JAZ Elite Riviera

JAZ Elite Riviera is built for a resort stay where the useful things are close at hand: gardens, a terrace, a swimming pool with a view, a restaurant, a bar and WiFi throughout the property. You can keep the day as active or as idle as you like, with yoga, snorkelling and evening entertainment available when you want something beyond the lounger.

Families have their own room categories, a kids' club and a children's playground, while couples can look towards sea-view accommodation or a swim-up room. It is a sizeable resort rather than a small hideaway, with enough on site to make staying in for the evening a perfectly practical choice.

The address is Port Ghalib, Egypt, rather than Marsa Alam itself. The beach is part of the setting, and snorkelling is available as an on-site activity, so you do not have to turn every salt-water plan into a road trip.

Marsa Alam International Airport is about 5 miles away by road, with a drive of around 7 minutes. For a change of table, Divino Restaurant is about 5 miles away by car; Sofra and Ninos Italian Cuisine are each around 7 miles away. The Shisha Corner is roughly 12 miles away, while El Bedouin Arabian Tent is around 20 miles away.

The room choice is mainly about how much space and how much view you want. Superior rooms suit a couple who prefer a straightforward base, while the sea-view versions put the coast in the room rather than leaving it to the occasional walk outside. Swim-up options are there for those who like the idea of stepping from the room area towards the water without making the pool a separate expedition.

Family rooms offer more room to spread out, with garden, pool or sea views depending on the category. For two people wanting a more generous layout, the Executive Family Suite adds suite space and a sea view; the Royal Suite goes considerably further in scale. There are also sea-view suites with swim-up access, which will appeal if the pool matters more to you than a private garden outlook.

Practical details are well suited to a diving routine. Air conditioning helps when you return warm and salty, while a balcony or terrace gives you somewhere to sit with a drink and a view. Rooms have a minibar, tea and coffee-making facilities, an electric kettle, a wardrobe, slippers, a bathrobe and a hairdryer. Some also include a sofa bed. The important family caveat is simple: cots and extra beds are not available, so the booked room configuration matters.

Four restaurants give you more room to vary the evening meal without leaving the resort. The modern restaurant covers Mediterranean, seafood, local, Asian and international cooking at lunch and dinner, so the choice moves well beyond the standard plate of resort food. A bar is also available when the sensible post-dive plan is food first and something cold afterwards.

Breakfast is served as a buffet, with continental, vegetarian, halal and gluten-free choices. That gives you a useful range before a morning in the water, particularly if your preferred breakfast is not the full cooked affair. Tea and coffee-making facilities are available in the rooms, and a minibar gives you something to hand without having to dress for the restaurant.

There is a dress code for dinner. Men need long trousers and suitable footwear, with vests and shorts excluded; women can wear dresses, skirts, trousers, blouses or shirts, with ordinary shorts acceptable but very short shorts and hot pants not suitable. Room service is available too, although the restaurant remains the main evening option.

A swimming pool with a view, gardens, a terrace and sun loungers cover the part of the day when your main ambition is not to move very far. The spa and wellness centre, sauna and hot tub offer a more deliberate form of recovery, while the fitness centre, yoga classes and aerobics are there if sitting still starts to feel too ambitious in the other direction.

For a little harmless competition, you have table tennis, darts and a tennis court, with tennis equipment available. Snorkelling and the beach provide the water-based alternatives, while evening entertainment and an entertainment team give the resort a livelier option after dinner.

Families have a kids' club and a children's playground, with children's meals also available. A water park is available off site, so it belongs in the plan as an outing rather than something you simply wander across to between the pool and the bar.

An airport shuttle is available for the short journey from Marsa Alam International Airport, and the hotel also has free private parking on site. The front desk operates around the clock, with an ATM, wake-up service, safety deposit box and room service available for the practical bits that tend to appear when the day has not gone quite to plan.

Check-in starts from 14:00 and check-out runs until 12:00. You need photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and the hotel asks you to share your expected arrival time. Cash is not accepted, so a card is part of the packing list alongside the usual essentials. WiFi is available throughout the property.

Children of all ages are welcome, and there is no age requirement for check-in. Pets are not allowed, and parties or events are not permitted. If you book a stay of five nights or more, the full stay is charged at check-in, with no refund or credit for an early departure.