Pickalbatros Citadel Resort Sahl Hasheesh is ideally located in the heart of Sahl Hasheesh, just a one-minute drive from the Red Sea and five minutes from Old Town Sahl Hasheesh. This beachfront resort is approximately 29.9 km from Hurghada Marina and 5.5 km from Makadi Bay Beach, offering guests both tranquility and easy access to nearby attractions.
Please note that stays on 31st December include the New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner as part of the room rate.
Guests can unwind in one of the resort’s four outdoor swimming pools or maintain their routine at the fully equipped fitness center. Additional amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the property, concierge services, and on-site gift shops.
The resort features an impressive culinary offering with six restaurants and a café, serving a variety of international and local cuisines. Guests may also enjoy refreshing beverages at the poolside bar or in one of the five bars and lounges. A complimentary grab-and-go breakfast is available daily from 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM.
For added convenience, the resort provides dry cleaning and laundry services, a 24-hour front desk, and luggage storage. Airport round-trip shuttle services are available at an additional charge, while free self-parking is offered on site.
Each of the 514 air-conditioned rooms is designed for comfort and relaxation, featuring a minibar, LED television, complimentary Wi-Fi, and a private bathroom with shower, hairdryer, and free toiletries. Rooms also include a telephone, in-room safe, and a separate seating area for added comfort.
"The sea view from this hotel is beautiful, and the property is quite large, giving it a real resort feel. There are about four or five restaurants, but the food is a bit monotonous and average. If you're not too picky about food and just want to sunbathe, enjoy the sea view, and swim in shallow waters, then it's a good choice.
Regarding the discrimination everyone is concerned about, it definitely exists, and it's specifically targeted at Chinese guests. When dining at the Asian restaurant and another nearby one, there were several ****** waiters. They would serve white guests with a smile, proactively asking what juice they wanted, but completely ignore Chinese guests or pretend not to understand what juice they were asking for. It's not overt discrimination, but you can feel the subtle bias everywhere.
From the moment I checked in at the front desk with my Chinese passport, it seemed the differential treatment began. I visited in early June during the off-season, and the hotel was noticeably empty and quiet. Yet, they insisted that buildings 3 and 4 were full and that only a ground-floor room was left in building 5. The front desk staff's attitude was also very poor. Only one gentleman during checkout and a lady named Riwan, who spoke excellent Chinese, treated Chinese guests well.
It's not about tipping! Because most of the white guests I observed were 'poor whites' who didn't tip anyway – wealthy whites would be in Southern Italy, not here. Yet, the staff treated them much better. For Chinese guests, they would rudely shout 'China, China, nihao' and try to scam more money. Sigh, there were still some staff members who had good attitudes and didn't discriminate. There was also a bellboy who proactively smiled and helped me; I tipped him because I felt his service was well-deserved.
In summary, that's my experience. Many Chinese tourists choose this place, roughly half of the total guests, paying the same price, but unfortunately not receiving equal treatment."