Sunrise Arabian Beach Resort

My honest review of this hotel having just arrived home yesterday. The hotel grounds are stunning - 10/10 The staff are all amazing - 10/10 but shout out to Hassan at the adult pool he is brilliant.

Restaurants - the app to book them is absolutely awful and pointless. The waterfall restaurant and French restaurant were closed all week.

the Italian is inedible, hard ( not al dente but uncooked) cold pasta, rock hard bullets of fish in the see seafood linguini it was disgusting. The pizza is frozen pizza base with toppings and cooked in a pizza oven - not enjoyable. We went once, never returned.

The Greek - very rushed service, the food was leftovers from the buffet disguised as 'authentic Greek food" it's not, also didn't return

The Indian - this was good, the lamb Rogan Josh was very nice, good service, nice starters - would recommend to book

The thai- this was also good. Lots of choice but the green curry lacked authenticity but overall the meal was good

The international buffet - this was hit and miss. Sometimes the food was very good, great fish on the outside grill , good meat but overall it was repetitive and the cross contaminated food would be a concern for anyone with allergies.

The drinks also aren't great, very very sweet and weak cocktails. The red wine is like drinking vinegar , the white wine looks like cider but was ok, the rose wasn't nice.

The entertainment was different. Day time was good fun, spicy was very energetic but the evening felt very much like forced fun and the pool party was terrible. Not sure this hotel is the right demographic for who they are targeting.....

I was also ill for nearly the entire stay here, my family also suffered with sickness and diarrhea but the stomach cramps were the worst. Bring anti sickness tablets and diarrhea relief, you'll need them .

Overall it was a relaxing week in the sun, would I come back - no. Would I recommend to family and friends also no. It was a shame as it isn't cheap and the reviews on food and drink was why we booked.

🌴 Four-Star Flaws, Five-Star People ❤️

⭐ Rating: 4/5 | 10-night family holiday

We've just returned from 10 nights at Sunrise Arabian Beach Resort, and overall we've had a wonderfully relaxing holiday. The grounds are absolutely exquisite, the pools are beautiful, the weather was perfect and the Red Sea snorkelling was fantastic.

However, while this resort definitely has some five-star elements, in my personal opinion, it doesn't quite deliver a consistent five-star experience in every area.

The thing that made our holiday truly special was the staff. There are some genuinely lovely people working here who went above and beyond for our family, and they deserve to be recognised. ❤️

Here's our honest experience, including a few things I think future guests should know before booking.

🌺 The Grounds and Pools

The grounds are absolutely stunning! Everything is beautifully maintained, and the resort has a lovely tropical feel. We spent 10 days relaxing in the sunshine, and it was exactly what we needed.

The pools are outstanding, although be warned, they were COLD! 😂 We never struggled to find sunbeds, which was a real bonus as there's nothing worse than starting your morning on a sunbed hunt.

The landscaping and outdoor areas are definitely among the resort's strongest features and feel very much in keeping with a luxury hotel.

🐠 The Beach and Snorkelling

The beach is lovely, and one thing I particularly appreciated was that access to the sea is restricted to certain entry points to help protect the coral. I thought this was a really positive thing to see.

The seabed is very stony when entering the water from the beach, though, so beach shoes are an absolute must!

The snorkelling was a real highlight for us. We saw sohal surgeonfish and lots of other marine life, and the Red Sea really is a beautiful place to explore underwater.

🤿 My advice: bring your own snorkelling equipment and beach shoes. You'll be glad you did!

🏖️ Beach Cabanas: Worth Every Penny!

One of our favourite little luxuries was hiring a beach cabana, and honestly, it was absolute bliss! ❤️

Although the cabanas cost extra to rent, we felt they were extremely good value for money. You get waiter service throughout the day, and there's always someone checking that you're comfortable and have everything you need. It made our beach days feel extra special and meant we could properly relax without constantly having to get up to find drinks or anything else.

There are only eight cabanas, so I imagine they could be difficult to secure during busier periods. We managed to book one for four days, and it was one of the highlights of our holiday.

If you enjoy spending time on the beach and want a little extra luxury, I'd highly recommend looking into them. For us, they were absolutely worth the additional cost! 🌞

❤️ The Staff Who Made Our Holiday

This is probably the most important section of my review because, without these people, our holiday wouldn't have been quite the same.

🍽️ Mahmoud Muhammed Muhammed Osman | Restaurant Team

Mahmoud was an absolute star throughout our stay. Whenever we came for breakfast, lunch or dinner, he made sure we were looked after. Even when we couldn't get a table in his section, he would still check on us and make sure we had everything we needed.

He would notice when one of the children wasn't with us and even provide takeaway boxes for them. Those little thoughtful gestures meant so much because they showed that he genuinely cared about making sure our family was looked after.

He was consistently friendly, attentive and welcoming. We were genuinely sad to say goodbye to him. Mahmoud, thank you for everything!

☀️ Muhammed | Main Pool Team

Muhammed, who looked after the towels and kept the poolside clean, was an absolute ray of sunshine.

Always smiling, always happy to greet you and always ready to help. Even on days when he appeared to have injured his arm, he continued to be incredibly helpful and cheerful.

He was such a pleasure to talk to, and his positive attitude made spending time around the pool even more enjoyable. We were genuinely sad to leave him behind, too.

🎉 Spicy | Animation Team

What a genuine, lovely guy!

Spicy was fantastic at encouraging people to get involved in the activities without ever being pushy. He was enthusiastic, approachable and always happy to stop for a chat.

When we asked him what he loved most about his job, he told us it was helping families create long-lasting memories. 🥹

That answer really stayed with me. It says so much about his attitude and how much he cares about what he does. You can tell he genuinely loves his job, and that enthusiasm shines through.

🛏️ Hossam ElToukhi | Housekeeping

Finally, our room cleaner, Hossam, deserves a very special mention.

Our son occasionally needed extra help with bedding, and Hossam handled everything with such kindness, discretion and understanding. Whenever we needed clean, dry sheets, he made sure we had them without ever making us feel uncomfortable or as though we were asking too much.

He would also pop by in the evenings to check whether we needed anything else. Nothing ever seemed to be too much trouble for him.

As a parent, having someone respond with that level of understanding and thoughtfulness means more than I can explain. He made sure our family was comfortable and treated us with such kindness.

To all four of these gentlemen, thank you. You made a lasting impression on our family, and we hope management recognises what a credit you are to this resort. ❤️

🛏️ The Room: Where Things Fell Short

Unfortunately, this is one of the areas where I felt the resort lacked that five-star finish.

Our room was clean, but it felt quite run-down, and the bathroom in particular looked dated and in need of updating.

Before travelling, I contacted the hotel to confirm the sleeping arrangements for our family of four, including our children aged 12 and 14. I was assured that there would be two queen beds and an additional bed in the room.

We arrived at around midnight, exhausted and ready for bed, only to discover that the room was initially set up for just two people. We then had to wait approximately an hour and a half for someone to bring an extra bed and make it up.

Had we arrived during the day, this probably wouldn't have been such an issue. However, after a long journey and a late arrival, it was frustrating and disappointing. Given that I'd contacted the hotel in advance, I really felt this should have been sorted before we arrived.

The room was perfectly usable, but it didn't match the standard I would expect from a consistently five-star resort.

🍳 The Food: Some Highs and Some Lows

Breakfast was fantastic! 😍

The international buffet had an excellent choice, including pancakes, waffles, fresh fruit, cereals, pastries and yoghurt. There was so much to choose from, and breakfast was definitely our favourite meal.

Lunch and dinner were more hit and miss.

I'm not a big meat eater, although I'm not vegetarian, and I felt the vegetarian options could be limited. My husband isn't particularly adventurous with food, so he generally stuck to chicken and rice.

We discovered the pasta station, which offered white sauce, ragù and bolognese. Some days the pasta was delicious, but on others it was surprisingly tasteless. The inconsistency was disappointing.

We ate at the Italian restaurant on our beach days and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a booking at the Waterfall Grill, which was a shame as we'd really wanted to try it.

Overall, I wouldn't say the food was terrible, but lunch and dinner weren't consistently at the standard I'd hoped for.

🍹 The Drinks and All-Inclusive Offering

We don't drink a great deal of alcohol, so we can't give a huge amount of feedback on the alcoholic drinks selection. The drinks we did have were nice, and the staff were happy to make non-alcoholic cocktails for the children, which was a lovely touch.

One thing worth knowing is that the resort doesn't use branded alcohol, so this is something to bear in mind if branded spirits are important to you.

On the whole, though, the all-inclusive offering genuinely felt inclusive, and we appreciated that.

🕓 Late Checkout: A Lovely Extra

Another useful thing to know is that the resort offers late checkout, subject to availability.

You can't arrange this in advance, as it can only be requested on the morning of departure. The options offered are 4pm, 6pm and 8pm, depending on availability.

We managed to arrange a late checkout, which gave us some much-needed extra relaxation time instead of having to rush around on our final day. It's such a nice option to have, particularly if you have a later flight and want to make the most of your last few hours at the resort.

I'd definitely recommend asking reception on your departure morning, but bear in mind that it's not guaranteed.

🏨 Posh Club and the Feeling of Exclusivity

This may come down to personal preference, but at times I did feel the resort could be a little segregated.

Posh Club is a separate, more expensive option that guests book independently. It offers its own restaurant, pool and butler service, and the facilities certainly appear to have a more luxurious, five-star feel.

I completely understand that guests who pay extra should receive additional benefits. However, at times, it gave me a slight feeling of an “us and them” atmosphere, which felt a little at odds with the idea of one inclusive resort.

There is also an over-16s pool that you have to walk through or past to get to the beach. On our first full day, we walked through this area with our children, aged 12 and 14, and were told they weren't old enough to be there.

I understand that the pool itself has an age restriction, but we were simply passing through to reach the beach, not intending to use the facilities. I found this surprising, and it would have been helpful if access to the beach had felt more straightforward for families.

Neither issue ruined our holiday, but I do think they're worth mentioning for anyone considering booking.

🔊 Building Work and Balcony Noise

Noise levels around the resort were generally fine. On a few evenings, we returned to our room early and couldn't hear any of the entertainment, so that wasn't a problem for us.

However, there were generators directly outside our balcony, which rather spoiled the relaxing atmosphere when we wanted to sit outside and unwind.

There was also building work taking place just outside our block for the majority of our stay. The noise wasn't unbearable, but it would have been nice to have known about it beforehand.

When you're booking a relaxing holiday and hoping to enjoy your balcony, these things do make a difference.

⚠️ A Word of Warning About the Beauty Salon and Spa

Throughout our stay, we were regularly approached by staff from the beauty salon, spa and diving centre trying to sell treatments or excursions. I completely understand that they're there to promote their services, and we're more than happy to politely decline. However, I did find the repeated approaches from the beauty salon particularly relentless.

We were approached almost daily, sometimes by different members of staff, who would ask if it was our first day and then try to sell us treatments, despite us having already declined on previous days.

We were told that red flags could be requested from the pool staff to help deter approaches, but unfortunately, this didn't resolve the issue for us.

More importantly, I would strongly advise anyone considering booking a treatment to double-check the price, currency and exact number of appointments before agreeing to anything.

We experienced a misunderstanding when arranging a treatment. The price was discussed in euros and then converted into Egyptian pounds, as that was the currency I had available. When I checked the figures afterwards, the Egyptian pound amount appeared to be higher than the agreed euro price would suggest.

We went back to cancel because the figures didn't seem right to me. The man at the salon checked the receipt and told us that the booking was actually for two sessions each for both myself and my husband. This was confusing, as I hadn't discussed booking any treatments for my husband, and it wasn't what I understood we had agreed to.

There was clearly a breakdown in communication, and we weren't comfortable proceeding with the booking as it stood. We were also told that the beauty salon wasn't affiliated with the hotel, meaning the hotel wasn't in a position to resolve the matter for us, and we had to deal with it directly with the salon.

I'm not suggesting everyone will have the same experience, but ours was frustrating and took away from the relaxing atmosphere we had otherwise enjoyed.

💡 My advice: Get the full price in writing, confirm exactly which treatments and how many sessions are included, and check any currency conversion carefully before agreeing or paying. Don't feel pressured to book simply because someone approaches you around the pool.

⚠️ Exploring Outside the Resort: Be Prepared for a Different Experience

We decided to leave the resort one evening and explore the nearby strip of shops. We expected the usual approaches from shopkeepers encouraging tourists to visit their stores, as we've experienced similar situations in Turkey before. We went with an open mind and were happy to browse. 🛍️

Unfortunately, the experience was much less pleasant than we expected.

When shopkeepers approached us, we politely explained that we were only looking around and weren't necessarily interested in buying anything. Rather than accepting our answer, some repeated our “no, thank you” in a mocking and condescending way before laughing.

What upset us most was that some of them began making fun of our son and following us along the strip. He was wearing sunglasses and a cap at night, which admittedly looked a little silly, but we didn't feel that justified adults making fun of a child.

The whole situation made us feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. We had only planned to enjoy a relaxed wander and see what was nearby, but the experience put a real dampener on the evening. It also made us reluctant to explore further outside the resort.

We understand that shopkeepers are trying to make a living and attract customers, and we fully expected to be approached. However, there's a clear difference between being persistent and making visitors feel uncomfortable or mocking their children.

💡 Our advice: If you're travelling with children and decide to explore the nearby shops, be prepared for persistent sales approaches. This was our personal experience, and we can't speak for every shopkeeper in the area, but it did affect how comfortable we felt exploring independently.

In the end, we preferred to enjoy the facilities within the resort rather than venture further outside.

💷 Is It Really Five-Star?

For me, this is where I have mixed feelings.

The grounds are exquisite, the pools are outstanding, the snorkelling is fantastic, the beach cabanas offer wonderful value, and many of the staff deliver genuinely exceptional service. Those elements absolutely give the resort five-star qualities.

However, the dated room, the delay with our extra bed, the inconsistency of the lunch and dinner options, the exclusivity that can sometimes divide the resort experience, and the other issues mentioned above meant the experience didn't feel consistently five-star from start to finish.

This is my personal opinion, of course, and other guests may feel differently. I simply think it's important to set realistic expectations when booking.

❤️ Would We Return? Absolutely!

Despite the things I've mentioned, we had a lovely 10 days and would absolutely recommend Sunrise Arabian Beach Resort.

In fact, we would return, if only to see some of the wonderful people we met there again. That really says everything about the impression they left on us.

If you're looking for beautiful grounds, gorgeous pools, Red Sea snorkelling and staff who can make you feel genuinely welcome, this resort has a lot to offer.

Just go with realistic expectations about the rooms and food, bring your beach shoes and snorkelling equipment, consider booking a beach cabana if your budget allows, ask about late checkout on your departure morning, and double-check any independent treatment bookings. If you venture outside the resort, be prepared for persistent sales approaches.

Thank you to everyone who helped make our stay so memorable. We were genuinely sad to leave, and we hope to see you again one day. 🌴🐠❤️

We stayed at the posh club for a week with 2 children. We had the best time and would highly recommend. The service was really good from the very attentive lifeguard (thanks Eslam) to the incredible room cleaner who left our children lovely towel animals on the bed (thanks Mohamed El Deeb). We were allowed 6 à la carte dinners across the week (food was great in all and it felt nice to have all dinners at the à la carte compared to previous hotels we’ve been to has usually been 2-3 visits) and we enjoyed table service breakfasts and lunches by the pool (within a few days Mostafa was on first name terms with the children which was a nice touch). We booked an excursion when we were there to do a buggy safari in the dessert with a camel ride which was fab. Our children enjoyed the ‘kids disco’ at 8.30 every night and also enjoyed some kids club activities which we were able to leave them to such as pizza making and cookie decorating. There was a butler service where you can WhatsApp them with any needs/questions which was helpful. We look forward to coming back again!