Tobya Boutique Hotel - Taba, Egypt 

We've been to Taba several times as we love diving in the Red Sea and always stayed at the Hilton. Not any more! We've found a great new hotel which we can't wait to return to. The Tobya Boutique Hotel is one of the best hotels we've ever stayed in and offers a truly authentic Egyptian experience for anyone who doesn't like the big chains and the tacky 'all inclusive' holiday. The hotel is owned and run by Nadia and Sadiq Shalaby and their fantastic team. All the rooms in the hotel are different, there are two beautiful swimming pools and a private beach with its own coral reefs teeming with fish. We stayed on a half-board basis and weren't disappointed. We had the chance to try a variety of Egyptian specialities including falafel and koubeba, as well as stone baked pizzas and fresh salads. There are three chefs at the hotel so you won't go hungry and Egyptian wine is delicious! Nothing is too much trouble at the Tobya and we made some great friends in the two weeks we were there - Eygptian hospitality is some of the best in the world. If you're looking for a relaxing holiday in a gorgeous location with wall to wall blue skies and that personal touch that is sadly lacking in so many hotels, look no further than the Tobya - you wil not be disappointed. Tip: Book your flight through www.thomsonfly.co.uk and your accommodation direct with www.tobyaboutiquehotel.com - you'll get a much better deal!

We stayed here for 2 separate nights either side of a visit to Israel. The hotel itself is stunning, great design, very generous public areas and some really quirky design features. The two pool areas were very quiet. The rooms were an adequate size with balcony overlooking the pool and sea. The bathrooms were small, water pressure in the shower (over a half bath) was variable and a hair dryer was only available for one out of the two nights. The main problem with this hotel is the influx of Russian tourists who have been driving the staff to distraction we were told. When the staff realised we were not Russian, we were treated very differently. The buffet was stripped after 20 minutes of opening on an evening and after 1 hour at breakfast. Almost every other guest stuffed a bag full of goodies and then disappeared with it. We were told that this was inevitably left strewn around the room these guests vacated. The buffet was not replenished and this was the reason for our decision to change to a B&B basis on the second night rather than 1/2 board as we had initially booked. There are other eating options available for car drivers in the area and those who wish to explore other hotels in the vicinity (up to 18km away). The hotel provided a very efficient transfer to the border and collected us on request on our return. In spite of the other guests and some of our comments so far, we would still stay here again.