HOTEL REVIEWS
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THE SAVOY HOTEL
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
contact details PO Box 169, White Knight Beach, South Sinai, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt T: (+20) 69 360 2500/2 E:
mail@savoy-sharm.com W: www.
savoy-sharm.com
The Hotel: This is an integrated complex that includes The Savoy, upmarket Royal Savoy, The Villas, the Sierra Hotel, and a restaurant, shopping and entertainment complex called Soho Square, which is open to non-residents. Where Is It? It’s only 6km from the airport in Sharm El Sheikh, and 15km from the Naama Bay area from where most of the dive boats depart. The Room: I stayed in the Royal Savoy wing (54 rooms – the Savoy itself has 414), which has its own check-in area and a lounge serving breakfast, drinks and snacks. My room was extremely spacious with a spa bath, separate shower, luxury bathroom, four-poster king-sized bed, sitting area, desk and balcony overlooking the swimming pool. The Facilities: Royal Savoy guests on all-inclusive can use any restaurant or bar at the Savoy, or in the Soho Square complex, with supplements payable only for premium drinks or the most expensive menu choices such as fi llet steak or lobster.
MERCURE TROYES CENTRE Troyes, France
contact details 11 rue des bas Trévois 10000 Troyes, France T: 0033 3 2546 2828 E:
H3168@accor.com w:
www.mercure.com
The Hotel: On the site of an old knitwear factory (an industry for which Troyes was famous) but incorporating the attractive windows and with a 19th century loom as a centrepiece in the lobby. The modern city centre hotel has 71 rooms including seven family rooms and three for people with reduced mobility.
Where Is It? It’s about 10 minutes’ walk from Troyes’ beautiful old city centre with its dozens of superbly preserved medieval buildings, many now housing bars and res- taurants. The city also boasts 10 inportant churches and, more prosaically, offers comprehensive shopping. For city break stays or for those clients heading by road to the French Alps it’s an ideal midway stopping off point.
The Room: We stayed on the fourth fl oor in a functional but unusually spacious standard room (they come with a choice of twin or double beds). Facilities included bedside tables, a work desk/chest of draw- ers, small occasional table with easy chairs, large wardrobe, fl at screen TV with video
Discerning views on the latest hip hotels, at home and abroad
Savoy all-inclusive guests can use any bar/ restaurant in the hotel and get a 35% discount at Soho Square restaurants. The Savoy has six restaurants, including two by the beach, and fi ve bars ranging from the stylish Safari bar to the Cave, near the beach. The six restaurants in Soho Square serve Middle Eastern, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Japanese and steak menus, and the many bars and cafés include an Ice Bar, Oxygen Bar and the Queen Vic pub. All hotel guests get access to separate areas of the beach, and the Savoy has a spa, dive centre, water-sports centre, three adult swimming pools, two kids’ pools and other sports including tennis. Recommend To: Well-off couples (Royal Savoy), couples and families (Savoy), and families and younger couples (Sierra). The Cost: Most guests arrive on packages. One week’s all-inclusive at the Savoy in June costs from £1,269 (Manchester) or £1,285 (Gatwick) by Cosmos, including fl ights by Monarch Airlines and airport transfers (0871 423 8518,
www.cosmos.co.uk).
The Verdict:
Here you really do have everything in one place, and even if you stayed for two weeks you could eat somewhere different nearly every day. There are plenty of sports on offer too, so you might leave the resort only for boat cruises, a camel ride or quad biking. Dave Richardson
Exceptional OK
Stay Away! Loved It
19.00 and 22.00 most days (not Sundays). For business travellers there are three fully- equipped meeting rooms.
The hotel has secure underground car
on demand, tea/coffee-making equipment, mini-bar and free WiFi. There’s a large bathroom and a separate toilet. The Facilities: The hotel is very much a base for seeing the architectural splendour of Troyes. It doesn’t have a restaurant, although it serves a ‘Get Up and Go Organic’ breakfast in the breakfast room, in-room or at the Cotton Bar in the lobby. The spacious Cotton Bar is also a pleas-
ant place for an evening drink before hitting the town. Room service – with food including steaks – is available between
parking (although there is free public car parking across the road) and there are three restaurants right next door to the hotel plus scores more to choose from nearby in the city centre. Recommend To: Families or couples planning a weekend break in Troyes or looking for a convenient midway stop-off to the Alps or beyond. The Cost: Room rates start at 139 euros (approximately £114). The Verdict:
A good, surprisingly quiet city centre hotel and the perfect base for city sightseeing or as a mid- France stopover. Alan Orbell
Exceptional OK
Stay Away Loved It
www.sellinglonghaul.com • May/June 2012 25
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