Hotel La perla

The hotel La Perla stands in the heart of the region of Om El Sid Cliff, a little over a mile away from Sharm's old town, and approximately 20 minutes from Naama Bay. Allow a good half an hour by car for transfers to the airport (or even 40 min).

Opened in 1985, the La Perla has never undergone any serious renovations or been modernised. With 4 stars to its credit, it is one of the first hotels to have taken up residence in Sharm and it has retained somewhat of an excessive style. The core of the clientele is mostly Russian and British guests, who are also mostly middle-aged.

In the entrance hall (fitted with a ramp for guests with reduced mobility), a myriad of golden chandeliers with blue candles hang from the ceiling. The impact the reception has on visitors advertises the dominant style of the rest of the hotel: the various areas are stifled by a decor belonging to a bygone era, and the independent buildings made out of concrete do not help to brighten up the estate.

The 3 pools where disco music is played (a little loud in the early afternoon) are not extraordinary in terms of size, not to mention the colour of the water that left us perplexed. If you were not planning on spending your afternoons swimming, do avoid leaning against the railings around the pools. The hotel is bleak and charmless: a little colour (and a quick mop over) would be enough to give it a fresher look and liven up the atmosphere. Next to the main pool stands an imposing artificial palm tree, used to conceal - in typical Egyptian fashion - the satellite dish.

The hotel has a wellness centre, covered with multi-coloured tiles in the style of the 1980's. It consists of a room used for massages but also as a sauna, and a gym next to it, fitted with parquet flooring and equipped in a most basic fashion.

The hotel's common areas offer guests Internet access, which proves to be cheaper than in other hotels (£5 an hour).

The hotel has 106 rooms, incidentally all fitted with quality parquet flooring. Unfortunately, the somewhat outdated style extends to the apartments, where room service is available as part of the all-inclusive option (10:00am to 11:00pm). The apartments are furnished with dark elements that produce an austere style, which cannot be livened up by the blue of the door frames. The smell aside, the rooms have a pleasant view of the pool.

The fee for use of the safe isn't included in the price. The bathrooms are equipped with an 'old-style' boiler providing hot water.

The main restaurant is located on the floor below the reception. Its capacity of 115 seats is adapted to the needs of the hotel's target clientele, admittedly of a certain age. The menu is composed of international cuisine.

Served as a buffet and presenting a choice of dishes of disputable quality, the meals are nevertheless fairly varied: avoid the deep-fried dishes and raw vegetables and the very spicy dishes may give you heart burn, but an unpretentious pasta dish may be a good alternative after a day spent at the beach.