Jaz Makadina

Accommodation at Jaz Makadina Makadi Bay is refreshingly simple: three published categories, every one with a balcony or terrace facing the gardens, the pools or the sea. Interiors follow the same warm palette as the rest of the resort, and housekeeping keeps the standard consistent across the categories, so the choice really comes down to space and view. Couples usually settle happily into a Superior Room, while the sea view Family Rooms are the ones we find ourselves recommending most often.

In every room

• Individually controlled air conditioning
• Balcony or terrace
• Flat screen satellite TV
• Tea and coffee making tray
• Two bottles of mineral water replenished daily
• Minibar (items chargeable)
• In room safe
• Bathrobes, slippers and hairdryer

What all inclusive includes at Jaz Makadina

Almost everyone we send here travels all inclusive, so this is the part we make sure is right. Here is how the package works in practice.

• Buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner at Al Masry, the main restaurant, with live cooking stations and indoor and terrace seating
• Snacks through the day from the Sakkala snack bar and down at the beach
• Local branded soft drinks, beer, wine and spirits served in the bars and restaurants from morning until late evening
• One complimentary à la carte dinner per stay through the Madinat Makadi dine around programme
• Two bottles of mineral water in your room each day

For that included à la carte evening you choose one venue from Nino’s, Amaya, Makai Tukai, Sofra, the Beach Restaurant, The Grill or Aqua. Additional à la carte dinners can be added for a supplement, and every dine around table must be reserved in advance; the venues serve dinner from around 18:30 to 21:30. Imported drink brands and minibar items are chargeable.

Evenings here have a rhythm our customers quickly settle into: a table at Al Masry or one of the à la carte venues around sunset, then a slow drift through the complex towards Souk Makadi, or back to the lobby for a nightcap. Because the dine around venues serve the whole of Madinat Makadi rather than one hotel, the standard is kept high and the choice feels far bigger than a 270 room resort would normally justify.

Restaurants at the hotel and across Madinat Makadi

Bars

Evenings tend to start at the Sultan Lounge Bar and drift outdoors from there; nothing here is loud, but nor is it dull.

• Sultan Lounge Bar, the sociable heart of the lobby
• The View Bar, our pick for a sundowner
• El Obba Pool Bar, drinks without leaving your lounger
• Sakkala Snacks Bar for bites between meals

Two open air pools anchor the gardens between the buildings and the beach, ringed by lawns and terraces with a generous supply of loungers, and pool towels are provided. Mature planting rather than bare concrete surrounds the water, which is a large part of why photographs of this hotel look the way they do. One of the two is heated during the winter season, which matters more than people expect: between November and March the air over Makadi Bay is warm and sunny but unheated water can feel brisk, and this is one of the hotels on the bay that gets it right.

Two outdoor whirlpools add somewhere to soak after a snorkel, and El Obba Pool Bar keeps soft drinks, local beers and cocktails coming without you leaving your towel. The daytime scene stays unhurried; activities happen if you want them and are easy to ignore if you do not.

Between the pools, the gardens and the sand there is more space per guest than the room count suggests, and our customers regularly tell us that finding a quiet corner is never a struggle. Travelling between November and March? Tell us and we will point you towards the warmer pool and the most sheltered sunbathing spots.

The private beach is the reason many of our customers choose Jaz Makadina Makadi Bay over its neighbours. A wide run of fine, pale sand faces a sheltered curve of the bay, the water is calm and clear, and loungers with shade are spread along the shore, with the Beach Restaurant and snack service behind you so lunch never interrupts the day.

The bay itself is one of the most forgiving on this coast. The curve of the shoreline takes the edge off the breeze that runs down the Red Sea, entry to the water is gentle, and conditions suit cautious swimmers as well as confident ones. In our view it is a better pure swimming and snorkelling beach than most of what Hurghada town can offer.

The house reef

Straight off the jetty lies the house reef. Much of it was purpose built rather than natural, and it has matured into a genuinely rewarding snorkel: clownfish and lionfish are close to guaranteed, shoals of reef fish gather under the pier, rays pass through, and turtles appear often enough to keep everyone hopeful, though we would call a sighting a bonus rather than a promise. Entry is easy from the jetty steps, and early morning brings the calmest, clearest water.

Diving and water sports

Scuba World Divers runs a centre at the resort, offering try dives, courses and boat trips to the reefs around Makadi Bay and further afield. Windsurfing and other water sports are available locally at a charge, so confident swimmers and complete beginners are both well catered for.

Mividaspa

Spa treatments come from Mividaspa, the wellness brand that serves the whole Madinat Makadi complex. The menu runs from classic and bamboo massages to Egyptian herbal rituals, steam room sessions, water therapies and beauty treatments, all payable locally. Late afternoon slots are the most popular, so book a day or two ahead once you arrive.

Gym, sport and golf

A gym covers cardio and weights for anyone keeping a routine, and aerobics and dance classes run through the daytime programme, with further multi sport facilities shared across the complex. Evening entertainment stays low key and is easy to opt in or out of.

Golfers are unusually well served here. The 18 hole championship course at Madinat Makadi Golf is a few minutes from the door and, at around 6,880 metres, ranks as the longest in the region; tee times and tuition can be arranged. Horse riding is also available nearby, and the flat, landscaped grounds of Madinat Makadi make easy walking and jogging territory before the heat builds.

Madinat Makadi is a purpose built resort community wrapped around its own sheltered bay on the Red Sea coast, roughly 30 km south of Hurghada International Airport. It works as one landscaped whole rather than a strip of unrelated hotels: gardens, a shared restaurant quarter, the Mividaspa, the golf course and a walkable network of paths that make an evening stroll part of the routine.

Souk Makadi, the complex’s shopping and entertainment quarter, counts over 145 outlets, from jewellery and Egyptian cotton to a pharmacy, bank and supermarket, with cafes and evening shows alongside. It sits within walking distance of the hotel, so you can browse after dinner without ever booking a taxi.

Distances from Jaz Makadina

We arrange air conditioned transfers for every booking, so you are met in arrivals and driven straight to reception with no coach stops along the way. If you fancy a day among the temples, our team can arrange guided excursions to Luxor, as well as snorkelling and diving boat trips straight out of the bay. Closer to home, Hurghada Marina makes an easy evening out, with a modern waterfront of restaurants and cafes about 45 minutes away.

Straight answers to the questions we hear most often about Jaz Makadina Makadi Bay. If yours is not covered, call us and ask; our specialists have been sending customers to this coastline for years.