Pharaoh Azur Resort

Pharaoh Azur Resort is built for the sort of holiday where the day has a clear rhythm: breakfast, water, a proper meal, and somewhere comfortable to sit while your kit dries on you rather than the other way round. The resort sits beside the sea, with greenery around the accommodation and a private sandy beach on site. English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside German, Russian and Arabic, so you can deal with the practical details without resorting to underwater hand signals at reception.

The atmosphere is that of a full resort rather than a small dive base with rooms attached. You have restaurants, bars, pools, a spa, sports and family facilities all within the property. Couples can keep things simple with a room and the beach; families have larger accommodation, a kids’ pool, a kids’ club and children’s activities to fall back on. It is a place for divers who want the sea close by but still expect the hotel to do the heavy lifting once the fins are off.

You are in Hurghada, Egypt, directly on the seafront rather than inland behind a run of other buildings. The resort has its own private sandy beach, equipped with sun loungers, parasols and a beach bar. That matters when the idea of another vehicle, another queue and another pair of shoes feels unnecessarily ambitious.

Hurghada International Airport is about 5 miles away by road, with the journey taking around 15 minutes in the hotel’s location description. Downtown Hurghada is roughly 11 miles away by road. Titanic Beach is about 0.5 miles away, Jaz Aquamarine Beach about 0.6 miles, and Hurghada Coral Beach about 1.9 miles. Sand City Hurghada is around 2.6 miles away, while Hurghada Grand Aquarium is about 5 miles from the resort.

You also have named restaurants close by, including Makai Tukai Restaurant and Amaya Restaurant at around 0.4 miles, with Corallo Restaurant about 0.6 miles away. The resort itself is set up for staying put, but Hurghada is not entirely out of reach when you want to leave the buffet behind for an evening.

The useful distinction here is not simply the room name; it is how much space you want between yourself, your travelling companion and the contents of a dive bag. The standard rooms suit one or two divers who are happy with a straightforward base, while the bungalows give you separate living space and more room to spread out. The two-bedroom options make more sense for a group or family than trying to negotiate whose regulator is occupying the only sensible corner of the room.

A family room with garden view gives a couple travelling with children a larger footprint without moving into a full bungalow. The adults-only economy room keeps the arrangement simple for two adults. Choose a pool-view room if watching the water from your private balcony or patio matters; choose a garden-view room or bungalow if you would rather have greenery outside. Some accommodation overlooks the sea, while other units face the gardens, so the view is part of the choice rather than a detail to discover at check-in.

Every unit has air conditioning, a private balcony or patio, a minibar and a flat-screen satellite television. The minibar is the practical detail: cold water within reach when you return salty, sun-warmed and carrying more weight in your legs than expected. A wardrobe, clothes rack and drying rack help keep the post-dive shuffle under control. Bathrooms are private, with a shower or bath, toiletries and a hairdryer. Room service runs around the clock, which is handy when your appetite arrives after the kitchen has stopped being your problem.

The all-inclusive format gives you three in-house restaurants to work through rather than one dining room doing every job. The Main Restaurant serves an international buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a wide range of dishes. Breakfast is buffet and continental in style, so you can build a plate before heading towards the water without turning the first meal of the day into a formal occasion.

Dinner gives you two changes of direction. The Italian Restaurant works à la carte with Italian specialities, while the Asian Restaurant takes the same evening slot with Asian dishes. Both are indoors and air-conditioned, a welcome arrangement when the day outside has been doing its best to cook you. Special-diet menus are available on request, and packed lunches are also offered.

There are two bars: the Lobby Bar for drinks and cocktails in the main building, and the Pool Bar for the same job beside the water. Room service is available 24 hours. One important line in the small print deserves to stay large in your planning: the Soft All-Inclusive option does not include alcoholic drinks or snacks. In other words, check which all-inclusive version you are booking before assuming the post-dive beer and emergency biscuits are covered.

The private beach is the obvious place to spend a non-diving morning, with loungers and parasols already part of the setup. There are two outdoor pools: the Main Pool, with a bar in the pool, and a separate Kids Pool. You can therefore choose between sand, fresh water and the sort of horizontal position that requires no special certification.

For legs that have not had enough work, the resort has a fitness centre, a tennis court, tennis equipment, aerobics, table tennis, darts and billiards. The Spa & Wellness Center adds massages, facials, a sauna and a Jacuzzi; sauna, Jacuzzi and massage treatments carry additional charges. That gives you a choice between active recovery and the more honest approach of lying down and allowing someone else to deal with the knots.

The water-based options go beyond diving: snorkelling, kayaking, paddleboarding, jet skiing, boat excursions and equipment hire are available. On land, the resort offers cultural excursions. Families have a kids’ club, children’s entertainment, babysitting, a children’s menu and the separate pool, so a non-diving day does not have to become a negotiation conducted entirely in the language of boredom.

Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out runs until 12:00. Bring photo identification and a credit card for arrival, and tell the resort your expected arrival time. The front desk operates 24 hours, with luggage storage, concierge service, currency exchange and an ATM on site. A minimarket is also available within the resort, which can save a trip when you discover that one small but essential item was left at home beside the charging cable.

An airport shuttle is available, either privately or as a shared service, and should be arranged with the hotel. Car hire is also available. Free private parking is provided on site without a reservation, useful if your Red Sea trip forms part of a longer Egyptian itinerary. Visa, Mastercard and cash are accepted.

Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, and the property also offers laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services. There is room service, an on-site infirmary and facilities for wheelchair users. Children of all ages are welcome; children aged 12 and over are charged as adults. Cots and extra beds can be requested, subject to the conditions of the accommodation selected. Pets are not allowed, and proper swimwear is required in the pools.