Hotel Sofitel Taba Heights^{(5 stars)}

The rooms are large and we really liked the Californian king bed but the rooms need to be refurbished, at least in the oldest blocks 1 and 2. The marble top of the desk was full of dirty stains, the seating of one of the chairs was extremely dirty, the doors were damaged, etc. Sleep quality wasn't so good either 'cause the room couldn't be made dark enough, despite the (thin) blackout curtains.

Very, very poor! This was really canteen food. We had expected a lot more of a hotel of a French group that is advertised in the Belgian touroperator's brochures as 'Select' and 'Prestige'. There was only one 'all inclusive' restaurant (okay, there were two of them but both served exactly the same food). The choice offered was about the same every day and the preparation of the food was mostly just awful. The chefs even managed to turn a simple chicken leg into a dry piece of poultry. Same for the fish: either flat cooked or dry (from the barbecue). I have mainly lived on bread, tomatoes and cucumbers. Also the presentation of the food was far from being attractive. There is a lot of work to be done here! Maybe having a French chef come over could help.

The staff is friendly and attentive. We got the very quiet room on the top floor as I had requested by mail prior to our arrival. They spoke good English. Our room was always clean. I spoke to Guest Relations regarding our complaint about the food. She noted my remarks and I really hope they take my (and other guests') remarks into consideration.

The landscaping is very nice, the poolside is airy and spacious, the new sunbeds at the pools are comfy and there are plenty around the pools and on the beach. There were soms light acitivites but not too much. That's exactly how we like it.

This hotel is absolutely not worth 5 stars. It's a very large hotel (over 440 rooms in 3 blocks). Not everything is very clean. Our room was okay but the windows in the hallways near the lobby area need to be cleaned. Urgently! We stayed here on all inclusive basis. Breakfast was okay but nothing special (cold pancakes) and something strange we noticed that should not happen in a 5* hotel: the waiters will bring you a thermos (they should wipe it off before bringing it to the tables) with water (for tea) and/or coffee at the breakfast table and after you have left your table what was left in the thermos is poured back into the large coffee/water tanks. So you better be warned that the coffee at breakfast is being re-heated numerous times. There was an invasion of Russian guests (80%??) when during our first days. More northern Europeans in the next days.

The hotel is located on the beach but that's all there is. You can take the free blue shuttles to 'Uptown' but there's not much either. A pharmacy, a supermarket, some souvenir shops and a few restaurants.

Most beautiful room, approximately 30 meters² large and really great décor. Air conditioning ran well and not annoying. The 3 tv channels had just evenings n' rough time'-if you just wanted to look ;-0 Safe is free in the built-in cupboard, coffee machine and so on Beautiful terrace with a view of the sea

You could as well so almost everywhere always have something to drink or eat... The service is not much better as in 3 or 4 star hotels... Also the food is unfortunately not really to point out, there was always enough, times it tasted better... Unfortunately there is only one main restaurant in the evening, which was not really so nice -opposite the rest of the hotel. The asian rest. You have to extra are charged... The cleanliness/ hygiene are 'just' normal area ', it is not so attention to everything as you might with 5 stars expect... More tip-more service and counts unfortunately for the gesamthotel, but it is as everywhere, so nothing new...

Friendly in the Sofitel almost all-like' everywhere' German is as good as not at all spoken-but there is always someone in the reception area, the/the German. Had a complaint in the area of the restaurant, was very taken serious and from the side the hotel management with me discussed...

As I/we more for the snorkeling there were, I can to the other things nothing to say, except the animation through sport, Bauchtanz and so on probably took place and the entertainers to our luck rather reserved were. Was only 2a 3 times for N couple minutes in a pool and hot tub, very nice-but I am the beach/ meernutzer! Except for the days, where the garbage from ships direction beach came and the sea somewhat worked up was, it was really super warm and clear in the sea! The beach chairs/ cleanliness the beach may be better, but it was ok. Well, except for the unfortunately type. Pull the' sweet' beachanimateure especially with the traveling alone, female guests. I found that a corrosive, but it affects me yes nothing of... The mittagsmusik echos very noisy of the pool every day to the beach-very annoying.

The best on this vacation, comes at the end! Really nice hotel-the best ever by my vacations! ( purely of the construction!) My information mirrors also the experiences other guests again. Offering a clear view hotel building with about rooms. The hotel is with 5 stars meanwhile a all inclusive hotel. Since I'm only the snapshot this two weeks ago, there was international guests-in the order less nascent 1st special but from the English-speaking countries, also, of course, 'enough' eastern european ( Russia/ Poland and so on), french, Italian... German with me altogether... No respectively in the first week I learned N swiss ( so at least German ;-0) and in that 2. Week a nice couples from Sachsen know, that it was in the 2. weeks. More German were in this period in the Marriott and the interkonti which I/we then partly also have... US was all noticed, that no Nation really negative was and that is already sometimes-despite all inclusive and Wodka;-0

Hard to describe, as we German over ssh arrive ( lots of russians, English and so on come over taba -about kilometers away from the hotel), one has already times about 2.5 -3 hours car any bus transfer, but was clear and not a problem, find it again and again exciting, as some overtaking expire ;-0 Distance to the beach was really great! There was a daily, free shuttle bus to uptown. There was a few shops, as well as restaurants ( travel time approximately 5 to 10 minutes) Because of some 'circumstances', / being except schnorchentouren, no excursions offered, which I respectively also the other not really didn't bother us!

Clean, and kept that way. Please see my above review of room.

Very good. Hot and plentiful. Please see my review above regarding food.

Lovely staff. Great service. See my review above re service and staff..

Lots of different pools ie quiet pool.

Returned at the end of May after 2 weeks in this lovely hotel. We booked a private transfer from Taba airport to get to the hotel a little sooner than the rush, but it wasn't really worth it. This is because they stop ALL motor vehicles just before the exit so that they can travel in convoy through the mountains. In case of breakdowns, landslides etc. There are no phone signals going through the mountains. This is what our driver told us. The Reception staff at the Sofitel were welcoming and efficient. We were given card keys for block 3 and it WAS a bit of a trek. We wondered if this was why we wasn't walked to our room! We eventually found it and it was large, spacious and quiet. We had a king size bed, large TV (15 English channels), tea & coffee making facilities, a fridge and free safe. Not a huge amount of storage but sufficient. We were also lucky enough to be able to get the internet (although this isn't promised). We had signed up to Skype before we left and what a saving that turned out to be! We spoke to the family each evening and it didn't cost a penny. Well worth doing. When our cases were bought to the room my husband asked if there were more hangers available for the wardrobe; the young man came back very quickly with a handful. There was no bath, but a powerful shower. Be aware though that it sometimes comes through very hot with no warning. The usual bathroom 'goodies'. The hotel is on lots of different levels. I didn't work out what level we needed until the last few days! We started off staying at the quiet pool and it was good. As the weather got hotter though, it seemed a little cooler round the big pool where we then stayed the rest of the time. Plenty of chairs and parasols available at all times. The animation team were not at all intrusive, just friendly. At both pools there was a place to change towels, a bar and a small library to swop books. There was also another cupboard in the snack bar with books. The staff behind all of the bars were friendly and efficient with ready smiles. The food was very good with plenty of variety to suit all tastes. I think it's one of only a few hotels we've stayed at where the food was served hot. The soups were tasty and the bread delicious. Impressed with the cleanliness in the dining room. There was a hand gel machine for guests and staff to use at the entrance. The entertainment was low key but available if you wanted it. We watched a few of the shows and they were good. We ate once at the Mediterranean Restaurant. The food was good and it made a nice change to be waited on with some of the courses. It could have been quite a romantic setting, but the staff, surprisingly, sat everyone in just one part of the room. This meant that you ended up quite close to the next table. The staff were not free with their smiles here-they didn't look happy which we learnt is very unusual at this Sofitel. There is a free bus that will take you round Taba Heights. Some shops, but it seemed empty everywhere. One of the Shopkeepers told us that it was very quiet and the Egyptian people thought that it was because of the demonstrations in Egypt the year before. They were voting in their elections whilst we were there and were excited at having a say in a democratic Government. We stopped and had lunch at the Hyatt and were really pleased that we were at the Sofitel! We were told that this Hotel, along with the other 3 in Taba, were only 20% full. The people who were staying there were sitting in the airconditioned lobby looking miserable! Lunch was nice, but expensive. The only thing that slightly marred our holiday was an episode at the end of the snack bar. There is a water machine there for you to help yourself. One day the water was slightly warm. Thinking that it was like water machines in the UK where one is room temperature and the other very cold, I put my hand out to feel under the second tap, and burnt myself. It was very hot, I presume for tea making. I stepped back and saw a tiny, worn sign saying HOT. If you're standing in front of it using it, you cannot see it. I was concerned that a child might be burnt and asked 3 different members of staff if they would put a new sign on it. It still hadn't been rectified by the time we came home. As long as people are aware it's fine. That is the only fault that we found with this lovely hotel. My husband didn't like the remoteness of Taba Heights so I don't think we'll return, but not because of the hotel, because it was excellent. Room Tip: Block 3 for the Internet!

Isolated, but free bus to see other hotels in area.

Size of the bathroom

6.0

Cleanliness & linen change

6.0

Room amenities (TV, balcony, safe, etc.)

6.0

Size of the room

6.0

Atmosphere & furnishings

6.0

Quality of food and drinks

6.0

Overall cleanliness in the restaurant and in the dining areas

6.0

Variety of food and drinks

6.0

Competence (handling complaints)

6.0

Reception, check-in & check-out

6.0

Friendliness and helpfulness

6.0

Staff's knowledge of foreign language

6.0

Quality of the beach

6.0

Overall condition of the pool area

6.0

Child care or playground

6.0

Leisure activities (e.g. sauna, tennis, entertainment, etc.)

6.0

Family friendliness

6.0

Condition of the Hotel

6.0

General cleanliness of the different areas

6.0

Disabled-friendly

6.0

Proximity to shopping areas

3.0

Distance to the beach

6.0

Transportation connection and available excursions

4.0

Restaurants & bars in the area

3.0

Other leisure activities available

4.0

Room was very nice, sea view wonderful. Bathroom tastefully decorated. In-room safe with a PIN code, TV was a bit old but OK. The first advertised free Wi-Fi (Wiki) was unreliable and slow.

very English guests and little choice. Preparation of all meals partly very poor (liquid scrambled egg, tough meat and zerbratener tuna), although it was quite what delicious under the selection can find, to a five star hotel I expect more and no overriding search having regard to delicious food. Furthermore the service was staff partly quite unmotivated and the plates were often not well cleaned. Also spoiled Birds in the restaurant also the chairs contaminated food mood, especially, because nobody bother the bird excrement from the chair upholstery to remove.

friendliness of the staff was on the whole good. Once more or less but mostly accommodating. from the beauty salon is not advised. On the one hand, it was very annoying at the beach and constant from the staff Persuasion attempts to derail and you on it embedded and 20 euros for 2 face packs those in paid small little room with dirty curtains done, behind this trial differed she the whole time other Staff members on Arabic (not very relaxing) and the 'level' smelled cold smoke. Never again!

Entertainment was not available. Three people evenings attempted rarely something and there was a dance solo entertainers, not really could sing. The pool is wonderful and clean. Unfortunately, there was now only one (January) really small area usable, restaurant small part is heated. Very sad!

The hotel: beautiful hotel with better looked after area. The sea view is great and in comparison to the neighbors there was also a jetty to get into the sea available. The beach is relatively clean, the beach chairs somewhat older but good. In the sea without bath bathing shoes not possible, as it is very rocky. The corals have suffered greatly reckless tourists and direct at the beach the hotel does not have more fun.

We had to drive from Sharm el-Sheikh 3 hours around the desert unfortunately, since Taba from Germany it does not directly approached. We knew that, it had expected but less bad. The desert is really nice to look at, the walk but extremely and 20 minutes 2 hours work. The driver stop partly 160 kilometer/h with the desert, which curves and nature of street partly perilous seems. ( especially, noisy because on the street wrecked Tyre beach chairs).