Hilton Marsa Alam Nubian Resort

Abu Dabbab Bay off the beach

Hilton Marsa Alam Nubian Resort sits on Abu Dabbab Bay, at kilometre 97 of the El Quseir to Marsa Alam road. It is one of the best-known snorkelling spots on the coast: a shallow bay, a sandy beach, corals, and seagrass beds where green turtles feed and, at times, dugongs, marine mammals that have become rare in the Red Sea. An encounter is never guaranteed; Sabaro advises keeping your distance and letting the animal come to you.

This is what sets it apart from the two other Marsa Alam hotels in Sabaro's selection: you come here for the bay, with children, and can spend the day in the water without boarding a boat. The reef starts at the edge of the beach. For scuba diving, the hotel points guests to the neighbouring dive centre; nearby sites include a swim-through canyon, caves and a small wreck, suitable for beginners and night dives alike.

A family day

Rooms and suites, in contemporary Nubian style, look onto the garden, the pools or the sea. The four outdoor pools share the uses: a children's pool, a pool heated during winter, and a swim-up bar for parents.

The kids' club keeps younger children busy with arts and crafts, storytelling, board games and foam parties. There is also a playground, connecting rooms and cots. A gym completes the facilities.

The hotel is equipped for guests with reduced mobility: wheelchair-accessible rooms, wide doors, grab bars in bathrooms, and ramps to reception, a restaurant and the pool.

Seven restaurants and bars

The hotel has seven restaurants and bars, which keeps a long stay from feeling like one long buffet:

• Marsa, the international buffet, serves all three meals, with live cooking stations (pasta, shawarma, grilled meat and fish) and mezze;
• Amasis is the fish and seafood restaurant;
• Noba, the Italian, serves pasta and pizza;
• Breezes, by the pool, offers salads, kebabs and burgers;
• Coral Beach Bar, on the beach, serves cocktails and grilled snacks;
• Kush Bar, off the lobby, is for aperitifs with lounge music, and Axis Bar has live music and sports broadcasts.

The dress code in restaurants and bars is smart casual: no workout clothes, shorts or flip-flops.

Sabaro's view

For whom: families with children who want a reef off the beach for snorkelling; travellers with reduced mobility.

Strengths: Abu Dabbab Bay and its seagrass beds; four pools, one heated in winter; a kids' club; seven restaurants and bars; a 4.7/5 rating on Tripadvisor from more than 10,000 reviews.

Good to know: the hotel has no dive centre of its own, so you dive with the neighbouring centre; smart casual dress is expected in restaurants and bars. For dolphins, the Samadai lagoon further south is the trip to plan.