A far cry from the ancient landmarks and labyrinth of Unesco World Heritage sites in Luxor and Cairo, expect a cosmopolitan fusion of culture and tradition on an all-inclusive holiday to Egypt’s camel sands. Cost-effective resorts on the Red Sea Riviera are bringing new contenders to the international tourism arena. Think glamourous marinas, thalassotherapy spas and world-renowned scuba diving reefs.
Big-name holiday hotspots with buzzing nightlife scenes such as Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh meet the lesser-known rural luxuries of Dahab in Egypt, all fringed by miles of warm turquoise coastline. From kitesurfing over the teeming corals to embracing local Bedouin culture at buzzing bazaars and desert safaris to dramatic national parks, there’s a bucket-list worth of excursions at every stop.
Sun-drenched all year round, Egypt maintains relatively mild temperatures in every season and the option to holiday into November can be well worth your while.
Here are some of the best all-inclusive deals for those just-in-time 2023 trips, and spring stays to look forward to in 2024.
Hurghada
Traditional souks meet desertscapes and the Red Sea in Hurghada— (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Hurghada is a hotspot for tourists in the eastern Sahara desert. Family-friendly resorts with shallow sea shelves dot the 25 miles of coastline, and the sunny beach city is teeming with underwater treasures in the marine life and colourful corals of castaway islands in the Giftun National Park.
Holidaymakers will find year-round sunshine, ideal for world-renowned scuba diving in the Red Sea, echos of history in the old town of El Dahar, and modern shopping squares in the Sekalla district – it’s no wonder cosmopolitan Hurghada is a holiday hit with Brits.
Read more on Egypt travel:
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- Dive like an Egyptian: How one Red Sea resort is cleaning up its act
- How to bag cheap winter sun in Hurghada, Egypt’s ultra-affordable Red Sea resort
Where to stay
Tui offers all-inclusive holidays to Premier Le Reve, a resort on a private beach in Sahl Hasheesh. The adults-only hotel offers a tranquil environment with four sea-view pools, nightly live music and invigorating massages in its spa.
There are themed buffets five times a week including Egyptian, French and Italian cuisines, a fully stocked in-room minibar, and once a week all-inclusive guests can dine at one of the four à la carte restaurants. VIP package guests will even have access to the resort’s crowning jewel, a glass-dome pool on the fifth floor.
From £859.39pp for four nights’ all-inclusive accommodation, return flights from Birmingham with 20kg checked luggage allowance and transfers. Departing 22 September 2023.
Sharm El-Sheikh
The Egyptian city sits on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula— (Getty Images)
The creme de la creme of Egyptian holiday resorts, glamorous Sharm El-Sheik on the Gulf of Aqaba sits between the Red Sea and the Sinai Peninsula desert. The coastal resort town is full of surprises, but it’s the allure of watersports that takes centre stage. Here, the Red Sea’s warm waters are home to the coral gardens of the Ras Mohamed National Park, a major diving destination, and groups of sharks off the Brothers Islands, with dive sites such as the SS Thistlegorm wreck.
Long hot summers welcome a range of families, party animals and sun loungers to Sharm el Maya – Sharm’s old town – for authentic Egyptian eats and local Bedouin culture at big bazaar stands, while Naama Bay is a buzzing tourist hub where fine dining and upbeat nightlife are plenty. Inland, 4x4 safaris across the Sinai desert for sandboarding, camel rides and camping under the stars are fantastic excursions on the doorstep of Sharm’s lavish resorts.
Where to stay
British Airways offers seven-night stays at the adults-only Rixos Sharm El Sheikh, for a luxury holiday in Nabq Bay (featuring a private butler and one of the beach’s secluded cabanas). Amenities include comfortable suites (some with private plunge pools), the serene Anjana Spa with signature Turkish baths, and a sports centre for yoga and beach volleyball – great if you get bored of daily sunning by one of the seven swimming pools.
After dark, eight à la carte restaurants, including Brazilian, Japanese and the “aristocratic flavours” of Ottoman cuisine, tantalise the tastebuds before guests head to one of the resort’s sunset parties and DJ nights to truly embrace the holiday spirit.
From £1,157.50pp for seven nights’ all-inclusive accommodation and return flights from Gatwick with 23kg checked luggage. Departing 31 January 2024.
Marsa Alam
Find scorching summers and sea turtles at the southeast Egyptian resort— (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Firmly on the tourism map since the arrival of an international airport in 2001, Marsa Alam rivals the big names of Hurghada and Sharm while maintaining a quieter ambience and slower pace of life. The hotspot on a Red Sea shore is home to the white sand beaches of Abu Dahab Bay – renowned for friendly marine life such as sea turtles and octopi – and kitesurfing lagoons such as El Naaba.
Visit Wadi el-Gemal National Park, or the “Valley of the Camels”, for isolation on an unspoilt stretch of beach, the historic Cleopatra’s Emerald Mines – thought to have been named due the Egyptian queen’s admiration for the precious gem – and sample Egypt’s finest camel cheese. Or, if that’s not to your taste, nights at Alam’s Port Ghalib, an exclusive palm-lined marina, offer upmarket spots for shopping and eating, shisha lounges and plush outdoor bars overlooking the glitzy yachts.
Where to stay
Loveholidays offers packages to Fantazia Marsa Alam resort, which is located on 600m of private fine sand beach. It’s also home to Fantazia to a certified diving centre, VivaSub, from which you can explore the untouched reefs on the doorstep of the hotel, and there’s ample snorkelling opportunities over the lively corals.
You’ll find fresh seafood, Egyptian cuisine and grilled meats at the Fantazia and Valentina restaurants amid 11 entertainment and drinks bars, including a cave-themed disco, before retiring to garden, pool and sea-view rooms, plus four modern panorama suites with sprawling views of the Marsa Alam coastline.
From £685pp for seven nights’ all-inclusive accommodation and return flights from Gatwick. Departing 23 November 2023.
Dahab
The former Bedouin fishing village is now a laid-back spot for water sports— (Getty Images)
Dahab, an overlooked Egyptian resort town meaning “gold” in Arabic, sits southeast of the Sinai Peninsula. Once a Bedouin fishing village, the destination is renowned for reliable windsurfing waves and dive sites – including the world’s most dangerous, the Blue Hole. Popular with backpackers, Dahab is studded with hostels, and is ideal for travellers looking for a fusion of Egypt’s ancient relics and the laid-back luxury of snorkelling with eye-catching schools of fish on Laguna Beach.
It’s also a great location if you want to hike Mount Sinai, which is thought to have been the site where Moses received the 10 commandments and a sensational backdrop for sunrise. Plus, Dahab is a good base if you’re looking for safaris and hikes to off-grid attractions, including the eroded sandstone walls of the Coloured Canyon and the rugged shores of Ras Abu Galum nature reserve in the north.
Where to stay
Thomas Cook offers a seven-night stay at Swiss Inn Resort Dahab, less than two miles from Masbat town centre in Dahab’s lagoon area (a shuttle service ferries guests to Masbat’s markets and gardens). With such a prime location on a private stretch of Laguna Beach, massage sessions in beach gazebos meet exhilarating watersports at Vetratoria Windsurfing Center and Extra Divers, an SSI-certified dive centre,
Comfortable rooms overlook lush gardens and the Sinai mountains, with adjoining rooms available to accommodate families, and guests will dine on locally inspired fare, including fresh fish straight from the market, at El Khaima and Zeytoun restaurants.
From £670.78pp for seven nights’ all-inclusive accommodation and return flights from Gatwick. Departing 24 April 2024.
Makadi Bay
Makadi Bay is a haven of lively corals for keen scuba divers— (Getty Images)
A complex of hotels and spas on the Red Sea Riviera forms Makadi Bay. One of the coast’s more secluded spots, the bay’s low-key resorts are ideal for relaxing. Glass-bottom boats take tourists to caves and coral reefs for encounters with marine life, such as elusive sea turtles and barracudas.
The pale coastline is peppered with traditional bazaars for shopping and loungers, and after soaking up the rays and you can cool off in the clear shallow waters. If the kids are coming with you, there’s a family-friendly water park and “Mini Egypt”, with replicas of ancient landmarks that offer a child-scale version of Egypt’s most famous attractions.
Where to stay
Easyjet Holidays offers an all-inclusive breakto Jaz Makadi Oasis, the largest resort of its kind in Makadi. Buildings in shades of terracotta sit just 250m from a private beach, ideal for sailing and paddleboarding; inside, subtle interiors overlook the grounds, which includes three swimming pools.
Jaz Makadi Oasis has a dive centre for reef excursions and children are a priority, with a kids’ club and adventure playground. There’s even a regular shuttle bus service from the resort to the centre of town and a “Dine Around” programme, which means guests get a meal at one of nine à la carte restaurants across Makadi included in the price.
From £946pp for seven nights’ all-inclusive accommodation, return flights from Luton with 23kg checked luggage, and transfers. Departing 17 April 2024.
El Gouna
The terracotta tourist town was developed in 1989— (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
El Gouna, a luxe seaside community just north of Hurghada, stuns with its turquoise lagoons, dreamy golden sands and resorts that are designed to mimic rural Egyptian architecture. Kite surfing Mangroovy Beach or scuba diving the inland canals and vibrant coral reefs is enough to entice any fan of water sports – you can even get scuba certified at one of El Gouna’s dive schools.
Onshore, head to Abu Tig marina for trendy bars, late nights and boutique shopping, try quad biking and horse riding tours of the desert with Bedouin guides, or swing by the 18-hole golf course with desert roughs and hazard lagoons to pass away sunny days.
Where to stay
Loveholidays offer a seven-night stay at Sheraton Miramar Resort in El Gouna. Spread across nine interconnected islands and sparkling lagoons on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, Sheraton Miramar is a colourful picture of tranquillity even in its eclectic Arabian and Nubian styles, fused together by architect Michael Graves. It hosts themed private beaches and exotic gardens, plus eight restaurants and bars, including the Italian cuisine of La Piscina restaurant
From £769pp for seven nights’ all-inclusive accommodation and return flights from Edinburgh. Departing 11 December 2023.
Somabay
The Red Sea resort sits just south of Hurghada— (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A sheltered peninsula with five extravagant resorts established in 1991, Somabay, 28 miles south of Hurghada, has a warm hospitality to its sandy shores. Find a parade of glamourous boutiques, an exclusive marina with brilliant culinary offerings, and a world-class thalassotherapy spa ideal for some R&R – there’s even an 18-hole golf course designed by legend Gary Player.
Vibrant diving sites and kitesurfing breaks are set again desertscapes explorable on horseback, just a three-hour drive from the ancient delights of Luxor and, best of all, it’s a short-haul flight to the secluded bay blessed with annual blue skies and warm temperatures.
Where to stay
On the Beach all-inclusive packages to Sheraton Soma Bay Resort welcome guests to the traditional stone architecture and desert landscape of the beachfront hotel, stylistically inspired by Luxor’s Karnak Temple complex. With three heated pools just steps from an 800m stretch of golden sand and the Somabay Golf course, the Somabay Resort contrasts Egypt’s crowded northern towns as an oasis of calm. Many rooms have views of the Red Sea and pampering massages in the spa are encouraged.
From £802.50pp for seven nights’ all-inclusive accommodation and return flights from Gatwick. Departing 17 November 2023.
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