I stayed at this hotel last week and will not be in a hurry to go back. I agree with previous poster's comment that hotel is stuck in a time warp, but the staff was very friendly and helpful.

I took a cab from the airport (long hour with a cab driver who smoked and listened to the call to prayer the entire way). I got uneasy as it seems like most of the buildings in Alexandria were crumbling and should probably be condemned. Sheraton was a little better but that's not saying much.

At check-in, the FDA was very welcoming and said "we don't often get Platinum guests here". I was upgraded to a jr seaview suite with a view of the beach and the Montaza Castle. When I entered the room I noticed my balcony door was open several inches and my room was full of flies, so I spent the first 10 mins killing them.

I did an early check-in and was told I could have breakfast in the lounge or the restaurant. Had a nap then went to lounge at 09:30 for a light breakfast. There was only one staff member in the lounge (no guests) and none of the food had been touched yet! By the time I left, 3 other guests arrived.

The hotel delivered a welcome platter of store bought cookies and some fruit (one apple, pear, banana and grapes). I love trying exotic fruits/vegetables when I travel but there were none here.

The Sheraton has a private beach, but it's across a very busy road. There is someone wearing a reflective vest and armed with a baton and a whistle to help you cross. They do have little cabanas that you can use for free on the beach.

I decided to lounge by the pool so I could have access to wifi. (I also broke a toe in Paris two days before so was trying to limit my walking.) Even though the pool area was quite busy, I was the only female in NA swimwear.

I booked a massage at the hotel spa which was a great deal (271 EGP = US$15 for 1 hr Swedish massage), but sadly, my therapist must have thought I was a wimp as I could not convince her to put some muscle into it. Spa is in the basement right next to the garage.

The evening service in the lounge includes 1 free glass of wine or 1 can of beer per guest (or so I was told at check-in). The food was awful. There was one hot dish of meatballs (I'm a vegetarian) and the only other food was white bread rolls and a pickled cauliflower/carrot/peppers combo. No cheese, no raw veggies, nothing else. I tried to tell the lounge attendant I was a vegetarian and could I get something else, but the language barrier was too great. I was offered a second glass of wine, but after 15 mins of waiting, I just gave up and went to eat snacks I had in my room. A few minutes later, one of the lounge attendants delivered the glass of wine to my room. ^

One of the concierges, Ayman, was outstanding. I wanted to buy a postcard/stamp and charge it to my room, but he said I couldn't do that so he took me to the gift shop and just spoke the lady in Arabic and I wasn't charged at all. I chose one which was ratty with curled edges which they could have never sold anyhow. LOL

The following morning, I had breakfast in the restaurant which was extremely crowded. Lots of children in Egypt BTW. I saw people reaching into the food bowls with their hands, so I opted for a made to order omelette.

At check out, I was asked how I liked my stay. I mentioned the flies in my room and my disappointment in the lounge. FDA said I should have called about the flies, and should have asked for something else in the lounge. Next time.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the wifi was terrible. There were many websites that I could not load.