Sunrise Crystal Bay Resort Hurghada is the contemporary face of the Red Sea: clean lined, low rise architecture, generous gardens and one of the coast’s calmest beaches, a sheltered lagoon where the water stays flat even when the wind gets up.
Grand Select is the top tier of Sunrise Resorts and Cruises, the Egyptian chain behind some of the Red Sea’s most consistent hotels, and Crystal Bay is one of the properties that earned the badge. British guests may remember it flying TUI BLUE colours for several seasons; it has since returned to Sunrise’s own branding, with the same setting, the same gardens and the same famously willing team.
The site is the real asset. The resort curls around a private bay where a natural lagoon keeps the sea shallow, sandy underfoot and calm even on the breezy days this coast is known for. Behind the beach, 364 rooms and suites sit in contemporary low rise blocks threaded through mature gardens, running from 35 m² Superior Rooms up to swim up rooms and Posh Club suites with private pools and butler service.
Eating and drinking are a genuine strength. All inclusive here covers six restaurants, and the à la carte venues are included with unlimited bookings rather than the usual one visit per week, a policy we wish more five star resorts would copy.
Couples who want a stylish, grown up base with a short transfer, families who need safe, calm swimming, and winter sun travellers who value a heated pool and reliable warmth. It is not the hotel for guests whose holiday revolves around snorkelling straight off the beach; there is no house reef here, and we would steer keen snorkellers towards Makadi Bay or Soma Bay instead.
In our view this is one of the easiest five star recommendations close to Hurghada airport. The lagoon is genuinely special, the dining policy is generous, and the swim up rooms cost less than you would expect for what they deliver. Our customers tell us it is the service that brings them back.
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Accommodation spreads through low rise blocks in the gardens, so nothing feels like a tower and most rooms are only a few minutes from the beach. Every category comes with a furnished balcony or terrace, air conditioning, a safe, tea and coffee making facilities and a minibar restocked with water daily and soft drinks weekly. Interiors are contemporary and calm: pale tones, neutral fabrics and good bathrooms.
The entry category, and far from an afterthought: a king or twin setup, a sitting corner and a balcony or terrace over the gardens or pools.
A useful step up in floor space and position, with the same contemporary styling and room to breathe for a small family.
Our pick for couples. Step off your terrace straight into a shared pool that threads past the rooms; mornings here are hard to beat.
A king bed plus a sofa bed and a defined lounge area, which makes it the sensible choice for three adults or a family who want one room rather than two.
Configured for parents and children, with a smarter bed layout than a standard double and a quieter garden position.
Family space with direct pool access from the terrace, plus the Posh Club privileges described below.
The top of the range runs under Sunrise’s Posh Club banner: butler service, a private lounge, express check in and out, a VIP welcome and complimentary airport transfers, along with the best positions in the resort.
A serious spread of living space with its own outdoor jacuzzi.
Your own private pool rather than a shared one, with a terrace built for long afternoons.
Two bedrooms and two bathrooms, so it works for two couples or a multigenerational party.
The largest homes in the resort, with headline positions and space to spare.
An adapted room of around 42 m² is available for guests with limited mobility; tell us when you enquire and we will confirm availability.
Food is where Crystal Bay pulls ahead of much of the Hurghada five star pack. All inclusive is run as a round the clock arrangement rather than a rigid timetable: three meals a day, snacks in between, locally produced alcoholic and soft drinks, a minibar topped up daily with water and weekly with soft drinks, and lunch boxes made up for excursion days.
The detail our customers ask about most is the à la carte policy, and here it is unusually generous: the speciality restaurants are included with unlimited bookings, not rationed to one visit per week. Tables are reserved through the resort’s app or at guest services, up to a day ahead. A small number of premium imported drinks and speciality dishes carry a local charge, and one bar is reserved for adults.
The main restaurant, with themed buffets that change daily and live cooking stations working through the service. The kitchen handles dietary requests well, and gluten free options are available.
The Mediterranean’s best loved dishes, cooked with authentic ingredients in a stylish setting; clean, sunny food that suits a warm evening.
The guest favourite by some distance, with rich, properly spiced cooking. Even guests who claim not to like Indian food tend to leave converted.
Seafood against a sea view backdrop; the setting alone earns its bookings, and the fish is treated simply and well.
Grills done the Turkish way, with tables set out on the greenery; in our view the most atmospheric spot in the resort after dark.
A seaside setting with a Greek island interior, unhurried service and dishes that suit a long, sociable evening.
An Egyptian venue, Dalila, also features on the resort’s dining line up; its opening varies with the season, so check what is running when you arrive.
Drinks are spread across the resort rather than funnelled through one counter, so queues are rare.
Three outdoor pools sit at different points in the gardens, joined by a dedicated jacuzzi pool, so the resort never funnels everyone into one stretch of water. The main pool is heated through the winter months, typically until late April, which makes this a dependable January or February choice when you want to swim outdoors in comfort.
Character varies usefully across the grounds. The main pool, with the Sunrise Pool Bar alongside, is the sociable one, where the daytime activity happens; the garden pools stay noticeably quieter, and a separate shallow children’s pool keeps the main areas calm. Reviews consistently mention how plentiful the sunbeds are, and our customers back that up: this is not a hotel where you get up at dawn to claim one.
If time in the water matters most to you, remember the swim up categories. Deluxe Swim-Up Rooms and the Family Swim-Up Suite open straight onto their own shared pools, so the first swim of the day is three steps from your bed, and the pools stay pleasantly uncrowded because only the surrounding rooms use them.
Old Palace Resort 
Hilton Hurghada Plaza 
Sunrise Holidays Resort (Adults Only) 
Hurghada Marriott Beach Resort 
Swiss Inn Resort 
Jaz Makadi Star & Spa (Adults Only) 
Fort Arabesque Resort 4*+ 
Cleopatra Luxury Resort 
Jaz Makadina 
Sunrise Royal Makadi Resort 
Sheraton Soma Bay 
Sunrise Tucana Resort Grand Select 
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