Egypt hotels · Dahab
Where to Stay in Dahab
Where to stay in Dahab — a dive and kite town on the Gulf of Aqaba, 80 kilometres north of Sharm, with the Blue Hole on the reef, a promenade of cushion restaurants above the water, and Mount Sinai an hour up the desert road.
- Type
- Dive and kite town
- Star range
- 2-star to 4-star
- Nights
- 5–10 typical
- The Blue Hole
- 10 min north
- To Mount Sinai
- 1 hour by road
- Airport
- Sharm (SSH) or Cairo
The decision
Choosing your base in Dahab
Dahab is a small town on the Gulf of Aqaba with a character unlike anywhere else on the Egyptian coast. The promenade — a string of cushion-restaurants built low to the water — is where most of the social life happens, and the dive schools are close enough together that you can walk between them in ten minutes. It runs quieter and cheaper than Sharm, and divers and free-divers tend to stay longer.
Assalah and the promenade
First-timers and those who want to be in the centre
The main tourist district along the beach — dive shops, restaurants on the water and the oldest guesthouses in town. The most activity, the most sociable, the least quiet.
Mashraba
Those who want the character without the noise
The central street running behind the promenade — quieter guesthouses, cheaper cafés and a more residential feel while still within walking distance of the reef.
The Laguna
Kite surfers and windsurfers
The flat-water bay at the southern end of the promenade — the consistent north wind makes it one of the better kite spots in Sinai. Small, focused hotels and camps cluster here.
North of the promenade
Divers who want the Blue Hole close and the town at a distance
Scattered Bedouin camps and small dive lodges north of Assalah, quieter than the promenade, closer to the Blue Hole and Eel Garden. The most remote option in Dahab.
Reading the star ratings
What the stars mean in Dahab
Dahab runs on guesthouses, dive packages and simple hotels. Here's what each level means.
The Dahab standard: simple rooms, usually with a dive-school package included, right on or one street back from the promenade. Basic comfort, excellent reef access, and the social life just outside the door.
A step up in hot-water reliability and room size, usually with a small pool and a breakfast terrace. Still close to the promenade, still dive-focused.
The handful of larger hotels away from the promenade — better facilities and quieter rooms, though away from the Dahab atmosphere most guests come for. Good for those who want the location without the guesthouse.
From the collection
Dahab hotels our team reserves
A sample of the Dahab hotels and dive camps we book. Tell us your dates and whether you're here to dive, kite or take it slow, and we'll match it at our net rate.
Tropitel Dahab Oasis
Tropitel Dahab Oasis is a four-star hotel on Blue Hole Road in Dahab, South Sinai. The address puts it along the road that links Dahab with the Blue Hole area, which makes it a useful base on this stretch of the Red Sea coast. Room categories, meal plans, facilities and services can differ from one booking to the next, so we check them for your dates before you reserve. Egypt Discovery arranges hotel bookings in Egypt and can explain what your chosen rate covers. This is a hotel stay, not a tour, so trips and transport around Dahab need planning separately unless your reservation says they are included.
Stay at Swiss Inn Resort Dahab
Swiss Inn Resort Dahab sits in the town of Dahab, on the Gulf of Aqaba side of the Sinai Peninsula. The town is known for its Red Sea shoreline, with desert country close behind. What you are buying here is a room at the hotel, not a guided sightseeing tour. The room type, the meal plan and any extras depend on the rate you choose, so read those details before you confirm. Trips out to local sights and activities can be added separately.
Safir Dahab Resort, Dahab
Safir Dahab Resort is a five-star hotel in the Laguna district of Dahab, in the south of the Sinai Peninsula. You are booking a resort stay by the sea rather than a sightseeing tour, and any local activities are arranged separately. The hotel is run independently of us, and Egypt Discovery books rooms there on request. Ask us to confirm the room, board basis and any extras on your dates before you book, as these are not fixed in this listing.
JAZ Dahabeya
JAZ Dahabeya is a hotel in Dahab, on the Sinai Peninsula, where the Gulf of Aqaba meets the coast of Egypt. It is listed as a four-star property and its recorded address is P.O. Box 83. What you are booking is a room, not a sightseeing programme or a bundled itinerary. Dahab is a Red Sea town in South Sinai. Before you book, we will confirm the room category, meal plan, facilities, check-in details and any services that come with the rate for your dates. Egypt Discovery arranges the accommodation through its local team, while the hotel itself is run by its owner.
Stay at Dahab Paradise Hotel
Dahab Paradise is a three-star hotel at 3 Blue Hole Road in Dahab, on the Gulf of Aqaba side of the Sinai Peninsula. The road heads towards the Blue Hole, a well-known diving and snorkelling spot north of the town. Because the address is a road rather than a central seafront street, it pays to think about how far you will be from the places on your list. Ask us to confirm transport, meals and facilities for your dates before you book.
The Bedouin Moon Hotel Dahab
You will find The Bedouin Moon Hotel on Blue Hole Road in Asalla, a part of Dahab on the Sinai Peninsula's Gulf of Aqaba coast. This is a room-only style hotel listing, not a guided tour, so there is no fixed programme of visits. Egypt Discovery books hotels in Egypt on request. Before you commit, ask us to confirm the room type, board basis and dates, and exactly what your chosen rate covers.
Stay at Acacia Dahab Hotel
Acacia Dahab Hotel is a three-star hotel at 5 Mashraba Street in Dahab, a town on the Gulf of Aqaba coast of South Sinai. Dahab is a well-known Red Sea destination, but the listing for this hotel gives us its address and star rating rather than a full facilities list or meal plan. So the solid facts are simple: it is in Dahab, on Mashraba Street. If you are comparing places to stay, check room features, meals and services for your dates before booking, as they tell you more about fit than a star rating does.
Sheikh Ali Dahab Resort
Sheikh Ali Dahab Resort is a three-star hotel in the Mashraba district of Dahab, on the Sinai Peninsula beside the Gulf of Aqaba. This is an accommodation booking rather than a sightseeing programme, and Mashraba puts the property inside Dahab's town area. Before you book, we will check the meal plan, room features and facilities for your dates, and whether transport or other services can be added separately. Dahab sits on the Red Sea coast, with the Gulf of Aqaba along its eastern shore. Get in touch and Egypt Discovery will confirm the room and the booking terms for your stay.
Retac Qunay Dahab Resort & Spa hotel break
Retac Qunay Dahab Resort & Spa is a five-star hotel on Al Tahrir Street in Dahab, on the South Sinai coast of Egypt. The town lies beside the Gulf of Aqaba, with its seafront and the Sinai landscape around it. Egypt Discovery books the room for you, while the hotel runs its own rooms and services. Check room types, meal plans, spa services and current facilities for your dates before you commit. This is a hotel stay and not a sightseeing tour, so what you get depends on the terms of the booking you choose.
Swiss Royal Dahab, South Sinai
Swiss Royal Dahab is a four-star hotel in the Red Sea town of Dahab, on the Gulf of Aqaba in South Sinai. Its address is New Mashraba Street, beside an NBE Bank branch, which gives you an easy landmark in town. The listing shows a restaurant, bar, spa, garden, rooftop terrace and beach access among its amenities. As the address is a town street rather than a waterfront one, check how far the shore is from the hotel. Room details, meals and services are confirmed with us when you book.
From your door
Days out within reach of your Dahab hotel
Dahab sits between the Gulf of Aqaba and the Sinai desert — the reef is in front and the mountain is an hour behind.
The Blue Hole
The world's most famous free-diving site, ten minutes north of the promenade by taxi — a circular sinkhole in the reef dropping to 130 metres, with a swim-through arch at 56 metres. Snorkellers use the outer lip; divers go deeper.
Mount Sinai dawn climb
A night drive to St Catherine, a two-hour climb up the mountain of Moses, and a sunrise from the summit — back at your Dahab hotel by mid-morning. The classic Sinai night out.
St Catherine's Monastery
The oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery on earth, one hour from Dahab in the Sinai interior — the Burning Bush, the 6th-century basilica and a library second only to the Vatican's.
Desert and Bedouin camp
Into the Sinai desert on quad bikes or by camel — the sandstone canyons, a Bedouin camp dinner and a sky that clears the moment you leave the coast.
Before you book
The practical side of a Dahab stay
A few things worth knowing before you pick a Dahab hotel.
How many nights
Five to ten for a dive visit — the Blue Hole, the canyon sites, Eel Garden and the offshore sites fill a week. Most guests planning three nights end up staying longer; the pace and the reef keep people.
Getting in from the airport
Dahab has no airport. The nearest is Sharm El Sheikh (SSH), about 90 minutes south by private transfer, with direct charters from the UK. Cairo (CAI) is about 7 hours by road. We arrange the transfer whichever way you arrive.
The Blue Hole is free to snorkel, the diving needs a guide
The Blue Hole reef is open to snorkellers at no charge from the shore. For the arch at 56 metres and the deeper sites, a local guide and PADI-certified dive centre are necessary. The Dahab schools know the site well; we can connect you to the right one.
Dahab is cash-based
Most restaurants, dive schools and guesthouses on the promenade work in cash — Egyptian pounds or pounds sterling and euros are widely accepted. Card machines exist at some larger hotels but are unreliable. ATMs are in the town centre.
Common questions
Dahab hotels, answered
01What is Dahab like, and is it good for beginners?+
Dahab is a small dive and kite town on the Gulf of Aqaba — a cushion-restaurant promenade, the reef two minutes from most guesthouses, and a relaxed pace that suits beginners and experienced divers alike. The schools here know the reef well, Eel Garden is a good shallow site for an open-water course, and the prices run 30–50% below Sharm.
02What is the Blue Hole in Dahab?+
The Blue Hole is a circular sinkhole in the reef about ten minutes north of Dahab town — roughly 300 metres wide and dropping to 130 metres, with a swim-through arch at 56 metres. Snorkellers use the outer reef wall above the arch; certified divers swim the arch with a guide. It's one of the most recognisable dive sites in the world, and a short taxi ride from any Dahab hotel.
03Can I climb Mount Sinai from Dahab?+
Yes — it's one of the most common day or overnight trips from Dahab. The drive to St Catherine takes about an hour; you arrive in the evening, sleep or rest, and start the night climb to reach the summit by dawn. Back in Dahab by mid-morning. We arrange the transport and the guide.
04Is Dahab cheaper than Sharm El Sheikh?+
Yes, noticeably — guesthouses, dive packages and restaurants on the promenade run 30–50% cheaper than comparable Sharm options. Dahab has fewer big resorts and no polished all-inclusive strip. Guests who want the reef without the resort price tend to pick Dahab; guests who want the full beach holiday tend to pick Sharm.
05How do I get to Dahab from Cairo or Sharm?+
From Sharm El Sheikh airport (SSH), Dahab is about 90 minutes by private transfer. From Cairo, the drive is around 7 hours — or fly to Sharm and transfer. We arrange the private transfer whichever route you take.
Reservations
Find your room in Dahab
Tell us your dates, whether you want to be on the promenade or near the Laguna kite bay, and what you want from the reef — snorkel, dive, free-dive or the Blue Hole — and we'll send hand-picked Dahab options at our net rate. Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Hurghada · Marsa Alam · Sharm El Sheikh, on the ground since 1988.