TUI MAGIC LIFE Kalawy

Having read many reviews on trip advisor before travel we had a good idea of what to expect. I will focus this review on correcting some misconceptions or one off issues other travellers may have had. 1 Tui airline - nice staff but clueless on visas at Hurghada - its either £25 or (but only at specific desks on your right before immigration U$D 25. Tui reps didnt help us at all and we ended up paying in sterling ie ripped off. 2 Location - its miles from anywhere - but we knew that before we booked and therefore expected the 1 hour 10 mins transfer in by the way an excellent coach - as were all the coaches we saw during the holiday 3 Check in - efficient and quick considering iit was past 11.00 pm. 3 rooms close together had been allocated at our request pre arrival by email 4 Food on arrival - limited but if you wait a few minutes more will arrive - its not the scraps from earlier 5 Rooms - excellent - if you want quiet ones go for block 22001 onwards - cant even hear anything from entertainment or activity pool. Yes problems happen but fixed quickly between 9 until 5,00 pm. Ensure you tip your room steward ( maybe £1 every couple of days and bit more at end and service you get is really good. 6 Food and drink - in main restaurant - food is excellent - amazing choices - too 1many really - an area and keep to it and tip the drinks waiter for good quick service. The 4 A la carte are good and you can dine at each one once per week (ie four times in total) for free and drinks (better wine) are still free. Food at pool bars available all day and good - grat burgers and fries - nice chilled sandwich buns. Beer ok, draught wine at bars and main restaurant poor, white better than red, spirits local and not strong. In the evening you can get a drink by going to bar but service poor - so tip waietr and agian good service. So take £10 to £20 in coin and you will have a good experince (and given what you have paid this is nothing) 7 Excursions - place so good we ony did the desert safari - 4x4 pick up at site - bench seats in rear of toyota, 50 mins to quad bikes (automatic old but ok) for 45 mins, take old sunglasses and scarf or pay. Then dune bashing to "bedouin" village - great but extreme - if you have back issues dont do it, Camel ride brief but fun, Off road buggies ok but short duration and slow. food and entertainment at village good - especially dancers. overal experience well worth it but only for 16 plus. 8 Facilities gym, tennis archery etc all brilliant - especially the archery - great instructor 9 Nationalities yes its probably 80 % german but its just not an issue - all staff understand english - OK at times keep it simple to be safe, everything written is multilingual and finally yes everybody reserves pool beds with towels but in late sept early oct we got beds anywhere evry day 10 departure Lunch packs can be ordered from reception, late check out until 18.00 possible for a fee, transfer good. Airport security heavy, muliple checks ,belts and shoes off, but no need to empty out electricals ???? random detailed bag serahes - just go with the flow and smile - no issue. all takes time so dont be late. Food in airport very limited but its airconditioned and clean - especially in the loos. Overal a fantastic 10 days,great resort, great staff, great food - would visit again Thank you TUi Kalawy

Let’s start with the ups the gardens are kept very nice from the Gardner’s ? Room was cleaned ok for the first week by the time it comes to your last day they don’t put as much effort in ...(because you ain’t tipping) The hotel is very German based they don’t like the English just want to take all your money (even though is an all inclusive) they work off the tips !! Very arrogant staff !! But laugh and joke with the Germans .... Food isn’t cooked properly on the griddle don’t except nothing off the fresh cooked part !!! The Welness centre (the spa) where can I start !!! They come round you everyday and chat the most lies !! I like to go in and book not get made to so I went in to book eyebrows and a manicure but they told me to have my eyebrows done I had to have a facial .....because I’m young girl they took advantage and took 90 pounds out my bank after telling me it’s euros after finding out I didn’t have to have the facial they conned me in to it !!! My dad went and told them to give a refund it took them about half an hour to do this whilst laughing and joking running ya about !!!! Abs disgusting arrogant people they should all be sacked on the spot !!! Then when my mum says no round the pool he sort of tutted and walked off fuking English !!!! Honestly really racist towards English !!!! Try ripping you off and when they Carnt they get mardy like children !!! As for the shops that are on site (wow) Mans selling fake trainers which are probably at the most 20 pound a trainer !! Bcuz he tried charging 40 pound a trainer my dad said we can get in England cheaper he got mardy ....so I went back offered him 800 eygtian for 2 pairs he told us both to get out his shop and get them in England after our trip to Cairo and seeing the prices there most of the product they are selling them 10 times to what there worth !! Tui rep tells you to haggle with them but when you do they get very angry ..the hotel knows about this and does nothing about it ...really arrogant people just trying to con you out of money but if i was German he would most probably would of done it...... Don’t go through falcon for your trips there terrible to reason why is the drivers didn’t have a clue where to go we was 2 hours late due to this so we was rushed through the museam went to the pyramids was rushed through there was lied to about the big pyramid saying we wouldn’t fit through so we didn’t go in later to find on you tube videos the gap was 1m wide and 9m tall for most of the decent down the last piece is 1m by 1m so is easy to get through so we were lied and robbed not to go in due to him rushing us to gift shops which they earn commission off every sale !! Missed out on so much on the trip due to this as he promotes his business on the tui hotel ...but if u want to do Cairo it an option for English (as tui only take the Germans and not the English !!!!) the only time we saw the reps around the pool was on the last day and when they was waving bye to us I don’t no how this hotel has been made into a 5 star ??? When I’ve stopped in better 3 stars at soma bay !!! More activities there !!! More pleasant staff Carnt anuff for you The entertainment is absolutely crap !!! Not for ages 16/27 all is really late plus the music is awful and not catered for the right people 90% of the music is for Germans !! and then you are to far away for a night out else where your in the desert as your far out it should be better as for kids club there not one English entertainer (that I’ve seen anyways) It’s like your in prison and have to waste money on horrible trips just to get out of the hotel !!!! I love egypt and my experience here 4 year ago in another hotel (3star) was amazing this hotel and the staff have truly put me off and probably won’t be returning which is a shame !!! and also my English friends the beach is like our beaches !!! No sand all stones !!! The only good bit to be honest is the house reef !! For snorkelling !!!! Eygpt is living off tourism !!!!!! So all British get ripped off in hotels !!!!! I have to put a 1 star as I carnt put none ....I would not recommend this hotel to British unless your willing to waste your hard earned money on tipping all staff to make your holiday enjoyable!!!!

The transfer to the hotel is about 1.5 hours, the hotel is beautiful, rooms are nice, (our milk and tea wasn’t replenished though, no idea why) The main restaurant serves the most amazing and delicious food, we booked our 4 a la Carte experiences but only attended 2 as the wait was awful and to be honest the food in the restaurant was much nicer! I can’t for the life of me understand why the only place kids can get ice cream is in the main restaurant, nothing by the pools....Tui, sort this out, you claim this hotel ‘takes all inclusive to the next level’.... how exactly? By putting a bottle of Pepsi & 7up in the fridge every day? The food by the slides pool is lovely, really tasty burgers and pizzas. The floor is really slippy with bare feet when wet so tip...wear your flip flops etc to get in the pool and walking around, quite a few people had nasty falls! The shops are ridiculously expensive and as there’s nothing else you have no choice. £11 for a little box of sudafed tablets, £17.50 for a pair of swimming shoes, didn’t go to them after the first night. The gardens are so beautiful, never seen anything like it, hats off to the gardeners! The reception staff aren’t very friendly and don’t smile much, unlike the waiters and pool staff and cleaners and gardeners, who are all really friendly! We had a real problem with Delhi belly, as did quite a few others. I can’t really comment on the snorkelling as the wind was quite strong the week we were there and churned it all up so was difficult to see anything, my son in law and partner said they saw some great fish to the right as you swim off the jetty. To sum up: Absolutely beautiful gardens Lovely hotel, nice rooms Gorgeous yummy food in main restaurant, possibly long wait for a la carte No ice creams for kids unless you go to main restaurant at meal times Long transfer Good air conditioning In the middle of nowhere so you can’t go out anywhere really and only 6 expensive shops.