Pickalbatros Palace Resort - Hurghada — Hotel in Red Sea

As a guest who recently stayed at the Pickalbatros Palace Resort with my family, I feel compelled to delve deeper into the profound disappointment we experienced during our visit.

Despite considering myself to be quite adaptable and understanding, the shortcomings of this resort were so glaring that they eclipsed even the most basic expectations. Opting for the Pickalbatros Palace Resort, renowned for its esteemed service and family-friendly atmosphere, I anticipated a memorable stay that catered to the needs of both adults and children alike.

However, from the onset, it became evident that our expectations were far from being met. Let's address the coffee situation, which may seem trivial but underscored a broader issue of attentiveness to guest needs. The abrupt termination of coffee service at 10 am each morning was not just inconvenient; it was a logistical nightmare, particularly for parents with young children in tow. Having to trek to either the reception or beach bar post-breakfast for a simple cup was an unnecessary hassle. While the introduction of instant coffee near the kids club following my complaint was a step in the right direction, the fact that it was only available until 5 pm sharp, coinciding with the closure of key facilities, felt like a half-hearted attempt to rectify the situation. This limited timeframe for coffee availability highlighted a disconnect between the resort's promises of excellence and the actual guest experience, leaving many feeling underserved and overlooked.

Moving beyond the caffeine conundrum, the lackluster offerings at the kids' club were particularly disheartening. Despite the presence of children's slides in the pool area, the dearth of engaging activities left our young ones bored and restless, especially on inclement weather days.

The absence of staple food options like chicken nuggets or fish fingers further compounded the challenge of keeping children well-fed and content throughout the day, leaving many parents scrambling to find suitable alternatives.

Adding insult to injury was the distressing incident involving discolored water in the bathroom, which resulted in irreversible damage to one of our garments. The sight of orange water running down the pipes not only raised concerns about hygiene but also cast doubts on the overall maintenance standards of the resort.

Such issues should never be overlooked, as they directly impact the comfort and satisfaction of guests.

Despite these disappointments, it's only fair to acknowledge some redeeming qualities of our stay. The culinary offerings, albeit repetitive at times, were undeniably delicious, providing a brief respite from our overall dissatisfaction. Additionally, the presence of heated pools offered a semblance of comfort amidst the windy weather, albeit serving as minor consolation amidst our broader grievances.

In conclusion, our experience at Pickalbatros Palace Resort fell far short of the glowing reviews that initially enticed us to book our stay. The lack of essential amenities, subpar entertainment options for children, and maintenance lapses detracted significantly from what was meant to be a rejuvenating family vacation.

Regrettably, I cannot in good conscience recommend this resort to families seeking a truly enjoyable holiday experience. It is my hope that this candid feedback will prompt the necessary improvements needed to restore the resort's reputation and regain the trust of...

I considered my stay a very enjoyable one. The service at this hotel is top-notch. While the hotel is a bit old, it's clearly being refreshed and renovated. The hotel grounds feature beautiful greenery, which is maintained daily by a team of staff. There's a nice pool complex with activities for both adults and children. For those who enjoy peace and quiet, I recommend the relaxation area with a large pool. Access is restricted to those aged 14 and over, so it's truly peaceful and quiet. The food is excellent and varied. The staff is always attentive to the guests' comfort. The rooms are, of course, cleaned daily. Everything is spotless and spotless. There's nothing to complain about. If you believe the staff's assurances, they use mineral water, not tap water, to make ice and wash fruit and vegetables, which helps avoid the pharaoh's curse. There were three of us, and no one was affected, so there might be something to it. The only thing that bothered me personally was the low temperature in the public areas, such as the reception area. When it's 35-40 degrees Celsius outside, the air conditioning set at 25 degrees makes too much of a difference and causes discomfort. For us Europeans, the Egyptian temperatures are a big shock. It would be easier to cope with this heat if it were constantly surrounding us and the temperature in the common areas weren't so low, because it makes such a big difference. We set the air conditioning in our room to 28-29 degrees Celsius, and it was perfect. There was no such shock when leaving the room. Another thing I would personally change is the volume of the music during the daytime entertainment in the pools. It wasn't particularly disturbing, but I don't think such loud music reverberating throughout the property is necessary. But these two things are really nothing compared to the fact that the hotel is truly impressive, and the service, I repeat, is of a very high standard. The entertainment is interesting and enjoyable. The beach is sandy with reefs. There's also a pier. Plenty of space everywhere. The worst thing, the most annoying thing, is something that has nothing to do with the hotel staff, but stems from the people themselves, regardless of whether they're from Egypt, Germany, Russia, or Poland. People, or rather, tourists, often behave like cattle and are simply rude. Even though there are signs everywhere saying it's not allowed to reserve sunbeds, people put down their towels or first thing in the morning and they're gone all day. So, when you go to the pool with your kids for the day, but it's 10 am, you don't really have much place to settle in. At the same time, you see tons of empty sunbeds everywhere because someone decided to reserve them early in the morning and will come for a swim for an hour or two at 1 or 2 pm. It really was a daily scene. Or the behavior of people in restaurants: they cut in line and help themselves to whatever the chef has prepared at a given moment, as if other people—guests—didn't exist. People take food to their rooms despite prohibitions, and then the food isn't eaten, but sits in the hallway waiting to be picked up. It's really hard to understand. So, what really ruins the quality of a stay at this hotel are the other guests' behavior. The staff goes above and beyond to ensure customers are happy, and overall, I...

After I booked I saw a review that said they don't do cocktails, despite them mentioning in so many places on their website that they do. I e-mailed to ask about this and a few other things (e.g. if you want a late meal the Mediterranean restaurant is also open 22:30 - midnight) but they ignored the cocktail question, as did a head office mailbox. We arrived at the same time as a couple of other groups and handed over our passports for photocopying. We then spent several minutes playing "is this your passport" as they had muddled them all up - No, wrong gender; No - wrong generation; No - I have hair. I paid extra for 3 rooms with sea view. What I got was the cheaper pool view with side sea view. When I complained they said we don't have sea views due to the hotel design! It looks like only the suites have a full sea view. Fortunately things improved after this. The food is generally pretty good, we particularly liked the Tagine (Moroccan) and Culina (seafood) which need to be booked, but the others that don't need booking are pretty good too. Only 1 adult pool is heated - temperature is pleasant and it wasn't too crowded. Most of the pools aren't heated and few people braved the cold water. The sun beds and loungers around the heated pool and next to the sea were mostly taken up, but there was always plenty to be had around the large unheated pool. The design is such that there are long noisy corridors that echo with the slightest sounds of people talking and luggage trundling, but it could have been worse. The general architecture and layout of the place is pleasant. All the staff we interacted with were friendly and the place was spotless inside and out. We avoided the bars where people were smoking, which made other bars more crowded. They prefer to bring drinks to you at a table and you feel ignored if you try to order from the bar (when there is nowhere left to sit!) but the waiting staff are clearly rushing around trying to serve everyone as quickly as they can. For 2 nights the bar we went to had no tonic, which is very poor! Any talk of premium spirits seems very wide of the mark. You have access to the next door Pickalbatros hotel that has various flumes, though with the unheated pools being so cold we didn't do this. There isn't much beach, though if you walk along it to the next door ones there is more sand there if that's what you want. There are several piers along the shore that go out to water that is a swimable depth (too shallow otherwise) and you can see fish both day and night (when they congregate near the lighting). The hotel is in a pretty good location, not far from the marina and the various restaurants and activities there, and other activities such as quad biking and star gazing aren't far away either. The staff and the food were a plus. Promising me cocktails and a sea view and not delivering was a definite minus and I won't be coming back here. It is not a...