Hotel Sol Y Mar Makadi Sun

We stayed here for a week in January as our second base after a hectic week on a Nile cruise ship. We wanted a chance to relax and unwind before heading home, along with a chance to sample some serious snorkelling in the Red Sea. We were not disappointed on either count!
The hotel is probably the smallest of the hotels in resort of 10 hotels which seem to be owned by the same company. They are however all managed independantly and have different facilities and ratings. We chose this one on the basis that it had the best reviews out of several offered by our travel company and we have no regrets.
The hotel is largely used by Russians and Germans, in fact we were the first English couple they had seen in a month, but that was not a problem for us. The staff were delighted to have a chance to practise their English speaking skills and made us very welcome. Much more friendly than some huge impersonal complex.
The hotel is a few years old now and a little worn in places but it was spottlessly clean. An army of cleaners, waiters, stewards, gardeners etc beaver away constantly to keep things clean and tidy. At the same time they are attentive to your every need. If your glass is empty someone is nearby to offer a re-fill.
This was our first stay in all inclusive hotel so we have nothing to compare the food with but we had no complaints on that score. The food is plentiful and tasty. Yes there are similar types of dish appearing every day, but the choice is so vast you would not want to sample all the dishes in one day! We could have payed a supplement and tried one of the resort restaurants outside the hotel, but there was no need as the choice was ample and very tasty.
The waiters were attentive, friendly and efficient. So too the bar staff, the pool staff, the towel and beach boys. Our room steward kept our bedroom spotless and produced a fantastic towel sculpture every morning, using not just the towels but fresh flowers too. The animation team (Amr, Kimo, Ibrahim and Sasha) were fun but not pushy and we found ourself joining in a few times despite our intention to just relax. The beach is only a few minutes walk through the pretty gardens and there were always beach beds available. There is a bar there where you can pick up a meal free of charge on the all inclusive deal. The house reef is absolutely teeming with life once you swim round to the outside of it. You have to swim over a little bit of fairly deep pretty empty water to reach it but not far and boy is it worth it! There were way too many types of fish for me to try to identify them all but besdies all the usual charachters of parrot fish, butterfly fish etc I also kept a respectful distance while I filmed a stingray with huge blue spots settling down in sand in water less than a meter deep. I saw my first octopus, or rather a tentactle swatting a fish away that was attempting to nibble it! I swam past a section that appeared to have little fish life, then on my return spotted why - it was home to a giany Moray eel! I also spotted something glide by me in the depths out of the corner of my eye. A couple of meters long, sleek and grey, at first I thought it was my first shark encounter, or worse, a baracuda. But something wasn't right about the head as it looked lik a fish. I have done a little research and now believe this was a Cobia and totally harmless. what I would say is don not enter the water barefoot and take the time to snorkel an. see the wonderful sealife.
I could have gone diving from the onsite dive school but in the end opted to go for a snorkel boat trip with Tiger Tours and had a brilliant time. They took us first to giftun Island, which was a little too popular for my liking, but then took us to a couple of coral reefs out at sea where the reef life was stunning. Give them a try.
We also took advantage of a special offer from the Spa next door to our hotel at the 5 star Makadi Star. we had 4 massages each during our stay, along with unlimited use of the sauna, steam room and Jacusi. well worth it if you can get it at the right price. So in fact the four books I took with me to read came back home unopened as there was always something more interesting to do.
Do not be concerned about visiting Egypt after the recent troubles. The Egyptians are a wonderful, funny, warm and welcoming people and you will not regret it. There has been a decline in people visiting and I find that a real shame. On the other hand you may be able to pick up a good deal go for it!

The Sol y Mar Makadi Sun certainly deserves its 4 stars and has just been awarded 5 green stars for its environmetal awareness. Water is recycled to water the plants and tasteful recycling containers are all around. Just a couple of things they do but there are many more that you can read about. Nice to see that they are keen to do their bit to save the planet.
So what are you waiting for? Book it up now!