Actually I have chosen the hotel based on reviews in Trip Advisor. Some worries about the food services in summer time when temperatures can go above 40°C pushed me to go over reviews of more hotels. But this SunRise was definitelly good choice.

Hotel - Good location, having another SunRise chain hotel alongside, so you can even have some good walks by the evenings. Comfortable rooms, clean, every day serviced inclusive mini bar refill. 3 bars + 1 water pipe bar will make your stay definively comfortable. Really EVERYTHING is included when you buy AI blue stripe (well, add USD3 for ShiSha water pipe tabacco please)

Pool - 2 really good size, temperature was lower to the sea, so more people have chosen pool with direct access to bar service. Even there seems to be plenty of sun loungers at the pool, you should`n miss to put your towel on time. Beach towels provided free of charge.

Beach - Real plenty of sunloungers with wind breaks, even part of our stay was hotel full, no problem to get the place any time a day. If you want to enjoy underwater life, you should take boat trip, there is definitely nothing you can see or find in hotel beach area.

Food - Mexican Restaurant is excellent, Asian also very good, main restaurant OK, may sound a bit repetitive to people focused on their usual home meals. Every day along the week different meals, plenty of vegetables, fruits, sweets and local cakes with honey.

Drinks - Very good choice and they keep coming even if you do not ask (excellent service at bars). You will love Cleopatra, Sunrise, Mamlouk, Pharao`s Breakfast and other special mixed drinks, even non alcoholic versions for your kids.

Staff - All excellent and very friendly - no hassle from anyone inside the hotel grounds. Shifts changing probably on weekly bases, so if you give a chance to newcomers, you`ll receive excellent service in reward.

Entertainment - Animation Team around the pool area, similar every day, more evening entertainment is in the sister hotel next door.

Trips - Don`t miss the 1 Day Luxor trip which included Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatsepshout Temple, boat trip along the Nile - long day but excellent.

Worth the value is Sindbad submarine, best to buy the event for the morning dive (to have clear waters) at hotel lobby local representative, you may save up to 50% of agency price.

1 day snorcheling trip with 4 stops you can buy locally on the beach, prices are negotiable, 1 family can perform good savings.
There are plenty others to choose from as well.

Hurghada Town - Prepare to be hassled by the shopkeepers. This is typical for the country, these people like to speak and negotiate. If you keep the way, you`ll enjoy it. But for those who like shopping for fixed price, better you stay at the hotel and go shopping oposite side of the street - left part of shopping area, there are already some shops of such kind.

Hurghada DISCO - 2 options. Either you choose the bar with Arabic music and dancers, but no dancing for you or you go some recommened brands. Ministry of Sound - not that special as announced, AquaFun - small and empty, Africa nothing special, Marina area - just bars with small place, no real dancing at all.
The best we have found was Calypso with good dance & house style music, full drums and professional DJs. Don`t hesitate of relatively high entrance fee L.E.80, you will receive additional free tickets for the next visit or for your friends. Good prices inside, even less than in pubs of Marina area. Friendly staff, they can manage songs by wish if you ask, even Arabic top hits.
Disco life starts about 11p.m.

Hurghada Airport - Good selection of shops for last minute shopping. Fixed prices.

Currency - Egyptian Pound, Euros or US Dollars are all widely accepted. You better collect smaller banknotes, it helps you when shopping.

I have just returned from a 2 week stay at the Mamlouk with my family (there were 8 of us!!). Right let's take it one thing at a time.

Check in was brilliant, staff very helpful and friendly and spoke good English. After getting off the coach the next time we saw our bags was in our room!!!

Room was very spacious and very clean. Complementary toiletries that were replaced whenever you used them. The kids looked forward to going back to our room on the evening to see what animal had been made out of our towels! (Good way of getting them out of the pool!) Safe was free and very easy to use. Whatever previous reviews say our fridge was full and was re stocked daily for no extra charge. Even if it wasn't our cleaner came every day to see if the room was ok and if we needed anything. Only thing i missed was tea and coffee making facilites in the room.

It's obvious that the hotel is still new and finishing touches are being done daily (this never affected our holiday). For example there were no lights on the bridges over the swimming pool on our first night, but by the 2nd night they had appeared and later on in the holiday spot lights on the roof were put up to overlook the pool. The slides however have STILL not been finished!!!

Swimming pools brilliant, with several "walk in" bits which is great for the kids. You have to be up early if you want the beds round the pool as we found they were all gone by 7.30ish. I have to say that for me the "swim up" bar was a bit disappointing as you didn't really swim up to it but stepped up to it out the water, but that didn't stop me using it!!! Towel service excellent just change them at the end of the day for fresh ones.

Beach was fantastic, especially for kids. Plenty of sunbeds and shade, you need to get up early if you want the front 2 rows of beds, but if not you can get sunbeds at any time of the day and whereever you are it isn't far from the sea. We had a great few hours several times in our holiday when the tide was out walking along the SIDE of the jetti, looking at all of the small crabs, sea urchins, starfish,etc the kids loved it!!!

Hotel shops or shops over the road, wherever you are - haggle, and if you buy more than one thing before you leave the shop check your carrier bag has everything you bought - i bought 3 beach bags and when i got to my room there was only 2 - I didn't get caught out again.

The hotel also has a bus that goes into Hurghada town. When you book the bus at reception they do not mention that you are charged for this. You find out when you check out and are given a bill. Not very expensive but just be aware.

Trips. You have to go snorkelling its out of this world either with the rep or the hotel doesn't matter and the aquapark was surprisingly good all food and drink included for the day! We also went to Luxor for 2 days. The armed convoy on the way there and back is an experience and site all of its own. We were lucky enough to visit Valley of the Kings when King Tut's mummy was actually in his tomb. Absolutely incredible. Very tiring two days but absolutely well worth it.

You may have noticed I haven't mentioned food yet and I'm afraid its not because I'm leaving the best til last! The buffet restaurant has very friendly and helpful staff but the food is sooooo repetitive. I am most definitely not a fussy eater (you should see the size of me!!) but I can tell you I was struggling to eat anything after a few days. Most things seemed to come in a very runny tomato sauce (peas, potatoes, baked beans to name a few!). The a la carte restaurants, Tex Mex and Asian are better, but obviously being in Egypt, not what you would expect from that type of restaurant if you were in England. Lunchtime you can also eat in the pool or beach bar. Again very repetitive pizza, chips, spicy chicken sandwich are the only choices every single day.

I do have a lifeline however!!! Next door in Sunrise Garden Beach (you can use all the facilities in this hotel) there is an a la carte Italian restaurant, that you don't have to book, AND it's open lunchtimes aswell as evening. I have to say the food is excellent - it's just a shame for us we didn't discover it sooner!!

On the whole most waiters were very friendly and helpful. Another tip - Just make the effort to say thankyou in arabic - Shukran- and they go crazy!!! You are suddenly half egyptian and they can't do enough for you. I think its because they are so used to the ignorant and rude east european guests!!!!

Million dollar question - would I go back again? The answer to this is Yes i would, but in a couple of years time when all the fine tuning has been done and they have a bit of feedback to work on and, unless something drastic happens with the food, I would be in the Italian Lunchtimes and dinnertimes!!!!

Having booked with Panorama in August 2007 for two weeks at the Grand Siva, we were informed nine weeks prior to departure, that we would be now staying at the Mamlouk Palace, as Thomas Cook now dealt with all Panorama bookings. This was a 'take it or leave it' offer, of which we accepted with some reservations about this hotel not being suitable.
On arrival the rooms had not been allocated, and as we were two couples, wanted rooms together, and as two fot he party were disabled, wanted something no more than first foor. We got second floor, ( 4 flights of stairs).As the block was close to reception/dining room/bar, and not at the far end of the complex,we accepted.On arrival the roomswere very clean, plenty of towels etc, a 'fridge' ( more a cool box ),which was stocked with soft drinks, but only stocked once, thereafter had to be bought. WHY?As we were all inclusive , the drinks were paid for anyway!!No tea/coffe facilities, as we were told the a bar was open 24 hours for tea etc, but that meant having to get dressed, go up and down flights of stairs just for a cup of coffee!!
Room service then went downhill daily. Constant complaining about having no towels,toilet paper and toiletries in the room.Floors not swept.building working being carried out ,with an angle grinder in constant use directly outside our block, and even being used one morning at 0130 hours for nearly an hour.We were compensated by management for this, when we threatened to make an official complaint to Thomas Cook.We received a late room booking and the ladies got a full massage cheaper.
The hotel is not suitable for wheelchairs or walking difficulties disabled as there is no lifts, and all blocks are down flights of stairs from reception.
The food was passable by repetative, more suited to the Eastern Europeans staying there .The TEXMEX and ORIENTAL restuarants can be used (and were) on as many occasions as you wished, but book early.
For the older tourist, I found not a lot to do outside the hotel trip-wise, apart from Luxor, which we did over two days. Once again not altogether suitable for disabled, as involved a lot of walking over rough ground(Valley of the Kings and Temples).Temperatures were in the 50s , so very ,very hot with little shade.
The Thomas Cook rep, Julia was a truly helpfull person ,dedicated to her job, who did listen and act on our comments ?complaints, and got things sorted.
The sea is too cloudy for snorkling.
Would I use this hotel again? No.Would I go back to Hurghada? Probably not, as Sharm el Shiek was far better.

we just came back from surise mamlouk palace in Hurghada....
it was beautifull holiday....everything was great from the hotel, room, staff and food...
we had wonderful time over there the food was excellent we had a wide varity of food ....really u can't go hungary at this hotel .... the service was excellent they always serve with a big smile on thier faces...