Shams Prestige Abu Soma Resort

A superb all inclusive adults only hotel, Staff fantastic, restaurant really nice the bungalows lovely. A nice beach however not snorkeling friendly but chances are that you will see green seaturtles since it’s a lot of grass areas but no corallreef. Beware of the surfers though when it’s windy.

Great. Must be the best place I have ever been to. The service was impeccable, friendly and always there when needed. Ok, the breakfast coffee refill took a while sometimes if ordering something else than the standard big coffee pot (big enough for 2 and very good). Food varied, themed dinners, buffet style most of the time. We were in the third row , 3002, still a limited sea view, very nice. Next door to the reception but a separate building so no noise at all. These rooms have not been renovated in a while and there was some very minor signs of wear but no problem at all. Safe, fridge, soft drinks, very hot water in shower, water boiler with tea/coffee . Very beautiful gardens, everything was being taken care of constantly. Great beach with a lot of sunbeds, no need to rush. With a low wind protection "wall" on 2 sides, that was essential on those windy days. We had a excursion to Luxor on one morning at 4.45 so we had take-away breakfast waiting for us in the reception. (instant coffee in the room) , that was the only disappointment: fruits, juice, water and stuffed rolls with bad cheese.

Fantastic (almost) weeklong holiday doing aboslutely nothing other than read, eat, swim and sleep. For me, it was the first time doing absolutely nothing, always feeling the urge to go someplace. But not on this holiday. Although the Shams area is very large (the Prestige part being the adults only part) it feels very relaxed. Good food, great little bar on top, very nice apartments, friendly staff. The pool area is relatively small and therefore crowded, but we constantly went to the pool right next to Shams Prestige, which is much bigger often enough we had to ourselves. And next to that is yet another big swimming pool. Actual sea swimming is not really a thing (very undeep) but there's loads of chairs on the beach.

If I'd have one negative thing, it would be the trying-to-sell a room upgrade on arrival. At first, it seems complimentary. Then you are shown the places: yes, the upgrade IS nicer, although the place we booked is absolutely fine too. We wanted to go for the upgrade, then were presented an extra bill of 400 Euro - this we declined, whereas the receptionist wanted to persist. It started slightly irritable that way, after a night flight without sleep, but this passed quickly. If I were them, I'd not try and sell (unasked for) upgrades this way.

Also, one tip here. Accommodate some space for non-smokers. There was a LOT of smoking everywhere (even ashtrays in the apartment, yuck). Another reason why we were never at the Prestige pool area: it felt like a Marlboro clubhouse. If at the restaurant or top bar you want to stay away from the awful scent of cigarettes, you're confined to the inner restaurant/bar. That said, the smokers would love it, and at times it felt they were a vast majority, so that makes sense too. It would be nice of smokers were a little more considerate, especially at the restaurant terrace.