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Barely ten minutes after collecting your bags at Marsa Alam airport you can be checking in with a cold drink in hand. JAZ Grand Marsa sits right on the Red Sea in the Madinat Coraya area, a five star All Inclusive resort whose low, two storey buildings thread through vast landscaped gardens down to a private sandy beach, where a living coral reef begins just off the jetty.
The southern Red Sea does two things better than almost anywhere else: coral and quiet. This resort delivers both without asking you to travel far for either. The reef fringing the shore here is the genuine article, a coral garden busy with fish that you reach down a ladder from the jetty rather than by boat, and the grounds behind it are broad enough that even in high season the place keeps an unhurried rhythm.
The property started life as the Resta Grand Resort and now carries the flag of the Jaz Hotel Group, one of Egypt’s most respected hotel companies, which runs it to a polished five star standard. Days settle into an easy loop: breakfast at The Space, a morning snorkel, a long lunch, an hour under a parasol, then perhaps a hammam at the Mividaspa before dinner at one of the speciality tables.
Snorkellers and divers first: with a house reef this close and a PADI five star centre inside the resort, you can be over coral before breakfast. It also works beautifully for couples who want warm, reliable sunshine without crowds, and for anyone who values space, calm pools and a proper sandy beach. Winter sun seekers do well here too, with pool heating in the cooler months and a sea that stays pleasantly mild all year. The ten minute transfer is a quiet bonus for one week escapes, when you would rather not spend hours on a coach at either end.
You swim in the sea from the jetty, not off the sand, because the coral starts so close to shore; pack reef shoes and you will not give it a second thought. Pool heating in winter is comfortable rather than bath warm, and evenings are low key, built around a lounge bar and a pub rather than big production shows. If you want buzzing nightlife, look north to Hurghada. If you want the reef, this is exactly the right corner of Egypt.
Call our Egypt specialists free on 0800 041 8400 or request your tailored quote online. Every holiday is ABTA and ATOL protected.
Accommodation spreads across dozens of two storey buildings in the gardens, so nothing feels like a tower block and most rooms are only a short stroll from a pool or the beach. Every category comes with a balcony or broad terrace, individually controlled air conditioning, satellite television, a minibar and tea and coffee making facilities. Minibar items are payable locally and are not part of the All Inclusive board. Cots are available on request, and if a ground floor terrace or rooms close together matter to you, tell us when you book and we will pass the request to the resort.
The quietest choice, looking over lawns, palms and flowering shrubs from a ground floor terrace or first floor balcony. King or twin bedded, with a bright, contemporary finish.
The same room turned towards the pool terraces, handy if you like to be close to the daytime bustle and the Aquesta pool bar.
Our pick for couples. The outlook runs over the gardens to the Red Sea, and sea facing rooms are the smallest group in the resort, so they book out first for winter dates.
A proper step up in space, with an extra seating area and, in many rooms, a divided sleeping arrangement that gives everyone breathing room on a fortnight away.
A small collection of suites adds a genuine living area and balconies angled towards the sea. Junior Suites pair a king bed with a lounge corner; the full suites are the roomiest berths in the resort and sell well in advance.
Almost all of our customers travel All Inclusive here, and it is a generous package by Red Sea standards.
Imported labels and premium spirits are payable locally. Three à la carte restaurants sit alongside the buffet and take reservations; on the packages we sell, one complimentary à la carte dinner is typically included per stay, with further visits carrying a supplement payable at the resort. Inclusions do change from season to season, so we confirm the exact dining package with your quote.
The engine room of the resort, serving international and Egyptian dishes across long buffet counters with live cooking stations. Breakfast runs from around 7am, dinner from 7pm to 10pm, and vegetarian and gluten free options are flagged daily.
Pan Asian flavours served in the evenings. In our view the most distinctive of the three speciality venues, and usually the first to fill its reservation book.
An open air restaurant by the beach with two lives: late breakfasts, light bites and drinks by day, then a seafood menu in the evening just steps from the water.
An evening menu of Mediterranean specialities, from mezze to grilled fish and olive oil rich classics, served at a relaxed pace for a change from the buffet.
The main pool sits at the heart of the resort, ringed by generous sun terraces where loungers and parasols never feel rationed thanks to the sheer size of the grounds. A second, smaller pool lies closer to the beach and tends to be the calmer of the two. Pool heating runs through the cooler months, so a winter swim is entirely realistic.
Aqua fitness sessions feature in the daytime programme, and the Aquesta bar keeps swimmers in cold drinks without a march back through the gardens. Prefer stillness? Quiet corners are easy to find, with loungers scattered through the gardens well away from any splashing.
Our straight answer on winter temperatures: the heating keeps swimming comfortable from December to February, but expect gentle warmth rather than a hot bath. Plenty of our customers simply switch to the sea, which stays mild enough for snorkelling all year round.
Fronting the resort is a private sandy beach with loungers and parasols, and beyond the waterline lies the real headline: a house reef that begins almost immediately, shared with the neighbouring sister hotel Jaz Neo Reef Marsa. Because the coral sits so close in, you enter the sea from the jetty, stepping down a ladder straight over the reef edge with fish beneath you from the first second.
In our view this is among the most rewarding hotel reefs on the southern Red Sea. Corals busy with reef fish start within metres of the jetty, and many guests see more on a morning snorkel here than on boat trips elsewhere. Reef shoes and a rash vest are sensible, and everyone is asked to keep off the coral itself, which is exactly why the jetty entry matters.
The on site dive centre is run by Scuba World Divers, a PADI five star operation based at the resort and its neighbour, so kit, briefings and boats are all a short walk from your room.
Further out, the Marsa Alam region holds some of the most famous dive and snorkel sites in Egypt, all bookable locally through the centre:
A range of water sports can also be arranged on the beach, with motorised options payable locally. Diving, tuition and boat trips likewise sit outside the All Inclusive board; we can point you to the right course level before you travel, and non divers are welcome on many of the snorkelling trips.
Wellness is handled by Mividaspa, the Jaz group’s signature spa brand, and it is a proper facility rather than a token treatment room. Hammam rituals come in Moroccan and Egyptian styles, building from steam and foam baths to scrubs and massage, and the wider menu ranges from Egyptian herbal therapies to bamboo massage. A sauna and a beauty salon complete the picture, with treatments payable locally.
If you have not tried a hammam before, the Egyptian ritual is the gentler introduction, while the Moroccan version adds a more vigorous scrub; either is a lovely way to spend a couple of hours out of the midday sun. Therapists’ diaries fill quickly in high season, so it pays to book treatments in the first day or two of your stay rather than leaving them for the final afternoon.
A complimentary fitness centre covers cardio and weights, and the daytime programme keeps things gently moving without ever being pushy.
Add the snorkelling and the diving and it is easy to stay active here for a fortnight, or to do absolutely nothing at all. Both approaches are well catered for.
The resort stands at the kilometre 65 marker on the coast road linking El Quseir with Marsa Alam town, on a stretch of the southern Red Sea prized for its marine life and its lack of crowds. Next door, the Madinat Coraya development curves around Coraya Bay with its cluster of sister Jaz and Steigenberger hotels, while Port Ghalib, the area’s marina town, is a short drive away for waterfront restaurants, cafes and shops when you fancy an evening off the resort.
| Marsa Alam International Airport | About 10 to 15 minutes by road |
|---|---|
| Port Ghalib marina | About 15 minutes by road |
| Abu Dabbab Bay | About 40 minutes by road |
| El Quseir old town | Around 1 hour by road |
| Marsa Alam town | Around 1 hour by road |
| Luxor and the Valley of the Kings | Around 4 hours each way |
Marsa Alam is the Red Sea at its most unspoilt, a coastline of desert hills, protected bays and reefs that came to tourism decades after Hurghada, and it shows in the best way: clearer water, fewer boats and a slower pace. This is a stay put coast rather than a strolling one; beyond the resort and its neighbours there is little to walk to, which is precisely why people come. For a change of scene we arrange guided excursions locally, from El Quseir’s old fort and waterfront to a full day among the temples and tombs of Luxor.
A week here also pairs beautifully with a Nile cruise aboard our own ships, the MS Royal Princess and the Classic Blue Shadow IV, combining reef and river in one holiday. Ask our specialists to build the two into a single seamless itinerary.
The questions our Egypt specialists answer most often about JAZ Grand Marsa, from transfer times to the house reef.
All Inclusive covers buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner at The Space, daytime snacks and ice cream, afternoon tea and coffee, and locally produced soft and alcoholic drinks by the glass. One complimentary dinner at an à la carte restaurant such as Sakura, Plateau or Zeit Zaitoun is typically included per stay, with further visits payable locally. Inclusions can vary by season, so we confirm the exact dining package with your quote.
The resort is around six kilometres from Marsa Alam International Airport, a drive of roughly ten to fifteen minutes. It is one of the shortest transfers on the Red Sea, and transfers with meet and greet are included in every Classic Holidays quote.
Yes, in our view it is one of the best snorkelling hotels in the Marsa Alam area. A living house reef begins just off the resort’s jetty, with corals and reef fish a few fin kicks from the ladder, and the on site PADI five star dive centre, Scuba World Divers, runs trips to nearby sites such as Abu Dabbab and Sha’ab Samadai.
No, the resort welcomes guests of all ages. Its 539 rooms are spread through such extensive gardens that it rarely feels crowded, and the overall atmosphere is calm rather than lively, which suits couples just as well as families.
For most couples we recommend a Superior Sea View room, around 36 square metres with a balcony or terrace looking towards the Red Sea; they are limited in number and sell first. Families usually do better in the roughly 45 square metre Family Rooms, which add an extra seating area and more breathing space.
Yes, pool heating runs through the cooler months, including at the smaller pool near the beach. Our customers tell us temperatures are comfortable rather than bath warm, and many simply swim off the jetty instead, as the Red Sea stays mild all year.
Yes. The property traded as the Resta Grand Resort before joining Egypt’s Jaz Hotel Group, and some booking sites still show the old name. It is the same beachfront resort on the Coraya Bay stretch of coast, now run to Jaz’s five star standards.
Yes. Because the coral starts close to shore, swimmers enter the water from the jetty ladders rather than wading in from the sand, which protects both you and the reef. Reef shoes are worth packing, and the sandy beach itself is ideal for sunbathing between swims.
Port Ghalib marina, about fifteen minutes away, offers waterfront restaurants, cafes and shops for an evening out. Day trips run to Abu Dabbab Bay, the Dolphin House lagoon at Sha’ab Samadai and the old town of El Quseir, and we arrange guided excursions as far as Luxor, around four hours each way.
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