Checking in: Jaz Aquaviva in Hurghada (Egypt)

Jaz Aquaviva is part of Madinat Makadi, a resort complex not far from Hurghada. Besides Jaz Aquaviva, there are numerous other 4- and 5-star resorts as well as a beach, various shops and a golf course.

Jaz Aquaviva is a beautiful and modern hotel: very strict lines, warm colours everywhere and cosy couches. We booked it through TUI in combination with a flight from Belgium, but you can also book it separately. We stayed at Jaz Aquaviva for a week and it was too short (as perfect holidays always are).

Reception

When you walk into the grand hall of the reception area, you immediately see an open and clear space. There are couches on the side, big lights, very bright and modern. We were greeted and brought to a table to fill out the necessary papers. We received an envelope with all the necessary information about the hotel and were then brought to our room.

Rooms

All rooms are in separate buildings. Ours was on the second floor, and there is no elevator. So, if you can’t do stairs, ask for a room on the ground level.

The room was very spacious and had very light colours. In contrast to some other hotels in Egypt, this was rather clean and modern.

There is a mini bar in the room at an extra charge. Coffee, tea and water are for free and are restocked every day.

We had a huge terrace on the back of the hotel. But you still get a lot of noise from the music at the bar in the evening, even with the door closed.

The bathroom was very spacious, with a very big walk-in shower. Shower gel, shampoo and body lotion are of course also present.

Wifi

The wifi connection in the room was ok, especially early in the morning. However, it was a little bit annoying to have to log-in all the time, even when he lost connection for 15 minutes. And at peak times near the pool, the connection was very bad. The best place was in the reception area.

If you really need wifi, you can always buy a faster connection. And I would definitely recommend it.  

Pool

There are numerous pools, as well as an adult-only pool and Splashworld. Unfortunately, like in a lot of other hotels, you have to lay down your towel on the sunbeds before you go to breakfast in order to have a good place. I thought the sunbeds were a little too hard, but my boyfriend thought they were very good. So that is personal preference.

There is a bar near the pool where you can have soft drinks, coffee and some fast food. They don’t serve any alcohol there. But you can always get some cocktails, beer or wine from the bar near the reception.

Gym

We always book a hotel with a (decent) gym. This one had everything we needed: some benches, weights up till 22 kg, cardio machines and an all-in-one cable machine for doing presses, lat pulldown, row, leg extension, …

There are fresh towels and bottles of water available. Perfect to start the morning.

Spa

Every time we go to Egypt, we always book some massages, because they are always cheaper than in Belgium. We booked 1 Egyptian treatment and 2 massages with 1 day apart. Although I originally would have a salt scrub, they replaced it with a mud mask because of the sunburn on my back.

All massages were about 50 minutes and were done very professionally. I was totally relaxed after every massage.

Food

The main restaurant is divided into compartments, as well as an outdoor area. This makes it not so noisy. And if you always sit at the same table (who also does this ??) the waiters get to know you. And if you are friendly to them, they will bring you your drinks even without asking for it.

Everybody knows the all-inclusive formula: buffet style food. It was one of the best buffets I have ever had. For breakfast, lunch and dinner there was a huge variety in the food.

At breakfast, there were fresh croissants, fresh orange juice, an omelette made to your liking. And let’s not forget the pancakes, the huge choice of sweets and delicious fresh honey. But also fruit, different kinds of yoghurt, bread and much more. A very extensive breakfast to start your day.

For lunch, you also had more than enough to choose from; both cold and warm. Dinner was a little bit more extensive then lunch, with also some barbecue outside. The cold dishes and salads are amazing. But the best were the desserts. And especially the cakes: delicious.

You also can have 1 a la carte dinner for free during your stay. We tried the grill restaurant and started with some Egyptian mezze followed by grilled meat. It was delicious. Really recommend doing it.

Bar

You have different bars at the resort. Besides the pool bar, you also have one in the lobby. The waiters are very friendly, and you don’t have to wait long for your drink. But, the cocktails could have more alcohol in them. Although it really depends, because when you would get them yourself at the bar, there was more alcohol in them compared to when a waiter brought them over.

Conclusion

Overall, Jaz Aquaviva is one of the best hotels in Egypt I have stayed in thus far: the people are very friendly and do everything to make you feel at home, the rooms are very spacious and cosy and the food is very good with a lot of choices.

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