Four Seasons Sharm-El-Sheikh

A disappointing experience overall, much of which was likely due to our staying during a very busy period, the days of celebration after Ramadan in which many families in the Near and Middle East vacation. As a result, the pool was simply a madhouse, with screaming children and babies everywhere, and no adults-only pool. We had quite a bit of difficulty even securing an order for drinks. 

Rooms are dated and in response to that sharing my perspective on the rooms in the comment card, I received an email acknowledging the need to refurbish them and the goal of doing so in 2010. 

The spa is very small and a bit chaotic, much less impressive than the one in the FS Nile Plaza. Excellent treatments, however, which is what’s most important.

Large breakfast buffet, of uneven quality. Their high-end Italian restaurant provided the worst meal of our time in Egypt (for example: almost inedible “green lasagna” that was basically a bowl of ground beef and tomato sauce).

All this said, the exteriors and grounds are achingly beautiful. It’s simply unbelievable how green and lush they are, with flowering tendrils and vines cascading from terraces and balconies everywhere you look, and courtyards and fountains galore. Unlike the FS Nile Plaza, anytime you are outdoors or in a public area you feel, undeniably, that you are somewhere different and distinct, somewhere that leverages the aesthetic of the Middle East to provide its guests with luxury contextualized within atmosphere. If only the private areas provided that same sense . . . and perhaps soon they will, although the very homogeneous, rectangular format of the rooms will always present a challenge to creating a private space as exciting as the public ones. (We were in the third category up from the standard room, I believe—once again, we received an upgrade and the other Virtuoso amenities thanks to David O).

So I imagine that when the resort is less crowded, it can be a very nice stay, and that will be especially true once the room renovation is enacted. But the lack of an adults-only pool is a fatal flaw, in my mind, and would prevent me from going back.