Hotel Review: Four Seasons Sharm El Sheik

Sharm el Sheik is not a value add location. As someone obsessed with cultural touring, purpose created tourist beach towns are not usually top of my list.
But – and here’s a big but – every now and again even I need a place where I can stare out at the sea and exist in a fantasy paradiscial state.  And while Sharm as a city is no Eden, the Four Seasons resort is a mighty good candidate for Eden recreated.

Here is why:

(1) Natural beauty: The resort oozes with it.  Expansive coastline, spectacular views of blue, two private beaches each with their own jetty for snorkeling and scuba.  The jetties sit right on top of the reefs and the marine life is very high quality.  Simply bobbing on the sea surface we saw huge eels, lionfish, boxfish, clown fish and more.  All of this blue is set off by much in-resort green, the gardens are carefully tended and omnipresent, and create an atmosphere of calm and plenty.

(2) Vibe: The resort manages to be huge and feel intimate at the same time.  Its size provides unexpected nooks and crannies, sudden viewpoints, unknown twists and turns; wandering through the grounds feels like getting lost in an expansive private garden.  Even when it’s busy, you don’t feel burdened by the presence of other guests.

(3) Staff: The resort has over 800 staff for 300 rooms, and many of the staff have been at the resort for over 15 years.  They exude genuine smiles and desire to please whether at the restaurants, in your room for turndown service, at the kids club, or the front desk.  I couldn’t say the service is always super snappy, but it is always charming.

(4) Food: Absolutely no complaints here, the resort offers excellent breakfasts with a satisfying array of options including local fresh fruits, all the usual items you would expect such as eggs, pancakes and a cold buffet, along with a few Middle Eastern options.  For evenings, the selection of restaurants means you can stay for a week without culinary tedium setting in – the resort offers Italian, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Mexican.  Best of all they are opening a branch of Bullona, the Milanese success story, and with it they have imported two fabulously stylish and hipster bearded Italians to bring drinks up to standard.  We drank countless Negroni Spagliatos and they were spot on.

(5) Rooms:  Accommodation in the original part of the hotel might be seen as a bit rustic by some, but I liked the relaxed charm of these authentically styled and generously sized rooms, including the chalets which are a perfect setup for families.  The renovated part of the hotel is extremely slick and contemporary in style, and some of the larger suites are quite stunning.

(6) Facilities & activities: As you would expect at a high end resort hotel, facilities are excellent.  There are two private beaches, two large swimming pool areas, an additional spa pool adjacent to saunas, steam rooms and a gym, a fabulous kids club, and tennis.  You can go diving further afield on a day trip, or you might even venture to St Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai.

Effectively, as long as you’re at one with the idea of a resort this is a fabulous place to be.  Indeed it is highly recommended for a few nights at the end of a busy touring itinerary, or even a week of winter’s sun if you’re coming from the Northern Hemisphere.

To find out more about stays at the Four Seasons resort Sharm el Sheik please contact our team on [email protected]