean, Asian, English, French, although the themes repeat after a week. Also 2 snack bars for lunch at either end of the pools. We found the food very good, although after a week it got predictable. The food was hot if you stir the pots before you scoop. There are salads, lovely breads, fresh pasta cooked while you wait, carvery and a fabulous array of desserts as always in Egypt. You can always get good old chips if you don't like the foreign stuff! If you like your puds you'll be well happy here. What they don't do well though is fresh fruit - very limited to oranges, apples, grapefruits and melon neither of which were in abundance, very well prepared or presented. If you like fresh fruit go to the Dom Rep if you like Bread and puds go to Egypt. Now, I have to complain; the worst thing about this hotel and where it seriously drops below it 5* rating, is the level of service in the bars and restaurants. When you get to the restaurant 75% of the time you can find a table laid if you turn up after 7:30 you have a problem finding one. But the biggest problem is getting a drink served with your meal. 80% of the time one of the following would happen and I am not exaggerating here! A. You will be ignored during the whole duration of your meal and not asked what drink you would like. B. They will ask you - but the drinks will never arrive. C. The wrong drinks will arrive i.e. white wine instead of red D. Drink will arrive but no glasses or E. You will get you drinks and also someone else's (so they lose out). Very frustrating this and definitely the worst service we have ever received at an all inc. resort. They are also very slow to lay and clear tables. We are not the type to moan though - we are on holiday and just had a laugh about it!! If you were back at home and paying then you would definitely have to complain! However, we didn't really think it was the staff's problem as they are all really nice and seem to be rushing round, it more likely to be an understaffing problem, there's simply not enough to go around - employ more! After talking to a few staff I found out that on average they work 15 hours a day from 7am till 10pm (cleaning) and 11am till 2am (bars) for a pittance. If you tip them £1 it's a hell of a lot almost a days wage I think. You are allowed to dine at 1 a la carte only during your stay as part of the all inc. You book in advance and choose from Italian, Chinese or Lebanese. We tried the Italian - as good as a restaurant at home with fine service and a guitar player - very romantic. It is a set meal and very nouvelle cuisine with elegant small portions…worthy of the 5* status. By the way the all inc. red wine is nice although sweet it's ok for free but couldn't drink a lot of it! The beer is great, cocktails are a bit limited - there is a list in the lobby bar, some are lovely but very filling/fattening as creamy. If you like cocktails the dom rep is great.

FACILITIES:
Two great tennis courts, we took our own racquets and just played until we found out you should book a time slot at the towel hut, nobody tells you this. There are a lot of things that you are not told but you just find out as you go along. A bit more information on the sheet left in the room would be good - not just the opening times of the restaurants. There's a fabulous Spa with a massive approx 30ft x 18ft Jacuzzi, 2 saunas and 2 steam rooms (all inclusive). There's also a shisha pipe smoking room, big outdoor chess, internet access in lobby, table tennis, multi sports pitch and kids play areas. We also used the water slides at the Mirabel park hotel which is joined to this one - nobody tells you this either!

WEATHER:
During our stay end Mar/beg Apr the first couple of days were 24 degrees and windy, bit chilly in the evening. As we were leaving the temp has risen to 30 degrees, although it felt hotter. The air is very dry, so if you do any washing or have wet clothes, they will dry in no time. Didn't get any mozzy bites at all, although I seen a few that had some bites, the only insect problem here is flies around the tables/food when you are eating.

ILLNESS:
All 4 of us had small problems whilst here. I had a blinding 24 hour long headache. My husband had the runs and headache for half a day. My mum had one bout of sickness and diarrhoea and my Dad had mild niggling stomach pains for the whole duration, didn't stop him eating or drinking beer though!! Neither deterred us from enjoying our holiday. You never know what causes these things - food - dehydration - cleanliness, unfortunately you cannot know what has gone on before you, however, seeing kids lick the food serving tongs and putting finger into food pots to taste them give you a good idea of why you might possibly have been ill!! You can only try not to overeat, drink plenty of water and wash hands all the time….the usual common sense stuff. By the way, don't forget to take paracetemol; we paid £5 for a pack of 20 at the hotel. I told him we can get them for 20p at the superdrug at home and he laughed.