Viva Blue Resort — Hotel in Red Sea

I’ve just returned from a week at Viva Blue, so wanted to give a full review of the hotel and give info on all the bits I hadn’t discovered in my research prior to booking.||We experienced a very stressful arrival, there is a £25 per person visa entry fee, which we didn’t know about, which they want in cash. Which we didn’t have. Eventually we got them to agree to let us pay via card. Then in order to get your visa there is an enormous amount of shouting and being cajoled into various queues and lines, to make matters worse we didn’t have a pen to fill the visa in. No one in the airport and no staff would lend us theirs, fellow passengers were as stressed as us, so they all refused as well - it took us an hour to find someone who was willing to help us. Then the ridiculousness of trying to find the private taxi transfer we had booked. Suffice to say it was not the relaxed start we had been hoping for! ||The hotel is very 3* Egyptian, expect broken and uneven floor tiles, shower doors that don’t close properly and the worst grouting you have ever seen. But it’s very clean and the staff are attentive. The hotel prepared a gala dinner for Xmas eve which was amazing, think Egyptian cruise ship and you’ll have the right idea… flowers carved from fruit, everyone got Xmas stockings, it really was above and beyond. ||We were in Room 110 fab location and having a little naya was great, air con didn’t work though, even on the coolest setting it was warm. Mini bar in the room is extra charge as is an iron. ||For us the food was very 6/10, the other locations were not open for food so it was all main restaurant which is very canteen style. All inclusive drinks were as expected, local and large free pours, wine is only available at meal times which was a little strange. Included cocktails were limited to 4 types, the rest are chargeable. Coffee cups are tiny so bring a travel cup from home. Snacks in between meals consist of a plate of left over breakfast pastries. Crisps, pretzels etc are all chargeable. ||The jacuzzi was lukewarm warm, the pool was lovely and big but very cold, bring googles and do lengths and you would warm up enough to make it bearable. |The sea was cold, people were in snorkelling but only for a few minutes before the goose bumps became unbearable, however the attached dive school were fab and they hire wet suits for €7 a day which resolves the problem. This is a windy side of the island so expect the sea to be very choppy but the amazing reef will make up for it. Fab sea life within 100m of your bedroom door. Please note you cannot swim from the shore line due to the reef, you must enter via a ladder and jetty into 10m+ deep sea…. But the underwater view is worth it! ||Not sure where the mention of a Soma Bay bus came from but it isn’t in operation. You need to get taxis to anywhere, and I mean anywhere. The area surrounding the hotel is like the surface of the moon, so going for a walk is impossible. ||We had massages at the hotel they were above average but the prices were the same as the UK, I’m sure you can get cheaper externally of the hotel but then you have to pay for private transfers to get anywhere! I had a pedicure which is below par and they attempted to pile on extras in terms of scrubs and bottles of creams which became a little uncomfortable after the third ‘No Thank you’.||We booked a private boat trip over the internet before we travelled, which was exceptional, so can highly recommend Chill Tours. We also arranged for horse riding on the beach which was a hi-light of our trip.||Mosquitos; one or two, flies; in abundance. The other hotel guests were a great mix of all nationalities, average age is probably 60, 80% were smokers, a mix of single travellers, divers and couples. ||The weather was lovely, cool at night so you need trousers and cardigans. General feel of the hotel is dress down, so people coming to dinner in tracksuits, jeans and T-shirts etc. Evening entertainment was sporadic, most people sat in the lobby and played cards, but there is no atmosphere. Pool table is ancient with wonky cues and wrinkled surface. The gym consists of 4 machines circa 20 years ago, no free weights or anything else. ||WiFi is very hit and miss, more miss than hit and even if you buy an e-sim the signal is very poor most of the time. ||The staff are the redeeming factor of this hotel, they really do try hard, remember your name etc. Would we come back? No. For us it just doesn’t come close to the hotel we read about. ||Top tip for the return airport hassle - pay for PEARL assist when you first arrive at the airport, they physically walk you through all the processes in the airport, do all the paperwork and even arrange Lounge access for you if you want, best £50 we spent on the...

We experienced a very stressful arrival, there is a £25 per person visa entry fee, which we didn’t know about, which they want in cash. Which we didn’t have. Eventually we got them to agree to let us pay via card. Then in order to get your visa there is an enormous amount of shouting and being cajoled into various queues and lines, to make matters worse we didn’t have a pen to fill the visa in. No one in the airport and no staff would lend us theirs, fellow passengers were as stressed as us, so they all refused as well - it took us an hour to find someone who was willing to help us. Then the ridiculousness of trying to find the private taxi transfer we had booked. Suffice to say it was not the relaxed start we had been hoping for!

The hotel is very 3* Egyptian, expect broken and uneven floor tiles, shower doors that don’t close properly and the worst grouting you have ever seen. But it’s very clean and the staff are attentive. The hotel prepared a gala dinner for Xmas eve which was amazing, think Egyptian cruise ship and you’ll have the right idea… flowers carved from fruit, everyone got Xmas stockings, it really was above and beyond.

We were in Room 110 fab location and having a little naya was great, air con didn’t work though, even on the coolest setting it was warm. Mini bar in the room is extra charge as is an iron.

For us the food was very 6/10, the other locations were not open for food so it was all main restaurant which is very canteen style. All inclusive drinks were as expected, local and large free pours, wine is only available at meal times which was a little strange. Included cocktails were limited to 4 types, the rest are chargeable. Coffee cups are tiny so bring a travel cup from home. Snacks in between meals consist of a plate of left over breakfast pastries. Crisps, pretzels etc are all chargeable.

The jacuzzi was lukewarm warm, the pool was lovely and big but very cold, bring googles and do lengths and you would warm up enough to make it bearable. The sea was cold, people were in snorkelling but only for a few minutes before the goose bumps became unbearable, however the attached dive school were fab and they hire wet suits for €7 a day which resolves the problem. This is a windy side of the island so expect the sea to be very choppy but the amazing reef will make up for it. Fab sea life within 100m of your bedroom door. Please note you cannot swim from the shore line due to the reef, you must enter via a ladder and jetty into 10m+ deep sea…. But the underwater view is worth it!

Not sure where the mention of a Soma Bay bus came from but it isn’t in operation. You need to get taxis to anywhere, and I mean anywhere. The area surrounding the hotel is like the surface of the moon, so going for a walk is impossible.

We had massages at the hotel they were above average but the prices were the same as the UK, I’m sure you can get cheaper externally of the hotel but then you have to pay for private transfers to get anywhere! I had a pedicure which is below par and they attempted to pile on extras in terms of scrubs and bottles of creams which became a little uncomfortable after the third ‘No Thank you’.

Mosquitos; one or two, flies; in abundance. The other hotel guests were a great mix of all nationalities, average age is probably 60, 80% were smokers, a mix of single travellers, divers and couples.

General feel of the hotel is dress down, so people coming to dinner in tracksuits, jeans and T-shirts etc. Evening entertainment was sporadic, most people sat in the lobby and played cards, but there is no atmosphere. Pool table is ancient with wonky cues and wrinkled surface. The gym consists of 4 machines circa 20 years ago, no free weights or anything else.

WiFi is very hit and miss, more miss than hit and even if you buy an e-sim the signal is very poor most of the time.

The staff are the redeeming factor of this hotel, they really do try hard, remember...

I went on a 2 week holiday with the sole purpose of resting. And this hotel is a really good place when you want to get some peace and rest.

Rooms: comfortable and big, airco works perfectly, the tv is a nice addition and you can watch some footballmatches through beinsport. The minibar will cost you extra however, if you want to grab 2 bottles of water it just cost you a grand total of 1 euro.

Food: i was really pleased with the food. If you want a schnitzel and fries everyday do not come here. However, if you like good and healthy food, this is really a place to be. Everyday they have new kinds of salads, for the main course they have options for meat eaters and also options for vegetarians. What was really nice. If i can be critical of one thing, is that there is no icecream at the dessert part, even though it is not a big deal. It would be nice to have an icecream while having holiday in the heat

Pools: the pools are realky nice and you can do your thing Beach: i first was confused with that you have to enter the sea through a staircase, however, it is because of the coralriffs that are there. And it is beautiful, something you have to see!!

Animation: they had some pool parties, arabian dancing nights

Service: seriously excellent, more than excellent. From the housekeeping people, who are extremely friendly and helpfull. The people at the bar, who remember your coffee order in just 2 days, the people of the catering who always work with a smile. to the people at the reception like rami and kero, who will help you no matter what. The man from the bazaar and pharmacy who will help you and tslk yo you no matter what. A really great experience service wise.

Location: it is in desert and nearby the beach, if you wsnt rest and calmness it is the perfect place. However, if you want to party go to the city or to makadi. The diving school makes it also really...