Marsa Alam in Egypt is a slightly unusual destination. Unlike bustling Hurghada, it’s not about the town, day trips or nightlife here. It’s about one thing above all: your hotel and the sea right in front of it. Because beyond the resort gates there’s mostly just endless desert, your choice of hotel decides your whole holiday here more than anywhere else.
That’s exactly why I took my time and worked through reviews, forums and divers’ experiences to save you hours of scrolling. I was only in Egypt as a child myself, so I’m not playing the personal-memories card here. Instead, I’m leaning on the very best of what people who’ve just come back say about these resorts.
In this article you’ll find the 8 best hotels in Marsa Alam, grouped by what you want from your trip — whether you fancy snorkelling with turtles straight off the beach, a carefree family holiday, luxurious peace for two, or simply the most bang for your buck. For each one you’ll get honest pros and cons, not just endless praise.
TL;DR
- For snorkelling and a house reef, the best are Gorgonia Beach Resort and Brayka Bay, with corals starting right at the end of the jetty.
- For families with kids, the winners are Malikia Resort Abu Dabbab (turtles off the beach) and the waterpark-focused Pickalbatros Vita.
- The best value for money is Jaz Solaya, just a few minutes from the airport.
- Luxury and quiet for couples is offered by the adults-only Steigenberger Coraya Beach.
- The best budget choice is Shams Alam, with an amazing reef straight off the beach.
- The key is picking a sheltered bay with a gentle entry, otherwise wind and a red flag can close the sea for a few days.
- Water shoes are a must in Marsa Alam because of the sharp corals and sea urchins.
How to choose a hotel in Marsa Alam (and not get it wrong)
Before we get to the specific picks, a few words on what to base your choice on, because here it matters twice as much. The most important thing is the sea entry. Ideally you want a hotel with a gentle sandy lagoon you can simply walk into. Resorts that only have a long jetty close off the sea when it’s windy and the red flag is up, and you can easily go a few days without reaching the corals.
The second thing is a sheltered bay. Naturally enclosed coves like Coraya Bay or Abu Dabbab stay calm even in winter, when the open coast gets battered by wind. And thirdly, think about the distance from the airport: hotels in Coraya Bay are within easy reach (five minutes), while getting to the most pristine corals down south can take an hour and a half.
💡 Tip: Definitely pack water shoes. Most hotels in Marsa Alam sit on a coral seabed with sharp rocks and sea urchins, so without them you won’t comfortably make it into the water.
| Hotel | Location | Ideal for | Pros and cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gorgonia Beach Resort | Wadi el Gemal (south) | Snorkelling and diving | + top-tier house reef right past the jetty · − weaker food, higher price |
| Brayka Bay Resort | Abu Dabbab bay | Snorkelling and families | + two reefs with turtles, calm even in wind · − dated rooms (from ~€90) |
| Malikia Resort Abu Dabbab | Abu Dabbab bay | Families with kids | + shallow lagoon and turtles off the beach · − rooms need a refresh (from ~€65) |
| Pickalbatros Vita Resort | Marsa Alam | Families (waterpark) | + huge waterpark and pools · − weaker coral reef |
| Jaz Solaya Resort | Coraya Bay | All-inclusive, value for money | + 5 min from the airport, calm bay · − corals weaker than down south |
| Steigenberger Coraya Beach | Coraya Bay | Couples (adults only 16+) | + peace, house reef, 96% rating · − premium price |
| Shams Alam Beach Resort | wild south | Best budget choice | + most pristine reef off the beach · − simpler rooms, further from the airport (from ~€60) |
| Fantazia Resort Marsa Alam | Marsa Alam | Most searched-for option | + exceptional cleanliness · − bleached corals in the bay |
Best hotels for snorkelling and a house reef
This is the discipline Marsa Alam excels at. If you’re coming mainly for the underwater world, this is where you should head.
Gorgonia Beach Resort
If you’re serious about snorkelling and diving, Gorgonia is probably the best address in the whole area. It sits in the Wadi el Gemal nature reserve down south, and the Gorgonia Beach Resort has a house reef that people rave about: a steep drop-off into the deep right past the jetty, rich corals and excellent visibility. By the jetty people regularly spot turtles, octopus, moray eels and Napoleon wrasse.
The catch? The food gets criticised again and again in reviews (“great reef, lousy food”) and the hotel is one of the pricier ones. But if you’re coming mainly to dive, this makes up for everything. The rating hovers around 4.4 out of 5.
Brayka Bay Resort
Brayka Bay Resort in Abu Dabbab bay is a lovely compromise for anyone who wants great snorkelling but also comfort for the whole family. It has two lively reefs with turtles and an easy walk-in entry, and crucially, the bay works even on windy days when the red flag is flying elsewhere.
People praise the helpful staff and clean rooms, and are less keen on the food and some of the dated rooms. Price-wise it’s solid mid-range, roughly from €90 a night.
Best hotels for families with kids
With kids you’re juggling slightly different things: a shallow entry, entertainment and pools. These two resorts nail it.
Malikia Resort Abu Dabbab
This is my clear family number one. Malikia Resort Abu Dabbab sits in one of the prettiest bays in the area and has a shallow sandy lagoon with a gentle, jetty-free entry, making it ideal for kids and non-swimmers. As a bonus: turtle encounters here are pretty much guaranteed, and you might even catch a glimpse of a rare dugong in the bay.
Add to that an entertainment team and spacious rooms. Reviews occasionally mention that the rooms could use a refresh and that staff push paid extras, but as a family base by a turtle beach, Malikia is hard to beat. Prices start at around €65 a night.
Pickalbatros Vita Resort
If the main draw for your kids is a water slide rather than corals, go for Pickalbatros Vita Resort. It has a huge waterpark with dozens of slides, a kids’ waterpark with splash zones, a kids’ club and children’s menus, so the little ones won’t be bored.
It’s a modern, colourful resort with loads of pools and good food. Just bear in mind that here it’s mostly about pool fun in the water, not a top-tier coral reef. For families who mainly want action and an easy time, though, it’s a great choice.
Best all-inclusive for your money
Jaz Solaya Resort
Jaz Solaya Resort in Coraya Bay is a firm favourite, and no wonder. It sits just five kilometres from the airport, so after a night flight you’re in your room within ten minutes. It also has access to the Madinat Coraya waterpark and a gentle sandy entry into the sea.
The buffet is generous, the all-inclusive runs practically all day, and the service is very decent by Egyptian standards. The corals in the sheltered bay aren’t as spectacular as down on the wild south coast, but you get calm and certainty even in the windy months. Ideal for a carefree holiday with excellent value for money.
Luxury and quiet for couples
Steigenberger Coraya Beach (adults only)
If you’re travelling as a couple and crave quiet without the sound of kids, Steigenberger Coraya Beach is the obvious choice. It’s an adults-only hotel (16+) in the sheltered Coraya bay, a few minutes from the airport, with a rich house reef straight from the bay and a gentle sandy entry.
People come back here time and again, and the rating climbs to 96 percent. They praise the quality buffet, the wellness facilities, the pools, and the fact that the sea stays calm even in wind. Swim out to the northern jetty for the best corals. It’s a premium option, but by Egyptian standards still affordable luxury.
Best budget choice
Shams Alam Beach Resort
Proof that a great reef doesn’t have to cost a fortune is Shams Alam Beach Resort. This more modest four-star on the wild south coast has one of the most pristine reefs in the area straight off the beach, with no jetty, plus a shallow, calm lagoon that’s fine for kids too.
The rooms are simpler and it’s further from the airport, but if you’re coming mainly for the underwater world and peace in a desert setting, you get incredible value. Prices start somewhere around €60 a night, the lowest of all the picks here.
Bonus: the most searched-for hotel
Fantazia Resort Marsa Alam
Of all the hotels here, Fantazia Resort is the one travellers google the most, so I’m including it with an honest verdict. It’s a popular family four-star that tour operators frequently feature, so you’ll come across it in package deals at every turn.
Its biggest asset is its exceptional cleanliness (it’s repeatedly described as the cleanest resort in Marsa) and staff who don’t push for tips. The catch is the sea: the corals in the bay are largely bleached, so there are plenty of fish but few living corals. Some guests also note that Italian clientele tend to be prioritised. As a clean and affordable family hotel it works brilliantly, but it’s not the place for demanding snorkelling.
Where to find your hotel for the lowest price
The same hotel and dates can vary by a fair amount between different booking sites.
💡 Tip: Before you book, take a look at our comparison of Egypt package holidays. 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 your holiday together yourself, compare flight prices, which we update every 20 minutes across all airlines.
Where to go next: more articles about Egypt
- Marsa Alam, Egypt: 13 things to see and do a complete guide to the destination.
- Where to holiday in Egypt: 20 tips a roundup across the whole country.
- Hurghada or Marsa Alam? a comparison of the two most popular resorts.
- When to go to Egypt: weather month by month the best time to fly.
Frequently asked questions
Which hotel in Marsa Alam is best for snorkeling?
Among snorkelers and divers, the leading choice is Gorgonia Beach Resort with a top-notch house reef right behind the pier, and Shams Alam with an amazing reef straight from the beach at a lower price. Brayka Bay is also great, as its bay works even in windy conditions.
Which hotel is best for families with children?
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For families, Malikia Resort Abu Dabbab is ideal with its shallow sandy lagoon and turtles right from the beach, or Pickalbatros Vita Resort with a large aquapark. Both have animation and a gentle entry into the sea suitable for children.
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Is Fantazia Resort a good hotel?
Fantazia Resort is a clean and affordable family hotel that Czechs often look for, as it’s frequently offered by tour operators. Its weakness is the faded coral in the bay, so it’s not suitable for demanding snorkeling, but it works well as a quiet family option.
Which hotel is closest to the airport?
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The closest hotels to the airport are in Coraya Bay, for example Jaz Solaya or Steigenberger Coraya Beach, which you can reach in five to ten minutes. You’ll especially appreciate this after a night flight.
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Do I need water shoes in Marsa Alam?
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Yes, water shoes are practically mandatory here. Most hotels have coral seabed, sharp rocks and sea urchins, so you won’t get into the sea comfortably without shoes and there’s a risk of injury.
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How to choose a hotel so you can swim even in winter?
Select a hotel in a sheltered bay, such as Coraya Bay or Abu Dabbab, with a gentle sandy entrance to the sea. The sheltered bays remain calm even during the windy winter months, when the open coast is troubled by wind and red flags.
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.
Find the Best Experiences
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!
