Vincci Saphir Palace

Currently staying here and felt I should do a review which I have never done whilst still on holiday. Surroundings are lovely..housekeeping, dirty towels are taken and replenished daily but after 5pm, they brought hand towels after 6 p.m yesterday. Had to wipe around the sink this morning as there had been white marks a coupe of days. Breakfast is the worst meal, not much choice in fruit etc..can always find sonething lunch and dinner. Yesterday the pool bar ran out of pina colada was told to go to hotel bar, main bar ran out of vodka early evening this is not 5 star service.

Honestly, this was one of the worst hotel experiences of my life. We paid a very high price for a 5-star hotel, expecting comfort and a relaxing holiday. Instead, we spent our entire stay dealing with problems. Our first room was *disgusting*: dust everywhere, hair ion the pillows, poor cleanliness and barely any electrical outlets. My wife is pregnant and has allergies, and she could barely sleep because of the condition of the room. And then comes the noise. The hotel is right next to the Medina, so the concerts and music continue until around 3 AM. Forget about getting a good night's sleep. On top of that, we could hear the road, the noise from reception and even vacuum cleaners at 6 AM. We asked to change rooms after my wife spent an almost completely sleepless night and was literally in tears. After a lot of insistence, we finally got another room. Unfortunately, the new room had another problem: the air conditioning made an unbearable noise all night We went down to reception repeatedly asking for someone to fix it. A technician came, supposedly fixed it, and… the noise continued all night. We paid to relax. Instead, we barely slept for the entire stay. Even getting basic things like towels became a struggle. The pool was another disappointment. My wife developed skin irritation after using it. The pool staff were also extremely unpleasant, with sunbed attendants asking us to move so that their friends could take our places. The pool bartender was even insulting and using vulgar language in Arabic The food was completely ordinary and nowhere near what you would expect from a 5-star hotel. What makes this even more frustrating is that we had been genuinely excited about this trip. Instead of relaxing, we spent our holiday complaining, waiting, changing rooms and trying to get basic services I honestly don't understand how this hotel can call itself a 5-star property. We didn't leave feeling like we had enjoyed a holiday. We left feeling relieved that we could finally leave. A complete waste of money and an experience I deeply regret.

Wonderful staff, excellent food and an amazing pool On arrival, our room was not available until the official check-in time of 2pm. However, we were given our wristbands immediately, our luggage was stored securely, and we were invited to use the bar and enjoy lunch from 12:30pm. We exchanged some money at the hotel, but they did not have the correct change available. Instead, they kept the difference as a tip and called it “housekeeping,” which I thought was rather cheeky. Our first lunch was lovely, with a wide variety of food to suit different tastes. During the first few days, there appeared to be a shortage of spoons and other cutlery, although this issue was resolved as our holiday continued. Our room was located on Level 3 and did not have a kettle, despite the hotel photographs appearing to show one in the room. We requested one several times over the following two days but were repeatedly told that staff would see what they could do. Eventually, we walked approximately 15 minutes to the Maxi Centre and purchased a kettle and teaspoons ourselves for just over £10. Unfortunately, we now know that photographs do not always reflect the facilities actually provided. There were no towels in our room when we arrived, and the air conditioning was not working. Towels were brought to us after we reported this, and my husband managed to get the air conditioning working himself. The bathroom was lovely and spacious, although only one plug was provided, so we had to move it between the bath and the sink. The timing of the room cleaning was occasionally inconvenient, as the cleaner sometimes did not reach us until around 6pm, which was too late for us to have the room serviced. However, whenever she arrived earlier, she did an excellent job. The cleaning staff work incredibly hard, and we were very impressed by their efforts. It was disappointing to see some supervisors watching the cleaning staff rushing around without offering assistance. An extra pair of hands during busy periods could have made a considerable difference to both the staff and guests. The pool was amazing and one of the highlights of the hotel. The pool staff were hardworking and helpful, although they could also have benefited from some additional help during the busiest times. The beach bar was another lovely feature, with comfortable chairs and excellent staff. My only small criticism was that it closed at 6pm. It would have been wonderful to sit in those comfortable chairs during the evening, relaxing while listening to and watching the waves roll in. All the bar and waiting staff were outstanding, and nothing was ever too much trouble for them. A very special mention must go to Ali, the chief boss. He is a remarkable man and a genuinely inspirational leader who works just as hard as his team. He has clearly taught them well, as they all share his excellent work ethic and commitment to making every guest feel welcome. Ali consistently went above and beyond for us. Thank you, Ali, Moaz, Ahmed, Sultan and your wonderful team for helping to make our holiday so special. Please remember to tip your servers—they work incredibly hard and truly deserve it! The food throughout our stay was excellent, with plenty of variety and different dishes served each evening. The buffet was also replenished promptly whenever anything began to run low. This is a lovely hotel with warm, friendly and hardworking staff. If you are patient, polite and respectful rather than rude or demanding, you will receive the same kindness in return. However, in terms of the room décor and facilities, we did not feel they fully reflected a five-star rating. The hotel’s website would also benefit from being updated to provide a more accurate description of what is available. For example, there was no minibar, only an empty fridge, and bottled water was not always provided. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The excellent food, amazing pool and exceptional staff were the real highlights. With some improvements to the rooms, facilities, staffing levels and accuracy of the website, the hotel could offer an even better experience.

THE WORST HOTEL EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD — A COMPLETE DISGRACE Let me start from the beginning. We arrived at the hotel at 1:00 PM. What followed was absolutely unbelievable. We were kept in the lobby for EIGHT HOURS, treated as if we were an inconvenience rather than paying guests. We finally got access to our rooms at around 9:00 PM. And that was only the beginning. We were a group of 47 people, and almost everyone experienced serious problems with their room. The beautiful rooms shown in the hotel’s online photos apparently exist only on the 4th floor. The other rooms were completely different: old furniture, terrible cleanliness and an overall shocking condition. After lengthy discussions and repeated complaints, we eventually managed to get rooms on the 4th floor — which, quite frankly, was the minimum we expected, because that is what we paid for. Then came another nightmare: THE AIR CONDITIONING DID NOT WORK. We were forced to endure temperatures of around 30°C inside our rooms, making it almost impossible to sleep or even stay comfortably inside. We complained repeatedly. “Tips” were given. Promises were made. And still — nothing was fixed. The discomfort was total. And speaking of “tips” — this hotel seems to have a very strange understanding of hospitality. If you do not give a tip, some of the bartenders treat you like you are not even a human being. The situation with the beach bar was particularly unacceptable. The attitude of the bartender there was so inappropriate that I genuinely wonder how someone behaving like that can work in hospitality. And the smell… everywhere you go, you can smell food. It is simply unpleasant. Even something as basic as a late check-out becomes another opportunity to extract money from guests. If you ask to stay a little longer because your departure is later, you are charged €20 PER HOUR. Let me make something absolutely clear: These were not isolated incidents. ALL of these problems were experienced by members of our group of 47 people. After travelling to many places and staying in hotels all over the world, I can honestly say: I have never experienced such a complete lack of respect for paying guests. The most disturbing part is the so-called “tips.” In this hotel, they do not feel like tips or gestures of appreciation. They feel more like bribes you are expected to pay in order to receive the basic services you have ALREADY PAID FOR. That is not hospitality. That is not customer service. And that is certainly not acceptable. My conclusion is simple: I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS HOTEL. If you are considering staying here, think twice — because the beautiful pictures online do not tell the whole story. A truly disappointing and unacceptable experience from beginning to end.

Everything was great with the help of Salim. Salim was the nicest person to help in this hotel and he also booked us for Pirate ship and Camel riding which was fun and my wife and I really enjoyed it.