DoubleTree by Hilton Sharm El Sheikh - Sharm Bay

Mountainside On arrival, the reception team were far from welcoming. There was no hello or good evening, and unfortunately, no warm cookie either. We arrived just after midnight and were told that food would still be available for another 30 minutes, although we didn’t want anything to eat.

Our two rooms were large and clean. They were a little dated, but perfectly acceptable and comfortable. The bathroom was also a good size and had Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries and a BaByliss hairdryer.

The grounds are beautifully maintained, lovely and flat, and very easy to get around. There are three pools, including an adults-only pool, which was absolute bliss. The lifeguards were quick to act if a child entered the adults-only pool, which was reassuring.

The restaurant was large and clean, but unfortunately not big enough for the number of guests. It became extremely busy around both lunch and dinner times. There was always plenty of food available, although we did find the choice became repetitive during our stay.

The restaurant staff, bar staff, housekeepers and gardeners could not do enough for us and were always there with a smile. Unfortunately, we found the management team extremely standoffish. They rarely acknowledged guests when walking past, and on one occasion, a member of management did not even hold the door open when we were directly behind him.

The animation team were probably the biggest disappointment of the hotel. We received very little acknowledgment from them and rarely saw a smile. There were limited activities during the day, and the evening entertainment takes place at the stage next to the main gates, rather than within the main hotel grounds.

One incident particularly stood out. A man slipped at the pool and went down with a loud clatter. An animation team member was standing nearby but did not even look up from their phone to see if he was okay. In my opinion, that was extremely disappointing and showed a real lack of care.

Soho Square is around a five- to ten-minute walk from the hotel and is definitely worth a visit.

Overall, there are plenty of positives here: the rooms are spacious and comfortable, the grounds are lovely, the pools are excellent, and the majority of the staff are friendly and hardworking. However, the lack of warmth from reception and management, along with the animation team, really let the hotel down. If you stay here, I would definitely recommend getting out and about, booking some excursions and exploring.

Sharm El Sheikh and the surrounding area are well worth seeing. This is a wonderful part of the world, so don't spend your entire holiday inside the hotel.

This hotel was amazing! The entertainment staff was the best part of it. Ali Baba and Wania was lovely and friendly and you can tell how much they care about there job. They help with all the activities they do such as darts volleyball waterball zumba yoga and much much more. 110% would come again because of how much they helped me enjoy my time here!