Sheraton Miramar El Gouna Egypt [Master Thread]
Feb 7, 2003, 1:54 pm
#1
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Sheraton Miramar El Gouna Egypt [Master Thread]
Any experiences with this hotel? Any hints for a possible upcoming stay? Any rooms to request? William, if one books halfboard, what restaurants can one eat at?
Muerz
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Visit the Hyatt Review Website at http://www.hotelreview.de.vu
Muerz
------------------
Visit the Hyatt Review Website at http://www.hotelreview.de.vu
Feb 7, 2003, 2:03 pm
#2
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Muerz:
Any experiences with this hotel? Any hints for a possible upcoming stay? Any rooms to request? William, if one books halfboard, what restaurants can one eat at?
Muerz
</font>
Any experiences with this hotel? Any hints for a possible upcoming stay? Any rooms to request? William, if one books halfboard, what restaurants can one eat at?
Muerz
</font>
Sincerely,
William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services
[email protected]
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Feb 7, 2003, 4:30 pm
#3
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It's a pretty property with meandering lagoons and arabesque-fantasy architecture. Nice finishings, but I wouldn't call it luxurious. Stayed there for a long weekend in 2000 on points. Gold status got me a seaside view. I recall a range of restaurants (pool cafe to expensive dining) and an extensive buffett breakfast. Didn't use meal plan. Stay highlight: swimming with playful dolphins on a Red Sea scuba dive trip.
Feb 8, 2003, 12:49 am
#4
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Why wouldn't you call it luxurious?
Muerz
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Visit the Hyatt Review Website at http://www.hotelreview.de.vu
Muerz
------------------
Visit the Hyatt Review Website at http://www.hotelreview.de.vu
Mar 5, 2003, 5:24 pm
#6
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The Miramar is about 20 KM north of Hurghada and the cab can be expensive. The only way to get to Hurghada from El Gouna is to take a hotel shuttle (not sure how much) or a hotel limousine (LE 70).
El Gouna is a self-contained gated community with numerous restaurants and beaches. I, personally, found the color scheme of the hotel a bit too bright and the furniture a bit too IKEA'ish. They had no idea what a platinum spg was, but luckily got a beachfront room.
Room service was really cheap and the food was good.
El Gouna is a self-contained gated community with numerous restaurants and beaches. I, personally, found the color scheme of the hotel a bit too bright and the furniture a bit too IKEA'ish. They had no idea what a platinum spg was, but luckily got a beachfront room.
Room service was really cheap and the food was good.
Aug 13, 2003, 7:02 pm
#7
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by cruising:
I prefer by far the Sheraton Soma Bay Resort, which is about 60 km south of Hurghada (El Gouna is 20 km north). The beach is much nicer there, the hotel is more luxurious and it has Egypt's best golf course.</font>
I prefer by far the Sheraton Soma Bay Resort, which is about 60 km south of Hurghada (El Gouna is 20 km north). The beach is much nicer there, the hotel is more luxurious and it has Egypt's best golf course.</font>
The Soma Bay hotel looks fine, but how is the transportation from Hurghada airport to the Soma Bay hotel. Is there a hotel shuttle, or a bus service?
Aug 13, 2003, 7:35 pm
#8
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I can also highly recommend the Soma Bay property. The high floor seaview rooms to the right hand side of the entrance hall are my favourite (I think they might be classified as Club rooms although there is no Club floor at this hotel). The bathrooms are quite luxurious although most rooms only have a shower. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the transport company but there are some around. Maybe do a search on the net. The best thing about Soma Bay is the location. It's still a new tourist location with only a few hotels (I think they are still building a new Hyatt there). You'll have the desert on one side with some misty mountain scenery and the ocean on the other. So, if you have a choice stay at Soma Bay.
Aug 14, 2003, 12:23 am
#9
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Sydfly:
I think they are still building a new Hyatt there.</font>
I think they are still building a new Hyatt there.</font>
Muerz
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Aug 14, 2003, 12:03 pm
#10
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Sydfly:
I can also highly recommend the Soma Bay property. I think they might be classified as Club rooms although there is no Club floor at this hotel). I can't remember the name of the transport company but there are some around. The best thing about Soma Bay is the location. So, if you have a choice stay at Soma Bay.</font>
I can also highly recommend the Soma Bay property. I think they might be classified as Club rooms although there is no Club floor at this hotel). I can't remember the name of the transport company but there are some around. The best thing about Soma Bay is the location. So, if you have a choice stay at Soma Bay.</font>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Sydfly:
. (I think they might be classified as Club rooms although there is no Club floor at this hotel). Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the transport company but there are some around. The best thing about Soma Bay is the location. It's still a new tourist location with only a few hotels (I think they are still building a new Hyatt there). .</font>
. (I think they might be classified as Club rooms although there is no Club floor at this hotel). Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the transport company but there are some around. The best thing about Soma Bay is the location. It's still a new tourist location with only a few hotels (I think they are still building a new Hyatt there). .</font>
Compared to the Miramar ( $85 weekend rate for suite with breakfast, $85 week rate preferred room, incl. pickup service; and the surrounding like a fairytail?) the Soma is somewhat more expensive.
If you compare the hotels, is the service better, and the beach nicer here. I guess, since it is 60km south of Hugharda, its more centrally for sightseeing Luxor by bus?
Looking at the site of the hotel, it looks very nice, but ….. also expensive for dining etc?
Apr 2, 2004, 8:30 am
#11
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Sheraton Miramar El Gouna Egypt [Master Thread]
In December 2003 I have stayed some nights in this resort. See photo’s http://www.e-traveller.net/pics/2004...on-miramar.php
With a free airport pickup ^ , from the airport of Hurghada, it was a approx. 20 minute drive to this resort. Check in was friendly and efficient. With a small car they drove me up to the SPG section of the resort.
My SPG junior suite was on the first level. It was spacious and the interior had bright colours. It had a spacious marble bathroom and separate room for the wardrobe and suitcase. Everything was well-kept. The kingbed was fine, only a bit hard to sleep on.
After my arrival, a welcome amenity was delivered, some fruits and water. Later in the evening the television appeared to have some problems. After my call to the guest service, in no time there were some men who tried to repair the tv. They did their best, but could not repair it. The tv. was not replaced however.
Having a hot bath after my flight seemed to be very nice. It appeared however the water was handwarm and it made me to have a quick bath.
The temperature of the water stayed handwarm the following days.
Next day the view from the terrace on the Red Sea was great! On the terrace was a table with chairs and also two sunbeds. The drawback was that in front of my SPG Junior suite the Beach bar was located, only a few metres away. Guests sitting on the terrace of the beach bar could stare in my suite and terrace, privacy seemed to be rather limited.
I did try to get another suite. In my reservation I had made a request for a quiet location with a nice view, but everything seemed to be fully booked. According to Ahmed Khairy, a reservationsupervisor, all suites were fully booked. I did have a peek in some other accommodations, but did not find the rooms to have a surplus value, when comparing to the junior suite. Many of the SPG accommodation seem to lack some privacy, since they are directly located behind the beach.
The resort is large and has beautiful gardens with blooming trees, everything is well kept. I did not find the colours of the buildings too bright. Architecture of buildings is more or less Arabic. Though the reception told me the resort was almost fully booked, during the day the resort seemed rather desolated @:-) . During my stay it seemed to me, the kind of guests in the hotel were in general tour package guests.
In front of the SPG buildings is the main beach with free sun beds, umbrella’s and windshields. Since there can be a lot of wind, one needs the shields!
Personel gives you service with a smile. The friendliness makes you feel at home :-: . Roomservice is fine, within a half hour they serve you whatever you wish. Exceptional since the resort is large.
The restaurant serves in the morning a very large breakfast buffet. It can be very crowded here however. I had my dinner in the Arabic restaurant which serves tasteful dishes. However, fine dining is very limited, besides the Arabic restaurant there is only the buffet restaurant.
In the resort are three swimmingpools, one is secluded but not heated. The large pool is heated, and here some watersports are possible. For the children is a separate area.
Next to the main swimmingpool is a healthclub. The workout area is too small, there are 4 or 5 machines ^_ . There is a sauna with steamroom on the other side of the healthclub. There is a diving club in the resort, and other watersports are available.
For my last day (returning from Luxor) the reception offered me the executive suite, for a “special price”. The suite :-: was huge and had three terraces, two at the front and one at the back. The livingroom was large and there was a bar between the kitchen and room. From the room you could enter a nice terrace with table and chairs. The view from here was beautiful, a great place to have breakfast or dinner! The bedroom was spacious and had it’s own terrace connected to it.
The bathroom was spacious too, with a Japanese bath. However I had the same problems with the temperature of the water here.
I did have a very good time in the Miramar resort. It was a relaxing place to be, and I did like the beautiful surroundings of the garden and lagoons. The many beaches are well kept.
Prices are very very economic here, quality of the service is fine :-: . The Miramar resort is definitely a place to come back for some relaxing, to unwind and do some watersports.
See photo’s http://www.e-traveller.net/pics/2004...on-miramar.php
With a free airport pickup ^ , from the airport of Hurghada, it was a approx. 20 minute drive to this resort. Check in was friendly and efficient. With a small car they drove me up to the SPG section of the resort.
My SPG junior suite was on the first level. It was spacious and the interior had bright colours. It had a spacious marble bathroom and separate room for the wardrobe and suitcase. Everything was well-kept. The kingbed was fine, only a bit hard to sleep on.
After my arrival, a welcome amenity was delivered, some fruits and water. Later in the evening the television appeared to have some problems. After my call to the guest service, in no time there were some men who tried to repair the tv. They did their best, but could not repair it. The tv. was not replaced however.
Having a hot bath after my flight seemed to be very nice. It appeared however the water was handwarm and it made me to have a quick bath.
The temperature of the water stayed handwarm the following days. Next day the view from the terrace on the Red Sea was great! On the terrace was a table with chairs and also two sunbeds. The drawback was that in front of my SPG Junior suite the Beach bar was located, only a few metres away. Guests sitting on the terrace of the beach bar could stare in my suite and terrace, privacy seemed to be rather limited.
I did try to get another suite. In my reservation I had made a request for a quiet location with a nice view, but everything seemed to be fully booked. According to Ahmed Khairy, a reservationsupervisor, all suites were fully booked. I did have a peek in some other accommodations, but did not find the rooms to have a surplus value, when comparing to the junior suite. Many of the SPG accommodation seem to lack some privacy, since they are directly located behind the beach.
The resort is large and has beautiful gardens with blooming trees, everything is well kept. I did not find the colours of the buildings too bright. Architecture of buildings is more or less Arabic. Though the reception told me the resort was almost fully booked, during the day the resort seemed rather desolated @:-) . During my stay it seemed to me, the kind of guests in the hotel were in general tour package guests.
In front of the SPG buildings is the main beach with free sun beds, umbrella’s and windshields. Since there can be a lot of wind, one needs the shields!
Personel gives you service with a smile. The friendliness makes you feel at home :-: . Roomservice is fine, within a half hour they serve you whatever you wish. Exceptional since the resort is large.
The restaurant serves in the morning a very large breakfast buffet. It can be very crowded here however. I had my dinner in the Arabic restaurant which serves tasteful dishes. However, fine dining is very limited, besides the Arabic restaurant there is only the buffet restaurant.
In the resort are three swimmingpools, one is secluded but not heated. The large pool is heated, and here some watersports are possible. For the children is a separate area.
Next to the main swimmingpool is a healthclub. The workout area is too small, there are 4 or 5 machines ^_ . There is a sauna with steamroom on the other side of the healthclub. There is a diving club in the resort, and other watersports are available.
For my last day (returning from Luxor) the reception offered me the executive suite, for a “special price”. The suite :-: was huge and had three terraces, two at the front and one at the back. The livingroom was large and there was a bar between the kitchen and room. From the room you could enter a nice terrace with table and chairs. The view from here was beautiful, a great place to have breakfast or dinner! The bedroom was spacious and had it’s own terrace connected to it.
The bathroom was spacious too, with a Japanese bath. However I had the same problems with the temperature of the water here.
I did have a very good time in the Miramar resort. It was a relaxing place to be, and I did like the beautiful surroundings of the garden and lagoons. The many beaches are well kept.
Prices are very very economic here, quality of the service is fine :-: . The Miramar resort is definitely a place to come back for some relaxing, to unwind and do some watersports.
See photo’s http://www.e-traveller.net/pics/2004...on-miramar.php
Apr 2, 2004, 10:14 am
#12
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Thanks for the review and photos
claes-
Wow! Thanks for all of the photos that you were able to take. I hope to travel to this resort someday myself.
Wow! Thanks for all of the photos that you were able to take. I hope to travel to this resort someday myself.
Apr 2, 2004, 4:25 pm
#13
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A friend of mine from Sweden and friend's mother just returned from the Sheraton Miramar El Gouna this very week. They said the gardens were far nicer than even some "botanical gardens" they had visited elsewhere in the world.
It got high marks ... and is very reasonable in terms of points or money.
It got high marks ... and is very reasonable in terms of points or money.
Jul 3, 2005, 9:22 pm
#14
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Sheraton Miramar El Gouna Egypt [Master Thread]
Let me first start off by saying that this is my first post on this forum. I have been lurking here for a while and finally decided to join!
Anyways, I'm going to the Sheraton Miramar Resort this summer for two weeks with my parents (dad is SPG Plat) and the rate is only 74 USD (give or take) per night for the second room for my sister and I. We also get full buffet breakfast for all of us (half-board) and we can add dinner for all of us for 44$ USD. My parents room is being paid for with points (2K for weekends, 3K during the week..Cat. 1). Is it worth it to use points for both rooms or to have it split like my dad set it up?
Also, has anyone else stayed at the Sheraton Miramar in El Gouna before? It seems like most of the members here don't realize how cheap some of these Starwoods in North Africa/Middle East actually are... and they are wonderful first class resorts.
http://www.touregypt.net/magazine/mag01012001/mag8a.htm
This will be my first time at the Sheraton Miramar, but we have stayed at many Sheratons and Moevenpicks with my family in the Middle East and North Africa that are dirt cheap. Last summer we went to the Sheraton Hammamet Resort in Hammamet, Tunisia and it was wonderful!!! I've never had a better vacation in all of my life (again another Cat. 1 property). So, why isn't there much talk of these cheap Cat. 1 destinations?
Anyways, I'm going to the Sheraton Miramar Resort this summer for two weeks with my parents (dad is SPG Plat) and the rate is only 74 USD (give or take) per night for the second room for my sister and I. We also get full buffet breakfast for all of us (half-board) and we can add dinner for all of us for 44$ USD. My parents room is being paid for with points (2K for weekends, 3K during the week..Cat. 1). Is it worth it to use points for both rooms or to have it split like my dad set it up?
Also, has anyone else stayed at the Sheraton Miramar in El Gouna before? It seems like most of the members here don't realize how cheap some of these Starwoods in North Africa/Middle East actually are... and they are wonderful first class resorts.
http://www.touregypt.net/magazine/mag01012001/mag8a.htm
This will be my first time at the Sheraton Miramar, but we have stayed at many Sheratons and Moevenpicks with my family in the Middle East and North Africa that are dirt cheap. Last summer we went to the Sheraton Hammamet Resort in Hammamet, Tunisia and it was wonderful!!! I've never had a better vacation in all of my life (again another Cat. 1 property). So, why isn't there much talk of these cheap Cat. 1 destinations?
Jul 4, 2005, 3:17 am
#15
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First things first: welcome to you and your first post on the board.
A former colleague of mine has stayed there at the Sheraton Miramar. They noted that it had a very nice garden.
I think a large reason that most of these good category 1 resorts don't get talked about more here is that the majority of the board's participants are Americans for whom going to a resort for 1-week in a place that is not as easy to get to (given commercial flight schedules) is not as routine an option. FWIW, (North and West) African and Middle Eastern resort destinations (and resorts) are generally not well advertised in the US. Package tour books to give people such ideas appear to be far fewer (in supply and in demand) in the US.
Your father making one room a cash-paid room may be related to his retaining SPG Plat status. Unlike with Hilton HHonors (and somewhat with Hyatt), award room nights and stays with SPG don't generally count for status.
A former colleague of mine has stayed there at the Sheraton Miramar. They noted that it had a very nice garden.
I think a large reason that most of these good category 1 resorts don't get talked about more here is that the majority of the board's participants are Americans for whom going to a resort for 1-week in a place that is not as easy to get to (given commercial flight schedules) is not as routine an option. FWIW, (North and West) African and Middle Eastern resort destinations (and resorts) are generally not well advertised in the US. Package tour books to give people such ideas appear to be far fewer (in supply and in demand) in the US.
Your father making one room a cash-paid room may be related to his retaining SPG Plat status. Unlike with Hilton HHonors (and somewhat with Hyatt), award room nights and stays with SPG don't generally count for status.
Last edited by GUWonder; Jul 4, 2005 at 3:29 am