Egyptian hotels · Marsa Alam
Where to Stay in Marsa Alam
Choosing a base in Marsa Alam: the marina at Port Ghalib, dive camps with their own reef along the central coast, the dugong bay at Abu Dabbab and wilderness lodges at Hamata. It is the Red Sea's quietest and wildest stretch, booked at net rates.
- Best areas
- Port Ghalib · Abu Dabbab · Hamata
- Star range
- 3-star to 5-star
- Nights
- 7–10 for a dive holiday
- Wildlife
- Dugongs · spinner dolphins
- Airport
- Marsa Alam (RMF)
- Rates
- Net, negotiated direct
The decision
Choosing your base in Marsa Alam
The Marsa Alam coast stretches for more than 200 km. It is quiet and unspoilt, with some of the healthiest coral on the Egyptian Red Sea. Most resorts stand alone beside their own reef, so you will find no strip of shops and no promenade. What you need to decide is where to base yourself: the marina town of Port Ghalib, a dive camp in the central stretch, or a lodge down south by the Hamata mangroves.
Port Ghalib
First-timers and families who want all services in one place
This is the only real marina town on the Marsa Alam coast. It was built as a resort hub, with restaurants, a row of shops and a safe sandy beach. It suits anyone who likes having facilities close by without the bustle of a big resort city.
The central reef-camp coast
Keen divers who like to walk straight into the sea
Dive camps and small boutique resorts are dotted between Port Ghalib and Abu Dabbab, and each has its own reef. The rooms are often plain, but nowhere else on the coast gets you into the water so easily. Have breakfast, pull on your fins and be diving by 8am.
Abu Dabbab & Marsa Mubarak
Wildlife seekers and snorkellers
North of Marsa Alam town you will find the well-known dugong bay and the seagrass where sea turtles feed. The resorts here are small and built around the reef. Snorkelling is shallow and calm, and the animals are big. If dugongs are why you are coming, stay here.
Hamata & the south
Eco travellers and those after real remoteness
The camps here are the last before the Sudanese border. Expect kayaking among the mangroves, Sataya Reef for spinner dolphins and hardly another visitor. It feels more like a lodge than a hotel, and half-board is usual, so it suits guests who already know what they want.
Reading the star ratings
What the stars mean in Marsa Alam
On this coast the reef often counts for more than the stars. Here is what each level usually means once you arrive.
A no-frills dive camp or lodge beside a house reef. Rooms are basic and sometimes tents or chalets, with the reef a few steps from the sand and a dive centre on site. It is the classic budget diver's choice: keep the bed simple and spend your effort underwater.
A well-kept resort with swimming pools, several restaurants and a good house reef. Most of Marsa Alam's mid-range rooms sit in this bracket. They are comfortable and relaxed, and everything is set up around the sea.
The marina hotels at Port Ghalib plus a handful of eco-luxury lodges. You get the best food, the most attentive dive teams and, usually, the most careful approach to the wildlife on the coast.
From the collection
Marsa Alam hotels our team reserves
Here is a selection of the Marsa Alam hotels and dive camps we book, ranging from the marina at Port Ghalib to reef-side camps and the dugong bay at Abu Dabbab. Let us know your dates, the board basis you prefer and whether you are coming to dive or to see wildlife. We will find a match and quote you our net rate.
Three Corners Happy Life Beach Resort: a stay at El Quseir
Rated four stars, Three Corners Happy Life Beach Resort has its address in El Quseir, a Red Sea town that sits north of Marsa Alam. What you are booking is a room and not a sightseeing programme. The listing tells us about the rooms but not about restaurants, board basis or leisure facilities, so those are checked with the hotel for your dates. Egypt Discovery handles the reservation on request, and can look into transfers if you ask.
Hilton Marsa Alam Nubian Resort
This is a four-star hotel in the Marsa Alam area of Egypt, listed at KM 97 on the Quseir Marsa Alam Road, the coastal route that links Quseir with Marsa Alam beside the Red Sea. Egypt Discovery can book your room as part of a wider holiday, on request. Before you commit, check the room type, the board basis and any extras you want, as each can change what your rate covers. A hotel stay is not a sightseeing tour: trips out, transfers and meals are separate unless your confirmation says otherwise.
Abu Dabbab Lodge on the Marsa Alam coast
Abu Dabbab Lodge is a three-star hotel on Abu Dabbab Bay, about 30 kilometres north of Marsa Alam in Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate. The bay has a sandy shore and beds of seagrass, which sometimes draw green sea turtles and dugongs, although nobody can promise a sighting. You are outside the town here, so work out how you will get to and from Marsa Alam before you book. This is a stay built around the coast, not around shops and cafés. Ask us to confirm the current rooms, meals and facilities first.
Laguna Beach Marsa Resort, south of Marsa Alam
Laguna Beach Marsa Resort is a three-star hotel on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. Its address puts it 17 km south of Marsa Alam, so this is a stay away from the town rather than in it. Getting into Marsa Alam or out to other places will mean arranging a lift or a car. Egypt Discovery books hotels on request, and we will check the room type, the board basis and any extras you want for your dates, because each one changes what you pay for.
Blue Reef Marsa Alam, a four-star hotel north of the town
Blue Reef Marsa Alam is a four-star hotel in the Marsa Alam area of Egypt, 20 kilometres north of Marsa Alam City. That distance is the one fixed point we have, and it means you are staying outside the town and not in its centre. Before you book, find out which meal plan applies, what the rooms offer and how you will get to and from the hotel. Egypt Discovery, the UK brand of a licensed Egyptian tour operator, can help with travel on the ground.
Three Corners Fayrouz Plaza Beach Resort in Marsa Alam
A five-star beach resort on the Red Sea coast of Marsa Alam, where coral reefs lie offshore and desert runs inland. It makes a seaside base for the area rather than a stop on a city itinerary. Listed facilities include a pool, spa, gym, restaurant, bar, garden, rooftop terrace and beach access, with an airport shuttle and room service. Egypt Discovery can organise the room as part of a wider trip, and we confirm the board basis and facilities for your dates before you commit.
JAZ Costa Mares, a five-star hotel near Marsa Alam
JAZ Costa Mares is a five-star hotel on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, in the Marsa Alam area. Its listed address is KM 79 Qusseir, which puts it on the coast road that links Qusseir with Marsa Alam. You are booking a room, not a tour, so check the room type, board basis and facilities for your dates before you commit. Egypt Discovery, the UK brand of a licensed Egyptian operator, can help with onward travel; the hotel itself is run by its own operator. Meals, excursions and transfers are all things to arrange separately.
Brayka Bay Resort
Brayka Bay Resort is a four-star hotel on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, 17 km north of Marsa Alam town. That puts it away from the town's shops and cafes, so a trip into Marsa Alam needs a car or taxi. The facilities list names a pool, spa, garden, restaurant, bar and beach access, with a business centre and parking as well. Meal basis and transfers are not fixed by the listing, so Egypt Discovery checks both against your dates when we book the room for you on request.
Casa Mare Resort, a Marsa Alam hotel break
Casa Mare Resort is a hotel in the Marsa Alam region, listed in the five-star category. Its address describes it as 17 km south of Marsa Alam Airport. This is a hotel stay, not a sightseeing tour, so the choice that matters most is which room and board option fits your plans. Before you book, check the room type, meal plan, facilities and airport transport for your dates. Egypt Discovery can arrange the reservation as one part of a wider Egypt trip. Marsa Alam is a Red Sea destination on the edge of Egypt’s Eastern Desert, and we will confirm journey details with you ahead of travel.
JAZ Elite Maraya, Coraya Bay near Marsa Alam
JAZ Elite Maraya is a five-star hotel in Madinat Coraya, a resort area on Coraya Bay in Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate. The postal address is km 67 of the Qusier–Marsa Alam road, in El Quseir, even though the hotel is filed under the Marsa Alam region. It pays to know that before you sort out transport, because the regional label alone will not tell a driver where to go. Egypt Discovery arranges hotel stays as part of wider Egypt itineraries. Before you commit, check what your chosen rate covers, including meal plan, room terms and any extras, as these change from one rate to the next.
JAZ Lamaya Resort, Madinat Coraya on the Red Sea
JAZ Lamaya Resort is rated five stars and has its address at Madinat Coraya, KM 67 on the Quseir to Marsa Alam coast road. That puts it in a purpose-built resort area, a drive from the centre of Marsa Alam. The region is known for access to the Red Sea and for desert scenery. We do not hold confirmed facilities or meal plans, so we check them with the hotel for your dates. Egypt Discovery books through local suppliers on request. This page names the property and its position only; it promises no particular room feature, board basis or activity.
Steigenberger Coraya Beach on the Marsa Alam coast
Guests must be 16 or over to stay at Steigenberger Coraya Beach, a five-star hotel in Madinat Coraya in the Marsa Alam area. Its address is kilometre 67 on the road that links Al Quseir and Marsa Alam. The listing says nothing about the board basis or the facilities, so we do not guess at them. Egypt Discovery books the hotel on request and goes through meals, rooms and dates with you before anything is confirmed.
SENTIDO Reef Oasis Suakin Resort
SENTIDO Reef Oasis Suakin Resort is a four-star hotel in Marsa Alam, on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, with its address given as Main Street, Marsa Alam, Red Sea, 1923104. Facilities on the list include a restaurant, bar, garden, beach access, parking, Wi-Fi, a concierge and a business centre, plus an airport shuttle worth asking about. This is a hotel booking only, not a tour. Egypt Discovery books it for you on request and checks the room, board basis and transfer with the hotel for your dates.
Pickalbatros The Palace Port Ghalib – five stars at Port Ghalib
Pickalbatros The Palace Port Ghalib is a five-star hotel at Port Ghalib, a resort area on Egypt's Red Sea coast in the Marsa Alam region. Port Ghalib has its own marina and is a separate place from the inland town of Marsa Alam, so a stay here puts you in the resort area, not in the town centre. Egypt Discovery books hotels on request and can check the practical details for your dates, such as meal plan, facilities and transfers. What your room includes depends on the rate you choose, so read the terms before you confirm.
JAZ Elite Riviera, Marsa Alam
A five-star resort on Marsa Mares Bay, at KM 79 of the coast road between El Quseir and Marsa Alam in southern Egypt. Sea on one side and desert on the other give the place its character. This is a room booking, not a guided trip. Listed facilities include a pool, spa, gym, restaurant, bar, garden, beach access and an airport shuttle. Egypt Discovery can fit the stay into a wider itinerary and confirm room, board basis and transport for your dates before you book.
Novotel Marsa Alam Beach Resort
Novotel Marsa Alam Beach Resort is a five-star resort in the Marsa Alam area of Egypt's Red Sea coast. The address is 19 Km South El Quessir Marsa Alam Road, so it sits out along the coast road rather than in a town. Board basis, room details and facilities can differ from one date to the next, so we check them for you before anything is booked. Egypt Discovery arranges the booking on request; the hotel itself is run by its own company.
Oyster Bay Beach Suites, Marsa Alam
Oyster Bay Beach Suites is a four-star suite hotel on the coast road between El Quseir and Marsa Alam, at the 40 km marker, in the Red Sea Governorate. The listing shows a pool, beach access, a kids' club, a spa, a restaurant and a bar. What it does not tell us is the exact room layouts or the meal basis, so Egypt Discovery checks those for your dates before you book. Airport transfers and activities are not assumed to be part of a room booking.
Amarina Jannah Resort & Aqua Park near Marsa Alam
Amarina Jannah Resort & Aqua Park is a four-star-listed hotel on the Al Quseir–Marsa Alam road in the Red Sea Governorate. Its address puts it just 2 km from Marsa Alam Airport, which is handy if a short transfer matters to you. The hotel is linked with the Marsa Alam region, though the postal address is in El Quseir. The name mentions an aqua park, so ask whether it can be used and when it is open on your dates before you book. Room types, meal plans, airport transfers and other services depend on the reservation you choose, and Egypt Discovery can check them with you first.
Marina Resort Port Ghalib
A five-star resort at Port Ghalib, on the Red Sea Riviera, part of the Marsa Alam stretch of Egypt’s coast. The postal address gives El Quseir, Red Sea Governorate. This is a place to sleep and relax, not a guided trip, so we confirm your room and board basis for your travel dates before anything is booked. Facilities include a pool, spa, gym, restaurant, bar and beach access. Diving, snorkelling and other days out are not part of the room booking and can be arranged on request.
Marina Lodge at Port Ghalib, near Marsa Alam
Marina Lodge at Port Ghalib is a four-star hotel in Port Ghalib, part of the Marsa Alam region on Egypt’s Red Sea shore. The address puts you in Port Ghalib, a resort and marina area south of Marsa Alam city, and not in the city itself. Worth knowing when you are deciding where to base a Red Sea trip. You are booking a hotel stay here, not a cruise or a sightseeing tour. Room type, meal plan, facilities and transfers all depend on the booking you choose, so confirm each of them for your dates before paying.
Pickalbatros Sands Port Ghalib, Red Sea
Five stars, a Pickalbatros name and an address simply given as Port Ghalib Marsa Alam: that is what we know about Pickalbatros Sands Port Ghalib. Port Ghalib is a resort town on the southern Red Sea coast of Egypt. Room type, board basis, facilities and transport are not described in the listing, so we check each one with you for your dates. Egypt Discovery books the hotel on request and can arrange extras on the ground if you ask, though a stay and a trip out are separate things.
JAZ Elite Amara
JAZ Elite Amara is a five-star resort on Marsa Mares Bay, on the road that links El Quseir with Marsa Alam, at KM 79. The setting is the southern Red Sea coast of Egypt. You are booking somewhere to stay, not a guided trip, and the room type and board basis depend on the option you pick. Facilities listed include a pool, spa, gym, restaurant, bar, garden, beach access and an airport shuttle. We confirm what applies for your dates and can arrange transport or extras on request.
Gemma Resort, Dorry Bay near Marsa Alam
Gemma Resort holds four stars and stands in Dorry Bay, part of the Marsa Alam area on Egypt’s Red Sea shore. It suits a holiday where you pick each day as it comes, not one built around a fixed route. Board basis and facilities are not confirmed in what we hold, so we check them for your dates before you commit. Egypt Discovery books hotels on request and can sort out the practical details ahead of travel.
Pickalbatros Vita Resort Portofino – five-star stay in Marsa Alam
Looking for a room on the Marsa Alam stretch of the Red Sea? Pickalbatros Vita Resort Portofino is rated five stars and sits in Marsa Alam, in the Red Sea Governorate. This is a place to sleep and relax, not a sightseeing tour, so you decide how to fill the days. We hold no confirmed details on meal plan, facilities or transfers, so tell Egypt Discovery your dates and we will check them with the hotel before you book. Other travel plans, such as transport, can be arranged separately.
Pickalbatros Sea World Resort Marsa Alam
Pickalbatros Sea World Resort Marsa Alam is a five-star hotel in the Marsa Alam area on Egypt's Red Sea. The only address we hold is "Marsa Alam", and we have no details of its board basis or facilities, so we check those with the hotel for your dates before you commit. This is a plain hotel booking, not a tour: any excursions and transport are separate unless your confirmation says they are included. Egypt Discovery books it on request.
From your door
Days out within reach of your Marsa Alam hotel
From a Marsa Alam hotel you are right beside some of the Red Sea's emptiest dive sites. Abu Dabbab's dugongs and Sataya's spinner dolphins are both within a morning's boat trip.
Meeting the dugongs at Abu Dabbab
Dugongs and sea turtles feed in this shallow bay all year. Most resorts run snorkelling trips there, and it is a short drive if you are staying at Port Ghalib.
Spinner dolphins at Sataya Reef
You sail out to Sataya in the late afternoon and spend the night at anchor by the dolphin reef. At dawn you slip into the sea alongside a pod of spinners.
Diving or snorkelling your own house reef
Many Marsa Alam resorts have their own reef, and it takes about a minute to walk to the water. Any morning dive might bring soft coral, turtles or a napoleon wrasse.
Hamata mangroves
Paddle a kayak into the mangrove channels at Hamata. The water is flat and still, desert cliffs rise behind you and a reef lies just beyond. It makes a lovely, wild hour afloat.
Excursions
Days out from your hotel
Resorts along this coast sit well apart, so our vehicles call at hotels all the way along it. Below are the excursions we run, each with the lowest fare currently on sale.
- Sataya Dolphin Reef Boat Trip from Marsa AlamFrom £9513 Hours
- Samadai Dolphin House Boat Trip from Marsa AlamFrom £918 Hours
- Abu Dabbab Bay Turtles and Dugong Snorkelling TripFrom £675 Hours
- Marsa Mubarak Boat Trip with Turtle SnorkellingFrom £475 Hours
- Hamata and Qulaan Islands Full-Day Boat TripFrom £918 Hours
- Sharm El Luli Beach and Wadi El Gemal National Park Day TripFrom £889 Hours
- Beginner Discovery Scuba Dive from Marsa AlamFrom £1266 Hours
- Morning Quad Bike Desert Safari from Marsa AlamFrom £734 Hours
- Sunset Quad Safari with Bedouin Dinner from Marsa AlamFrom £855 Hours
- Desert Stargazing, Camel Ride and Bedouin Dinner from Marsa AlamFrom £805 Hours
- Private Luxor Excursion from Marsa Alam by RoadFrom £10316 Hours
- Private Aswan Excursion from Marsa Alam by RoadFrom £21016 Hours
- Private Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples Excursion from Marsa AlamFrom £20514 Hours
- El Quseir Old Town Tour from Marsa AlamFrom £706 Hours
Before you book
The practical side of a Marsa Alam stay
Some useful things to know before you settle on a Marsa Alam hotel.
How many nights
Allow seven to ten nights for a dive holiday, or five for a shorter break. The drive from Cairo and the Nile sites takes four hours at the very least, so most people treat Marsa Alam as a stay in its own right and not a quick extra.
Arriving at Marsa Alam Airport
Marsa Alam Airport (RMF) is small and relaxed, with direct charter flights from the UK. Port Ghalib lies 10–15 minutes away. Most dive camps and beach resorts are 20–60 minutes up or down the coast road. We can book a private transfer that takes you to your hotel door.
Reef access matters more than star ratings
A 3-star camp beside a superb reef can be a better pick than a 5-star hotel with nowhere to dive. Say what you hope to do in the water, whether that is diving from the shore, boat trips to offshore sites or snorkelling with wildlife, and we will choose a property to suit.
All-inclusive vs half-board
Sharm is mostly all-inclusive, but plenty of Marsa Alam camps offer half-board, which leaves your lunchtime free for dive trips. Before you book, we check the board basis and the dive centre's charges for you.
Common questions
Marsa Alam hotels, answered
01Which part of Marsa Alam is best for a holiday?+
It depends what you want. Port Ghalib has the marina, restaurants and a proper beach together. The central house-reef strip is best if shore diving is the aim. Abu Dabbab and Marsa Mubarak offer the dugong bay and calm snorkelling, and Hamata gives you total remoteness plus the Sataya dolphins. Tell us the purpose of your trip and we will suggest the right stretch of coast.
02Is it possible to see dugongs near Marsa Alam?+
Yes. Abu Dabbab Bay is among the most dependable spots anywhere in the world for snorkelling alongside dugongs, and turtles and dolphins turn up often too. You can go at any time of year without a permit, and it is a short boat ride or drive from most central resorts. If seeing dugongs is your priority, we will book you into a resort in or near the bay.
03Does Marsa Alam have good diving?+
It has some of the quietest diving on the Egyptian Red Sea. You will find reefs beside the hotels, offshore sites such as Sataya Reef and Elphinstone, and warm clear water throughout the year. Anyone who has dived at Sharm or Hurghada and now wants dugongs, napoleon wrasse and far fewer boats will find Marsa Alam a natural next step.
04What is the right length of stay in Marsa Alam?+
For a proper dive holiday, plan on seven to ten nights. That gives you the house reef each morning, a boat trip to Elphinstone or Sataya and a day with the dugongs at Abu Dabbab. A short break works at five nights. With the long journey from Cairo, a stay of under four nights is hard to justify.
05Are meals and airport pickup part of your Marsa Alam hotel prices?+
It differs by property. Many dive camps are half-board, while the bigger resorts tend to offer all-inclusive. Your quote spells out exactly what is covered. Adding an airport pickup is easy, and the usual arrival is a private transfer from RMF to your hotel.
Reservations
Book a room in Marsa Alam
Send us your dates, say whether you would prefer a reef-side dive camp or a marina resort at Port Ghalib, and let us know how many nights you have. We will come back with a hand-picked shortlist of Marsa Alam hotels at our net rate. Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Hurghada · Marsa Alam · Sharm El Sheikh, on the ground since 1988.