So,we booked 2 weeks with El Samaka Beach Hotel in octomber 2007. The arrival was not very sweet,as we thought that transfer to/from hotel-airport was included in the package,but...there was nobody waiting for us. Taxi to the hotel should be around 15 to 30 egypt lira / 2-4 euro, depending on how many passengers/cargo you have. i was carrying windsurf equipment,so they charged 30 egypt lira. The bungalow was close to the swiming pool and to the beach,of course. Decent conditions,2 beds,tv, a/c(noisy,but done it's job), fridge(served it's purpose), bathroom - clean! - water was a bit of a mistery at beggining: cold water ok( a bit redish,but i guess it's normal..coming from the red sea,probably), hot water.....well,there was some....time...mostly from sunrise to sunset,becouse of the heating system that releyed on solar power. All packeges (or at least most of them) come with halfboard included,so, we gave it a try :
1. Breakfast was very complex: 10 sortiments of bread, butter, 4-5 jams flavour, omlette or derivants from egg, fruits. ok to keep you going for about 15 minutes. Ohhh,almost forgot...coffee was columbian aroma in lot's of water.(we didn't try the tea)
2. Dinner was very sophisticated : everybody dressed accordingly..pasta with red souce, rice,fish,some kind of meat with souce, salad, desert. (drinks not included).
Coming back at room and service details..everything was ok, no security problems in the room or outside ( the room had a safe box - they charged 6$ for the entire period ) , the cleaning was impressionable, the houskeeper insisted in building all sorts of animals using the towels!
Good stay for us,decent conditions,depends on what you want to spend...if you're into kitesurfing the good spots are 5-10minutes away by taxi ( or 10 Lira ), windsurfing can be done from the hotel beach, but it's not the spot...wind was ok for kite or big sails, but that was my luck.
On the bad side : the locals can be very annoying in the morning/ afternoon/ but especially in the evening when everybodys out walking,shopping...they virtually pull you into they're shops, they have no respect for your privacy. ( this is only out on the street, not in the hotel). They are lot's of pharmacy's in hurghada which means that there could be problems with the food, we had our share....4-5 good restaurants around...for those interested in night life, i have no idea! i've heard of ministry of sound and another couple of names that seemed to be funny for clubbers..
Enjoy Hurghada!