Hubby and I recently spent a week in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt and stayed at the TIRAN ISLAND HOTEL in Montazah, near Sharks Bay on the coast of the Sinai Peninsula.
It was our first real ‘all-inclusive package’ trip (bar a ski trip that we went on about two years ago, but that was a bit different) and I can happily say that we got our money’s worth - we weren’t exactly paying out of our bums at the off-season price of approx £390 each for 7 nights full board + flights and transfers in any case, but we left very satisfied, sun-kissed and happy!
Tiran Island Hotel is rated 4-star but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was ‘super fancy’ – to put it into perspective, the highest rated nearby hotel is a 7-star so we are looking at above average accommodation and facilities. It was clean and relatively modern; the staff were very helpful/friendly; and basically it was exactly what we expected (just a lot bigger – the Egyptians know how to do ‘resorts’!)
Our room was extremely comfy and looked exactly like the pictures on the website so we were pleased with that; only disappointment was that we’d asked for a pool/sea-facing room but got a ‘desert-facing’ room instead which was more like an ‘airport-runway-facing’ room in reality. It honestly isn’t close enough for the noise or anything to bug you and yes, you can still see the distant desert mountains which are beautiful, so you can’t really complain – it’s not like you spend 24/7 in your room anyway… After a few days of making our way around Sharm in any case, we realised that every resort that side of Naama Bay is basically that close to the airport, so we completely forgot about it (and in fact, it was just all the more convenient for our return transfer to collect and drop us off there!)
Typical room – ours looked just like this… {pic from websit}
Food-wise: each buffet meal is prepared and served in a central dining room, geared more towards the European style of dining rather than offering more traditional Egyptian fare. (I was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t more ‘local’ dishes but I can understand why they go with more generic meal choices [keeping the masses happy] and perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, having been told by more than one local that you need a stomach of steel to feast on Egyptian food?!)
Breakfasts comprised a huge selection of pastries and breads, scrambled and boiled eggs, a salad bar (yes, weird I know) and omelets made to order, amongst other things that looked like they probably fitted into the cheese, yoghurt and jam categories. Lunches and dinners, both hot meals, were always served with salads and breads, and generally had a good variety of meat-veg-carbs to choose from, followed by pudding. The desserts on offer mainly consisted of a variety of gelatine/fruit/jam/pastry based concoctions – local-style I think – not ideal for a chocolate-lover like me but okay overall. While you serve yourself food, there are plenty of staff to clear away your plates between courses (or in Hubby’s case – between helpings) and to bring you drinks, it’s quite pleasant! (If you fancy a change one night, there are two or three other restaurants on the hotel grounds that you can visit, check out the website for more details…) BTW, I wouldnt recommend room service, let’s just say their ideas of hot chocolate and chocolate mousse are not exactly in line with what we know (I had to try though, my cravings got the better of me!)
Les pool… {my pic}
The pool area at the hotel is substantial – if you are partial to tanning pool-side or taking a dip in cool, fish-free waters, you’ll be in your element. For those who prefer the sand between their toes, the hotel’s designated beach area is actually a 5 minute walk from the complex itself – sounds like a pain but it’s really a pleasant walk, or you can catch the hotel shuttle that runs up and down every ten minutes or so… The beach area is rather small, but was comfortable and totally fine for our off-peak trip – I can imagine that it’s humming in the summer though when temps reach high 30′s and holidaymakers are keen to work on their tans! The beach isn’t exactly an expanse of sand like us South Africans are used to, but rather a narrow strip of land that merges with coral reefs at the waters edge. Most resorts have jetty’s that just out into the ocean, and that my friends, is where you jump in! No slowly easing yourself into the cool waters, you kind of just have to embrace the experience and watch out for the snorkelers. Because of the beautiful reefs and amazing sealife, this area is a paradise for snorkeling and water sports.
Aerial view of resort and beach front…{pic: google maps}
At the beachfront, there is a ‘hut’ where you can hire snorkeling equipment cheaply and/or book yourself on a wide variety of water-related adventures. We’d highly recommend (spending money permitting) a private speedboat ride to the uninhabited Tiran Island, and ship-wreck off the nearby reefs (just over an hour in total incl. 10 mins to snorkel the reef near the wreck and hop aboard the Island for a squizz around = LE500 for two us = approx£45/£50, not bad at all!)
The wreck and stunning Tiran Island… {my pic}
The beach bar is much like the pool and lobby bars in the hotel (unfortunately not as majestic as it looks in the pics on website but great to be able to grab a bevvy to enjoy in the sun) – our package included unlimited drinks but we all know that ‘all-inclusive’ doesn’t really mean all inclusive and that the limits are more visible when it comes to quality and not quantity ;) Along with the usual soft-drinks (coke, fanta, sprite) and tea/coffee, local beers and wines were offered up, alongside watered down / low-qual spirits. Fruit juice is from concentrate only, you pay if you want fresh – if they even offer it (I only saw them doing fresh fruit juices at breakie) I say this all matter of factly and not with ill-feeling by the way. We knew this would be the case having read online reviews and spoken with friends who have visited similar resorts in Sharm, so as long as you are aware before you arrive that that’s what you’ll be getting, then I don’t see the problem with it. (i.e. prepare to get what you pay for and if you accept that, your good to go!)
The areas surrounding the resort provoked mixed-feelings. We’ve already touched on proximity to the airport, but at first I was also shocked at how many unfinished buildings there were nearby. Again, after a few days of getting to know the area, we realised that this was the case everywhere. Also, other than the hotel complex itself, and neighbouring resorts, there really is nothing else nearby in terms of shops, independent restaurants etc – great if your reason to visit was like ours, to literally chill out and do very little – but for the more adventurous, you might find a sneaky bout of cabin fever making an appearance… Easily rectified though: hop into a cab and visit Soho Square, or brave the markets in Naama Bay/Old Sharm. (Worth noting that things only really come to life early evening and at night – we were shocked to visit a closed-up Soho square and relatively empty marketplace [except for pesky vendors!] upon our own visits there during the day.)
Every time we seemed to leave the hotel, we were always more excited to return – a good sign and feeling! After one of the group tours we went on (a 4×4 experience through the desert, visit to Dahab/the famous blue hole etc) we got to see a lot of the other nearby hotels/resorts and I have to say, Tiran Island Hotel was genuinely a little piece of heaven after seeing some of the other resort areas around Sharm and the distances some guests had to walk to the beach etc.
Beautiful sunset as seen from the Beach Bar… {my pic}
I have to say that our little package holiday served us very well. Overall, we’d definitely recommend this hotel for relaxed travelers who aren’t fussing over perfection, and who want to enjoy the sun, sights and culture that Egypt has to offer.
To read more about traveling in and around Sharm, read my other blog post: Sharm el Sheikh Travel Tips.
For more deets on the hotel itself, check out it’s official website here. Package holidays can be found on the usual travel deal websites like lastminute.com etc…
Safe Travels x
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