Marriott Taba Heights Beach Resort, Taba

Arrived 4.3.06, left 11.3.06 Flights Booked through Peltours, who were fantastic, flew with Astraeus, who were also very good. We paid �50 for an upgrade, which was so worth it, especially their dedicated check-in for this class. Flight was delayed 90 minutes both ways. Should be 4.5 hours, headwinds increased this to 5 hours 20 mins on our return. Weather Very hot in the day, up to 30 degrees, but when the sun goes down at around 5pm, because is a desert climate it cools down considerably but leaves a very pleasant 15-18 degrees. Heat is dry so you don't sweat. Hotel Very good international hotel, but when you are there really you could be anywhere in the world. Food was buffet style in the main restaurant and we always found something to our liking. Eating breakfast outside in the sunshine, looking towards Saudi was memorable. We used 1$ bills to tip staff, which they can exchange easily. Some of the less thoughtful guests tipped in English pound coins but the staff have to find another guest who will covert this in to $ or Egyptian �, which was a pain in the last few days, for the sake of a little fore thought. Staff fantastic. Hotel was clean and well maintained, we had no complaints. 2 for 1 happy hour, beer only in the lobby bar was poorly supported which meant service was great, and atmosphere relaxing. Snorkeling Just off the beach are a series of reefs, which were brilliant. Walk out from the flags on the beach, don�t need to swim it is too shallow. First reef is here and then swim to wards the new hotel. Don�t go in via the yellow buoys or you�ll be exhausted by the time you reach the reefs above. Anyway all the �muppets� walk all over the reefs closest to the buoys so there�s not much to see. Buy a waterproof disposable camera before you go. Lots of coral and shells but don�t take any, as you can be fined $2,000 at the airport if they catch you with it. I saw innumerable fish; highlights were a Common Porcupine fish, Black Spotted (near the beach!) and Blue Spotted Rays, shoals of Longnose Parrotfish, lots of puffer fish, Clearfin and Indian Lion Fish, a Pharo Cuttle Fish and a sea snake. A Broomtail Wrasse, which was enormous, followed me on several days which was spooky. I also nearly bumped into a Snowflake Moray eel which was scary. Other reviews have said walk to Hyatt for jetty and better snorkeling. I felt reefs at Marriott were far better and no need to walk. And the Marriott easily had the best beach.

If you want a holiday where you can do absolutely nothing and be treated like royality, there is no where better. Service is wonderful and nothing is too much trouble for the staff. Nothing you fancy on the menu? The head chef was more than happy to oblige us by making something a little different. Taba is also a great place to go and do some sight seeing. This is a great jumping off place. Where else in the world can you go and visit the last remaining 7th wonder of the world, visit Jersualem and walk the stations of the cross and then visit the Rose Red City of Petra all within the space of a week. As dusk falls sit on the beach and watch the mountains of Jordan turn pink as the sun starts to set behind you. Its amazing, words cannot describe the scenary in this part of the world. And of course if you are a swimmer, some of the best snorkelling in the world is on your doorstep and if you not, take a glass bottom boat around the bay next door. There is something for everyone. I am off to book my next holiday and I am taking a group of friends with me this time. So what are you waiting for, this is the best hotel in Taba Heights.

Just came back from the Taba Marriott. Fabulous stay. perfect to recharge the batteries. Food is excellent and staff is very friendly. Very nice swimming pool and beautiful scenery

We have just returned from a weeks break to Taba/Marriot. In comparison to the Hilton in Luxor, (which was very nice) this hotel was simply fantastic. Everyone was friendly, & they didnt hold their hands out for money all the time, which was a refreshing change! The room service was outstanding & very reasonable (a pot of tea delivered, for two, with a biscuit each! - �4) The landscaping was lovely, and perhaps the best part was that it was quiet. No screaming children running around, trying to beat their little brothers head in with an action man... I would add though that while there are a few trips, they are quite expensive, as they are either a few hours away, or require travelling in to Israel/Jordon (Jordon BTW was great) which incur allot of taxes. The other thing is that there are NO nightclubs - great for us, but not so good for the 3 girls who seemed dumbstruck at the welcome meeting - obviously the thought of not being able to get drunk and play who can throw up the furthest from the balcony was a huge disapointment... In the end there really just is the hotels & the beach/sea - but the snorkling was amazing. My advice though is to take some waterproof shoes/flippers. The hotel beach is a little different in that it doesnt have a jetty. Instead you walk in to the sea (the reef is pretty near the beach). However you have to walk over allot of stones to get in to the water, which can be uncomfortable. Occasionally the hotel staff make a "walkway" through the stones, but it can still hurt! If you dont have any shoes, the shop can sell you some o'neil shoes for about �6.50 - well worth it! The food at the hotel was pretty good, although i felt that the dishes on offer at the buffet were a little samey (still what really can expect for the money). ** As a little side comment, I booked through Peltours and they were excellent - however i really really should mention that the plane company Astraeus was incredible - the leg room for everyone was like sitting in buisness class! Monarch take heed!!! (The room on their planes is almost non existent - i had to sit sideways to eat my meal!!!) They also showed 2 movies, which on a 5 hour flight was really unusual. Cant praise them enough & would def look to fly with them.

Fantastic hotel & location. Pool so big you can't see all of it at one time. Staff really friendly and very proud of their country & their jobs. Always staff available. Beware, Egyptians do not rush! If you ask for a drink or the bill, it will take 10 mins! Plan in advance! As for cost, we were half board. Two adults and a 12 year old managed to spend �40 per day! My partner had between 3-5 cocktails each night, I had the same Sakara beers, my son had numerous cokes & 7 ups. We had snacks at lunch. At no time did we cut corners and still only spent �250 all week! Food was good-nice selection. If you fancy something else-ask. As long as you can make them understand your requirements, the restaurant staff will try to help you. We had specially made pizzas, as well as french fries on request. Also, the grotto does excellent burgers at lunch time-sorry to lower the tone-it's really not a fast food haven! Make sure you take shoes for the Red Sea. Small band of stones before the sand. If you have shoes, this will not spoil your fun. Once in the Red Sea, we saw manta rays, barracudas, parrott fish and loads of fish I've only seen in aquariums. All pretty safe stuff-and all in waist deep water! The 2nd coral reef takes you into deeper water, but you can see so much just snorkelling in 3ft depth. Trip to Cairo is absolute must, only spoilt by compulsory stop at bazaar, which I felt, was rather tacky and waste of time. My son made a group of friends very quickly. Great place for families. Nitelife is a bit pants, but we had a group of people who kinda met in the same place each evening. The DJ was really good and we danced to R & B until 2am some nights. However, didn't take off until midnight. Make friends with the staff and they will enhance your holiday. I definately recommend this hotel to everyone apart from Chavs!

We have just got back from Taba Marriott hotel and yes, the hotel is gorgeous, the staff are great and the weather was fantastic, unfortunately we have come back with an unwanted side effect of our holiday!!! The runs!!, they started about three days into our holiday and basically have not stopped since (now two days back in the UK) We spoke to our rep who seemed completely surprised about our poorly tums but having spoken to other guests, it seems that almost everyone experienced the same. Not to put a dampner on the holiday, it was still a lovely time, but unfortunately being 10 weeks pregnant am a little concerned that maybe food standards are not as good as the reps lead us to believe, eater beware.

the area's beautiful, the hotel's clean, fiendly staff, good size rooms and the red sea is amazing. but, and there is a definate but, the food was the worst i've ever experienced in a 5 star hotel. less of a buffet more of a bun fight with the same food turning up for breakfast and dinner days running. then there's the nightlife - or more to the point there isn't. three bars and every one of them empty or catering for children. then there are the kids . at the weekend the marriott does cheap deals and the hotel gets packed out with egyptian, israeli and jordanian guests who come with large groups of kids in tow and are allowed to have any number of them in a double room with their parents - 4 and 5 respectively in the rooms next to us. the place is noisy - the pool is bedlam. top tips - 5 star means 3/4, use the beach - much more chilled, breakfast is much better, ask for a room away from the main hotel, go on a boat trip. i came back happy and i'd lost half a stone.

We stayed at the Taba Marriott early March '05 and mainly only chose the destination for the reviews I'd read online about the nearby diving - i.e. not too challenging - as my wife was learning to dive there. However we were so pleased with the hotel we are going back in the next few weeks (May '05) to the same hotel and to dive with the same guys again too! We found the hotel itself to be very well laid out and comfortable - especially liked the Cavern bar and spent maybe a few too many hours in there! ;o) Our room was lovely - we didn't get a sea view but it was more than large enough and the bed was simply HUGE. I befriended a few of the staff there who informed me that all the 3 digit room numbers are larger rooms than the 4 digit ones by the way - so top tip!! The restaurant (included in our half board price) was clean, the staff were friendly and efficient and on the whole the food was very good. It was never a l� carte but the hotel presented an excellent choice considering the buffet arrangement every single night. The pool at the Marriott is a little on the chilly side (well it was in March!) but is very large and absolutely lovely (contrary to some other reviews I've read elsewhere). I've given the location of the hotel a 4 star rating and not 5 stars purely on the grounds that it's a wee trek to get anywhere else i.e. sight seeing by the way. It's not far into Israel and then onto Petra etc. etc. but apparently the border crossings are a nightmare! We however only went for the diving and relaxing which we found perfect here. Overall, I and my wife can really recommend the place. We had a lovely, lovely stay.

we stayed at the resort in Jan 05. The hotel is beautiful and clean. The food is for all tastes. Most of the hotel staff are helpful and friendly. When you take the tour to Cairo dont believe the rep when he tells you he can get you the cheapest gold at the bazzar, he cant. Go to the hotel jeweller, he has excellent deals.

Have just returned from a week at the Taba Marriott (Sunday 21 Nov for a week) and had a very relaxing time. The weather was OK but we had three days of cloud which was not what we expected. The constant breeze that exists alternated between a warm caress to a bitter cold wind - especially when the sun dissappeared behind the clouds! Everyone on the beach had a sunbed to lie on and another to act as a windbreak! The hotel is very good, very clean and the staff are helpful and friendly. It was only around half-full which gave the place a quiet feel, but that was just what we were after. Anyone looking for active nightlife should look elsewhere. I'd read on other reviews that the food was suspect - this was not our experience at all. The food was fantastic - lots of options and delicious, with a different themed buffet every night - great stuff! There's a lot of building work on the new (six star?) Intercontinental Hotel along the beach but this is out of eyesight and earshot. Anyone booking in should check that they don't overlook the construction area (only applies to rooms in the 900 range I think). Not a big issue though as the new hotel is 100 yds away. They're building a golf course nearby which they've started but it's still sand and mud and looks like it'll be at least a year away... Re the location - great snorkelling - lots of colourful fish - some dangerous species also but leave them alone and you'll have no problems.