My family had just finished a 6-day stay at Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. It was a perfect stay, except for the daytime heat, especially in the afternoon, but meanwhile, we had not seen a single cloud in our 6 days’ stay.
Although our experience of landing at Riyadh airport was not pleasant at all, landing at RSI (Red Sea International Airport) was a completely different story. All flights in and out of RSI use tarmac, with no bridge connecting to the terminal. After we walked down mobile stairs, we saw one worker holding a big sign that read “ Red Sea Guests”. Following his direction, we entered a sunken garden leading to two automatic doors. Entering that door, we went through a walkway, then another auto-door, and entered a huge hall like a gallery with several workers greeting us. They confirmed our name and resort, and we sat on a sofa and enjoyed the Arabic coffee/tea and dates. They took our luggage tag and told us they would get it and directly send it to our villa.
After a five-minute rest and chat, the chauffeur team escorted us to a Mercedes EQS 450 sedan fleet waiting outside. Five of us took two sedans. We arrived at Turtle Bay Resort after a 15-minute drive and were led into a waiting room for the speedboat. We stepped outside, took some pictures of the resort beach, and they came to tell us the boat was here. From the waiting room to the pier is about 300 meters; they still send buggies as transportation. And without touching any of your bags or luggage unless you want to, you are on the boat to the resort.
It took 30 minutes for the speedboat trip to Nujuma pier. The view on the trip was phenomenal. We saw several islands in large-scale construction. Probably another 4-5 hotels/resorts are coming this or next year.
Several people were waiting for us at the pier welcoming centre, including Director of Rooms, Mr. Suniel, and our Personal Host, or Nujma, Cynthia. We were offered ice-cold mocktails, Watermelon Rosé, and refreshing towels. Cynthia led us to the buggy after a short chat. There’s no check-in process since our passport information was emailed to the resort before departure. So we were taken to our villa right away.
Our first three nights stayed in the 2-Bedroom Reserve Beach Villa. It is huge compared to all one-bedroom villas we have stayed in the Maldives or Thailand, or even French Polynesia. The resort page listed 229 sq meter but that definitely does not include the deck, pool, and outdoor space. Just the pool is a good size, which is listed as 45 sqm on the website. There are separate living/dining areas, a kitchen, and a powered room. A king bed master bedroom with a sitting area and a double vanity bathroom with a separate tub, and two queen beds in the second bedroom have sitting areas too and separate bathrooms without tubs. There are two decks. The big deck has a pool and an outdoor dining table, sofa, and loungers. Another smaller deck is only accessible from the second bedroom with two loungers. Outside of the pool deck, there are some small trees and then it is a white sandy beach, which is so beautiful beach as only in dream. There are two outdoor showers, one enclosed and one exposed, which I don’t understand why.
The breakfast is included in the Sita restaurant. There are six domes in this restaurant, one is the kitchen and bathroom, one is the welcome centre without A/C, one with outdoor seating and a traditional bread oven. There are two indoor A/C seating rooms, and the last one I can’t remember. Breakfast is à la carte with plenty of choices. Since summer is the low season and the whole resort only had a few guests, most of the time we were the only table having breakfast in Sita.
Dinner we had at Maia for the first two nights and the last. Restaurant Jamaa and Maia are actually together, but Jamaa has outdoor seating and Maia has indoor seating. We actually ordered from Jamaa’s menu while sitting in Maia. The Maia menu was simple with drinks and light bites. Both restaurants are beside a public swimming pool, sunset beach, and Cabana area. The kids’ and teens’ club is in another building beside. Jamaa’s menu has quite a few options, and they could even make them to order. The catch of the day we had on day one was sea bass, and the last day we asked for still sea bass. So I asked if there is grouper available; they said they could get it from the seafood restaurant Tabrah and cook it. They still charge the menu price, which was very nice. Thanks to the staff at Maia/Jamaa, including Capuccino, Barry, Prasenjit, Fareen, Dominic, and others. All of them are very nice, kind, and helpful.
The third night, we had dinner at Tilina Seafood Restaurant on St. Regis Island. Cynthia booked a shuttle boat for us per our schedule since it is low season. Tilina’s menu was a little limited. But they also allowed us to order some appetizers from their Beach Club restaurant menu. Darias, Tilina’s manager, was very nice and kind, as was our waitress, Karen. We felt very welcomed even though we were guests from Nujuma. About the menu, I like the scallops the most. The U5 prawns were so large, almost like small lobster size. The wagyu was good too. The restaurant was built overwater, and you could have a very nice sunset view right from inside.
We also had one dinner at Nujuma’s Tabrah seafood restaurant. Tabrah’s menu has more choices than Tilina’s. We had the Poached Seafood Platter, which is tasty and good for a large group. The Red Sea Catch grouper is also very good. We had Naro as our waiter. He is nice and professional, always talking with a smile. Michael, the restaurant manager, also helped serve our table, and he is so nice that he waived the charges for our desserts.
Our last day’s breakfast at Sita was memorable. All Sita staff came to say goodbye, including supervisor Agostina and Mubashia. Cammelle, as their representative, sent each of us a gift and a handwritten card, which was so touching. Venessar and Ohud were also very nice and kind. Hatim was there for the first two days, but unfortunately, he went on vacation, so he didn’t say goodbye. Also, thanks to all the other staff of Sita, since breakfast is included. Sita was the busiest restaurant in the morning. But all the staff did a great job, and the service was fast and precise. Big thanks to all of them.
About the activities and excursions, I had two two-tank dives with Galaxea Diving Center on site. Also, my family had an Outer Reef Guided Snorkeling trip. All the activities we booked were supposed to be shared, but since it is low season, we were the only guests on the boat in all trips. The corals and reefs in the Red Sea are so vibrant, luminous, and spectacular. I can’t say it’s 100% alive, but at least 99% . Not like the corals in the Maldives, I saw quite a lot of dead corals. The place we dived and snorkelled called Al Jadir, meaning Wall in Arabic. It is 22km long of coral walls and reefs. My dive guide/buddy is Baya. He is so nice, humble, professional, and thoughtful. He prepared everything for you and explained very well about all the information you need and questions. Diving and snorkelling with him was a great pleasure.
The last two nights we moved to the Overwater 2-Bedroom Villa. We stayed at Villa #41. The indoor layout is the same as the beach villa. The outdoor area is smaller, but the views are breathtaking. Most of the time, the ocean is so calm. It is luminous with Tiffany blue and gem green. Swim in the pool and, looking out, it is like being in paradise.
In the Neyrah Spa on-site, I had Deep Tension Relief massages after my dive. The massage was good, and the facilities at the spa are top-notch. They have indoor and outdoor jacuzzis, dry and steam saunas, rainforest showers, and heated Arabic-style stone beds. Most of the facilities are accessible by all adult guests on the island; you don’t need to book a spa to use. Just contact your personal host to book for you.
The Gym Center is beside the spa and opens 24 hours a day.
My daughter was interested in a mixology lesson, so we booked it for her before dinner at Maia. That was a lot of fun for her, and all of us enjoyed it. Bartender Barry and Dominic did a great job. Both of them are very nice and helpful.
My son tried to learn stand-up paddleboarding, and Cynthia booked it for him with the WAMA sport center at Sunrise Beach, which is on the other side of Sunset Beach and the Maia restaurant, facing towards the ring of OWV. Center manager Penny prepared everything for him and gave him a short but good instruction. She also stepped into the water to show him how to get on/off the board correctly and how to get up from a knee-down position to stand up, which is highly appreciated. My son had a good first try on the SUP.
Cynthia also booked a stargazing session for us since my son and daughter are very interested in it. The Astronomer onsite did a great job. He set up the telescope on the beach outside of Conservation House. He also explained a lot of knowledge about the moon, stars, and constellation movements. All of us enjoyed the session very much. I am sorry I didn’t write down his name, but he did a very good job.
We only used the public pool once since the weather is kind of too hot for us during the mid-day. But all the staff at the pool and beach worked so hard and were helpful, including Munneb, Masittura, Murenzi, and the assistant manager Paul. They helped us set up the cabana we picked, bring the Bluetooth music box and fresh towels, and keep bringing water and complimentary drinks to us. The cabana is spacious. It has a couple of cabinets with a refrigerator and two loungers. It also has a ceiling fan, which is good because it drives away summer heat. The pool is large, and almost no one used it during our stay. The sunset beach was rocky and shallow, especially at low tide. You will need shoes to go deeper at the beach.
Time passed so fast on the island, and very soon we had to say goodbye to all the staff who helped us for the past 6 days. We got gifts at the pier from the management and our personal host, Cynthia. Both the hotel manager, Dennis, and the director of rooms, Suniel, were at the piers to say goodbye to us. They also asked for our feelings of stay and opinions, which we really just want to say “perfect”.
Cynthia is the best Nejma, or personal host, we have ever met. Every morning and evening, she would greet us and ask if there was anything to help. Anything we asked, she could manage to accomplish and even offer more. She is phenomenal and exceptional. Thanks a lot for her help!
The trip from the island pier to the Red Sea airport was perfectly smooth, just as arriving. We didn’t need to carry anything until we reached the check-in counter at the airport. A big thanks to all the staff.
Nujuma, which means Star in Arabic, is a truly Star of the Red Sea. We will remember this vacation and hope to see you in the near future.
