What is the food and restaurant experience like at an all-inclusive resort in Egypt?

Coffee on the beach is reported as very tasty. At breakfast, many guests self-serve coffee from a coffee machine. If you want coffee in the room without going down, it's more convenient to bring your own cup/thermos — every room has a balcony.

At the Palms resort, the food was rated excellent — a friend staying at another resort was envious (they only liked their à la carte restaurants). Minor downside: waiters occasionally brought the wrong alcohol or coffee order, but corrected it quickly.

Tipping practice: about $1-2 per dinner each day, plus tips during the day at the bar and lobby; guests also bring chocolate as gifts. In return, staff is very attentive — remembering drink preferences and keeping the same table reserved for guests starting from breakfast.

At Sweet Home guests can't grab coffee themselves — you must order and wait, and staff was reportedly brusque about people trying to serve themselves; the setup only has 3 waiters for the whole room. Pastries look nice but taste mediocre ('plastic-cake' vibe), while the buns are genuinely tasty (one guest even carried some home) — cakes are just ordinary.

At Sweet Home (the pastry shop), daytime offerings are limited to buns, cookies, and a few pastries, but after 19:00 the selection expands considerably, including various pastries and fruit. Cakes and cheesecake were not spotted. The latte is good — on par with coffee at Columbus.

At Diamond hotel, waiters in the main restaurant rarely approach tables at breakfast and lunch — guests typically have to call them over or fetch coffee themselves. Coffee machines in the restaurant frequently break down. Dinner service is more attentive. By comparison, at Makadi Bay waiters are noticeably more proactive and may check in multiple times during a meal.

At some restaurants, waiters give guests a chocolate bar on their first visit when showing them to a table. On subsequent meals, the treat may be brought at lunch or dinner once all drinks have been served.

At the smaller Equinox hotel, staff quickly remember guests and the atmosphere feels homey. Waiters are friendly and attentive. Note this experience was in January — service quality may vary by season.

Coffee is good in several spots: by the pool after breakfast, in the lobby, and waiters bring cappuccino and other types at breakfast on request. Americano is strong and aromatic. Black coffee from a jug is the breakfast standard.

The fish restaurant by the pool is worth visiting in the evening — it serves grilled red fish. The main restaurant also offers fish at dinner, but only mullet or pre-cooked portions (rolls, fish on vegetables). À la carte restaurants (Egyptian, Indian, Italian) operate on different days and require booking via the hotel app.

The main buffet is modest. Fruit selection is limited: apples, grapes, peaches, melon, grapefruit, plum, bananas — and not all are available at every meal (melon only at breakfast, for example). Greens are scarce. However, bread, rolls and pastries are always fresh, and breakfast sometimes includes apple-style pies. Freshly squeezed juices are good.

The pastry shop in the main building operates in the evenings, offering tea, coffee, a wide selection of cakes, pastries, rolls, and fruit. The barista remembered regulars and silently prepared their coffee upon arrival. Regular guests were sometimes let in after closing to grab pastries. Staff occasionally gave guests an Alyonka chocolate bar or a dollar as a gesture of goodwill.