Pickalbatros Royal Moderna Resort

We have just returned from a fantastic two weeks at the Royal Albatros Moderna, our first visit back in 11 years — and it genuinely felt like coming home.

Before travelling, we emailed the Guest Relations team with a request for a room on the active pool side of the hotel. On arrival, we were delighted to be allocated a beautiful room in a fantastic location, exactly where we had requested — close to the restaurants, bars and entertainment area. A big thank you to the Guest Relations team!

There have been many changes and improvements since our last visit. The old Amphitheatre area has now been converted into a beautiful new set of pools, and this is where the brilliant Animation Team hold their dances, foam parties and games. The lovely Yonny, Eric and Lou were great fun, and a special thank you to Animation Team Manager Dylan for helping to sort out a small issue that allowed our son to participate in the karaoke.

There was some ongoing work to convert the old Soprano Italian restaurant to a new international theme, which meant that mealtimes could occasionally be a little chaotic, with only three other restaurants available. However, the brilliant restaurant staff always helped us find a table and, before we knew it, a round of drinks would appear — with staff even remembering what we liked from previous visits!

The food was beautiful and we always found something we liked. We also tried many dishes that we hadn’t had before, with the Moroccan, Chinese and Turkish corners being my favourites!

The hotel grounds, buildings, gardens and pools were immaculately clean and constantly maintained by the gardeners, cleaners, pool staff, lifeguards and bar staff. They work so hard and relentlessly in 40+ degree heat and deserve all the respect and recognition. These are often the people working quietly in the background, but they deserve enormous credit for the standard the hotel maintains.

Our room (2109) was beautifully cleaned every day by the lovely Ahmed, who created amazing towel art to surprise us whenever we returned to our room. His talent is incredible and he works so hard!

We also had some facial treatments and massages in the Spa. These were fantastic and very relaxing, and we would highly recommend giving the Spa a visit.

While the hotel is beautiful and the facilities are brilliant, what truly makes the Royal Moderna special is its people.

We have known quite a few of the guys since 2013, and it was wonderful to see how they have progressed in their careers and are now being recognised and promoted to Managers and Captains. After 11 years away, the welcome we received genuinely felt like family returning home. We were made to feel incredibly special from the moment we arrived.

It also meant so much to us to see the warmth and kindness shown to our son, Jack, throughout the holiday. Seeing him welcomed, included and treated with such genuine friendliness made our return even more special as a family.

A very special thank you to all of our friends. These guys are what make this place so special, and I really hope the hotel management know just how much of a difference they make.

Throughout our holiday there were so many little things — kind gestures, familiar smiles, conversations and moments that made us feel incredibly welcome and genuinely special. We noticed and appreciated every one of them, even when nothing needed to be said.

After 11 years away, to discover that those friendships hadn’t been forgotten — and to be welcomed back and looked after with such warmth — meant more to the three of us than you guys will probably ever realise.

Sabry Mohsen — Thank you, my friend. It was wonderful to see you again and especially to see you now in your role as Assistant Food & Beverage Manager — thoroughly deserved! You seemed to be everywhere, always making sure everything was running smoothly, looking after your teams and checking that guests were happy. Despite how incredibly busy you were, you always found the time to stop, speak with us and make sure we were enjoying our holiday. You genuinely couldn’t have done more to make us feel welcome and special. Thank you, brother — you and your team are amazing!

Osama Afandy — Brother! It was so good to see you again after so many years! The welcome you gave us was amazing and the years just rolled right back to 2013. And a special mention for those amazing mango and strawberry daiquiris — I loved those! 🍓🥭 A huge thank you also to your team in the Coffee Bar — Mohammed, Abdulghaney and Ahmed — and I’m sorry if I’ve missed anyone!

Mahmoud Saad — Our Bro! It was so good to see you again, my friend. You haven’t aged a day in 11 years — please tell us your secret! 😂 Thank you for welcoming us like family and making our visit so special.

Mohamed Usama — Thank you, my friend, for taking such good care of us. Helen says your wine is the best — but don’t tell Osama your secret recipe! 😂

Ashraf Elsherbeny — Brother! Another very old friend who hasn’t changed a bit in 11 years! It was great to see your smiling face again and have the chance to catch up. A huge thank you to you and your team at the Beach Club for everything you did to make our holiday so special.

Ahmed Hamdy — Another old friend! So good to see you again, bro. A special thank you to you and your team at the Main Pool Bar for looking after us so well!

Mohammed at the Relax Pool Bar — A new friend we met for the first time this year. It was so lovely getting to know you, and hearing you shout “What’s the Craic?” every time you saw me around the hotel always made me smile! 😂

There are so many other wonderful members of staff who looked after us during our stay — far too many to name individually — and we apologise to anyone we have accidentally missed. Please know that your kindness and hard work were very much appreciated.

Perhaps the best recommendation we can give is that we’ve already booked to return again in October!

After waiting 11 years to come back, we certainly won’t be leaving it another 11. We can’t wait to see all of our friends again.

Thank you to everyone at the Royal Albatros Moderna for making our return so special.

It really did feel like coming home. ❤️

Hotel Review

This was our second stay at the hotel after two years, and overall, we really liked it and had a good holiday.

The hotel is a little dated now, and our family room was above the laundry room, so it was quite noisy. It was also a long walk from the main areas, which wasn’t ideal with a family.

The food was okay, although it could be better. The entertainment was very good, and we felt the safety around the pools was excellent. The bakery was amazing addition .

The beach was absolutely amazing and definitely one of the highlights of our stay.

Despite a few things that could be improved, we enjoyed our time here and would happily come back again.