Pyramisa Sharm El Sheikh Villas & Resort (All Inclusive), Sharm El Sheikh

...go to the All Inclusive Pyramisa Resort in Sharm, a bargain at £1,900 for 2 adults 1 child for 2 weeks. I began to look at reviews.
Oh my god!!!! I was visiting a cross between Fawlty Towers and Hell Kitchen according to the reviews held on some sites. Thankfully thanks to some "honest" reviews and despite the bombs we traveled on the 13th August and I am so glad we did. I have just returned from the best holiday ever, in a beautiful ...
.../> We arrived at the Pyramisa shortly after 10pm on the Saturday night. We took a taxi from the airport (4 adults 2 children and cases £20) the med hotels rep wanted £14.00 per person. We did pay over the odds for the taxi but we saw it as fair. Anyone traveling without transfers though should call Samy Kamal on 0101938082 on arrival. He did our return trip to the airport for £10, in an air conditioned car with leather interior, not as daunting. ... more

We booked to go to the All Inclusive Pyramisa Resort in Sharm, a bargain at £1,900 for 2 adults 1 child for 2 weeks. I began to look at reviews.
Oh my god!!!! I was visiting a cross between Fawlty Towers and Hell Kitchen according to the reviews held on some sites. Thankfully thanks to some "honest" reviews and despite the bombs we traveled on the 13th August and I am so glad we did. I have just returned from the best holiday ever, in a beautiful country with the friendliest people I have ever met.

Yes the hotel has some issues, but weighing these up against the fantastic price and holiday experience they are not worth the scathing and unfair comments listed here.

Well here goes....

We arrived at the Pyramisa shortly after 10pm on the Saturday night. We took a taxi from the airport (4 adults 2 children and cases £20) the med hotels rep wanted £14.00 per person. We did pay over the odds for the taxi but we saw it as fair. Anyone traveling without transfers though should call Samy Kamal on 0101938082 on arrival. He did our return trip to the airport for £10, in an air conditioned car with leather interior, not as daunting. Shame we only found him on our last day as he also does excursions.

On arrival the taxi was checked by the security before being allowed through the barrier and we arrived at reception. We were asked to leave our bags at reception and checked in (we left hubbys "guarding" the bags but you don't need to). On booking in we were escorted to our room and asked if ok. Ours was, but the couple we went with had booked a sea view but didn't get one, they were moved following a few discussions with reception, this later transpired to be Imperial Travels error and not the Hotel) We Tipped the valet taking us to our rooms (£1) shortly after our bags were brought up (another £1 but considering these guys only earn £30 a month I didn't mind).

Our room was in part of the main complex up one floor (no lift) the room was spacious and very clean. We had a view of Sharks bay and the Mountains to the left. Our friends' room was down by the beach, a lot smaller and there were 180 steps from the room to the Pool and main restaurants. There is a train runs hourly "Taf Taf" if you can't manage the walk.

As we had arrived after 10pm (the restaurants close at this time) they had kept one restaurant open. I have to admit the food was a little on the cool side and I was a bit concerned.

After a good night sleep, I opened my curtains to the most amazing view of Sharks bay "heaven on earth"

I wouldn't rate the hotel as a 5* by English standards perhaps a 3 or 4, yet in saying that I have stayed in some pretty poor English 5* hotels.

The Rooms

All rooms are air conditioned and have a view of either the sea or the gardens. Some people complained that the beds are hard but mine was ok. If yours is, ask for a mattress. There is a hair dryer and TV in the room and the housekeepers keep the rooms spotless. The water does have a tendency to run brown occasionally, just run it a while and it will stop. We had no creepy crawlies in our room, one person I spoke to had seen a cockroach but said the entire room was sprayed within minutes of them reporting it. All rooms are sprayed weekly.

The Restaurants.

In the main building are The Tahiti and Papeete restaurants these were large restaurants, to be honest we only used either once as we found them too busy. We used the Bora Bora restaurant for breakfast and dinner. Try the yoghurt, it's excellent. There was the usual all inclusive buffet but chefs were cooking fresh also. On Beach 1 is a luncheon restaurant which was light and airy alternatively there was a self service on the beach. The a la carte restaurants were Tai Pan (oriental), Kalinka Malinka (Russian) and Bambouta (Seafood). There are some extra charges in these so check. You have to book 1 day in advance. We only used the Bambouta as we couldn't be bothered to hang around until 10am to book. On must is an evening in La Veranda, this is an outdoor BBQ restaurant that is open every evening except Friday from 7pm-Midnight and has live music. Very busy though, we queued from 6.40pm and got a table. There us also a Pizza restaurant that does an excellent Menu and is open lunch and dinner.

The "entertainment"

If you have children this place is a must, you'll hardly see them! There is an entertainment team "Animation" who provide a kids club with activities also, on the Beach and at the Pool:

Stretching
Aqua aerobics
Volleyball
Dart
And Dancing

There is a table tennis section, a gym and Jacuzzi.

In the evenings there is no entertainment (apart from the on site night club) except Friday night which is BBQ night, with market stalls and entertainment. We actually didn't need it.

The Beaches

There are three beaches, although the hotel mentions a beach 4 we never found it. Beach 1 was excellent, with a bar, a buffet style eatery outdoors and a restaurant. There are also a couple of shops. There is entertainment on the beach, a "banana boat" and plenty of sun loungers. You get towels from the towel counter but take your own (the hotel ones don't cover the whole mattress and you'll burn your legs) This is the best beach for people with children as there is a shallow section of water for them to play in. Every morning the Mr. Diver team do a diving introduction, only 5 minutes but worth doing and you can also get your free windsurf (voucher on check in) on this beach.

Beach 2 is more secluded and has a pontoon out into the sea; this is a good area for snorkeling. However there is no bar, so there is quite a hike for a drink.

Beach 3 is the windiest, all the loungers are on the top as the beach is very small, this has a walkway into the sea over the coral which is good for looking at the fish, however the drop of is quite deep at the end. This has a bar, which also provides sandwiches and a towel counter.

PLEASE DON'T WALK ON THE CORAL - IT DAMAGES IT AND I FOR ONE WILL BE BACK TO SEE IT!

The Pools

The Pyramisa has three pools. A large one with a wave pool attached and a smaller one close to beach 3. The one on Beach 3 is quieter than the large one, though smaller. There is also an indoor one which is ideal for getting out of the midday sun I'm not a pool person but my little girl loved it and despite review that say otherwise they are cleaned daily (twice in some cases) There is a slide which may look a little rickety but is safe.

Food & Drink

Despite being able to drink as much alcohol as you wish free you will find due to the heat you don't want it. You get 1 litre of water a day free per person which we kept in the fridge as there are water coolers in all bars; I drank soda water during the day. There is the usual AI "local spirits which are ok, though a Bacardi and coke was usually 60% Bacardi. The lager is nice and is served in half pint glasses in the bar and restaurant and plastic cups poolside. Three cups is a bottle so my hubby ordered 3 at a time. Sometime the beer was warm but considering the temperature out there it can be expected. The staff tries their best. The bars can get busy but the wait is never excessive. In the Moorea lobby bar we tipped the staff so we got served at the table, worth it for a couple of quid.

A lot of people complained about the food, I'm sorry but why do we Brits expect egg n chips and Sunday lunch? In my opinion you travel abroad to experience the country and the food is part of that. I admit that occasionally some of the food looked dried out, especially if eating late. But there was always something to eat. My 10yr old is a fussy eater usually and never stopped. She was ill once and that was after a visit to the Hard Rock Café so I think that was over indulgence. Breakfast there was sausage, toast, fruit, omelet's, yoghurt (yummy) and loads more. Lunch and dinner are variety of international dishes, the chefs are usually cooking fresh pasta, pancakes etc.

Well there is my review, I could go on but it can be endless.

All I can say is look at the price and don't expect the Ritz. Also you are in Egypt so things will be different. This hotel may need a lick of paint in places and you may have problems, but tell them! How can they fix things for you if you don't ask? The only downside where the Russian and German visitors who were rude to the staff!

The staff are so friendly and the location amazing, just go and enjoy!!

 

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