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this hotel was excellent, the food was good and the bar was well stocked. the staff in this hotel are fnatastic and cannot do enough for you, hassan the bar manaager is also absoloutley amazing. i would recommend this hotel to anyuone comin to egpyt as the facilities are good and the location is perfect. trhe animation team helped make our stay very enjoyable , just as all the staff did. Carly Binks.

Me and my boyfriend stayed here November 2010. After reading the reviews I was incredibly nervous.The staff are friendly and incredibly helpful, the food was exactly as to be expected considering the price we paid to stay in the hotel and the suites were cleaned everyday with fresh towels and to a perfect standard. Very quiet hotel and whilst on our excursions we had numerous complaints about hygiene, noisy guests and poor food we counted ourselves very lucky to have stayed at the sol y mar sharm suites. Please remember you get what you pay for and you receive the service you would expect following how friendly and polite you are....

Firstly, I read the reviews (both good and bad) before booking and on balance this hotel is a little gem. We spent two weeks here and had a great time. Think Travel Lodge with a private pool and excellent service.In this review I'll go through everything so hopefully this will give you an honest in-depth review and should help you have a great time. Shams Suites is more of a Business Hotel and as such is a cheap and functional B&B. If you want a base to sleep in peace and quiet (compared to the resort hotels) this hotel is for you. We never once had our sleep interrupted by noisy holidaymakers or late entertainment.However, if you want an "all inclusive" resort with all the whistles and bells, pay the hundreds of ¿¿¿¿¿¿s extra and go to a complex like the Mirabel. DO NOT judge hotels in Egypt by European Star Standards either, they are nothing like it and are merely a guide. So knock at least one or two off whatever they say they are.It's also helpful to remember Sharm is a continuingly developing tourist centre and is not the same as Europe. Imagine Spain 20 years ago!On our evening arrival we were offered an upgrade on our room to a Studio for under ¿¿7 extra a night. We took the upgrade as recommended on another review and it's worth doing. You get additional room, with a small two seater settee and a small armchair, a kitchen and a balcony (great for drying clothes or swimming gear). You also have basic cooking facilities, a hair dryer and TV.The pool was always clean but it's not heated. When we did retreat to the pool it was always near empty as most of the guests here were Tour Reps or Contractors and out all day.The breakfast is typical European fare, basic but adequate. If you ask politely, our Chef Mahmoud was only too happy to cook us fresh omelettes every day. We had a good solid meal every morning and were set up for the day. Breakfast Boxes for our trips were also not an issue and provided at no additional cost.We found all of the staff helpful but Mustafa was outstanding and made our stay one to remember. He not only was helpful and attentive but was gracious enough to help me learn some basic Arabic and even lent me his own Dongle for the internet so I could check on the flights due to the snow back home.As a guest you also have access to the Mirabel complex and facilities, which is approximately a 3-5 minute walk along the road. We used this on several days and had a hoot by the pool, joining in the numerous games of water polo etc. We watched the sun rise over Tiran Island from the beach and that was awesome!In Nabq you get the best of both worlds. You are close enough for all of the night life but far enough out for peace and quiet too. Don¿¿¿t get fleeced by the Taxi drivers, jump on one of the blue mini-buses and you will pay a maximum of 3 Egyptian Pounds! Don¿¿¿t let them try to charge you extra either as like everyone in Egypt they expect you to either barter them down or just cave in. We found it was easiest to have the correct fare and just get on and shout your destination and pay. This way you didn¿¿¿t haggle or get over charged.Shopping in Nabq is cheaper and a far more pleasant experience than in Naama or the Old Market area too. Again be prepared to haggle as even in the Pharmacy you haggle. Take protection against the Mozzies as they can feast very well on you if you're not prepared. If like me you forget your repellent go into one of the numerous Pharmacies and ask for Off. It should cost you between 20 and 25 Egyptian pounds. If they want more go elsewhere as you're never more than 2 minutes away from a Pharmacy.Food. We ate out every night and every meal in Nabq was good! Our only poor experience was of all places the Hard rock Cafe in Naama!You can find a lot of the High Street eateries in Sharm, including Burger King, KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, TGIs etc. Amazingly they deliver too! In Nabq itself restaurants that stood out were; The Union Jack, their Steak Pie is to die for! Peking the Chi

really nice, laid back, simple but beautiful place to stay. Breakfast wasn't good at all and I spent most of my time adventuring at the resort next door but this was a nice place to come back to at the end of the night. Friendly staff, well maintained with a really nice feel to it.

I too had read the reviews on The Sol Y Mar Shams Suites and had mixed reservations. I was a single traveller woman over 50 just had a major operation and wanted to relax somewhere quiet. I chose this hotel because it was small and quiet. I didnt want a big massive complex hotel with a lot of kids running around. If you want 4-5* then this is not the hotel for you, although you can use the facilities 4-5 minutes walk up the road at the Jaz Mirabel Complex becasue the owners of the Jaz Mirable Hotels also own the Sol Y Mar Chain.This hotel is a 3* and is basic but has everything you need a bar a pool and a 24hr reception. I got an upgrade to a studio from a standard room, it had a little sitting area with a TV a furnished terrace and a kitchen, also a large fridge and very good air con. The bathroom had a shower sink and toilet and was also basic but clean. The bed was massive and was very comfortable. There is also a free safety deposit box in the wardrobe.The local buses run just outside the hotel and are very cheap. And if you want a taxi just step outside the hotel and flag one down. Though there are quite a few taxi men waiting over the road from the Jaz Mirabel Complex it seems to be a meetingwaiting point as they know some guests will need a taxi to get around. Naama Bay is about 20-25 minutes away by car as is Fantasia and Hadaba area. But just 5 minutes away is the Metro supermarket which is quite large where you can buy everthing you need all fresh produce fruit and veg etc, fresh bread just like any supermarket at home and its cheap. Then there is the El Strada area 5 minutes away where there are shops etc and of course the usual Macdonalds, KFC and TGI Fridays's.One place I would recommend going to is the Jasmine Centre which is just a couple minutes further up the road. This is an entertainment place outdoors with a circular stage area with little cushioned booths and shisha cushioned areas all around where there is a free show on until 2am in the morning consisting of belly dancers, a funny man onstilts, a whirling dirvish dancer and a snake charmer, its all free and very entertaining.For any shopaholics out there or you just want to buy a few gifts go to Old Sharm its a lot cheaper than Naama Bay. Your can go to Soho Square if you want a little more sophistication but be prepared to pay for it. There's an Ice Bar there entrance about ¿¿15 for about 15 minutes, a night club, bars and a lovely fountain show in the square with lights. The drinks are pricey though and the shops 3 x the price of any others.Overall I would say that the hotel was basic but once you got past that pink exterior it was a little gem of a quiet oasis.