SUNRISE Alma Bay Resort — Hotel in Red Sea

Well, we have not long landed back from such a gorgeous experience here! ||We really did toy with the idea of going or not as the hotel albeit sunrise is only two years old, but, we have always had the best experience with the sunrise chain so gave it a go and we are over the moon that we did||||Firstly, staff recognition because these people were just incredible ||||Mohamed Murad - Pool bar, now beach bar - best iced coffees in Hurghada and a very funny, positive, caring and lovely chap. Made our experience amazing||||Gaby & Hamdy - Asian Manzouko restaurant, always happy, nothing is ever too much ||||Hassan Hussain - lifeguard, went over and above for us every single day, even blew up our lilos and made sure their was always a couple of beds for us, dragged them from the pool to the beach with no complaints just to give us a good spot - brilliant guy! ||||Islam - main buffet restaurant, ALWAYS smiling and makes you feel at home||||Doha - beauty centre, welcoming, not pushy and so lovely to talk to||||Mohamedabdel fateh and wael - reception, we couldn’t have had a better greeting and felt in better hands. The goodbye when we left even felt genuine and heartfelt. Any issues were fixed in half a second - amazing people ||||Abdel fathi - F&B manager - Again, courteous and a real gentleman, fixed any issues (of which their was only a tiny gripe) in seconds ||||||This hotel is the ideal place for relaxation, the sunbeds are not crammed together so you get lots of space and the you never have to fight for a place, plenty available. ||||The kids pool and slides are completely separate to the main pools so no splashing and screaming, if that worries you||||Beach - literally half a minutes walk from the pool and only 2 minutes from the hotel lobby - very close to everything and not hilly so if you have Mobility issues, no problem ||||Restaurants - Italian a la carte, a let down sadly, food wasn’t brilliant, didn’t match the menu and the service was very rushed. If you have been to other sunrise or sentido - it isn’t the same standard||||However, the Asian - Manzouko - WOW ||Absolutely incredible, huge portions, brilliant service, beautiful space ||||Buffet - love that the nights are varied so you never get the same food - British, Italian, Mexican, Egyptian. The meat is brilliant quality and fresh, salads are huge and tasty, loads and loads of bread, pizzas etc ||Chips and basic grey food are a plenty if you’re fussy ||Deserts - lethal, you will gain weight ;)||||Rooms - huge! So clean and modern, air con is a tiny bit on the warm side but they were sorting this, balcony is huge as is the bathroom. I would really really love for a small clothes horse or airer - their isn’t anywhere to put damp clothes after leaving the beach or pool, you could put them on the balcony but they will blow off so this would be very helpful||(Rooms have hairdryer, towels, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, bottles of water and a mini fridge, free WiFi, tv with various channels, big wardrobes)||||Outside - aside from a gift shop, chemist and barbers there is nothing outside. If you like to get out and about the closest area is senzo mall which is fab! It’s around 6 minutes from the hotel and costs 40p in an uber (download the app before you go you can pay by card on the app same as the UK) ||||Gym - it was fine, plenty of machines and it was a private gym most the time as no one used it. ||Free weights, machine weights, cross trainer, yoga mats etc ||The machines however needed screwing down as they were wobbling off the ground with use which could be dangerous, treadmill was broken for the time we were there. Water is in the gym and clean towels for use - it did the job to be honest, grateful for the facility ||||Animation team - a real let down, very ignorant which was a shame, the only decent person was Momo who we remembered from the aqua joy and Mamlouk. One of the young animation boys was flirting around the pool with a young girl it was inappropriate and awkward to watch, tickling, jumping on her subbed etc - he seemed to scarper when her dad came over. I will add it was mutual so maybe they had a relationship but not professional especially when you make no attempts to speak to other guests. ||||We would on a whole absolutely return again, the small issues are negligible and didn’t impact our experience||||Thank...

Not even close to a 4-star experience — more like 2 stars at best. The food is terrible. You get the cheapest ingredients, cooked by chefs who either lack skills or simply don’t care. Everything tastes either bland or oversalted, and the same sad dishes are served every day: dry chicken, mushy vegetables, flavorless pasta, and rice that always tastes the same, no matter the color. Even the desserts, which look impressive at first, are basically copy-paste and taste like cardboard. If you have allergies, good luck — cross-contamination is the rule here.

The snack bar closes early, is rarely refilled, and staff seem annoyed if you ask for anything. You end up going to bed hungry, even on an all-inclusive stay.

The rooms are old but decently clean, thanks to the fantastic cleaning staff. However, the cream-colored couches are so dirty they look like a cow’s fur. The electrical switches in the room are extremely confusing — there are almost ten different switches, each controlling random lights. It’s a complete mess.

The service overall is a disaster. While staff are extremely sweet when you talk to them, most of them hardly speak English at all — which is unacceptable in 2025 at an international resort. Even the simplest requests turn into misunderstandings. On top of that, responsibilities are constantly passed around; whenever you ask for something, each staff member blames someone else, and in many cases, your request just gets forgotten altogether.

The animation team deserves a separate mention: they are kind but extremely pushy and intrusive. They treat guests like children, constantly trying to involve everyone in activities or shows, even when you clearly want to relax. They sit down next to you, telling you their entire life story, and though I don’t think they intend to make you feel pity, it always turns into a conversation about how great life is in the West and how poorly they’re paid in Egypt — almost as if they’re fishing for tips. It becomes exhausting to keep sympathizing and engaging when you just want to enjoy your holiday in peace.

Music by the pool starts at an acceptable volume in the morning, but it gets completely out of control during the day. It’s fine to have some music for kids’ events, but they play loud techno and aggressive remixes of Western pop from massive concert speakers placed right next to where everyone is trying to relax.

On top of that, there are endless sellers constantly walking around the pool area: people offering drinks and fruit (who only reveal they charge extra after you take a sip), massage, tattoos, haircuts, and other services. It’s extremely annoying, especially when they shout loudly while you’re trying to rest — if you’re even lucky enough to fall asleep at all with the deafening music.

Fake reviews? Here’s the most shocking part: the animation team directly asks guests for good reviews. They even take your phone, open Google Reviews, and submit a 5-star rating themselves — sometimes even logging into your other accounts if they can. It’s almost impossible to say no when they’re standing there smiling and watching you. I personally had to delete two fake “good” reviews they submitted on my behalf before I could write this honest one.

When reading the hotel’s replies to negative reviews, it’s always the same copy-paste apology: “We’re sorry it didn’t meet your expectations. We will work to improve.” The problem is, they clearly don’t improve, as I experienced exactly the same issues described by other guests months (or even years) ago.

Positives? The cleaning team is phenomenal — our cleaner Ahmed was amazing and trustworthy. I was never worried about my belongings, partly because I generously tipped him.

Final verdict: The price-to-performance ratio is a joke. You pay for a 4-star experience and receive a 2-star service at best. I would absolutely NOT recommend this hotel to anyone, and I would...

We have just spent a week at Sunrise Alma Bay Resort in Hurghada – and it has been nothing short of a fantastic experience. The entire stay was characterized by peace, coziness, and relaxation, exactly as we had hoped for. The staff were incredibly friendly, helpful, and very service-minded. We traveled with the goal of spending a week of quality time as a family, and the hotel offered plenty of opportunities for exactly that. The beautiful and clean pools, the mini-disco for the children, and the spacious rooms with terraces created the perfect setting for a wonderful holiday. Everywhere was neat and tidy – nothing was left to chance.

A special thanks goes out to some of the staff who truly made an extra effort to make our holiday something truly special:

The four lifeguards at the Aqua Park – Eslam, Mohamed, Fathy, and Bashar – were incredibly service-minded and made sure we always had sunbeds, towels, and everything we needed. They frequently came by to check if everything was as it should be, and they took the time to play with the children whenever they had the opportunity. An absolute pleasure!

Ahmed, the bartender by the pool, also made a big impression. Always smiling, friendly, and ready with delicious drinks – and he was fantastic at creating a fun and cozy atmosphere, even for the children. Our 3-year-old son even got to "place his own order," which he absolutely loved.

Doaa, who prepared the food by the pool, also deserves praise. Always smiling and welcoming – she made it easy and convenient to have lunch served without stress. When the food was ready, she would wave us over – truly great service.

Ebrahim, our housekeeper, truly deserves to be highlighted. He was meticulous, dedicated, and creative. Every day we returned to a sparkling clean room, and he crafted the most beautiful towel figures – a new one each day, which both the children and adults eagerly looked forward to seeing.

Walid showed outstanding service in the restaurant, always smiling and joking with our children every time he passed by. Our children loved meeting Walid – and so did we.

These eight staff members made our relaxing holiday truly special. It is thanks to them that we are going to miss the hotel – and that we are already looking forward to...