Taba goes back centuries to when it was an important stop on the caravan route from Aquaba to Egypt. The hotel sits right on the shore of the Gulf of Aquaba against the rugged backdrop of the Sinai mountains. Across the Gulf you can see the lights of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel shimmer as the sun sets behind the mountains. Just 60km from Taba International Airport is the hotel, a veritable oasis surrounded by lush landscape having its own private sand beach, swimming pool, various restaurants and 440 modern and fully equipped rooms each with a private balcony or terrace.
There are 440 luxurious guest rooms and suites. Most of the rooms are sea view (the other views being pool and mountain) featuring a private balcony or terrace, electronic door locks, individual climate control, 21” Nokia televisions with satellite programming, mini bar, hair dryer, safety deposit box with digital personal code and direct-dial telephone. All guest rooms are equipped with fire alarm system. Baby cots are available on request and will count as 1 person in the room and not in addition to the maximum occupancy.
At Sonesta, Food is Art - you are sure to enjoy the numerous restaurants at the resort. In all the Sonesta Beach Resort features one dining room, three restaurants, one bar restaurant, a piano bar, a coffee shop and a discotheque. The “Palmira Dining Room” is the sea view main dining room with terrace located at the lobby level, serving live cooking buffet breakfast and theme nights buffet dinner, offering International and Egyptian cuisine. The “Scallini” is an A la Carte Italian restaurant overlooking the Red Sea, serving Italian cuisine amidst a romantic atmosphere. Then there is the “Blue Fish”, a seafood restaurant with a view of the Red Sea, offering a wide range of fresh seafood selection. Also “Fatoush”, the indoor and outdoor traditional oriental and Lebanese specialties restaurant with a magnificent view of the Red Sea, features grilled delights and oriental specialties. Alternatively in the casual atmosphere of the “Oasis Restaurant and Bar” delightful lunch, beverages and refreshing tropical cocktails are served as you look across the Red Sea and main pool. Before or after dinner be sure to enjoy the piano bar, an authentic English lounge, serving an extensive choice of cocktails and beverages accompanied with live music. For a light meal of fresh pastries and beverages you can visit the coffee shop “Bistro” 24 hours a day. Last, but certainly not least, the “Ramsis Club”. A pharaonic styled discotheque located near the beach, offering great music and a wide range of cocktails and snacks.
The AI programme consists of breakfast (07:00-10:30), lunch (12:30-14:30) and dinner (19:00-22:00), all buffet style, served in the main restaurant. During meals soft drinks, local beer & local wine are offered. Snacks such as seasonal fruits, Danish pastries & croissants are available between 11:00 & noon at the Oasis A la Carte restaurant as well as from 22:00-23:00 at the food counter in Palmira A la Carte restaurant. Tea time is at 16:30. Locally produced alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks like soft drinks, juices, hot beverages, beer and spirits are served at the Pacific Bar till 23:00.
Sport facilities at the hotel include tennis courts during daylight, darts, badminton, table tennis & the use of gym, as well as entertainment with belly dancer, live shows & oriental folkloric shows.
Sonesta Beach Resort also offers 24-hour in-room dining, car rental, laundry and valet services. On the grounds there are shops, Internet access and a clinic. The Hotel Concierge will be happy to assist you for any request on transportation or sight-seeing. Books and souvenirs are available on the hotel lobby level. A shopping arcade located adjacent to the hotel lobby, includes local handicrafts, souvenir and gift shop, jewellery store, bookshop and boutique.
Sonesta Beach Resort Taba offers two fresh water swimming pools including one heated pool during winter time and a children’s pool, two tennis courts and beach volley. The health club features sauna, steam bath, Jacuzzi, fitness room and massage treatments. Stop by the fitness centre where you will find all the equippment you will need. You can enjoy water sports and activities. The diving centre offers scuba diving and snorkelling with all the necessary equippment and training. The recreation centre offers a variety of activities including sea and desert excursions. There is also live entertainment. Additionally there is a complimentary program for children aged 5-12 years. It is called Just Us Kids where supervised children activities are offered.
I should give this a rating of 1/10 to stop you all booking it so I can get a booking. However it is a 10/10 we have just had a smashing 2 weeks. There are always mixed reviews but in brief the hotel is clean, Staff extremely friendly , location is ideal for walking out at night, The beach and sea access is good and some really good snorkelling to be had 50m from the beach. The breakfast in the morning, whilst not being the "Full English", is really good and caters for all tastes, the omelettes are a treat. We had an upper room with views out to the Sinai Mountains and yes the balconies are smaller than usual but who cares. Yes the old Egyptian tum kicked in the 2nd week, Why not the first week? If on a B and B (which I would recommend) then there are plenty of eateries within 5-10 Mins walk. We did have the hotel outside buffet on 2 nights and its was very good. Overall it was very good and we will certainly be going back.
We have just returned from a 2 week holiday at the Sonesta, and we did have a lovely holiday.
Unfortunatly the location of the Hotel was very remote, and we found it very restricted.
The Hotel Staff were excellent, and found them all to be pleasant and helpful.
The Rooms were clean, and we had a great view of the Pool area and the Beach.
The Animation team were great, and worked very hard, and created a good atmosphere.However Meal times were not so good.
The Eastern Europeans, were very rude, and often tried to push in front of the children, which was not nice. The Waiters were excellent, and did a good job, keeping everyone happy.
The Hotel was too remote, and the Taxi's were very empensive, There was no English Rep, and the Trips were very expensive. Unfortunatly we enjoyed our holiday, but would not go back, due to the remoteness.
