My girlfriend and I stayed at Hilton Fayrouz from the 12th till 19th of March 2008. We like many on here decided to book this place because of the raving reviews on here and because i was told Naama Bay is the best place to stay in.
The Hotel looks quite impressive as you enter it for the first time. We were greeted with a drink and a very helpful man on Reception called Marwan (he wants an English wife, if you can help haha). He was really nice and gave us a good room with a view of the main pool. He said it's because I'm Lebanese, so being Arabic or speaking Arabic already came in handy on my first few minutes there.
The room was quite spacious, the beds were very comfy and there was a sofa bed also. The only thing that needed updating really was the toilet, but it wasn't so bad.
Good things:
Bed is big and comfy. AC works fine, lots of space to put your stuff around the room and a small table plus a patio/balcony to sit and relax on with a small table where you can place your drinks. The safe was good and wardrobes are big enough for everything really. It's near the pool and pool bar so it was a nice and relaxing view.
Bad things:
The water was horrible but like some said it's to do with Sharm more than the hotel. It's slow and not too clean. The kettle is horrible, we were about to make some tea and opened it to have a look. It was old, rusty and just put us off. The beds weren't always clean. I felt like the cleaners were a bit lazy, maybe because we didn't tip them everyday? We did at the end though but still. They only did one design on our bed, on our first day but after that they didn't bother. Not a big deal but still seemed lazy.
The facilities were crap, you had to pay for them but the gym was small and pointless. They also had a squash room and massage rooms. Not worth it really, something they can improve one massively.
All in all:
The location was great because the private beach was superb and had great reefs were we snorkeled every day and managed to see lots of different fishes including octopuses. Water was very clean and it wasn't as crowded as some other reviews suggested. Security wasn't THAT great, i think many people could sneak in easily from other hotels and get away with it.
Breakfast was not bad, you get everything you really need so can't complain really.. Yassen, the chef that does omelette's etc... is great entertainment, he really is a show off but a pleasure to watch as he does his magic. There are plenty to choose from and you can sit inside or outside in the sun. One thing though, if you hate flies then avoid sitting outside.
I didn't eat from the restaurants so can't review that. The main pool is called but big size with a pool bar (the guy working there though didn't seem to know how to do any of the cocktails but that can be said about all or most bars i went to in Sharm).
Pirates Bar was nice, small and cozy plus they play football on their TV if you want to watch some footy.
The Gardens are very pretty and a joy to walk around, its very relaxing and makes the hotel attractive.
Naama Bay is really busy at night with people everywhere but you will be hassled by every restaurant owner and shop owner to go in to their shop. Sometimes like some others mentioned, they start a conversation then ask you to go in to sign their book and get their business card but really they want to sell you stuff so avoid that. There are plenty of restaurants, bars and shops so you have a lot of options. I personally wasn't keen on their food as i felt they use old ingredients and probably even food from left overs because it didn't always taste fresh. You have to remember that Egypt is a 3rd world country and they will do anything for a penny saved.
On the beach there is a place called Sun N Fun, they deal with activities and excursions to Cairo or other places. Some advice, look around before you make your mind because we paid £140 but then found out at another place they did it for £110. Same with Quad biking, we did it for £50 at Sun N Fun but they were doing it for £14 at the other place. So do look around. There is a guy who calls himself Brian Adams from Sun N Fun, he is quite a character and will try to sell you their activities but be smart about it, argue for a discount etc... and you WILL get it guaranteed.
As a Hotel, Hilton Fayrouz is good enough but for me personally the experience with the people there annoyed me, specially being Arabic myself, It really sucks seeing people try to trick you and hassle you so much but that has to do more with the country than the hotel. I give it 4 stars because the staff were very friendly and all in all we enjoyed our stay there, it was comfortable and a great sunny winter break.
Some info:
Hotel is 10 minutes away from airport, you can ask the hotel to get you a 'lemo' taxi for 120EP or a 50EP normal taxi. The airport is horrible with very rude staff. The officers that check bags were whistling at my girlfriend and they didn't even check people properly when the machine beeped, very unprofessional, they probably expected a tip also from the way they were behaving. The shops in there are laughable and they make up their own price. A mid pack of biscuits cost £5 for example and pringles costs £4.70
Snorkeling is a must but bring the equipment with you because the ones they sell there are crap and overpriced.
Everyone and their mom expects a tip there and they are not shy from asking but if you don't want to or don't think they deserve one then ignore them.
If anyone is interested to know more about the trip to Cairo, feel free to contact me as we went on it and can let you know more about it and other activities.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
most likely
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
An amazing honeymoon, People with disabilities, Pet owners
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Beach / Sun, Museums / Cultural / Historical sites, Outdoor / Adventure