Xperience St George Homestay

On our way back from a week stay in this hotel. All in all, you get what you pay for - a budget friendly all inclusive in Egypt.

Cleanliness: Couldn’t fault the cleanliness of this hotel. Pool area was cleaned daily and the restaurant was always clean and tidy at every meal.

Rooms: We were upgraded on arrival to a premium room - was grateful for this but I’m not sure what the upgrade was - possibly a pool view? Regardless, the beds were comfy - a king size bed and clean bedding every day! Bathroom in the room was decent in size and had everything you’d need. Hairdryer connected to the wall too.

Pool: We spent the first day at the main pool but only lasted one day before moving over to the quiet pool. This quiet pool was just that - no blaring music, activities or games - just a pool to swim and relax in. That is until you have some guests who feel it is their personal pool to scream, splash and smoke in. Both myself and other guests raised this issue with management but not much seemed to be done about it which was a shame - thankfully this only seemed to be an issue on the last few days of our holiday. We came late June into early July and the quiet pool had sun loungers laying empty all day - we got to the pool by 9 in the morning and there were mostly empty loungers next to the pool so no sunbed wars to report! Plenty of shade with umbrellas and tables on most pairs of sun beds which can be up or down depending on your preference. Lifeguard / towel staff are more than happy to help you lift or put down your umbrella as they can be quite tricky if you’re vertically challenged like me.

Beach: We visited sandy beach using the shuttle and have no complaints really. Nice enough beach but kept getting asked to buy cocktails, spa treatments and water activities so left early as it got to the point it was every 10-20 minutes we were being asked to buy something else - not what I want at a “private” hotel beach.

Food: The food is what you can expect from an Egyptian all inclusive, however a smaller selection to what I’ve had in similar places. Usually vegetarian, 2-3 different meat options and fish at every meal, and always broccoli and carrots for vegetable options. Lots of fresh bread on offer which was kept wrapped. Restaurant also air conditioned which was a welcomed feature in June/July heat! The food did get a bit samey by the end, and as someone who doesn’t eat meat on the bone, I struggled a little bit but that’s a personal preference which I don’t expect to be catered for. If I had kids, I think they would have struggled as other places usually have staple chips, pizza, chicken every night, this hotel didn’t and I would have struggled with children and having enough to eat. Side note: the “à la carte” at the hotel is a paid feature which I didn’t realise before coming. Prices didn’t seem horrendous but again, I didn’t expect to have to pay for an à la carte service as usually this is included once in an all inclusive stay.

Staff: Staff I couldn’t fault enough. Nothing was too much hassle and they couldn’t do enough to. Make your experience as best as it could be! Saad at the quiet pool bar was exceptional. Tipping goes a huge way and a £100EGY goes a long way! It’s pennies to us but makes the world of difference to them!

Hotel facilities: À la carte mentioned above. My biggest piece of advice is avoid the hotel shops (groceries, bags, memorabilia etc). We went in the first day and got the wool pulled over our eyes and got charged £15 GBP for a tube of Pringles and a packet of m&ms - we then went back into the other shops (all under the same man) who tried to charge us extortionate amounts for items that were price marked as much lower, and he wasn’t overly friendly when these were pointed out. I think he sees tourists coming and overcharges for items that others likely get a lot cheaper. Highly recommend getting a taxi using InDrive app to a local supermarket - itll be cheaper than using the hotel shop which will have you believing £8 GBP is acceptable for a tube of pringles! Gym was not air conditioned so avoided this - wouldn’t have been too bad in early morning hours but it didn’t open until 10, and by then it was overwhelmingly hot.

Entertainment: We didn’t watch the entertainment. Tried the first night but an outdoor theatre with mosquitos, no air conditioning and a “bar” with none of the usual drink selection and no ice is not something I wanted to partake in every night. We tended to sit in the reception bar who were showing the World Cup every night and had air conditioning - a much more pleasant experience! The hotel provide shuttles to Old Market and Naama bay on alternative nights but we used the InDrive app to get a taxi. Go and come back unrestricted and cost about £1 to go to Old Market and £1.50 to go to Naama bay. We also got a taxi to Soho Square which was our favourite place of all. Highly recommend eating at Soho Square when you’re there! Nice shops and good relaxed vibe when you’re there! Old market and Naama bay are much busier and you can’t walk past a shop without being asked to go in and have a look. We found a simple no thanks would work for the majority. Just keep walking and people tended not to follow apart from a few individuals who got the point eventually!

Summary: all in all, you get what you pay for at a 3.5/5 star all inclusive in Egypt. Staff cannot do enough and facilities clean, spacious and comfortable. Food could use improvement but again, it’s what you expect when you pay not an extortionate amount to stay. Pools ideal for what you need and quiet pool is as it says on the tin (mostly): quiet.

We have just returned from a second stay at this hotel & have had a wonderful time once again. Checking in we were so impressed as they welcomed us back (3 years since last visit) which we were very impressed with this. From the time we checked in & out we rate this 100 The staff at this hotel are awesome alway's ready to help with anything, friendly with excellent customer service. Mo who was working in the quiet pool is a absolute credit to this hotel alway's has a smile on his face & nothing was too much for him (excellent customer service) treated all guests with respect. Pool guys 100 extremely helpful. All your staff who work at your hotel is what makes your stay lovely & more than likely is the reason people return again & again. Also a big thank you to the guys who work on the front gate for being helpful, friendly.

One of the most relaxed holidays I have had on arrival we were warmly welcomed by reception staff and taken to our room- following morning from the pool staff to bar staff we were amazed at the friendliness we were shown- if you take a room by the quiet pool you can chill all day no forced fun but the other pool was buzzing if that’s your thing - food choices were good and there was always something to enjoy. We enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back but what really makes this a stand out experience is the staff. A must for a stay is a visit to Nathan’s on sight restaurant fantastic food and even better service from Ibrahim