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Bright, low rise and quietly stylish, Jaz Elite Maraya is the youngest five star in Madinat Coraya, the resort village on Egypt’s southern Red Sea coast near Marsa Alam, with one of the region’s most admired house reefs a few fin kicks from its jetties and the airport about ten minutes up the road.
Opened in the summer of 2019 and now carrying the Jaz group’s premium Elite badge, the resort takes a calmer, more contemporary line than its older neighbours: pale stone, big windows, uncluttered interiors and lawns running down towards the water. It shares the enclave of Madinat Coraya with a handful of sister hotels, a palm lined promenade, the Souk Coraya bazaar and the long established Coraya Divers base, so you get the intimacy of a 202 room hotel with the walk everywhere convenience of a small resort town.
The Red Sea is the reason to come this far south. The coast around Marsa Alam has some of Egypt’s clearest water and healthiest coral, and here it begins at the end of the jetty: parrotfish, butterflyfish and clouds of orange anthias over the house reef, turtles grazing at Abu Dabbab half an hour away, spinner dolphins out at Sha’ab Samadai. Days settle quickly into a rhythm of pool, reef, long lunch and an unhurried evening around the bars and the souk.
In our view this is the pick of Madinat Coraya for couples and families who want modern comforts, a genuinely short transfer and serious snorkelling without a big, brash resort atmosphere. It also suits mixed groups, because every generation finds its own corner between the heated pools, the reef and the spa. Sun seekers who measure a holiday by the length of the sand directly in front of their lounger should read our honest take below before booking.
The shoreline immediately in front of the resort is raised reef with two small coves rather than one long beach, so you sunbathe on lawns and terraces above the sea and swim from the jetties, with the soft sand of Coraya Bay itself around ten minutes away on foot along the promenade. We think that trade works firmly in your favour, because the reef that limits the paddling is exactly what makes the snorkelling superb, but it is worth knowing before you book.
Call our Egypt specialists free on 0800 041 8400 or request your tailored quote online. Every holiday is ABTA and ATOL protected.
Accommodation at Jaz Elite Maraya runs to 202 rooms and suites in low rise wings threaded through the gardens, and the mix is unusually generous: well over half the keys are family rooms of around 52 m² or more. Every room has a balcony or terrace facing the gardens, pools or sea, individually controlled air conditioning, a flat screen TV, a tea and coffee tray, a stocked minibar, a safe, free Wi-Fi and a bathroom with a walk-in shower.
The entry category, and still a generous size by five star standards, with calm, contemporary styling and a garden outlook from the balcony or terrace.
A clear step up in space over the Superior, with room to breathe, a comfortable sitting area and the same restful garden aspect.
The backbone of the resort, with a separate sleeping area for the children so nobody is tiptoeing around after bedtime. Pool view and partial sea view options are available.
The same two zone layout stretched to around 63 m², with a proper lounge area and, in the best positions, sea views or a seafront setting. Certain configurations sleep two adults and three children.
Top of the tree and rare: just five exist. Expect a big, light suite looking over the water, with pool access straight from the terrace for that first swim before breakfast.
Meals centre on Yummy, the main restaurant, with buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, live cooking stations and regular theme nights, and late risers can take a lighter breakfast at the pool bar between 10.30 and 11.30. Through the day there are snacks, grilled bites and ice cream, and the bars pour local beers, wines, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks from 10am until midnight.
Your stay also includes one à la carte evening under the Madinat Coraya Dine Around programme: choose between MoMo, Nino’s and Sofra, book at least 24 hours ahead, and that first visit is free of charge, with further visits usually possible at a local charge. Premium imported labels and one or two outlets at Souk Coraya, such as the crêpe and ice cream shop and the Narguila oriental café, sit outside the standard package.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets with live cooking stations, a rotating cast of international and Egyptian dishes and themed evenings through the week. Standards here draw consistent praise from our customers.
The resort’s own à la carte venue down by the water, and in our view the spot for a slow, sea breeze lunch or a quieter evening. Tables need reserving in advance, so ask at reception on arrival.
Far Eastern flavours a short stroll away in Madinat Coraya, from aromatic curries to wok dishes, and a popular first choice for the included Dine Around evening.
Traditional Italian favourites, fresh pasta and a warm, intimate dining room. An easy win for families and anyone craving a change from buffet service.
Mezze, grills and Egyptian and Levantine classics with plenty of spice and colour. The most atmospheric choice of the three, we think, for a special evening.
Two large pools anchor the heart of the resort, wrapped in lawns and pale stone terraces with the sea as the backdrop, and the swim-up seats at the Twisty Pool Bar mean a cold drink never involves leaving the water. Both main pools are heated in the cooler months, so a proper swim is on the cards even in January, and our customers tell us loungers are rarely in short supply.
Character wise, this is a resort of gentle background music rather than poolside decibels. The terraces nearest the bar are the sociable spot, while the seafront lawns and the coves below stay noticeably quieter, and the five Family Junior Suites enjoy pool access straight from their own terraces. Fresh crêpes, ice cream and snacks appear through the day within a few steps of the water.
The resort fronts the open sea on a low shelf of raised reef, with two small coves cut into it, sunbathing lawns above the water and two jetties, each watched by lifeguards, carrying you out over the coral to deep, clear water. It is a different proposition from a classic long sandy strand: you enter the sea from the jetty steps, and reef shoes make the coves more comfortable at low water.
When you want sand between your toes, the sheltered horseshoe of Coraya Bay itself is around ten minutes on foot along the landscaped promenade, where the neighbouring Jaz resorts share a gently shelving sandy beach that is ideal for a relaxed swim.
This stretch of coast is the reason many of our customers pick Jaz Elite Maraya over better known Red Sea resorts. The house reef sits directly in front of the hotel, open to the northeast and in good enough shape that Coraya Divers describes conditions as workable almost every day of the year. Expect dense hard and soft corals, butterflyfish, parrotfish and drifting clouds of anthias within minutes of leaving the jetty, with morning light giving the best visibility.
Coraya Divers, one of the largest and longest established dive operations on this coast, runs the base in Coraya Bay and works hand in hand with the Jaz resorts. Beginners can learn in calm, sheltered water, while certified divers have guided shore dives, boat trips and courses to push on with. Diving, courses and motorised water sports are payable locally rather than part of the All Inclusive board.
Mivida Spa and Beauty Salon looks after the pampering at Jaz Elite Maraya, with massages, facials, body treatments and salon appointments bookable locally and charged separately from the board basis. For a wider menu, the main mividaspa complex sits at sister hotel Jaz Lamaya, a short walk through the resort village, adding sauna sessions and a longer treatment list. We suggest booking a slot early in the week, as late afternoons fill first.
Staying active is easy without ever feeling compulsory. Aqua gym sessions and aerobics run through the day, a jogging track loops the resort for cooler morning runs, and gym facilities are shared within the Madinat Coraya complex. Racquet sports players are covered too, with a floodlit tennis court and squash within the resort village, both carrying a local charge.
Madinat Coraya is a purpose built resort village wrapped around Coraya Bay on the El Quseir to Marsa Alam coast road, about 65 km south of El Quseir. It is a self contained little world: a handful of hotels, a palm lined promenade along the water, and Souk Coraya at its heart with shops, cafés, ATMs and a food court, so evenings offer somewhere to wander without ever leaving the enclave. Everything within the village, including the dive base, the Dine Around restaurants and the sandy bay, is walkable from Jaz Elite Maraya.
Arrivals could hardly be easier. Marsa Alam International Airport is only around 5 km away, which makes this one of the shortest hotel transfers anywhere in Egypt.
| Marsa Alam International Airport | About 10 minutes by road |
|---|---|
| Port Ghalib marina | Around 15 minutes |
| Abu Dabbab Bay | Around 35 minutes |
| El Quseir old town | About an hour |
| Marsa Alam town | Around an hour |
For a change of scene, the marina district of Port Ghalib offers waterfront restaurants, shops and an evening promenade, with a shuttle bus available locally. Day excursions along the coast and even to Luxor’s temples can be arranged, though the latter makes for a long day on the road.
Many of our customers pair a week at Jaz Elite Maraya in Marsa Alam with a Nile cruise aboard our own ships, the MS Royal Princess or the Classic Blue Shadow IV, combining the temples and tombs of the Nile Valley with the Red Sea’s finest snorkelling. We arrange the whole itinerary, including flights, transfers and guided excursions, as one seamless, protected booking.
Straight answers to the questions we are asked most often about Jaz Elite Maraya, Marsa Alam. If yours is not covered, call us and a specialist who knows the resort will talk it through with you.
All Inclusive at Jaz Elite Maraya covers buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner at Yummy, the main restaurant, a late risers' breakfast at the pool bar, daytime snacks and ice cream, and local beers, wines, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks from 10am to midnight. One à la carte evening at MoMo, Nino's or Sofra in Madinat Coraya is included free once per stay under the Dine Around programme, booked at least 24 hours ahead. Premium imported drinks and a few Souk Coraya outlets carry a local charge.
Jaz Elite Maraya is about 5 km from Marsa Alam International Airport, a transfer of roughly ten minutes by road, which makes it one of the shortest airport runs in Egypt. Transfers with meet and greet are included in every Classic Holidays quote.
Yes, it is one of the best snorkelling bases we sell in Egypt. The Coraya house reef lies directly in front of the resort and is reached from two lifeguarded jetties, with healthy hard and soft corals and prolific fish life within minutes of the steps. Conditions are workable on most days of the year, and Coraya Divers runs guided snorkelling trips to nearby sites such as Abu Dabbab.
The resort's own frontage is raised reef with two small coves and sunbathing lawns above the sea, and you swim from the jetties rather than off a long strand. The soft, gently shelving sandy beach of sheltered Coraya Bay is around a ten minute walk along the promenade and is shared with the neighbouring Jaz resorts.
Yes. The main pools are heated during the cooler months, roughly November to April, so swimming stays comfortable through the Egyptian winter. Our customers tell us loungers are rarely hard to find, even in peak weeks.
No, Jaz Elite Maraya welcomes couples and families alike, though the mood is noticeably calm and contemporary rather than loud. Family rooms make up more than half the resort, from 52 m² Superior Family Rooms to 63 m² Deluxe Family Rooms, so multi generation groups are well looked after. If you would prefer a fully adults only hotel in the Marsa Alam area, ask us for alternatives.
For couples we rate the Deluxe Room, around 52 m² with a proper sitting area. Families should look at the Deluxe Family Room with sea view for the extra lounge space and the morning light over the water. The five Family Junior Suites, around 86 m² with sea views and swim-up pool access from the terrace, are the standout, and because there are so few they sell out first.
Yes. Coraya Divers, one of the longest established dive centres on this coast, operates in Coraya Bay and teaches beginners in calm, sheltered water over the house reef. Certified divers can join guided shore dives and boat trips to sites such as Elphinstone Reef and Sha'ab Samadai. Diving and courses are payable locally and are not part of the All Inclusive board.
Marsa Alam is a genuine year round destination. Winter days are typically warm and sunny with the pools heated, spring and autumn hit the sweet spot of hot days and comfortable evenings, and summer is very hot but tempered by the sea breeze. The Red Sea stays warm enough for snorkelling in every month.
Call our Egypt specialists free on 0800 041 8400 or request your tailored quote online. Every holiday is ABTA and ATOL protected.
Classic Holidays when selling travel arrangements is a trading name of Co-op Travel Services Ltd. Classic Holidays is an Accredited Body Member of Co-operative Travel Consortium. (ABTA P7508, ATOL 12904).
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All of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme but ATOL protection does not apply to non-flight holiday and travel services offered on this website. Classic Holidays will provide you with information on the protection that applies in the case of each holiday and travel service offered before you make your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk