Stella di Mare Beach Hotel & Spa — Hotel in South Sinai

We’ve just returned from a week at Stella Di Mare. This was our first visit to Egypt, and while we’ve travelled widely, this hotel sadly didn’t live up to its 5-star claim. It had a few highlights, but far too many let-downs. We wouldn’t return.||Arrival Experience:|Our late arrival was met with a poor welcome. A security guard pointed at the conveyor belt and told us “put here” – no assistance, no smile. At reception, the man checking us in spoke incredibly fast and was difficult to understand. It would have made all the difference to be greeted warmly – a simple “Welcome to Stella Di Mare” and perhaps a cold bottle of water would have gone a long way. Sometimes it's the small touches that count.||The Positives:|The rooms are spacious, clean, and the beds are very comfortable.||The landscaping is beautiful and the pool areas are well-designed and immaculately maintained.||The toilets throughout the complex are spotless.||The poolside staff – especially the man cleaning sunglasses and spraying cooling mist – were excellent, friendly, and brought a much-needed sense of fun.||The dive centre team were outstanding – professional, engaging, and genuinely helpful.||The à la carte wine is reasonably priced (around £14 a bottle) and worth the upgrade.||The Negatives:|The SPA – AVOID AT ALL COSTS!|This was hands down the worst spa experience we've ever had, and an expensive mistake. We were sold a “honeymoon package” for £300 – and please take this as your warning: do not fall for it.||What followed was a bizarre, uncomfortable, and borderline unhygienic experience:||We were covered in what looked and smelled like ingredients from a kitchen cupboard – salt, coffee granules, odd oils.||You’re then expected to walk (dripping and slippery) across to a communal shower to rinse off. The floor is dangerous and felt unsafe.||Next, you’re covered in bubbles that resembled fairy liquid – no known skincare benefit, just a gimmick.||The massage was so painful I was sore for three days – more bruising than relaxing.||You’re then dumped in a dark, greasy hot tub with no chlorine, no bubbles, and no hygiene.||We didn’t get the drink we were promised, nor the steam room session.||A “free” hot stone massage was offered before we left, but I wouldn’t risk it after the first ordeal.||Do not get ripped off like we did. This is not a luxury spa experience – it's a money-making trap with zero value or care.||Other Issues:|The hotel became extremely busy due to Eid, with large Arab families arriving partway through the week. This changed the atmosphere significantly.||The food was a let-down. While there’s variety, the quality was very poor. Stale cereal, bland or over-salted dishes, vinegar-soaked salads, and terrible buffet wine. Waffles and pancakes sat drying out under heat lamps, and even the baked beans were inedible. Less choice but better quality would be a major improvement.||The wine served at the buffet was awful – warm, pre-poured, and clearly low quality.||The minibar in the room was extremely basic – just soft drinks and water, no alcohol.||Staff & Service:|There are no women working here, other than in the animation team. While many of the male staff do work hard, they often appear grumpy, serious, and severe. Even when they say the right things, their body language and expressions don’t feel warm or welcoming. There are a huge number of supervisors who just seem to stand around watching and giving instructions rather than helping. It felt overstaffed, but not in a way that added to the service.||Helpful Things to Know:|There’s a spa pool open to all guests, a nice bonus.||The resort gets very windy – pack accordingly.||Mosquitoes are relentless – bring a strong repellent!||Bring an extension lead if you have several devices to charge – plug sockets are limited.||Wi-Fi is poor and cuts out frequently – we brought a dongle and local SIM card, which let us stream movies on our Fire Stick.||Ask for cappuccino or latte at breakfast – the standard coffee is cold and bland.||Late checkout can’t be booked in advance – ask on the morning of departure, but don’t count on it.||The duty-free shop in Naama Bay isn’t worth the visit – overpriced, very limited selection, and aggressive staff.||You’ll find a lot of Russian guests at this hotel and around Sharm El Sheikh.||Cocktails are weak, sugary, and poorly made.||Consider booking soft all-inclusive (no alcohol) and pay for quality drinks separately. The included alcohol really isn’t worth it.||Final Thoughts:|This hotel has potential – the setting is lovely, the dive centre and a few standout staff members deserve praise – but overall, it doesn't meet the expectations of a true 5-star resort. The poor food, shocking spa, lack of warm service, and general atmosphere let it down.||We would not return, and we suggest doing your research carefully...

We stayed at this hotel for 10 nights in October 2023. The drive in is pleasant and the hotel looks attractive from the front. It's not far from the airport, which is a bonus. As we entered there was no welcome drink, other hotels do this. We approached the reception desk and were checked in and quickly ushered to the restaurant as it was closing due to the time of night. The restaurant manager and chef we're incredibly attentive. One of us had food allergy requirements and they could not have put more effort into trying to offer appropriate food. The room (sea view, balcony, 7th floor) was clean, there was a safe and a kettle, with a mini bar with included drinks. The standard was lower than we were expecting, the room was a bit tired with a few maintenance issues, such as old paintwork and some obvious repairs in the bathroom. The bed was comfortable and the air con worked well. The TV worked and had some good channels, you can also 'cast' to it from your device. The cleaning staff were fabulous and took great pleasure in creating amazing towel designs. When my wife became unwell towards the end of the holiday the cleaner was very kind, we're very grateful.

The bars were hit and miss in terms of quality of service and drinks. Were were all inclusive, the drinks were ok. Not amazing. Bishoy at the pool bar was amazing, great service and always had a drink ready before we even sat down. The wine list includes the offer of a bottle of Moët at 17 000 Egyptian pounds, about £450 at the exchange rate when we were there. There is no sparking wine on the all inclusive drinks list.

The main lobby bar was not the best, one of the staff telling us that he just wanted to go home. I don't blame him, these staff work so hard, and long hours. Just hadn't expected to hear that. He was friendly, eventually, and made us drink a shot!

The beach bar staff were also fab, smiling and cheerful, Michael the beach waiter was a superstar, but there was only one of him and so service to the lounger was patchy. The food at the beach is good and arrives fast. Great service there too.

The nightclub bar was hit and miss when it came to getting service, but the drinks were ok.

The main restaurant was typical of an all inclusive, offering a wide range of styles of food. Michael, one of the waiting staff in the indoor section was wonderful. Such a kind man, thank you! Chef Ibrahim was ever present in the restaurant, and again, amazingly helpful, always taking time to explain which dishes were safe in terms of allergies.

We didn't eat in the Mediterranean style restaurant, but did try the Asian restaurant, the service was great, we were treated like VIPs. The food was very tasty. The views were great. We both suffered tummy upset the next day, so were unsure if we picked up a bug or something else.

I was interested in a refresher dive, and was quoted €85 for this which included equipment and an instructor. The dive would have lasted about 40 mins. I felt the price was too high, so didn't do it. Snorkeling off the hotel jetty was good, plenty of fish to be seen. I spotted a large barracuda and a couple of large conger eels.

The animation staff were friendly and fun, offering a wide range of activities. They did their best to entertain. Some of the evening entertainment was good, some not so great, a snake show appeared to me to be a bit cruel in terms of how the snakes were treated. The handler charging 100 EGP to hold one.

There are a range of shops in the hotel, each staffed by people who enthusiastically invite you in.

We went on a trip to Naama Bay during the evening, only go if you're interested in being hassled by every store keeper the whole time, offering counterfeit clothes and perfume.

Overall, we had a good time, the staff were fantastic. The weather was perfect. The majority of the guests were either Russian or Ukrainian. But we had no issues and everyone was very friendly.

Just be aware of how awful the airport is, read the reviews. It's put us off going back to Sharm.

Thank you to all the great staff at...

The rooms at Stella Di Mare are generally beautiful and quite spacious. Our rooms were connected, which was very convenient. Each room had its own main entrance door, and then an internal connecting door that was very safe, as both sides needed to be unlocked for it to open, ensuring privacy. Our specific room featured a great view and ample size, including a well-appointed bathroom area. The bedroom was fitted with a kettle for tea or coffee, complete with complimentary coffee and tea packs, and a mini-fridge with plenty of space to store your items. A big smart TV was also a nice touch. The lobby itself is beautiful, even featuring its own bar area, making for a pleasant atmosphere. A practical tip for getting around: it's recommended to use the elevators that go to the basement beach level, as some stairways might be blocked by workers. Down by the elevators to the beach, there's also a fish area – please don't jump in or touch the fish! Rooms receive a daily check-up by staff, with cleaning services provided once or twice during the week to ensure everything is tidy. A charming touch was that the cleaners even made origami with our hotel towels, which was a nice surprise! You could also order room service for both cleaning and food options, though these come at a higher cost. The personnel throughout the hotel, including the restaurant workers, were great – very friendly and helpful. As expected from a resort of this type, the on-site shops are a bit expensive, but that's generally par for the course. Dining at the hotel's main restaurant (the one at the bottom) was a highlight. They feature special themed nights with food from different countries, though you'll also find many options from the previous day still available. There are always adequate choices for breakfast, lunch, and especially dinner, with the themed nights adding a nice variety, though these aren't daily. The outside pool area, just outside the restaurant, sometimes hosts shows and music, adding to the ambiance. For those interested in exploring the Red Sea, the hotel has a diving club/teaching center on site. They provide training in an adequate swimming pool to ensure you're comfortable before heading out. Note that this training is not included in the hotel price and requires a separate payment, though it is offered directly by the hotel. You can also ask to have pictures taken during your dive, but be aware that these are costly and while not always perfect, they're good enough for some memories. For most dives, especially for those not fully certified, you'll be guided by an instructor, as only certified divers can explore the same routes independently. The beach area is quite large, offering plenty of space. However, if the hotel is fully booked or nearly so, you'll want to be quick to secure a sun lounger as they can fill up fast. There's also an outside swimming pool, but it's often filled to the brim, so I'd personally recommend heading to the sea for snorkeling or swimming instead. The private swimming area in the sea is incredibly clear, and the fish that swim there are beautiful to observe. Just a word of caution: dangerous fish also swim inside this marked area, though they mostly tend to stay in the rocky/coral sections. Regarding activities and suitability: The hotel itself feels more fitted for guests aged 16+. While there are adequate activities for most, younger children might find themselves bored quickly, as it's primarily a relaxing place for adults and young people. Though there are many activities to do and good food options within the hotel, I'd advise going outside the hotel for better activities. However, be aware that there are scammers in the cities around the hotel. So, if you're wary of that, it's best to either stay within the hotel or only visit places outside with excellent reviews and...