Makadi Bay: Egypt's Calm All-Inclusive Family Resort Strip

Quick answer: Makadi Bay is a planned resort strip on the Red Sea coast, roughly 30 to 35 km south of Hurghada, spread along about 10 km of sheltered coastline between the Eastern Desert mountains and a bay of protected coral reefs. It was first developed in the 1990s and today holds more than 15 large resorts, two golf courses and several dive centres. It is not a town. If you want a week built around a pool, a private beach and an easy snorkel off the jetty, with a short airport transfer and a menu of day trips on tap, this is a good fit. If you picture wandering out for street food or bar-hopping in the evening, you will find very little of that here.

What and where Makadi Bay is

Makadi Bay sits south of Hurghada, an easy drive down a modern coastal highway with desert on one side and the sea on the other. Sources put the distance at about 30 km (Egypt Compass) to 31 km (transfer aggregators), with the bay curving across roughly 10 km of coast. It was deliberately laid out to protect the marine environment, so the reefs close to shore are in good shape. The character of the place is quiet and self-contained. One review site sums it up as "a quieter option to neighbouring Hurghada," best for a "plan less, relax more" week. The repeated caveat: there is not much outside the hotels, so treat this as a resort bay rather than a destination with its own high street.

The all-inclusive resorts and who they suit

The bay is dominated by big 4- and 5-star all-inclusive complexes, most of them run by a handful of chains. The JAZ group has the largest presence, with properties like JAZ Makadi Saraya Resort, Iberotel Makadi Beach, JAZ Aquaviva and JAZ Makadi Star & Spa. SUNRISE Hotels run the Tucana and Royal Makadi resorts, the latter with its own on-site water park. Other real names you'll see include Steigenberger Makadi, Cleopatra Luxury Resort, and the Serenity-brand hotels.

Families are the core audience. Resorts advertise kids' clubs split by age group (often 4 to 17), shallow snorkelling zones, lagoon pools and babysitting. Cleopatra Luxury Resort, for example, is an affordable all-inclusive popular with German families, with eight pools, six restaurants and bars, a kids' club and a private beach. There is also a distinct adults-only and couples segment: JAZ Makadi Star & Spa, the couples-only Makadi Spa Hotel (18+), and Steigenberger's adults-friendly section (16+) are pitched at quieter, romantic stays. Verify specific amenities on the operator's own page before booking, since some resort-marketing detail is promotional.

Calm swimming and the family appeal

The reason families keep coming back is the water. The bay is sheltered, with minimal currents and good visibility, which sources describe as exceptionally safe for swimming and water sports and well suited to young swimmers. Beaches are long and sandy, private to each resort, and slope gradually into the sea. Many resorts add jetty access to the reef so you can reach the coral without walking over it. For anyone travelling with small children who are nervous swimmers, the calm, gently shelving water is the single biggest draw.

Makadi Water World

Makadi Water World is billed as Egypt's largest aqua park, with around 50 slides (roughly split between adult and children's rides), wave pools and rafting. It makes a full family day out and tickets are sold through operators like Viator and local desks. Two neighbouring attractions round out the cluster: Mini Egypt Park, an open-air museum with about 55 miniature models of Egyptian landmarks from the Pyramids to the High Dam, and Dolphin World Egypt, next door, with dolphin and sea-lion shows plus swim-with-dolphins options. Note that some resorts (such as SUNRISE Royal Makadi and JAZ Aquaviva) have their own in-house water parks, which cuts the need to leave the grounds at all.

House reefs, snorkelling and diving

Reef quality is a genuine selling point rather than marketing gloss. The bay's protected status supports a wide range of fish, and house reefs typically start 50 to 200 m offshore in 3 to 15 m of water, which is good for snorkelling and beginner diving. Independent snorkelling writers describe the reefs as relatively shallow with no steep drop-offs, well protected from wind and current, with good year-round visibility. Expect sergeant majors, parrotfish, butterflyfish and the occasional octopus over rubble patches. Treat the flashier claims (Napoleon wrasse, manta rays) as best-case rather than guaranteed.

The standard nearby snorkel trip is Sharm el-Naga, a bay to the south near Safaga with a natural beach, a protected reef and sandy entries good for beginners. Reviews are mixed, some calling the coral only fair, others rating it highly, so pitch it as a reliable easy outing rather than a world-class site.

Excursions and day trips

Most sightseeing here means booking a trip out. Island and snorkelling boats are the easy wins: Giftun Island National Park with Mahmya beach is about an hour offshore, alongside Orange Bay, Paradise Island and Abu Dabab (known for turtles). A Giftun snorkelling day runs roughly 25 to 35 pounds. Desert trips include quad-bike safaris (around 35 to 75 pounds), Bedouin village evenings with a camel ride and stargazing (about 45 to 70 pounds), and jeep safaris.

The big-ticket days are Luxor and Cairo. Luxor is a long 14-hour-plus day taking in the Valley of the Kings, Karnak and Luxor Temple, quoted at around 95 to 140 pounds. Cairo and the Giza Pyramids can be done as a long bus day or by plane, with overnight tours around 180 to 250 pounds. One practical point specific to Makadi: because it sits south of Hurghada, some tours add a transfer surcharge or a slightly longer pickup for the extra distance, so confirm what the pickup covers. Booking through the resort tour desk is safest for quality; reputable local operators can be cheaper. All prices here are indicative and volatile, so verify at booking.

Getting there and getting around

Hurghada International Airport (HRG) is the gateway, and the transfer is short: most sources say 30 to 45 minutes, with resorts at the far southern end closer to 40. As a rough guide, a shared transfer runs about 15 to 20 pounds, a private transfer 35 to 50, and a taxi 40 to 60; most European package and charter bookings include the transfer already. Once you arrive, there is little to "get around" to, since the resorts are self-contained. Reaching the water park, Mini Egypt or a restaurant outside your hotel means a taxi or a resort shuttle. Build any independent movement into your plans rather than expecting to stroll between places.

Costs and best season

Makadi reads as slightly upmarket of central Hurghada but still good value by European standards, since it skews to large all-inclusives rather than cheap independents. As a per-person weekly guide, 5-star all-inclusive runs roughly 450 to 700 pounds in low season and 800 to 1,200 at peak; 4-star sits lower, from around 300 low to 750 peak; budget and half-board options start near 120 to 400. Entry-level nightly rates appear from about 117 dollars. The trade-off is that you gain a newer self-contained product and strong all-inclusive inclusions, but lose Hurghada's cheap street dining and independent pricing. All figures are indicative and the Egyptian pound has been volatile, so verify at booking.

The climate is desert-dry and sunny almost year-round. December to February brings the best weather (air 20 to 25C) but higher prices and crowds. June to August is very hot (up to 40C) with the warmest sea and lowest prices. The repeatedly recommended windows are March to May and September to November, which balance comfortable temperatures, calm seas and moderate pricing.