The Best Hotel in Sharm El Sheikh

 

Since my last trip to Egypt, I have had one question asked over and over:

"Which is the best hotel you stayed at in Sharm?"

And I must be honest, it's really tough to answer that. It's not because I don't have an opinion, but rather, I have favourite bits in all of them. That includes the budget hotel which I would never (?) return to.

"What do you like?" is my usual response. 

If you like quality food, a serene atmosphere and quieter music, I would suggest the Tui Blue Sensatori (Coral Sea). 

The hotel was exquisite in every way. The pool was well heated, the food was the best I have tasted in Sharm. For me, travelling as a celiac, the food labelling is important. I should share something on another post - insider information - I found out something pretty significant. I will go into more detail about this hotel in its own blog post. 

Incredible room with a jacuzzi bath

Stunning sunsets and beautiful fairy lights for New Year

The pool at night, engulfed with bouganvilla

If you want fun, Coral Sea Water World (CSWW) is your jam. The place has my heart. I totally fell in love with CSWW over the years and it feels like home for so many people. The food seems a little more basic these days which is a pity, but it is completely edible. 

One of the pools is heated and that's the place to go for all the action during the cooler months.  We fondly refer to it as the 'little swimming pool'.

No words can describe this sunrise

The little swimming pool is heated in winter

Incredible jaccuzi room

The rooms are big at CSWW and I would have thought the entertainment would be better suited to children there, although one Mum shared how much her little ones loved the Tui Blue. The staff kept them entertained nicely. 

The Budget hotel was called the Rehana. I stayed there as a base while I ventured out to the other hotels to film and take photos and that was a good idea. Booking through Love Holidays was a new adventure to me.  I only paid £420 for the entire two weeks. The cost included flights from Gatwick, 14 nights accommodation in a single room (there were very comfy twin beds) and food and drinks for the duration of the stay. I will go in to more details on another blog post about the finer details of this hotel. I have a lot to say. Not all good; but some was good, and for the price I paid, I can't complain overly. It's hard to recommend this hotel because the quality just wasn't up to scratch. I'm sad to say this about any place in Egypt as I do feel the place carries some magic, no matter what. 

Back in 2009, I visited Sharm for the first time. I stayed at a place called the Royal Albatros Moderna back then and I decided I wanted to go back again. The main reason was to research for my upcoming book "This time in Africa". 

The management of the hotel overdelivered and far exceeded my expectations. I was met by the booking.com manager, Luca, who showed me to my incredible suite for the next couple of days. 

The hotel is now called the Pickalbaros Royal Moderna. Let's call it Moderna. I felt as if there was something for everyone there. The family areas were bustling and exciting with music and dancing woven throughout the daytime and the quiet areas were certainly snoozeworthy. Play areas for the children were dotted around the grounds and there were games galore, including mini golf. 

One of the longest piers in Nabq

This shower came at me from all angles! Incredible.

This one wasn't gluten free - but how pretty

Stunning cafe area with a real barrister

Happy me. 

Food in the Moderna was more than adequate, but seldom are you able to expect Michelin star standards in Sharm. The Tui Blue concept was the best show of food, and I found it hard to improve the food suggestions there. Tasty, pretty, well-labelled food was in every restaurant and the service was second to none. 

I will detail these four hotels, and what I have found in each of them, in their own individual blog posts, so come back for more. 

To answer the question of which was my favourite or which was the best, is impossible. What do you like? Which would I go to again? It really depends on the wants and needs at the time.

Something you mustn't miss is the extensive videos I created about these hotels. They will show you everything you could wish to know and more - I hope you find them useful.

Do reach out to me if you have questions - but there will be plenty more information upcoming.

As always

Louise xoxo

PS - this post may include affiliate links, which means if you book with the links, the company may pay me a few pence for the introduction.

Candlelight Concerts

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of taking my Mum out to see the Candlelight Concert which you may have heard of. 

When I film events, I try to inject a little accessibility information. We all have needs in some form or other. 

Trying to think of somewhere to take Mum, (who has heart failure and dementia), which would be wheelchair accessible and not too overwhelming, yet stimulating, I decided on this event. 

Candlelight concert; string quartet. Coldplay vs Ed Sheeran was expertly rippling through the room from the outstanding talent from Weddinton Strings as a thousand flickers of candlelight cast a glow through the room. 

Mum needed some guidance of course, but she enjoyed the evening and it showed me that something more challenging might not be possible any longer. This was just right, a good decision,  and the staff were on hand to help with her needs. 

A wonderful evening, which I would completely recommend. I know the artists are back again with different sets, like Adele and Bridgeton among others. What a special evening they put on for us all. 

The event organisers Fever, gave every small detail to the evening to make sure it ran smoothly. 

There was one problem, it was very hard to sit still in the seats when the music was so striking. I couldn’t help but tap my feet and nod my head every time the rift rose as if it was climbing to the top of the mountain. 

With so many different artists to choose from, I will be sure to return to another evening such as this. It has a mix of creativity coupled with eclectic newness to enjoy as you listen and watch the flickering candles. Have you been?

How it looked: (see a little video here *this was filmed with permission, and it is not intended to infringe any copyright)

Let me know when you go

Love always

Louise xoxo

Pancake House New Menu at Centre Parcs

 

To celebrate 2025, my son and I headed to Woburn Forest Centre Parcs for an annual holiday. 

After parking the car (early) in the car park, you are able to use the park facilities early too, before checking in to your lodge. 

Walking without time restraints, through the tall trees, we already decided to head to the Pancake House for our brunch. It's recommended to book ahead if you have an idea when you will arrive after a long drive. You can do this by logging in to your booking on the APP. 

Taking our seats, we looked out of the window overlooking the lake as we watched Mother Swans taking care of their signets. Turning our attention to the menu, I noticed a new menu was in place. 

As a gluten-free diner, (celiac disease), I worried. 

My favourite dish, the apple pancake, had some modifications and was no longer labelled Gluten Free.  I was sure I would still enjoy a gluten free option of some description but the first thing I noticed was the lack of ice cream. I'm not a huge fan of ice cream, but the tastes meander together to create a complete dish of swirling tastes on the pancake. 

"Excuse me," I called to the waitress as I asked for guidance. She advised me the ice cream now had gluten containing ingredients. I never quite understand the need for adding gluten to ice cream, when the dessert menu is short of items to add.

What a pity. 

The two menus differed in clear text: you could easily notice the difference between them. 

Tempted to choose the classic Dutch pancake, with orange, the calorific values puzzled me: the gluten free lemon was almost 200kcal more than the classic or vegan options.

Other Gluten free choices:

New Yorker or Fruit and Honey.

Determined to try a version of the unusual apple and cinnamon, I asked the waitress to check which ingredients were gluten free. The chef suggested omitting the crumble and ice cream and placed the whipped cream in a pot on the side. 

It was delicious. I was disappointed. 

The pancake seemed quite different than the previous year (last year). Next time, I will head back there and try the classic Dutch with orange, and more Kcal's than necessary.

Separate hot plates are impressively used to prevent cross-contamination and ensure the delicious dishes remain as free-from as possible. 

A wonderful time was had in this restaurant, and in the forest as a whole. I was determined to refer to this break as a holiday. I travel a lot for work and the lines often blur. I didn't film too much, but there is a short video that will be published in the future on my YouTube channel. There is a current full tour of Woburn Forest on this video:

Which menu calls out to you? Do you prefer the menu last year or the new one? Either way, we enjoyed the wonderful winter lights festival which tinkled its way into our blissful embrace of the inky days of winter. The new features added some stunning holograms of wildlife which grace you during your stay. We were blessed with stunning animals in the garden of our lodge this year. I bought a bag of peanuts to take from Amazon and packed them in my suitcase, and I decided to throw my banana skin out in the garden to see who might like it. After a long walk, we returned to find the banana skin was gone. I tried to imagine which animal sauntered in cheekily to eat the skin, but later I discovered we had one of the stunning Monk Jack Deers visiting. Of course, I swiftly ate another banana and tossed it into the garden to capture a glimpse of the deer and it confirmed my suspicion. Before long, we were spotting various deer and knew they were different animals due to size, or if they had little horns or not. We were even blessed with spotting a mother and her baby deer close to the swimming pool on our last day, but I was too slow and 'in the moment' to capture it on camera. 

No visit is ever the same at Centre Parcs. We always enjoy our visits and I love the idea of the wonder of what you will see, eat and feel. 

Love always, from a forest bathed,

Lou xoxo

Ps read last years post here. 

If you like this post, and would like to see more about Centre Parcs, please let me know: I have lovely photos of the landscapes, trees, winter lights and other things. I would love to hear from you. 

A video showing you what it's like at Woburn