Lazuli Hotel, Marsa Alam

You come here for a beachfront resort holiday with the sea at the centre of the picture, but not necessarily at the centre of every hour. Lazuli Hotel Marsa Alam combines a private beach, gardens, a year-round outdoor pool and a broad programme of family activities, so you can choose between salt water, fresh water or simply a chair in the shade.

The architecture follows a Moroccan-Andalusian style, which gives the place more personality than a standard block of rooms. For divers, the practical attraction is the direct position beside the Red Sea and the availability of diving and snorkelling excursions for both beginners and experienced divers. For everyone else, the resort keeps the day moving with a water park, spa facilities, fitness activities and evening entertainment.

The address is in Quseir, Egypt, at Al Owina on the Red Sea coast. The hotel sits directly above the sea, with direct access to the beachfront and a private beach area. Behind the resort, the landscape turns to desert rather than dense town streets, so the setting is coastal and open.

Marsa Alam International Airport is about 28 miles away by the hotel's location details, with the road journey listed at roughly 38 miles and around 50 minutes by car. Quseir's nearby cafés and restaurants are not a casual stroll from the resort: Sahar Coffe Shop is about 10 miles away, while El Ferdous Fish Restaurant is about 11 miles away by road. In other words, the hotel is set up for staying on site rather than wandering out for dinner on foot.

The rooms are built for recovery rather than showing off. Air conditioning matters when you return warm, salty and carrying the day's sun on your shoulders; a private bathroom, shower, bathrobe, hairdryer and daily housekeeping take care of the less glamorous parts of the evening. Balconies open towards garden or pool views, giving you somewhere to sit without having to turn the room into a storage cupboard with a television.

For two divers, the twin-bed arrangements make the standard and deluxe options straightforward, while the Superior Double Room also offers a super-king-size bed if sleeping space matters more than separate beds. A sofa, desk, dining area, electric kettle, tea and coffee-making facilities and a minibar cover the useful details. The room also has a flat-screen television, satellite and cable channels, and Wi-Fi is available free in the public areas.

If you are travelling as a couple and want the larger bed, the Superior category is the obvious choice. Families can use interconnected rooms where available, and cots or extra beds can be requested for younger children, subject to the chosen accommodation. The important point is simple: you have a balcony, air conditioning and a private bathroom waiting when the dive day is done.

The stay runs on an all-inclusive basis, with two restaurants on site. The modern, family-friendly restaurant serves Italian food at lunch and dinner, which gives the table a clear direction rather than leaving you to decode a vague international menu after a long day in the water. A snack bar and an on-site coffee house cover the shorter stops between meals.

There is also a bar for drinks, with a minibar in the room when you want something without putting shoes back on. The resort offers a buffet suitable for children, children's meals, fruit and special-diet menus on request, so the table can accommodate different appetites without turning every meal into a negotiation.

One practical detail deserves attention: the all-inclusive formula covers soft drinks only, not alcoholic drinks. Wine and champagne are available separately. Room service is also available, useful when your appetite arrives before your enthusiasm for the restaurant does.

The year-round outdoor pool, sun terrace, private beach and gardens give you several ways to spend a surface interval without making it another training session. Sun loungers and umbrellas are available around the pool and beach, while the terrace and outdoor seating work for the slower part of the afternoon. Snorkelling is also available from the resort's activities programme.

Horus Spa is the place for a proper reset, with spa treatment packages, a relaxation area, massage treatments and a jacuzzi. The treatment menu includes full-body, back, neck, foot, head, hand and couples massages, as well as body treatments, scrubs, wraps, facials and beauty services. A foot bath is a particularly sensible idea when your legs have spent the day in fins.

For a more active break, you have a fitness centre, fitness classes, yoga classes and a personal trainer, along with a tennis court, table tennis, darts and billiards. The resort also runs live music, karaoke, evening entertainment and nightclub or DJ sessions. Families have a kids' club, children's pool, playground, indoor play area and water slides, while desert and stargazing trips, ancient Egypt tours, ATV excursions, safaris, camel rides and horse riding extend the choice beyond the hotel grounds.

Check-in starts at 3pm and check-out runs until noon. You need photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and the hotel asks you to provide your expected arrival time in advance. Couples are asked to present a marriage certificate, while guests travelling with children need to bring the children's birth certificates.

Airport transfers can be arranged on request. Marsa Alam International Airport is the practical arrival point, about 28 miles from the hotel by the stated location distance; Hurghada International Airport is about 93 miles away. Car hire is available, and private parking is free nearby, with valet parking listed as a service.

A 24-hour front desk, concierge service, luggage storage, private and express check-in or check-out, a minimarket, room service and daily housekeeping make the logistics fairly painless. The hotel also has a lift and facilities for disabled guests, including wheelchair-accessible units and accessible bathrooms.