Gravity Hotel & Aqua Park Sahl Hasheesh

This was our fifth visit, and unfortunately the overall standard was significantly worse than on previous stays. We are a same-sex couple and were conscious of local sensitivities. We did not kiss or hold hands in public and were extremely discreet. Despite this, we repeatedly noticed most staff members behaving warmly towards heterosexual couples and families, but becoming noticeably colder with us, sometimes barely acknowledging us or ignoring us altogether. On more than one occasion, waiting staff spoke under their breath in Arabic while serving me in a manner that felt hostile. I could not understand what was being said. On another occasion, a waiter at the beach bar quietly said “vaffanculo” to me under his breath. I understood exactly what he had said and never returned to that bar. I cannot know what was in anyone’s mind or attribute motives I cannot prove. What I can say is that the cumulative effect made us feel unwelcome, and by the end of the stay we were actively avoiding contact with staff to prevent further uncomfortable interactions. Both of us also became severely ill during the stay, despite eating only at the resort and choosing different foods. We returned home two days ago; I am now almost fully recovered and my partner is improving. This does not prove what caused the illness, but both of us began recovering after leaving the resort and no longer eating there. Mr Omar took very good care of us during this period, for which we are grateful. Cleanliness was inconsistent. Tables were rarely cleaned properly between guests, table mats were not replaced, and many staff wore the same latex-style gloves for long periods without changing them, even when visibly dirty. On more than one occasion, I also saw staff members using washbasins in guest toilets to wash their underarms and feet. The promenade toilet was particularly unpleasant. The floor was almost always covered with urine. Although it was sometimes mopped, the problem repeatedly returned, and the floor felt both unhygienic and unsafe in flip-flops. Food and beverage service was also inconsistent. Despite explaining that I have a tomato intolerance, I was given incorrect information at one à la carte restaurant and later served food containing tomato at another. At a third restaurant, “pesto arancini” arrived with tomato sauce instead of pesto, without any warning that the dish had changed. The attached buffet photo is genuine. The English label read “Rice With Herps,” while the German and Russian translations referred to “herpes.” I raised this with three different members of staff, including a manager in the buffet area, and was either laughed off or ignored. We generally ordered two or three mojitos per day, yet during the entire two-week stay only twice were they prepared as described on the resort’s own menu. On some occasions staff said there was no sugar; on others, the mojitos were made with whiskey or tequila, neither of which I can drink. We also frequently saw staff sitting or standing in stairwells, corners and other out-of-the-way areas using their phones rather than attending to guests, while some appeared to expect tips regardless of the quality or manner of service. There were still aspects of the resort that we enjoyed, but after this stay we seriously doubt that we will return. In our experience, the hotel did not consistently meet the standards we expected regarding hygiene, dietary requirements, customer service and professionalism.

We where in room 2187 we have have had a wonderful stay everyone was so friendly especially the ones I have a pictures off Mahood ,Hussain, Mohamid the waiter I can't remember his name where well amazing 😻 we had an amazing garden room spacious the bed was comfy sleepy like a log , Water and juices were filled every day in the Fridge and the Cleaner did towel art and cleaned out Room immaculately plenty of pools and lounges. You did have to get up very early to put your towels down though , the food was lovely plenty of choice beef ,chicken etc all cooked to perfection as well as plenty more to choose the manager should be praised and lads and ladies all work very hard and deserve a tip for what they're doing so please tip , location was good and we managed to get a brilliant trip to see Valley of the Kings with the river Nile Boat c café cruise and a brilliance tour guide cannot pronounce his name would well recommend and have some pictures. Overall the experience was so amazing 🤩 thank you so much Gravaty Egypt hope to see you all again in the near future

Some hotels are easy to review. Gravity Sahl Hasheesh isn’t one of them — there is simply too much worth mentioning. We booked fairly last minute and arrived incredibly excited for our week in Egypt. My first impression of the hotel itself was wow. The reception lobby is breathtaking: grand, beautifully designed and comfortable, with a real sense of arrival. Ironically, the actual welcome was probably one of the least impressive parts of our stay. The receptionist checking us in was very matter-of-fact and, despite me telling him how excited I was to be there, there wasn’t much warmth in return. It stood out because he was laughing and joking with colleagues while we waited, yet we didn’t particularly feel welcomed ourselves. Thankfully, that turned out to be completely unrepresentative of the service we experienced for the rest of the week. Ali took us and our luggage to our room, enthusiastically giving us a running commentary of the resort along the way. Admittedly, some of it came at such speed that I didn’t catch everything, but I appreciated the enthusiasm! The buildings and grounds were beautifully illuminated at night and, despite arriving in darkness, I quickly began to understand the layout. Room 1411 — we’d request it again Opening the door to Room 1411 gave us our second wow. It had a cool, modern aesthetic, was immaculately clean and had enough room for me, my wheelchair and our luggage without feeling cramped. The balcony was particularly generous. We’d paid an additional €90 each for the sea-view upgrade. As we’d arrived in darkness, the much-anticipated view initially consisted of… absolutely nothing. 😂 Morning was a different story. Opening the curtains revealed a spectacular elevated view across the immaculate landscaped grounds, pools and out towards the Red Sea. Worth the upgrade? 100%. If we return, we’d specifically request Room 1411 again. There were lots of thoughtful practical details too. UK plugs worked directly in the sockets, so no adapter was needed. The adjustable gooseneck bedside lights were excellent, toiletries were plentiful and the tea and coffee supplies were equally generous. The minibar was stocked with Coca-Cola, Sprite, juice and water — particularly welcome after travelling — and replenished daily. The Smart TV was large and easy to use, including YouTube. English-language television was fairly limited compared with the German and Russian channels, although there was a good movie channel. One thing worth knowing if you’re similarly inclined to travel with half your living room: there was no accessible HDMI connection, so the Fire Stick I’d brought from home stayed firmly in the suitcase. The hotel Wi-Fi used by the TV was generally fine, although we experienced occasional buffering and disconnections. I travel with an eSIM, so we weren’t reliant on hotel Wi-Fi elsewhere. Housekeeping deserves particular praise. Our room was cleaned every day, supplies were consistently replenished and the standard of cleanliness throughout our stay was excellent. We also regularly returned to wonderful towel creations, including swans and an elephant — a small touch, but one I genuinely looked forward to. Our air conditioning developed a fault early in the holiday. It was dealt with quickly by Omar from Maintenance, worked perfectly afterwards and gave us no further problems. Beautiful grounds — but wheelchair users should know about the gradients In daylight, Gravity is every bit as impressive. The grounds are immaculate, beautifully maintained and surprisingly relaxing considering the size of the resort. I use a self-propelled wheelchair, although I can walk shorter distances with assistance, and there is an important distinction here: There are plenty of ramps and step-free routes, but step-free doesn’t necessarily mean easy to self-propel. Several gradients are steep. The route towards reception, the climb back from the beach, the ramp into our accommodation building and a couple of areas around the pools were too much for me to propel myself up independently. My husband pushed me on those sections. Personally, I wouldn’t choose to tackle those routes completely alone with my self-propelled wheelchair. However, I don’t want that statement to give the wrong impression about Gravity. Staff were plentiful throughout the resort and superb throughout our stay. Based on how readily people helped me all week, I would have had absolutely no hesitation asking a member of staff for assistance had I been travelling alone. The surfaces around the pools also deserve recognition. The rough slabbed finish provided excellent grip and I never felt as though I was going to slip on wet paving. Three pools — and eventually we found “ours” We initially chose the quieter pool nearest our room and The View restaurant rather than the busier infinity pool, where more families tended to gather. For me, its location was excellent. Our room and toilets were close by, and pool entry was via proper steps with a sturdy handrail. There were shallower and deeper areas and, once in, I had enough space to swim independently. The downside was the hard plastic loungers. They looked perfectly nice, but with chronic pain I found them uncomfortable after a while. An option to add a padded mat would have made an enormous difference. This was also where we met Ahmed, whose poolside service was genuinely world-class. Friendly, attentive and consistently hardworking, he kept us supplied with drinks and made some fantastic cocktails. The pool itself was peaceful. The music, however, became affectionately known by us as “elevator music” — and seemingly the same elevator was playing every day. 😂 A little variety wouldn’t hurt. We also swam in the main infinity pool and liked it, but personally found that area a little too busy. Then we discovered the pool in the middle of the complex. That became our pool for the rest of the holiday. The cabana-style daybeds were wonderfully comfortable and, for somebody whose energy and pain levels fluctuate, having somewhere I could properly lie down and rest while still enjoying the day made an enormous difference. Entry into this pool was via ladder-style steps straight into deeper water. I could manage these, with my husband nearby just in case. This is also where we met Omar the lifeguard, who quickly became another familiar friendly face. Once he understood my mobility and health needs, he made sure we could get a cabana each day and helped us settle in each morning with umbrellas and everything we needed. Sometimes accessibility isn’t a piece of specialist equipment. Sometimes it’s somebody noticing what will make your day easier and quietly making sure it happens. The Red Sea was worth spending my energy on Wheelchair access down to the beach was very good, and with my husband’s help I could even get directly onto the pier in my chair. There were plenty of beach loungers, although again many were the harder plastic style. Cabana daybeds were available but always seemed to be occupied during our visits. One essential piece of advice: bring water shoes. The beach is very rocky and the sea immediately offshore is extremely shallow. For me, the real reward required considerably more effort. Around low tide — roughly midday during our stay, although obviously check current tide times — my husband helped me walk out towards the beautiful tidal pools. With my mobility it took around 10–15 minutes of aided walking. I won’t pretend it was easy. It exhausted me. I would do it again. The reward was gorgeous turquoise, crystal-clear water over soft white sand. It became deep enough to properly swim and snorkel, with rock formations surrounded by marine life. We saw tiny fish, large fish, brilliantly coloured fish and even three stingrays. I felt completely safe in the water and incredibly fortunate that my mobility allowed me to reach it. There is another deeper swimming/snorkelling area accessible from the pier. The pier itself can be reached by wheelchair, but water entry is via steps with handrails, so don’t confuse pier accessibility with step-free sea entry. There were life rings, life jackets and a lifeguard present. The food was a genuine highlight We were consistently impressed by the food at The View, the main restaurant. Breakfast, lunch and dinner offered huge amounts of choice, with Egyptian and international dishes, salads, desserts and freshly prepared options. Food was replenished well, served at the appropriate temperature and, importantly for a week-long all-inclusive stay, we didn’t become bored with it. Look out for the freshly cooked feteer in the evening. Absolutely do not walk past it. It became one of my must-haves. Breakfast was consistently fantastic too, and Sayed was an absolute pleasure to see. Friendly and attentive, he became another of those people who added something to our mornings — including a particularly memorable blueberry juice mocktail. Then there was Mohammed, the Assistant Food & Beverage Manager. Mohammed noticed that dining comfortably from my wheelchair could be improved and proactively arranged a suitable table for us. More importantly, he followed through. When we returned, our table was waiting, complete with cocktails and pastries. That combination of noticing, acting and then actually delivering says a great deal about the service culture we encountered at Gravity. We also tried the Italian à la carte restaurant. The food was very nice, but unfortunately the dining room was extremely hot despite the air conditioning and I began to feel unwell. The staff couldn’t have handled it better — they packed our food for us so we could return to our room and finish the evening comfortably. Drinks that actually tasted like cocktails The drinks selection was another strength. Cocktails were properly made rather than tasting like generic premixed all-inclusive drinks, and I actually appreciated that they weren’t ridiculously strong. Soft drinks and bottled water were readily available and we never encountered significant queues for drinks. The grand lobby bar was also excellent, with lovely staff and good drinks, although the physical bar itself is very high when you’re sitting in a wheelchair. Service is where Gravity really shines There are too many good staff experiences to reduce them to a generic “the staff were amazing”. Ahmed looked after us brilliantly around the pool. Omar the lifeguard understood that a comfortable cabana genuinely changed what I could manage during the day and helped make that possible. Mohammed proactively improved our dining experience. Sayed brought warmth to our mornings. Omar from Maintenance got our troublesome air conditioning sorted quickly. And Shushu, my massage therapist, gave me one of the most memorable experiences of the holiday. The massage provided an extraordinary amount of relief from the pain I’d been experiencing, and I’m incredibly grateful to Amr for helping arrange it. These weren’t grand gestures manufactured for a review. They were people repeatedly making our holiday easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable. A couple of things didn’t go perfectly Our initial reception welcome could have been warmer, some of the ramps are genuinely challenging in a self-propelled wheelchair, and I’d love to see padded options available for the harder loungers. We also arranged late checkout through the hotel’s WhatsApp service because our return flight wasn’t until 23:15. Unfortunately, the confirmation hadn’t been communicated to reception. My husband showed them the WhatsApp confirmation and explained why, with my mobility needs and such a late flight, keeping the room was particularly important. The issue was resolved and we paid €40 to retain Room 1411 until 18:00. My advice: if you’ve arranged something with the hotel via WhatsApp, keep the confirmation message. Evening entertainment was available, but I can’t fairly review it because we didn’t use it. By evening my energy was usually spent and my pain increased, so our perfect evening was dinner, drinks and back to 1411 where I could properly rest. Would we return? 100%. Gravity is a large resort and, as a self-propelled wheelchair user, there were physical aspects I couldn’t manage completely independently. That’s something I would want another disabled traveller to know before booking. But disability didn’t define our holiday here. I swam independently. I snorkelled in clear turquoise water among more fish than I could count. I saw stingrays. I ate far too much feteer. I drank very good cocktails. I rested beside the pool when I needed to. I woke up to that incredible Red Sea view. And, time after time, I encountered staff who seemed genuinely interested in making our stay better. That’s the difference between somewhere simply having ramps and somewhere making you feel welcome once you’re there. We came home already talking about returning. And if we do? Room 1411, please.

The room was very spacious and the beds were very comfy, we needed a double bed and we didn’t have one. Thanks to the guest service team they ordered a housekeeper to come and sort this for us within 5 minutes. Our check in was very smooth and quick, we arrived later on and they still offered us food. The food was spot on we enjoyed the both Italian and Mexican A La Cartés the most. The service here made it much more of an experience. As it was our anniversary we wanted it to be special, many thanks to Martina. She made our stay here wonderful by supplying us souvenirs and just overall making our stay the best it could be, We also had decorations in the room for us to be greeted by. The whole hotel is clean and we couldn’t have sad a bad word, the workers are always moving around and they make it as perfect for the guests as possible.

The facilities at the gravity Hotel are exceptionally well laid out The swimming pools are great and laid out in a variety of designs. The aqua park is really loved by children and teens. The staff is very polite and helpful; however, the language skills of the staff seem to be oriented toward European and Asian guests. It was difficult to find someone who could help you if you were primarily an English speaker. The buffet food was laid out nicely; however, the offerings really didn’t seem to offer many western options. The Mexican restaurant is really not worth waiting to get a reservation for. The staff in guest relations did everything they could to help us. If you send a text to the guest relations, AI bought, it will answer you in Arabic, even though you wrote your question or comment in English. They are working on that now, and I believe that issue will be resolved shortly. Overall, our group felt like this was a great hotel for the area that it serves. Again, the facilities are laid out in a beautiful way and a snack bar puts out exceptional food around the pools and beach and their ice cream is terrific.