Protels Crystal Beach Resort

Sea views, a private beach and gardens set the tone here. Protels Crystal Beach Resort is built for families and couples, with enough going on to keep a non-diving companion occupied while you think seriously about doing absolutely nothing for an hour.

You will be understood in English, and the hotel team also speaks Arabic, German, French and Russian. That is useful when you are tired, sandy and trying to explain that the room key is not, in fact, a dive computer.

The all-inclusive setup keeps the day fairly straightforward: meals, snacks and selected drinks are part of the resort routine, while the beach and leisure facilities are close at hand. It is a resort stay rather than a base for wandering from café to café.

The resort sits directly on the seafront in Marsa Alam City, Egypt, with direct access to a private beach. You can move from your room towards the sea without planning a transfer, finding a taxi or consulting a map that has somehow become damp.

The setting is self-contained, with gardens, a terrace and outdoor seating around the property. For a change of scene, El Bedouin Arabian Tent is about 2.8 miles away by road, while Shisha Corner is around 11 miles away. Momo Asian Restaurant is roughly 14 miles away by road, so outside dining is possible but not a casual stroll after dinner.

That location suits you if the beach and resort facilities are the main event. Marsa Alam International Airport is dealt with separately below; the useful point here is that the hotel faces the water rather than sitting inland behind another row of buildings.

The rooms are arranged for a practical resort stay: air conditioning for the return from a hot day outdoors, a balcony for sitting down properly, and views that keep the Red Sea part of the evening even when you are no longer on the beach. There is also a television and WiFi, so you can either catch up with the outside world or make a determined effort not to.

For a couple, a Standard or Superior Double Room covers the basics without turning the room choice into a committee meeting. The Superior option gives you more room to spread out, which is useful when two people have brought enough luggage for a small expedition. The Family Room makes more sense when three people are sharing, with two single beds and a large king-size bed rather than a mysterious arrangement of fold-out furniture.

The Suite is the room to consider when you want the most space in the selection or are travelling as a larger group. All rooms have a balcony, air conditioning, a bath and shower, and non-smoking rooms are available. After a day in salt water and sun, that combination is less glamorous than it is useful: cool the room, wash off properly and sit outside before dinner.

Three restaurants keep the all-inclusive day moving from breakfast to lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served in continental and buffet form, while the restaurant offering includes Italian cuisine. You can therefore start with a plate assembled by instinct, eat again when the appetite returns, and leave the evening meal to someone else’s timetable for once.

A bar and a snack bar cover the less formal moments. The snack bar is the useful detail for divers: not every return from the water arrives neatly between conventional meals, and a quick bite can be more important than a carefully staged lunch.

Kids’ meals are available, and special-diet menus can be requested. The all-inclusive formula covers breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with snacks, soft drinks and selected beverages. The resort also provides evening entertainment, so you can stay out after dinner without having to turn the night into a transport exercise.

Three pools divide the non-beach part of the day between an indoor swimming pool, a children’s pool and the waterpark. The latter comes with a water slide, which may appeal to younger members of the party or to anyone who believes a serious diving holiday should still contain at least one unnecessary descent at speed.

For slower recovery, the spa offers massages, facials, a hammam, sauna, jacuzzi, mud baths and body wraps. Spa facilities, beauty services and a foot bath are available, while sun loungers, beach chairs and umbrellas give you somewhere to put your towel when you are finished being useful.

There is a fitness centre with aerobics, plus billiards and darts for activities requiring more precision than enthusiasm. Kayaking, snorkelling and windsurfing are available on site, and horse riding is also offered. Families have a kids’ club, children’s entertainment and a playground; evening entertainment provides a reason to get dressed again, although nobody says you have to make a heroic effort.

Marsa Alam International Airport is about 26 miles from the resort by road, with a drive of around 29 minutes. Private parking is available on site, and a 24-hour front desk covers arrivals and departures beyond the usual office-hour window.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 22:00, and you need to tell the hotel your expected arrival time. Check-out is available around the clock. That is handy for awkward flight times, particularly when a dive schedule and an airport schedule have failed to meet in the middle.

WiFi is free throughout the hotel. You will also find a tour desk, an on-site minimarket, a barber and beauty shop, laundry and dry-cleaning services, although laundry and dry cleaning are paid services. Cash is accepted, and children of any age are welcome; cots and extra beds can be requested according to the room option. Pets are not allowed.