01Snorkelling off the beach
Wade in from the sand or step off the jetty and the coral is beneath you. The sea stays warm enough for a swim whatever the month, so a January holiday still gets you in the water.
Whenever you like
Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Egypt's Red Sea · Destination guide
Makadi Bay
One calm, sandy bay of all-inclusive hotels south of Hurghada, with a reef to snorkel from your sunlounger and flights to HRG a short drive away.
- Region
- Red Sea, south of Hurghada
- Best for
- Beach holidays · snorkelling · peace and quiet
- Ideal stay
- 4–7 nights
- When to go
- October to April
- Airport
- Hurghada (HRG), 30–40 minutes
- Pairs with
- Luxor · Hurghada
Get your bearings
What Makadi Bay actually is
Makadi Bay is a single arc of sand, roughly 30 kilometres south of Hurghada, that was laid out for hotels and nothing else. No old town sits beneath it. The hotels follow the shore one after another, with a modest promenade and a small souk for an after-dinner wander. If you want pavements and nightlife, look elsewhere on this coast; if you want a book and a warm sea, this is it.
The sea is the main event. Most hotels have their own reef within reach of the beach or a jetty, so a mask and snorkel before breakfast needs no boat and no booking. For a change of scene there are excursions to Hurghada marina, the Giftun Islands and the desert, and Luxor lies around four hours inland by road.
What you're really here to see
The landmarks that make Makadi Bay
01
02A boat day to the Giftun Islands
The usual boat excursion along this coast: sandbars, shallow reef, a few swim stops and lunch on deck. The boats sail from Hurghada marina, a short drive north, and we book the transfer from your hotel.
Full day
03Into the Eastern Desert
For a day off the water, take a 4x4 or quad bike across the desert behind the coast. You finish at a Bedouin-style camp for tea and supper, under a sky free of hotel lights.
Half day
Time to allow
How many days in Makadi Bay?
This is a bay for slowing down, so allow four nights or more.
3–4 nightsA quick rest
Sunbathing, a few snorkels on the reef and one boat outing: a gentle landing after a packed tour.
5–7 nightsThe sweet spot
A full week of beach time, with a Giftun boat day, a desert evening and a night out in Hurghada.
After LuxorThe natural end
The temples first, then roughly four hours by road to the sea, with your hotel only 30–40 minutes from the airport.
Two basesCalm, then buzz
Spend part of the holiday here and part somewhere livelier, such as Hurghada or El Gouna.
Where it fits
Makadi Bay in your itinerary
Makadi Bay suits the end of a holiday, when you want to do very little.
After Luxor
Around four hours by road. Most of our guests see the temples and the Nile first, then put their feet up by the sea.
Near Hurghada
About 30 kilometres south of the town, which puts the marina, the islands and the desert within a day trip.
Hotel-based
All-inclusive hotels share one bay, so once you have arrived there is little left to plan.
Reef on the doorstep
Snorkel straight from the beach or the jetty. No boat, no queue.
From the catalogue
Tours that start in Makadi Bay
Iberotel Makadi Beach Hotel
Iberotel Makadi Beach is a five-star hotel in Makadi Bay, a stretch of Red Sea coast south of Hurghada, at the 34 km marker of the Hurghada to Safaga road. What you are booking is a room, not a sightseeing programme, so trips and transfers are yours to organise as you like. Room type, meal plan and facilities are confirmed for each booking. Egypt Discovery arranges hotels across Egypt on request and will tell you in writing what a rate covers before you commit.
From £115
Cleopatra Luxury Resort Makadi Bay
Cleopatra Luxury Resort Makadi Bay is a five-star resort hotel in Makadi Bay, a stretch of the Red Sea shore south of Hurghada. You are booking a room by the sea, not a guided tour. Egypt Discovery arranges the stay on request, so tell us which room, meal basis and airport transfer you would like and we will check them for your dates before anything is confirmed.
From £79
JAZ Makadi Star & Spa (Adults Only)
JAZ Makadi Star & Spa is a five-star, adults-only hotel at KM 34 on the Hurghada to Safaga road, in the Makadi resort area south of Hurghada. It suits grown-ups who would rather stay in a resort district than in the middle of a city. The name points to a spa, but the treatments and opening times are not listed, so we check them with the hotel for your dates. Staying here is a different thing from a day trip to Makadi, because your room is in the resort area itself. Tell us your dates and we will ask the hotel about rooms, meal plan and services before you commit.
From £85
Lemon & Soul Makadi Garden, Makadi
Lemon & Soul Makadi Garden is a three-star hotel in the Makadi area of Hurghada. The address given is 34 KM on the Hurghada Safaga Road, so you are on the coast road between the two towns and not in Hurghada itself. It is a plain place to sleep and spend a few days by the Red Sea. Meals and facilities are not described in the details we hold, so Egypt Discovery asks the hotel about them for your dates before you book. The listing covers a room only, with no sightseeing attached.
From £26
Xanadu Makadi Bay
Xanadu Makadi Bay has five stars and a place on the Red Sea shore in Makadi Bay, a resort district below Hurghada. Beaches and the sea are the draw here. Egypt Discovery books the room for you as part of a wider Egypt trip. The room type, board basis and facilities depend on what you choose, so we confirm them before you reserve. Hurghada itself is a separate place and a drive away, which is worth remembering if you plan outings there.
From £131
Albatros Makadi Resort, Makadi Bay – Red Sea
Albatros Makadi Resort has five stars and an address in Makadi Bay, which belongs to the Hurghada area of Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate. That puts you in a beach-resort district on the coast, a good way from the town centre and its traffic. The listing gives us the name, the star rating and the address, but not the room you will get or the board basis, so we agree both with you before anything is booked. Egypt Discovery is a licensed Egyptian tour operator and reserves the hotel on request. Your written confirmation is the place to see what the rate covers.
From £101
Steigenberger Makadi, adults-friendly 16+
Steigenberger Makadi is a five-star hotel in Madinat Makadi, a resort district on the Red Sea. Guests must be 16 or over, which sets it apart from the many resorts built around young children. The address is Safaga Road, 32KM, in Madinat Makadi. Room type, meal plan and conditions change from one offer to the next, so Egypt Discovery reads the terms for your dates and tells you plainly what the price covers before you commit. Hotels are booked on request.
From £75
Stella Beach Resort & Spa Makadi Bay
Stella Beach Resort & Spa Makadi Bay is a five-star resort on the Red Sea, at Km 32 on the Safaga road in Makadi Bay. The bay sits to the south of Hurghada, so this is a seaside stay rather than a city one. The hotel is listed as a resort with a spa. Room details, facilities and board basis differ from one booking to the next, so we check them for your dates and tell you what your rate covers before anything is confirmed.
From £86
Sunrise Royal Makadi Resort, Makadi Bay
Sunrise Royal Makadi Resort carries five stars and has its address in Makadi Bay, on the Safaga Hurghada Road beside the Red Sea. It is a place for beach days and long afternoons by the water rather than city sightseeing. Room types, board basis and facilities are not set out in what we hold, so Egypt Discovery asks the hotel about them for your dates before you commit. Hotels are booked on request, and we will point out anything that needs a decision. Because the resort is in a bay and not in a town centre, it helps to think early about how you will reach Hurghada or the airport.
From £69
Every way in
Ways to travel from Makadi Bay
Day trips, classic multi-day tours, Nile cruises, hotels and private transfers – every part of an Egypt trip can be arranged from Makadi Bay. Start wherever makes sense.
Day tours from Hurghada
Hotel pickup, a private Egyptologist, half or full day.
Classic Egypt tours
2–15 day private itineraries, hotels and guides included.
Tours with a Nile cruise
Pair Makadi Bay with a 3–4 night river cruise in one trip.
Nile cruises
Aswan ↔ Luxor sailings, dahabiyas and classic cruisers.
Hotels in Makadi Bay
5★ and boutique stays, hand-picked by our team.
Airport transfers
Private meet-and-greet from the airport to your hotel.
Best time to visit
When to go to Makadi Bay
The sea is swimmable all year, but the most pleasant weather runs from October to April.
October to April · best
Comfortable for the beach and for excursions, and the sensible window if Luxor is on your list too.
Summer · very hot
Land temperatures reach about 40°C. Hotel pools and the sea help, and outings are best kept to early morning or late afternoon.
Sea temperature
Warm enough for a dip every month, which is why winter-sun holidaymakers choose this coast.
With the Nile
Upper Egypt bakes in summer as well, so combine temples and beach between October and April.
The practical part
Getting there & around
Short transfer, peaceful base. Here is how it works.
01
Flights
Book flights to Hurghada (HRG). The hotels are 30–40 minutes from the airport, and we arrange a private car to meet you.
02
Choosing a hotel
With every hotel on the same bay, the decision rests on the beach, how you reach the reef and the board basis. We match the two to your plans.
03
Getting about
Outside the hotel strip there is no centre to speak of. Excursions include pick-up, and a taxi handles the odd extra trip.
04
Snorkelling and diving
Snorkel the house reef whenever you wish. Dive centres and boats operate out of Hurghada, and we arrange them ahead of your trip.
Common questions
Makadi Bay, answered
01How far is Makadi Bay from Hurghada airport?+
Allow 30–40 minutes by road. The bay is a resort development about 30 kilometres south of Hurghada, and we arrange a private transfer from HRG to your hotel.
02Can you snorkel in Makadi Bay without a boat?+
Yes. Most hotels have a reef reachable from the beach or a jetty, so you can snorkel straight from your hotel. The water stays warm throughout the year.
03Is Makadi Bay too quiet?+
It is quiet by design. Outside the hotels there is a small promenade and souk and little else. Excursions fill the gaps: Hurghada, the Giftun Islands, the desert and, further afield, Luxor.
04Can I do Luxor and Makadi Bay in one holiday?+
You can. Luxor is about four hours away by road, and plenty of travellers visit the temples and the Nile first, then spend their last nights on the beach.
05What is the best month for a Makadi Bay holiday?+
October to April has the nicest weather. July and August reach about 40°C on land, though the sea remains warm enough to swim in all year round.
Plan your trip
Build your Makadi Bay trip with our Egyptologists
Tell us your dates and what you want out of Makadi Bay – we'll send a private, tailored itinerary within 24 hours. Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Hurghada · Marsa Alam · Sharm El Sheikh, on the ground since 1988.