Retac Qunay Dahab Resort & Spa

The big hotel in a small town

Dahab is a town of small places: guesthouses, divers' camps, hotels of a few dozen rooms along the promenade. Retac Qunay is the exception. It is the former Le Méridien Dahab, now run as Retac Qunay Dahab Resort & Spa, and it has kept the scale: 182 rooms, five pools, a man-made lagoon and a private beach on the Gulf of Aqaba.

That size is the point. Dahab's life stays within reach, with the Masbat promenade, the cafés and the dive centres, and in the evening you come back to a hotel with a pool, a spa and room service. It is the address in Sabaro's selection for those who want to dive the Blue Hole or the Canyon without giving up the comfort of a large hotel, and for families: the hotel has a kids' club and a playground.

Every room has a balcony or terrace. The decor is contemporary, in earthy tones, with large windows and a seating area.

Which room to choose

The hotel offers three levels. The Standard, with a balcony and a partial sea view, suits those who spend their days diving and come back mainly to sleep. For a relaxing stay, Sabaro recommends the Deluxe, sea view or sea front, always with a terrace; the Executive Suite offers the most space.

Some rooms interconnect, useful for a family. Check-in is from 2 pm and check-out until 12 noon, local time.

A day at the hotel

Breakfast is served at Sea Breeze, the main restaurant, from 6.30 to 10.30 am, indoors or outside by the pool; it reopens for lunch (12.30 to 3 pm) and dinner (6.30 to 10.30 pm), with international cooking. During the day, Sails Snack Bar and Rose Bar, both on the beach, serve snacks and drinks from 10 am until sunset.

For a change from the buffet, Vie de Janeiro, by the pool, serves churrasco, Brazilian barbecue, from 7 to 11 pm, with a salad and dessert buffet. All times are local.

The pools open from 9 am to 5 pm; one is heated in winter. Vitality spa offers a sauna, massages, facials and oil treatments; the gym has Technogym equipment, group classes and personal programmes.

Leaving the hotel

The travel desk arranges, on request, the classic trips of the area: the Blue Hole, the Coloured Canyon, Dahab's three natural pools for snorkelling, Taba and Nuweiba's coral island. It also offers Petra, in Jordan, which means crossing a border: check Jordanian entry rules and your foreign ministry's travel advice before booking. For canyons inland, Sabaro has the itinerary confirmed by the provider.

Sabaro's view

For whom: couples and divers who want a 5-star hotel in Dahab; families who want pools and a kids' club.

Strengths: five pools, a man-made lagoon and a private beach; rooms with a balcony or terrace; a 4.7/5 rating on Tripadvisor from more than 650 reviews.

Good to know: the hotel has changed brand and some sites still list it as Le Méridien Dahab; some guests report rooms in need of refreshing; the hotel has a shuttle bus for getting into central Dahab.