Hurghada is the biggest and most varied resort town on the Red Sea in Egypt, which means you’ll find absolutely everything here: from giant waterparks for families and luxury resorts for couples to quiet bays where the coral reef is right on your doorstep. But that variety also means that picking the right hotel isn’t exactly straightforward, and a bad choice can put a real dampener on your holiday.
I only visited Egypt myself as a child, so I’m not relying on memories here. Instead, I honestly ploughed through hundreds of reviews, forum threads and divers’ first-hand experiences. From all that, I’ve pulled together the 8 best hotels, sorted by what you actually want from your trip — and for each one I also flag the criticism that crops up in reviews, not just the praise.
In this article you’ll find recommendations for the best hotels in Hurghada for snorkelling, for families with kids, for a luxury stay for two, and for a holiday free of pushy touts. I’ll also walk you through how to choose, because in Hurghada it matters more than you might expect.
TL;DR
- For snorkelling straight off the beach, the best is Fort Arabesque in the sheltered bay of Makadi Bay, where the coral is right in front of the hotel.
- For families with kids, Titanic Beach leads the way with its huge waterpark and gentle, shallow entry into the sea.
- Best value for money goes to Sunny Days El Palacio near the centre.
- Luxury and calm for couples is offered by The Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh with its own reef.
- For maximum peace with no touts, El Gouna (Steigenberger Golf) is ideal.
- Heads up: there’s usually no coral right off the beach in central Hurghada — you take a boat out to snorkel. If you want a reef from the shore, head to Makadi Bay or Sahl Hasheesh.
- The centre is closer to the action, but it’s windier and the touts are more persistent.
How to choose a hotel in Hurghada
Before we dive into the specific picks, there’s one crucial thing to know: Hurghada doesn’t have a continuous coral reef right along its coastline. In the centre and the surrounding area, the beach is mostly just sandy shallows, so you take a boat out to reach the coral. If you want to snorkel straight from the beach, you need to aim for specific sheltered bays.
The best choice for snorkellers is Makadi Bay (a sheltered bay with reefs right off the beach) and, further south, Sahl Hasheesh and Soma Bay (excellent reefs accessible from a jetty). These southern resorts are further from the action, though, so factor in a longer transfer. By contrast, the centre and Sekalla are close to shopping and nightlife, but it’s windier here and the touts will pester you more. And if you want absolute peace with no pushy sellers, the safe bet is the elegant El Gouna.
💡 Tip: Pack water shoes for Hurghada too, especially if you’re heading to a reef. And if snorkelling is your priority, choose your hotel based on the quality of its house reef, not the price.
Best hotels for snorkelling and a house reef
If you’re coming mainly for the underwater world, these three addresses are a sure thing.
Fort Arabesque Resort (Makadi Bay)
Fort Arabesque Resort is a legend among snorkellers, and in the sheltered Makadi Bay it has quite simply the best house reef of any hotel in the area. Dozens of coral bommies on the sandy bottom start at half a metre and drop to six metres, visibility is excellent, and people regularly spot turtles, octopuses and hundreds of fish species. Best of all: you can walk to the coral straight from the beach whenever you like — no boat needed.
The food gets plenty of praise in reviews, and the only snag is its popularity: the reef can get crowded at times. Even so, for snorkelling lovers it’s the safest bet in all of Hurghada.
Tropitel Sahl Hasheesh
A bit further south, in the quieter Sahl Hasheesh, you’ll find Tropitel Sahl Hasheesh, with an excellent house reef reached from the jetty. Both the sheltered lagoon and the outer side of the reef serve up octopuses, rays and shoals of fish, and reviewers rate it as one of the best house reefs they’ve experienced in the Red Sea.
The food gets the thumbs up too. Just bear in mind that Sahl Hasheesh lies roughly twenty-five kilometres from the centre, so this is more of a relaxed seaside holiday than a base for nights out.
Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay
If you want to combine a top-class reef with luxury, Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay has an exceptionally well-preserved house reef and crystal-clear water where, according to reviews, you swim literally nose to nose with the fish. Add to that first-rate service.
It’s a pricier option and Soma Bay is fairly isolated, so you won’t be popping anywhere easily. But for a discerning snorkeller who also wants to enjoy some luxury, it’s a dream come true.
Best hotels for families and waterparks
With kids, you’ll get more mileage out of slides and a shallow entry than coral. These two resorts have it covered.
Titanic Beach Spa & Aqua Park
Titanic Beach Spa & Aqua Park is a hugely popular family favourite. It has over fifteen slides free for guests, graded by age, a gentle sandy entry into the sea, and a kids’ club, so the little ones won’t be bored for a second.
On top of that, it offers great value for money. The one gripe: the wildest slides have a height limit of 120 centimetres, so the smallest children can’t ride them yet.
Pickalbatros Jungle Aqua Park
If you’re coming purely for water fun, Pickalbatros Jungle Aqua Park has one of the biggest waterparks in Egypt, plus an amusement park, entertainment and a games room. For kids it’s a little paradise.
But there’s one major catch that comes up again and again in reviews: the hotel has no beach of its own — you take a shuttle to a partner hotel to reach the sea. If the waterpark is your main draw and the sea is secondary, it’s a great choice. If you want the beach on your doorstep, look elsewhere.
Best all-inclusive for the money
Sunny Days El Palacio Resort
Sunny Days El Palacio is a safe bet when you want a decent all-inclusive at a reasonable price and close to the action. It sits just a few minutes from the centre and has a wide choice of restaurants, including Italian, plus its own beach and lagoon.
It’s a big, busy resort, so don’t expect intimate calm, and because it’s close to the centre, factor in wind and touts beyond the gates. For an active holiday with trips into town at a good price, though, it’s ideal.
Luxury and calm for couples
The Oberoi Beach Resort Sahl Hasheesh
The Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh is a rare combination of genuine luxury and a beautiful reef. You stay in your own suite, many with a private garden or pool, and the house reef straight off the beach will wow even seasoned divers: turtles, eagle rays, moray eels and stingrays.
The service is first-class, and for couples it holds one of the highest scores on Booking in the area. The price is, of course, premium and the resort is fairly isolated, but for a dream romantic getaway it’s hard to beat.
💡 Tip: If you’d rather have luxury closer to the centre with life around you, a great alternative is Steigenberger Al Dau Beach with its stunning pool and lazy river. Just note there’s no coral off its beach — you’ll head out by boat to snorkel.
For maximum peace with no touts
Steigenberger Golf Resort El Gouna
If the thought of pushy sellers fills you with dread, head to El Gouna, the so-called Venice of Egypt. Steigenberger Golf Resort El Gouna sits in a lagoon town where no one hassles you and the calm is absolute. Reviews praise the cleanliness, spacious rooms and attentive staff.
The beach here is a lagoon one, though, so don’t expect a coral reef straight from the shore — you head out by boat to snorkel. In return, you’ll enjoy a safe, immaculately kept setting and strolls along the canals you won’t find anywhere else in Egypt.
Where to book a hotel for the lowest price
The same hotel and the same dates can easily differ by hundreds of pounds between travel operators.
💡 Tip: Before you book, take a look at our comparison of holidays to Egypt. Our AI compares operators’ offers for the exact same hotels and dates every day and shows you where the same stay is cheapest. And if you’d rather put the trip together yourself, compare flight prices, which we update every 20 minutes across all airlines.
Where to next: more articles about Egypt
- Hurghada, Egypt: 13 things to see and do — a complete guide to the resort.
- Where to holiday in Egypt: 20 tips — a roundup of the whole country.
- Hurghada or Marsa Alam? — a comparison of the two most popular resorts.
- Best hotels in Marsa Alam — hotel tips for the quieter southern resort.
Frequently asked questions
Which hotel in Hurghada is best for snorkeling?
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For snorkeling from the beach, the best is Fort Arabesque in the sheltered Makadi Bay, where you have corals right in front of the hotel. Tropitel Sahl Hasheesh and the luxurious Kempinski Soma Bay also have an excellent house reef from the jetty. In the center of Hurghada, there are usually no corals near the beach.
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Which hotel is best for families with children?
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For families, Titanic Beach Spa & Aqua Park is a great choice with its large aqua park and gentle entry to the sea. If the aqua park is the main attraction, Pickalbatros Jungle Aqua Park is also a good option, but it doesn’t have its own beach and shuttle transport is provided to the sea.
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Is it possible to snorkel right from the beach in Hurghada?
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Mostly no, the beach usually has only sandy shallows and you take a boat to reach the corals. Snorkeling directly from the beach is offered only by hotels in protected bays, mainly in Makadi Bay (Fort Arabesque), Sahl Hasheesh and Soma Bay.
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Where can I avoid touts in Hurghada?
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You’ll find the most peace without pushy vendors in El Gouna, for example at the Steigenberger Golf Resort. On the other hand, there are the most hawkers in the center and Sekalla. Choosing a closed resort in the southern bays also helps.
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Which hotel is best for couples and luxury?
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For a luxurious romantic holiday, The Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh leads the way with its own suites and beautiful reef. Closer to the center, Steigenberger Al Dau Beach is an excellent luxury choice, just without corals directly at the beach.
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Do hotels in Hurghada have good vegetarian food?
Yes, Egyptian all-inclusive buffets are vegetarian-friendly. You’ll typically find falafel, hummus, ful, fresh vegetables, pasta, cheeses, and fruit. Better hotels like Fort Arabesque or Tropitel also have quality à la carte restaurants with vegetarian options.
Tips and Tricks for Your Vacation
Don’t Overpay for Flights
Search for flights on Kayak. It’s our favorite search engine because it scans the websites of all airlines and always finds the cheapest connection.
Book Your Accommodation Smartly
The best experiences we’ve had when looking for accommodation (from Alaska to Morocco) are with Booking.com, where hotels, apartments, and entire houses are usually the cheapest and most widely available.
🚗 Car rental on the roadVerified rental cars in EgyptSearch with the DiscoverCars comparison engine — it compares prices from dozens of local and international rental companies, and most bookings come with free cancellation.
Compare car prices in Egypt →Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Good travel insurance will protect you against illness, accidents, theft, or flight cancellations. We’ve had a few hospital visits abroad, so we know how important it is to have proper insurance arranged.
Where we insure ourselves: SafetyWing (best for everyone) and TrueTraveller (for extra-long trips).
Why don’t we recommend any Czech insurance company? Because they have too many restrictions. They set limits on the number of days abroad, travel insurance via a credit card often requires you to pay medical expenses only with that card, and they frequently limit the number of returns to the Czech Republic.
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Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can book guided walks, trips, skip-the-line tickets, tours, and much more. We always find some extra fun there!
