We booked a trip to Mahmya Island through Blue Marlin from the beach outside our hotel, paying £105 per person. Unfortunately, it was a very disappointing experience and not one I would recommend. To begin with, the pickup time kept changing. We were initially told 8:30am, then 8:00am by the representative, before receiving a text confirming a 7:40am pickup. While we accepted the changes, it wasn’t a great start. Before booking, three of us were present when we asked exactly what was included in the price. We were clearly told that the trip included private transfers, the boat journey, soft drinks throughout the day, and lunch. We even specifically asked whether alcohol was included and were told that only alcoholic drinks were extra. At no point were we shown an itinerary or a breakdown of what was actually included. On the day, we were given one very small bottle of water before boarding the boat. We had already been asked to send photos of our passports beforehand, yet we then had to fill in all of our passport details again once on board. The boat itself smelt strongly of fish/seafood, and the journey felt unnecessarily long, with no refreshments, snacks or even music to make the trip more enjoyable. When we finally arrived at Mahmya, which is undeniably a beautiful island, we went to order a soft drink only to be told that drinks were not included at all. We contacted the representative immediately, who denied ever telling us they were included. However, all three of us clearly remember being told that soft drinks were part of the package. This was extremely disappointing as it was one of the reasons we chose this excursion. Had we known drinks were not included, we honestly could have spent the day relaxing at our hotel with unlimited drinks and snacks instead. Lunch was included, but it was only average and unfortunately served cold. The final disappointment came towards the end of the day. One of the staff members called us all out of the sea, and we assumed it was time to get ready to leave. Instead, he gave everyone a personal story while carrying an envelope hidden inside a book and then waited for tips. We always tip generously when visiting Egypt because we appreciate that tipping is part of the culture and are more than happy to reward good service. However, this felt very uncomfortable. He was extremely persistent and wouldn’t leave us until we had given him money. It didn’t feel like a voluntary tip at all — it felt like we were being pressured into handing over cash. Unfortunately, it left a very sour ending to what had already been a disappointing day. We have visited Egypt several times and have enjoyed many other excursions that were considerably cheaper, far better organised, offered much better service and genuinely represented good value for money. Mahmya Island itself is stunning, but sadly our experience with Blue Marlin was not. Based on our experience, I would not recommend booking this trip through them.