Steigenberger Alcazar

Pros Staff: The staff were very kind, friendly, and welcoming throughout our stay. Food: The food was generally good, and the coffee in all restaurants was delicious. Please keep the coffee quality as it is! Pool No. 1: Excellent atmosphere for relaxation. The absence of music made it perfect for reading, relaxing, and enjoying a peaceful environment. Cons and suggestions for improvement Food variety: Although the food was good, sometimes it was difficult to find simple food without too much seasoning. It would be helpful to have basic options available, such as grilled chicken and boiled potatoes. Bed and sleeping comfort:Unfortunately, we were very disappointed with the quality of the bed, mattress, pillows, and bedding. The mattress was extremely hard, and the pillows and bedding felt low-quality. This is a very important issue because guests come to a hotel to relax and rest. For a hotel at this price level, we expected much better sleeping comfort. Minibar: It was disappointing that the minibar in the room did not include even a few complimentary snacks and drinks upon arrival. It would be a nice gesture to provide some basic refreshments initially and charge for additional items afterward. Minibar prices:The same wine that was complimentary in the hotel's restaurants and other areas cost €6 in the room minibar. This felt inconsistent and disappointing. Evening entertainment: The evening shows were very repetitive and disappointing. The entertainment team performed the same dances to the same songs every day. Repeating shows weekly would be understandable, but having guests watch the same performances every evening became boring and annoying. We expected more variety, different performances, and a more engaging entertainment program throughout our stay. Overall, we enjoyed several aspects of our stay, especially the food, coffee, and peaceful atmosphere at Pool No. 1. However, improving sleeping comfort, providing a more welcoming minibar experience, and offering more varied evening entertainment would significantly improve the overall guest experience.

Stayed here for 10 days with my partner, and as this was our fifth visit to Egypt, I wanted to share an honest review based on our experience. The positives- There are lots of positives to this resort. Firstly, the staff are fantastic. The team in the restaurants, around the pools and the security staff genuinely cannot do enough for you. They make everyone feel welcome and provide a luxury experience. This doesn’t feel like it’s just about tips; the service and friendliness were consistently excellent. The resort itself is beautiful, with some of the most stunning gardens we have ever seen. Having a variety of restaurants was also a real bonus, with plenty of choice and great food. There was a lovely atmosphere throughout the resort, and everyone we encountered was friendly. Areas for improvement- There were a few things that could be improved. The cushions on the sun loungers were quite heavily marked and could do with a good clean. The evening entertainment was seriously lacking. Around Pool 2, looked great during the day, but in the evenings it was often disappointing. When entertainment did take place, it was really good, which made it even more frustrating that it wasn’t more consistent. If football was being shown, it seemed to take priority on the big screen instead. There was also no entertainment down by the beach during our stay, which was a shame. Communication around the entertainment was very disorganised. The noticeboards by the pools listed locations, but on several occasions we went to the advertised location only to find nothing happening. Reception told us the information was incorrect and advised us to follow the QR code instead, but that didn’t provide the locations either. As a result, it was easy to miss things or simply give up trying to find out what was happening. For anyone who loves snorkelling, it’s worth knowing that the sea can be quite choppy due to the hotel’s location. During our 10-day stay, there were only three afternoons when we could actually snorkel because of the red flags. This isn’t the hotel’s fault, as safety must always come first, but it’s definitely something to consider when choosing this resort. The biggest disappointment: illness Unfortunately, this was the issue that really tainted our holiday. My partner became ill first, while we were out diving, meaning he was too unwell to continue. Diving is one of the main reasons we travel to Egypt, so losing two days of his holiday was particularly disappointing. We bought Antinal from a pharmacy, hoping it would help. The following day, I also became ill, and sadly, I struggled with stomach problems for the remainder of the holiday. Even after returning home, it took me several days to recover. We raised our concerns with Guest Relations, but were simply told it was the heat. We didn’t feel this adequately addressed our concerns. We visited Portugal in the summertime in much hotter weather without experiencing anything similar, and having travelled to Egypt five times, this was by far the worst we have ever been in terms of illness. The hotel itself appeared very clean, and the food generally looked well prepared. However, almost everyone we spoke to seemed to have experienced some form of illness during their stay, which made us wonder whether there might have been a bug going around. Of course, we cannot say for certain what caused it. The hotel did provide hand sanitiser in the restaurants, but we rarely saw guests using it, and we also noticed people continuing to handle food with their hands. While we cannot know the cause of the illness, we felt that greater attention to food hygiene practices among guests and a more proactive response to the concerns being raised would have been reassuring. We deliberately paid more to stay at what we expected to be a luxury resort, hoping for a higher standard of experience. Sadly, despite the beautiful surroundings, excellent staff and lovely food, we spent a significant part of our holiday feeling unwell and unable to enjoy the activities we had travelled for. Overall It’s such a shame because this really is a beautiful resort, and the staff deserve a lot of credit for the service they provide. Without the illness, we would have had a much more positive experience, although the entertainment and general organisation could certainly be improved. However, the illness had a significant impact on our 10-day holiday, and that is something we cannot overlook. After five visits to Egypt, this has been the worst experience we have had in terms of our health while travelling there. We paid more expecting a luxury experience, but unfortunately, we came away feeling that the holiday was significantly affected by something that should have been taken more seriously when we raised our concerns. For that reason, we would be hesitant to return or recommend this resort, which is a real shame given how beautiful it is and how lovely the staff are. Ultimately, a beautiful resort can only go so far when you’re too unwell to enjoy your holiday.

Good afternoon, Just returned from à. Great week at the hotel. The room excellent, the food excellent and plentiful.. The pool areas extremely clean and the guards excellent The bars I could not fault …. Areas of excellence are the staff. From the reception, guest relation crew and the concierge top marks. The bar staff, the waiting staff, room cleaners and overall everyone in the Resort First Class. The grounds are immaculate, well done the hard working garden crew! Nothing is an issue and the constant question is do you need something. That’s the Alcazar way! Thanks Alcazar for a great vacation. And thanks Mr. Khaled.

Honest Review- ⭐ Steigenberger Hotel Review | EasyJet Package Holiday ⭐ We’ve recently returned from a stay at the Steigenberger, booked through an EasyJet package holiday. Overall, the hotel itself is beautiful, with fantastic facilities, attentive staff and plenty to enjoy. However, unfortunately, our experience was overshadowed by some serious concerns regarding food hygiene and the illness I developed during our stay. ✈️ Transfers & Arrival The transfers were amazing from start to finish! We arrived quite late in the evening and were greeted by security before being taken to check-in. We were offered welcome drinks and cool flannels while a member of the reception team went through all the important information about the hotel, including the restaurants, entertainment, facilities and our room. We were then taken to our room by buggy, where a member of staff showed us around. Despite arriving late, the welcome was excellent, and the whole process felt very smooth, organised and luxurious. 🛏️ Rooms Our room was spacious, clean and welcoming, with plenty of room to relax and unwind. The overall standard of the accommodation was excellent, and it was a lovely place to return to after a day spent around the pool or beach. 🏊‍♀️ Pools & Sunbeds The pool areas are absolutely beautiful and very well maintained. There is plenty of attention to detail, and the staff really do go above and beyond to give the hotel that five-star feel. One of the lovely touches was the drinks trolley that regularly came around the pool, offering drinks without you having to leave your sunbed. The bar staff were always friendly, and the lifeguards were incredibly attentive. They would bring around cool flannels and even ask whether you would like your sunglasses cleaned! These little extras really made a difference and helped create that luxurious holiday experience. We were also always able to find a sunbed, regardless of the time of day, which was a huge bonus and meant there was no need to get up ridiculously early to reserve one! 🏖️ Beach & Activities The beach was beautiful and a lovely place to spend time. If you enjoy snorkelling, you need to walk to the end of the pier to access the reef. There is a buggy service running up and down the pier, which is particularly helpful in the heat. There are also swings that make lovely photo opportunities, along with various activities around the beach area. It is a really picturesque setting and definitely one of the highlights of the resort. 🎭 Entertainment The entertainment was good, with something happening throughout the day and evening. There was always singing, a show or some live entertainment to sit back and enjoy. We didn’t personally get involved in the daytime activities, but there were plenty of entertainment staff around the resort encouraging guests to participate. There seemed to be a good variety of options for those who enjoy getting involved, as well as for those who prefer to relax and watch. 🍹 Drinks We mainly stuck to soft drinks and mocktails, although we did try a few cocktails during our stay. Unfortunately, we found some of the cocktails quite disappointing, as the spirits tasted very strong and had a slightly unusual flavour. However, the Pornstar Martini was lovely! 🍸 The beers available included Heineken and Stella Artois. 🍺 🍽️ Food & Restaurants We ate in the à la carte restaurants on most evenings, trying a variety of cuisines, including Lebanese, Greek, Italian, Japanese and French. We found the food in these restaurants really enjoyable, with a good variety of dishes to choose from. The dining experience was generally pleasant, and we particularly enjoyed having different cuisines available throughout our stay. However, we were very cautious about what we ate, making sure that meat appeared thoroughly cooked, avoiding salads and sticking to bottled water. We didn’t eat in the main buffet very often and tried to keep our choices simple, opting for foods such as pasta, pizza and chips because we felt these were safer options. For breakfast, we generally stuck to boiled eggs, toast, cereal and fruit. ⚠️ Food Hygiene Concerns – Please Read Unfortunately, this is where our experience took a turn for the worse. During our visits to the buffet, we noticed practices in the live cooking area that caused us concern. In particular, we observed pans being used for cooking different meats without what appeared to be adequate cleaning between uses. Instead of being properly washed, they appeared to be wiped out with the same piece of blue roll over an extended period during breakfast and lunch service. This raised concerns for us about the potential for cross-contamination and whether appropriate food hygiene procedures were being followed. Despite being extremely careful with our food choices, I became unwell on the second day of our holiday. I developed sickness, diarrhoea and extreme lethargy. Whenever I ate, I often needed to go straight to the toilet afterwards, making it incredibly difficult to enjoy the holiday. I initially visited a pharmacy while abroad and purchased Antinal, which seemed to help with my symptoms at first. Unfortunately, the improvement didn’t last, and my symptoms continued. Since returning home in the early hours of Sunday, I have remained unwell. My symptoms have now been ongoing for 11 days, and I have also developed a fever. I have since visited my GP, and provided a stool sample and been diagnosed with Salmonella infection. I’ve never felt so poorly in my life and I’m now not allowed to go to work because of how contagious Salmonella is. It is incredibly disappointing to spend money on what should be a relaxing five-star holiday, only to return home suffering from an illness that has continued well beyond the end of the trip. A holiday should leave you with wonderful memories, not leave you unwell for days afterwards. 🏨 Overall Verdict There is no denying that the Steigenberger is a beautiful hotel. The facilities are fantastic, the rooms are spacious and clean, the pool areas are stunning, the beach is lovely, and the staff are friendly, attentive and genuinely seem to want to make your stay special. The little touches around the pool, in particular, really stood out, and the service in many areas was excellent. However, as lovely as the hotel is, I cannot overlook the food hygiene concerns or the impact this experience has had on me. It is such a shame because the hotel has so much potential, and in many respects, it really was a lovely place to stay. Unfortunately, the food hygiene concerns have overshadowed what could otherwise have been a fantastic holiday. ⭐ Beautiful hotel. Fantastic staff. Excellent facilities. But, in my experience, serious concerns about food hygiene that cannot be ignored.

Had a fantastic stay, room very spacious, staff very friendly couldn’t do enough for us, plenty of sunbeds and lifeguards always happy to find you the perfect spot. Food very nice something for everyone.