Dreams Beach Resort Sharm El Sheikh

We stayed here for 11 nights and chose it primarily because it had a dive centre on site (Anar Dive Club - see separate review but its really for day trips rather than catering for the experienced diver wanting a weeks diving). First impressions of the hotel from the road aren't great but once you enter the hotel those poor first impressions are forgotten. Our arrival welcome wasn't great though as we arrived after dinner had finished and were told we could only get a snack at 11.30pm when the snack bar opened - everywhere else we have stayed in Egypt some sandwiches and fruit have been left in our room to remove the hunger from the journey so don't know why it couldn't be done here. The reception area is also the lobby bar which is open 24/7 so it's always quite busy. Also worth noting that it may be open 24/7 but they only serve alcohol between 1pm and 11pm and that's the same for all the bars on the complex. It was a first for us but made for a refreshing change not to have guests hammered by 11am and causing trouble as we have seen elsewhere. The rooms are in 2 storey blocks with The Oasis and pool being at the centre of it all. Our room was at the back of the resort and super quiet, they are well furnished and comfortable with everything you need. Only drawback was when the balcony was in full sun it was impossible to sit out as it was unbearably hot. The food at the main buffet was OK but nothing amazing and is used for breakfast lunch and dinner. You can have lunch at the grill house on the beach but there's not much variety. There are 4 a la carte restaurants available for the evenings which are included within the AI package and can be booked a few days in advance , the Italian is the best by far, the Grillhouse and Mexican are OK but we didn't really enjoy the Fish Market even though it has the best location. The hotel is extremely popular with Egyptian families so expect lots of kids and of course the Russians/Eastern Europeans so be prepared for lots of queue jumping and general arrogant behaviour. The pool area is quiet first thing but is extremely busy in the afternoon and can get quite rowdy as the DJ thinks he is played to an Ibiza crowd ( you could feel the music in your chest it was so loud some days). You can use the pools at the sister resort next door , Dreams Vacation, but can't comment as we never did. The beach has 2 areas , the main area which has the dive centre and entertainment daily with easy access into the sea and the upper area near the spa and kids pool which is much quieter and a nice spot to relax. The house reef is not bad for snorkelling but is pretty much dead and has no life below a few metres. Evening entertainment is quite low key so you can usually get a seat outside and get drinks from the lobby bar/oasis bar. We were a little disappointed that for a green star resort how all the drinks were served in disposable plastic cups with plastic straws, there's so much plastic waste - must be a better way. There is a spa here but we wouldn't recommend it as we were in a lot of discomfort for 3 days after a massage, this wasn't our first massage experience but our most painful one. If you have a late departure there is no courtesy room available so you will have to use the spa or the various showers around the pool areas. They also remove your wrist band at checkout but we were still able to get food and drink until we departed so not a problem. Overall we did enjoy our stay and would like to thank Josef and Ronald at the lobby bar for drinks and banter in the evenings and also Karlos for looking after us at the beach.

The animation team have been amazing all the activities are all inclusive and they get everyone involved. The location is good and they come around with their friendly welcoming faces. We love Alisija

All in all, a good holiday and enjoyable stay. Visited with my family (3 adults and 1 teenager), and I don't have any major complaints. We stayed for 2 weeks. The location is stunning, we had 3 rooms  two in block 32 and one in 33 with absolutely stunning sea views. It was worth getting up early to watch the sunrise from our balconies. Our friendly room attendant Mahmoud was always on hand if we needed anything. Our rooms were a good size and although the decor wasn't to my taste, it was clean, comfortable and spacious. Large bottles of water as brought daily to the room at no extra cost as the tap water is not safe to drink. Our room had a fridge with freezer compartment, a safe and coffee/tea making facilities. Food is generally good but definitely make use of the other restaurants like the Fish Market, Asia House and the Italian for a little more variety. These are well done which is not always the case in these all Inc resorts. The Italian was so good, we went twice. These must be booked in advance. The Grill House is better food for lunches than the main restaurant in our opinion as the view is spectacular. The 'beach' is a bit less beach and a bit more rocky platftoms and walkways but well worth going to paddle or swim to see loads of interesting fish and corals. Beach shoes are a must but if you've not brought any from home, there is a small shop down there where you can purchase them along with snorkels etc. The main pool is a good size and the lifeguards are excellent at keeping an eye on everyone and keeping them safe. We also used the pool at the Vacation (you can get on a little free bus that runs throughout the day but it isn't too far to walk if you so wish). There are a few waterslides but I can't really comment as we never got round to using them. The staff overall were great. Special mentions to Mina and George (not sure of correct Egyptian version or spelling) in L'opera, the main restaurant. Eibrahim and Mohammad Ahmed at the pool bar, Keroles (both of them) at The Grill House and Beshoy at The Bedouin. All of the staff are an asset to the hotel team and made us very welcome. We wanted for nothing while in their care. Tipping is definitely not expected but goes a long way and is really appreciated, as the staff work very long hours in the heat and always have a smile and afriendly word. Also, the gardeners work tirelessly to keep the grounds looking beautiful and immaculately clean and tidy. Now, the downsides (there aren't many). There was building work going on right by the pools most days (at Dreams Beach and Dreams Vacation). It wasn't a major issue but did sometimes get a bit noisy. My second issue was with the relentless harrassment by the spa staff (mainly) and the excursion bookers that come round to you while you are trying to relax by the pool. You say no to one, then another will approach, even if you are dozing. They really dont like to take no for an answer and will start trying to massage you and touch you. We only found out, from another guest and after being there for a week, that there are orange 'Do not disturb' signs available at the towel station, to hang from your parasol. These should get them to leave you alone but there was one female spa staff member who pretended not to see the sign and came up to me more than once trying her luck, always when I was alone. She was quite rude pointing out my wrinkles and trying to insist I needed a facial. I'm not generally bothered by stuff like this but when on holiday, I don't need reminding that I'm not that young anymore! I do understand that they are trying to make a living but it was a bit 'in your face' at times. I would expect this behaviour more while out shopping in Egypt but not in the resort. There are some little shops in the resort but be prepared to haggle a bit. There's also a fixed price supermarket just a short walk from the hotel. This was cheaper. We used the hotel taxis once but discovered the Indrive app (a bit like Uber) which was much cheaper. The hotel taxi prices vary wildly depending on who is working on the booking desk. We didn't have much cause to go to reception but I'd like to mention Saad Said Saad on the duty management team for going above and beyond to help us with a late check out on our last day even though the hotel was extremely busy. We booked excursions through our Sun Tours rep which were well worth it. My family did a trip to Cairo and we all did a boat trip to the white island. Amazing! This is a great hotel, a little unpolished in places but we had a lovely holiday and the staff were lovely. I'd recommend it! Thanks Dreams Beach team!