Renaissance Sharm El Sheikh Golden View Beach Resort, Markaz Maghagha

First of all this was a wonderful hotel with gorgeous surroundings. The staff were happy to say hello and shake my hand and ask how my day is going (even though it was my first time there the staff made me feel like I had been visiting for years!!). I can not truly express how friendly the staff were towards my wife and I. you simply MUST visit Simpson in the Hotel souvenir shop- very friendly and DOES actually offer you a pretty good deal on your souvenirs. His prices are comparable to the shops in Naama Bay. The food is pretty nice and in my opinion the seafood buffet was absolutely wonderful. There is a wide range of breakfast options including an omelette bar and chilli con carne?!? (yep- you read right!!) With so many restaurants (at least 6 that I can recall) you are rather spoilt for choice of foods. On the negative side though: If you are getting a massage be sure to request an experienced masseur(sse) as they do have "trainee" staff as well who are less than impressive. What ever you do DO NOT buy foreign wine in the hotel (a £6 bottle of Beaujolais is charge at over £45!!). The entertainment (what little i saw of it) was abysmal! it could have been choreographed by a bored teenager on a losing bet! But then again when you are an £8 trip away from Naama Bay why would anyone settle for hotel entertainment?? As far as activities go, the hotel choice is rather limited to the swimming pool, gym (including spa), a guy selling quad bike trips (also very friendly!) and the Dive In snorkelling and scuba centre. Note that this centre runs independently of the hotel but as it's main customers are from the hotel, I shall include it in my review! First of all if I thought the staff at the hotel were kind- it was nothing compared to what awaited us at the centre. First of all- An absolute MUST for all snorkellers (of all abilities) is Khaled's little snorkelling excursion where he introduces you to the different types of marine life you will encounter FREE OF CHARGE!! On the diving side if you are a beginner or a nervous diver- i cannot recommend Rammi highly enough. A very patient, experienced diver with the people skills to boot? 10/10 guys! On the other hand my wife and I (and other guests at the hotel) found Fabio to be the most unsuitable guide for the beginners dive. A very inpatient (sometimes too aggressive) diver, Fabio single handedly managed to spoil an otherwise wonderful diving excursion. perhaps he might be best suited accompanying experienced Italian speaking divers. But, not to leave the Dive In centre on a negative note, the manager and all the staff I spoke to about my experience with Fabio bent over backwards (almost literally) to make it up to us- including (and not limited to) offering us an opportunity to do another dive free of charge. and for that I must score the Centre 9/10. Overall I would rate my experience at the hotel 8/10 with room to 1) either offer Fabio some training or limit his exposure to non Italian speaking customers, 2) review the price of the drinks including water charged in the hotel (16LE where outside the hotel a 1.5 bottle costs 2-3LE) 3) Offer customers the choice of whether to receive a massage from a trainee (at a discounted price) or an experience masseur(sse).

This was by far the best hotel we have ever stayed at !!!! The resort is beautiful and clean ..the rooms are gorgeous the staff is friendly and very helpful...the food is very good !!! I do not have a bad word to say about this resort....the snorkeling awesome...can't wait to go back The views of the beach and sea from our balcony were breathtaking The pools were all very nice and clean. I would recommend this resort to everyone taking a trip to Sharm

Oh mmmmmmmmmm, it was such a heavenly abode. I forgot the rest of the world and just relaxed in that magnificent hotel. So beautiful, so dignified. Management is good, staff are very respectful and courteous. I enjoyed each and everyday of my stay there in April 2008. Superb view of the sea from room. I asked for a room with a view and they arranged it immediately though I was not supposed to get the room for which I booked earlier. The bed was so nice and I slept like a baby. It was just great, great and great. I want to go back and take rest again in that hotel. mmmmmmmm

Restaurant kept trying to add-on charges for beverages that were supposed to be included with our package. We spent an hour arguing with staff at the restaurant and front desk before they finally agree to waive the charges. When we went to check-out, the charges were still appearing on our bill so we spent another hour arguing with them again. We kept asking to see hotel manager. We were told he was on his way but he never showed up. They finally agreed to waive the charges but said they were going to charge our waiter for the drinks. Our beverages were non-alcoholic so we couldn't understand why they were being so stubborn. Rooms were not cleaned very well during our stay - they didn't even replace an empty toilet paper roll. Brochure said pools were heated but they were not. The jets in the hot tub were almost non-existent and water was not very warm. There were many stairs to get to and from our room so we requested assistance with our bags on departure. We waited forever but no one ever showed up. We finally had to carry our bags ourselves. Hotel itself was nice and in a good location but far from town.

There is no management............ You can not meet any body .... It is absolutly not a marriott hotel .... the location is very good , but there is a problem in management team

This hotel outshines all other hotels in Sharm. I stayed here last December and it was a hotel offering a first class service in probabaly the best location for swimming and getting away from the comercialised areas of the red sea. We enjoyed the holiday so much we rebooked again in Feb but unfortunately could not get back into the Renaissance (R), after 2 nights in a very sub standard hotel, we transferred back to R. The service is amazing and they bend over backwards to ensure your stay is a time to remember. Nothing is too much trouble! The breakfast is delicious with something for everyone, pastries, fresh ruit, smoothies, cheeses,cold meats, salads, waffle chef, omlette chef, hot food plate, fresh breads......we used to go for 2 sittings as the choice was overwhelming!! I recieved a birthday cake from the hotel and this is the norm if you are lucky enough to have your birthday here. If you have any problems with mobility the concierge are at your beck and call and will drive you everywhere in the hotel golf buggy. The hotel has a high standard of cleanliness and the rooms are superb,especially if you book a sea front/view room. The dive centre here (Dive In) offers competative rates and a personal service, even supporting the non swimmers in overcoming fear and enebling them to enjoy the breathtaking coral reefs and sea life!! We ate at the Hyatt (one of sharms top hotels) and the service here was nowhere near the standard of the R, the waitresses were rude and sullen and everything was too much trouble...I was so pleased we had not booked the Hyatt!! All I can say is that you will be amazed with the hotel service, location and breakfast. It is probabaly one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in!!!!

2nd time in Sharm. We stayed at the sheraton last year and there is no comparison. The renaissance wins hands down. The hotel is full star above the Sheraton in terms of food, service, room standard and the overall experience. Deserves the 5 star rating. Food excellent and good value, Buffet �12 and changes every night. We stayed B&B and ate in all 4 restaurants all very good and reasonably priced. Beach attendants excellent and will reserve a Bed for you although there is no need as there are plenty of beds to go around slip him a small tip if you want the same spot the next day. Clean bedding every day housekeeping staff very friendly and attentive, as with the guest relations. Would go back ideal destination for winter sun. We went in March both times 80C with a cool breeze.

My boyfriend and I have just returned from the Renaissance, (Dec 05) and thought I'd write a review. Firstly, the weather in Sharm at Christmas was amazing. From 9am-3pm it was about 26 degrees. After that it does cool down, you may want a track suit top around the pool by 4pm. We did still manage to sit outside in the evening but I'm glad that I brought boots and not strappy shoes. It is a good 4 star hotel, not 5 by English standards. If you compare to somewhere like the Chewton Glen, you'd be extremely disappointed. The service was ok but you can call reception 2 or 3 times with a problem before you get a call back. The rooms are spotless, the bathrooms large and all well decorated. We had an executive room (apparently the same as a family room but with a bigger kitchen). We had a huge lounge, great kitchen, (good for heating up room service) and a huge bedrooms. Well worth it. Most rooms seem to be near a pool as there are quite a few of them with a pool bar at each. There are quite a few steps, but unless you really have a problem, it's not that far from one of the hotel to the other. All in all we were impressed with the food in each restaurant. My only real disappointment was the evening bar. It doubles as the breakfast room during the day and is too large for an intimate evening bar. The other thing that I didn't like is that nobody at all dressed up in the evening. All jeans and t-shirts. The New Year's eve party was very well done and very enjoyable. The staff worked incredibly hard with very good results. A very good holiday in all with some reservations.

Nice out of town location, there are regular suttles to town if you need to, but location is great no noise, beach is great. service is superb, very cheap, you will enjoy it. breakfast was very nice.

Worst 5 nights ever in a vacation at this hotel mainly due to poor management of the hotel from the GM and the hotel leadership team who are always not present at the hotel in addition to very poor quality of service due to unprofessional people which reflects an HR issues in alomost all of the hotel functions. P.S. I've requested to meet the hotel GM but for three days I couldn't meet him for no reason !