WITH our wedding less than a year and a half away, my fiancé Ryan and I decided to take a break from all the stressful planning and treat ourselves to a quick week in the sun.
However, we didn’t for one second imagine we’d be able to enjoy a luxurious, out-of-this-world holiday, not while saving for our honeymoon.
But when we saw the chance to stay at Rixos Radamis for a week — a five-star, all-inclusive hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh that looks more like a grand Egyptian palace than a resort — we jumped at it.
Imagine everything your dream holiday could have, and then times it by a thousand, and you might just come close to what this incredible resort has to offer.
In fact, calling it a ‘resort’ doesn’t do it justice.It’s more of a magnificent little island all on its own, tucked away inside the Nabq Bay area of this popular Red Sea destination.
Once inside its hallowed walls, it was easy to forget the rest of the world actually existed.
The second we arrived, we knew we were in for something special.
From the outside, everything exuded luxury, and inside the massive lobby with its marble floors and gold chandeliers, we knew that we were where the other half holiday.
Rixos has five hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh, but I would struggle to believe anyone who didn’t agree that the Radamis tops them all.
It’s split into three large areas, first, there’s Tirana, which is perfect for families with children, with its brightly coloured themed rooms.
Then there’s the Blue Planet section, which more caters to couples and adult groups.
And finally, there is the brand new Beach area, which is where we stayed. In fact, it’s so new, it was blissfully and peacefully quiet. But I doubt it will stay that way for long!
After a long day of travelling, we just wanted to get straight to our room, have a sleep and wake up ready for a week of bliss.
Talking of which, the room was MASSIVE! It had a super comfy, king-size bed and a huge bathroom with a walk-in style shower and two large sinks, so no more fighting when getting ready at night.
But it was the huge balcony that overlooked the beach and sea that stole my heart.
They weren’t joking when they called it the ‘beach’ area — the golden sand and crystal blue waters really were the star of the show. Directly below us was the pool, and over to the left we could see the Red Sea stretch for miles.
The next morning we woke up super excited to start our holiday proper.
There was so much to explore in the resort with three pools, 15 restaurants, five bars and three lounges. And being all-inclusive, you needn’t worry about any huge bills to shock you on checkout.
Although it was impossible to sample everything in just seven days, we sure gave it our best shot!
We both love our grub, so we headed to the People’s restaurant on the beach to grab some lunch from the buffet and loved it so much we went back every single day!
After satisfying our hunger, we had a quick tour of the place in a little buggy, which left our heads spinning. The place is huge.
To give you an idea, to get from our room to the main Blue Planet area, we had to get a bus!
But after lying at the pool all afternoon and changing quickly into our glam evening outfits, we found that the buses arrived every few minutes, and before we knew it, we were in the heart of the action.
I’ve never been someone who is all that keen on hotel entertainment, but Rixos Radamis takes theirs to a whole new level!
There’s a massive stadium in the middle of the resort where we were treated to an incredible Madonna show, where talented dancers recreated the pop sensation’s music videos as we sipped delicious cocktails well into the night.
Music is a huge part of Rixos Radamis, and workers have actually just finished building a new second arena that fits 6,000 people right in time for superstar Enrique Iglesias, who performed on May 3.
And it will definitely be full when Jennifer Lopez comes to perform on July 4 — I told you this is where the rich and famous holiday.
For most of the week, we enjoyed nights of dancing and drinking, before heading back to our room to enjoy some of the best sleeps we’ve ever had abroad.
Days were spent either relaxing at the glorious pool or on the gorgeous beach, topping up our tan and sipping drinks.
And whenever we weren’t watching a show in the evening, we were in the hotel’s lively and friendlyIrish Bar where Ryan watched some football matches and I sipped even more delicious cocktails.
But the one thing that was even more delicious than the drinks was the mouth-watering food.
My, oh my, every single meal we had was absolutely divine.
Every restaurant offers five-star service. We were particularly fond of our dinners at the Mexican restaurant Cactus and Rasam, which serves Indian cuisine.
But the one that topped the lot was The Mangal, which offers a very special culinary experience.
Here we feasted on incredible BBQ food served by our own private chef as wewatched the sun set over the beach. Life just doesn’t get any better.
There are so many highlights from our time in Rixos Radamis that it’s hard to list them all, but what I will say is make sure you book a Cabana with a jacuzzi for a special treat.
We had one glorious day in one, where we were served cocktails by the amazing staff as we looked out at the sea from our jacuzzi under the scorching sunshine — absolute heaven.
And one standout memory just has to be our incredible gondola ride.
That’s right, there’s a gondola that glides up a gorgeous river-like lagoon in the middle of the ‘Beach’ section, surrounded by hanging twinkling lights while you are serenaded with beautiful, soft harp music.
It was one of the most romantic experiences of my life, and I’ll carry that moment with me forever.
Our holiday to Rixos Radamis was one of the best of our lives — it had everything we could dream of and more.
If our honeymoon is half as special, spectacular and unforgettable, I will be over the moon.
