Swisstouch Oriental Resort

Set on the Red Sea at Coraya Bay, Swisstouch Oriental Resort Marsa Alam is a family-friendly, all-inclusive resort with the sea doing much of the visual work. The private beach, gardens, balconies and lagoon keep the setting firmly coastal, while the choice of pools, restaurants and evening entertainment gives you plenty to do without leaving the grounds.

You can keep the day simple here. Breakfast, a swim, a spell on the sand, then a spa treatment or a drink before dinner. Families have a kids' club and playground, while couples can make use of the beach, the pools and the couples' massage option. It is a resort for divers who also want the non-diving hours properly catered for, rather than a bed dropped beside the water and called a holiday.

The address places you on the Oriental Coast at Coraya Bay, in Egypt's Red Sea Governorate, with the resort directly on the seafront. A private beach and a 500-metre sandy shore mean you do not need a vehicle to reach the water; a few minutes' walking will do the job, which is usually the preferred transport after a long day in fins.

The resort sits away from a conventional town centre. The nearest listed restaurants are around 19 miles away, while cafés are about 21 miles away, so eating out is not a casual stroll from the lobby. That makes the all-inclusive set-up particularly practical: most of what you need for food, drinks and an evening can be handled on site.

Marsa Alam International Airport is 25 miles away by road, with a stated driving time of around 41 minutes. Hurghada Airport is considerably farther, at about 81 miles. Coraya Bay is the useful point to put into your plans; “Marsa Alam” is the familiar regional label, but your actual base is Coraya Bay.

The room choice is mainly about the view and how much space you want around your luggage. For two people, a sea-view room keeps the Red Sea in sight from the balcony, while a garden-view room is the more inward-facing option. Pool-view rooms suit you if you prefer to keep an eye on the resort's main activity, though they may not be the first choice for anyone who treats sleep as essential diving equipment.

For three, the family rooms give you separate single beds alongside a king-size bed. Choose the terrace version when outdoor space matters more than seeing the sea; choose the sea-view version when the horizon is part of the reason for coming. The junior suite is the room to consider when you want considerably more room to spread out and a separate bathroom, rather than negotiating every square metre with a companion's suitcase.

Air conditioning matters in this part of the world, particularly when you return warm, salty and ready to become horizontal. Rooms have balconies, private bathrooms with a bath or shower, a hairdryer, a wardrobe, seating space and an electric kettle. Wi-Fi is available throughout the resort, including the rooms, and soundproof rooms are available for those who would rather not conduct their night's sleep to the soundtrack of the entertainment programme.

The all-inclusive arrangement is built around regular access to food and drink rather than a single dining room and a strict timetable. The main restaurant serves international meals from an open buffet, with breakfast covering continental, Italian, full English and Irish, vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free choices. That is useful when a diving group contains several dietary opinions, as diving groups tend to do.

There are four restaurants in total. Alongside the international buffet, you can choose à la carte Italian and seafood dining, giving you something more specific when you have had enough of choosing from a large buffet. Special-diet menus are available on request, and the buffet includes child-friendly options and children's meals.

Several bars, a snack bar and an on-site coffee house keep the day from being entirely organised around formal meals. The all-inclusive plan covers meals, soft drinks, beer and wine from 07:00 to 23:00. In the evening, you can move to the Sultana Café or the on-site disco; one is better suited to conversation, the other to accepting that tomorrow's early start was perhaps an optimistic idea.

Three swimming pools give you alternatives to the sea, and all three are heated during winter. Add the private beach, sun loungers, umbrellas, a sun terrace and gardens, and you have the basic ingredients for an afternoon that requires very little decision-making. Pool and beach towels are available, which saves one more damp item from taking up space in your room.

The spa is the serious option for loosening shoulders that have spent too long carrying kit. Facilities include a sauna, steam room, hammam, spa lounge and foot bath, with body treatments, scrubs, wraps, facial treatments and several types of massage, including back, neck, foot, head, hand, full-body and couples' massage. A fitness centre and yoga classes are also available if resting on a lounger starts to feel suspiciously like a training plan.

When you want movement rather than treatment, you can use the tennis court, table-tennis table, billiards, darts, mini golf and playground. The resort also offers live music, evening entertainment, karaoke, live sports broadcasts, cooking classes, local-culture classes and themed dinner nights. Watersports, windsurfing and horse riding are available on site, with some activities requiring an additional charge; the beach, however, remains the easiest option and has no complicated briefing.

Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out is by 12:00. You will need photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and the resort asks you to share your expected arrival time. A 24-hour reception, concierge, tour desk, currency exchange, luggage storage and an on-site cash machine make the arrival and departure edges of the trip less awkward.

An airport shuttle is available, and car hire can be arranged. From Marsa Alam International Airport, the resort is about 25 miles by road; from Hurghada Airport, allow for the longer 81-mile journey. If you are driving, free private parking is available on site without a reservation. Packed lunches, room service and a minimarket are useful when the day's schedule refuses to line up neatly with the dining room.

Free Wi-Fi covers all areas, while daily housekeeping, laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services deal with the less glamorous side of a diving trip. Children of all ages are welcome, with family rooms, a kids' club, indoor and outdoor play areas, board games and a playground. Pets are not allowed, and payment is by cash.