Seven Seas Jolie Bay - Ultra All Inclusive

With 373 rooms, six swimming pools and an aqua park, Seven Seas Jolie Bay is built for a full resort stay rather than a small, quiet hideaway. You can spend the day between the beach, the pools and the spa, with enough on site to keep a non-diving companion occupied while you are underwater.

The setting is geared towards couples, families and divers who prefer to have meals, drinks and recovery time in one place. The resort’s website is available in English, Turkish, Russian and German, which is useful before you travel; the available information does not identify the languages spoken by the hotel team.

The address is in Hurghada, Egypt, in the Soma Bay area and directly on the coast. You have direct access to a golden sandy beach, with sun loungers and parasols for the hours when your idea of exercise is moving from shade to shade.

Safaga is about 6 miles away, while Hurghada city centre is roughly 34 miles from the resort. This is a coastal base rather than a town-centre hotel, so the resort itself is where most of the day’s practical business happens. Nearby dining exists, but the listed cafés and restaurants are several miles away rather than just outside the gate.

Hurghada International Airport is about 25 miles away, with the drive taking around 45 minutes. The distance is manageable, but it is worth arranging your arrival with the resort rather than assuming you can simply walk in from the terminal.

The standard rooms are set up for one or two people, with selected options accommodating a third guest. If you want the room to feel less like a landing station for wet bags and more like a place to live for a week, the family rooms and junior suites offer considerably more space. They are the sensible choice for four people, or for a couple who would rather have room to spread out than negotiate every square metre after a long day outside.

Sea-view options make the clearest choice for couples who want the Red Sea in the foreground, while the Honeymoon Room is designed around two people and a super-king-size bed. Pool-view and partial-sea-view rooms give you a different outlook without changing the basic room setup. Balconies are available, so you can sit outside with a drink instead of treating the bed as the only available chair.

Every room has air conditioning, a minibar, kettle, safe, flat-screen television, wardrobe and private bathroom with a shower. Towels, bed linen, slippers, toiletries and a hairdryer are included. After sun, salt and a dive computer that has had a busier day than expected, the useful details are the cool room, the cold drink from the minibar and the proper shower. Daily housekeeping keeps the practical side of the stay moving.

Ultra all-inclusive is the central arrangement here, with four restaurants on site. The Main Restaurant serves buffet-style breakfast, lunch and dinner, giving you the straightforward option when you want food without another decision. Breakfast covers continental, Italian, vegetarian, vegan, halal and American choices, also served in buffet form.

The food offer goes beyond one international buffet. Specialty restaurants cover Asian, Italian, Turkish and seafood cooking, while the wider resort offer includes regional Middle Eastern flavours, lighter snacks and casual meals. That gives you somewhere to vary the evening without leaving the property, although the available details do not set out individual restaurant opening times or booking arrangements.

There is a bar, along with a snack bar and an on-site coffee house. Fruit, a tea and coffee maker and a minibar are also part of the food-and-drink setup. Wine and champagne are available as an additional option. For a diving day, the practical advantage is simple: breakfast, a proper meal and something quick between activities can all be handled on site.

Six outdoor pools and an aqua park give you plenty of water without putting a regulator in your mouth. A kids’ pool, water slide, sun loungers, umbrellas and pool towels cover the family side, while the direct sandy beach offers the simpler version of the same plan: find a chair, lower yourself into it and stay there until someone mentions dinner.

La Brise Spa is the place for a more deliberate recovery session, with massages, a Turkish Hamam, steam bath and sauna. The resort also has a fitness centre, fitness classes and yoga for anyone who feels the need to remind their muscles that movement exists outside the sea.

If you are travelling with a partner or family, the rest of the programme includes darts, beach volleyball, billiards, table tennis and aerobics. There is also a games room, live music or performances, evening entertainment, themed dinner nights and karaoke. Children have indoor and outdoor play areas, a kids’ club and a playground, so a diving timetable does not have to dictate the entire holiday.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to midnight, and check-out is from 11:30 to 12:00. You need photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and the resort asks you to share your expected arrival time. The front desk operates around the clock, with concierge service, luggage storage and a tour desk available when you need help with the less glamorous parts of travelling.

Free WiFi is available throughout the hotel. Free public parking is nearby, with no reservation required, and the resort also has a minimarket, lift access to upper floors and a shared lounge with television. Room service is part of the hotel’s guest services, while laundry, dry cleaning and ironing are available as additional services.

Children of any age are welcome. Cots are available for babies up to one year old, while extra beds can be requested for children aged two to eleven, subject to the room option and availability. There is no age requirement for check-in, but guests under 18 must check in with a parent or official guardian. Pets are not allowed, and cash is the listed payment method.