Sunrise Royal Makadi Resort spreads along a sheltered curve of Makadi Bay, around 35 minutes south of Hurghada airport, with roughly 500 metres of private sand, a house reef you can snorkel straight from the shore, and one of the most generous all inclusive dining line-ups we sell anywhere on the Red Sea.
This is one of the flagship properties of the Egyptian Sunrise Resorts group, a big five star resort of low-rise blocks threaded through mature, beautifully kept gardens that run down to the sea. More than 300 rooms and suites mean it never feels like a boutique hideaway, and it does not pretend to be one. What it does, it does with real polish: housekeeping, gardens and food are the things our customers mention again and again.
The dining is the headline. Alongside the Shahrzad international buffet there are seven speciality à la carte restaurants included in your all inclusive, and unlike most Red Sea resorts there is no once-per-stay ration. You can book them as often as you like through the touchscreens in the lobby, up to three days ahead. Italian, Asian, Mediterranean, Mexican, steak, Egyptian and a lighter diet-conscious kitchen: two weeks here and you need never eat in the same place twice in a row.
It suits a broad church. Couples get designated adults-only areas on the beach and by the pools, plus a spa and gym reserved for over 16s. Snorkellers get a house reef with a PADI dive centre on site and a complimentary 30 minute diving introduction for adults. Multi-generation groups get family rooms and proper two-bedroom suites. Our honest take: in high season it is a busy, sociable resort, and Makadi Bay itself is a purpose-built holiday bay rather than a town. For everyone else, the combination of beach, reef and restaurants is very hard to beat at this price point.
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Accommodation is spread through the gardens in low-rise blocks, so nowhere feels like a tower hotel. Every category comes with a balcony or terrace, air conditioning, satellite TV, a safe, tea and coffee making facilities, free Wi-Fi and a minibar that is topped up with water daily and soft drinks weekly. Views range from garden and pool through partial sea to full sea view, and the difference in price between them is usually modest, so it is worth asking us to check.
The core of the resort and a comfortable size at around 36 m², with a queen bed or twins and room for a third guest. Choose garden, pool, partial sea or sea view; we think the sea view versions are the best value upgrade in the hotel.
A clever layout of around 55 m² with a double bed for the adults and a separate bunk area, sleeping 2 adults and 2 children without anyone tripping over a sofa bed.
A larger room category of around 55 m² positioned close to the liveliest part of the pool complex. Handy if you want minimum walking between breakfast, sunbed and swim.
A step up in space with a proper seating area alongside the bedroom, popular with couples settling in for a fortnight.
Around 70 m² with a separate second bedroom for the children, so everyone gets a door to close. The most requested category for families of four on longer stays.
A suite with its own private pool on the terrace, between 50 and 65 m² inside. A lovely way to escape the main pools without leaving the resort’s all inclusive bubble.
The larger private-pool option at around 90 m², with more living space and the same suite privileges.
The top of the tree: two bedrooms, sea view and a balcony or terrace across around 112 m². Best booked well ahead as there are only a handful.
Our recommendation: for most couples a sea view Standard Room is the sweet spot, families should look hard at the Family Suite, and if your budget stretches, the Pool Suite turns a good holiday into a properly indulgent one.
We sell this hotel on Sunrise’s Select All Inclusive, which runs from the day you arrive to the day you leave, and it is genuinely one of the strongest packages in Makadi Bay. The part that surprises people most: the seven included à la carte restaurants are unlimited. There is no one-visit-per-week ration; you simply book through the touchscreens by reception, up to three days in advance, and dinner runs in two sittings at around 18:30 and 20:15.
Payable extras are the usual suspects: imported and bottled drinks, drinks other than water and hot drinks after midnight, a second main course in the à la carte venues, and the teppanyaki table at the Asian restaurant.
The engine room, with daily changing international buffets and Egyptian dishes alongside the crowd-pleasers.
Fresh pasta and Italian classics; in our view the most romantic of the included venues for a slow dinner.
Pan-Asian cooking with a separate teppanyaki experience bookable for a supplement.
Grills, salads and coastal Mediterranean flavours that suit warm evenings outdoors.
Fajitas, tacos and generous colour; a fun change of pace mid-week.
The carnivore’s stop, built around grilled steaks and sharp South American sauces.
Traditional Egyptian cooking in an atmospheric setting; go at least once, it is the most local meal on site.
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free menus, a rarity in Egypt done this thoroughly.
Seven swimming pools are scattered through the gardens, and they have distinct personalities, which matters more than the number. The main pool near the heart of the resort is the sociable one, with the Island swim-up bar, daytime activities and aqua aerobics if you fancy joining in. Move outwards through the gardens and the pools get progressively calmer, with sunbeds under the palms and far less traffic; there are also designated adults-only areas by the pool and on the beach, so couples can reliably find a quiet spot even in school holidays.
In winter the resort heats pools, so a January or February escape still comes with a proper swim rather than a brave dash. Sunbeds, parasols and pool towels are all included, and the pool bars keep glasses topped up from mid-morning. Over at the spa there is also a hydro pool reserved for over 16s, which we cover in the Spa tab.
Our tip: do a slow lap of the grounds on your first morning and pick your pool before the crowds do. Regulars all seem to have a favourite corner, and the gardens are large enough that there is genuinely one for every taste, from full-volume sociable to book-and-doze silent.
The private beach is the resort’s trump card: roughly 500 metres of pale sand on a sheltered, gently shelving bay, with sunbeds and parasols included and the Chiringuito beach bar behind you. The gradual entry makes for easy, confidence-building swimming, and because Makadi Bay curves protectively around the resorts, the water is usually calmer than the open Red Sea coast further north. There is a designated adults-only stretch of sand too.
A house reef sits right off the resort, with entry channels and access from the shore, and the marine life is the real thing: shoals of reef fish within a few fin-kicks of the beach. Our customers tell us the neighbouring reef in front of Fort Arabesque, a few minutes’ walk along the shore, is even better, and that the seagrass beds a couple of minutes in the other direction attract feeding turtles in the mornings. Few resorts at this level give you three distinct snorkel spots without a boat.
For anyone wanting to go deeper, a PADI dive centre operates from the resort, running house reef dives, training and boat trips, and every adult guest on all inclusive gets a complimentary 30 minute diving introduction (16 plus). Kitesurfing and boat excursions can also be arranged locally.
The spa and wellness centre is reserved for guests aged 16 and over, which keeps it genuinely tranquil. Inside you will find a traditional Turkish bath, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, along with a hydro pool, and a treatment menu running from massages and facials through to multi-day wellness programmes. Treatments are payable locally, and in our experience it is worth booking your slots early in the holiday, as late afternoons fill up first.
The gym is the other half of the story: a well-equipped fitness centre, open through the day from morning to evening, with instructors on hand who will happily put together a simple programme for your stay. It is also over 16s only, so you can train in peace.
None of it is compulsory, all of it is there. Plenty of our customers do nothing more strenuous than the walk from hammam to sunbed, and the resort is equally good at supporting that plan.
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