Steigenberger ALDAU Beach

A house of suites on the beach

The Steigenberger ALDAU Beach carries the German Steigenberger brand. It stands directly on the Red Sea, 6 km from Hurghada airport, with its own sandy beach, water sports centre and dive centre.

Since its renovation was completed, the hotel has only suites: 400 of them, the smallest 50 m². That sets it apart from its neighbour, the Steigenberger Aqua Magic, built around a water park: here the space is in the room, and the water is in a spa and a 5,000 m² pool landscape with a current channel.

The décor draws on Arabian, Indian and African worlds, and several venues bear East African names: Karibu ("welcome" in Swahili) for the lobby lounge, Ukumbi for the café, Bwala for the pool restaurant, Tanga for the beach restaurant.

Which suite for which trip

The hotel offers about a dozen suite categories. A family of four books the Family Suite, or the Elite Family Suite for the sea view: the Superior Suite takes only one child. A couple who want the sea take the Junior Suite, facing the Red Sea; on honeymoon, look first at the Art Luxury Suites, each designed by an artist and some with a jacuzzi, or The View Suite with its private terrace. To spread out, the Deluxe Suite, of which there are only seven, has a separate sitting room and two balconies over the Red Sea.

The spa, the reason to stay

The Pure Spa, open daily from 9 am to 9 pm (local time), brings together a thalassotherapy pool (seawater treatments), an Arabian hammam and a Turkish hammam with black-soap treatments, a rhassoul bath for two (a Moroccan clay treatment), saunas, massages, and an indoor saltwater pool heated in winter. The gym, open around the clock, offers aerobics classes and sessions with a coach.

As for the pools, the outdoor saltwater pool and the children's pool are heated in winter; the large freshwater pool is not. Worth knowing for a stay from December to February.

The hotel also has a 9-hole par-3 golf course, made up of short holes.

A day, from breakfast to shisha

Times are local; dinners start half an hour earlier in winter.

Breakfast is at Tamarind from 7 to 10.30 am. At lunchtime there are two outdoor options: Bwala, by the pool, with a swim-up bar, or Tanga, on the beach, with a Mediterranean buffet from 12 noon to 3 pm. In the afternoon, Ukumbi serves pastries, ice cream and tea from 3 to 6 pm.

In the evening, Tamarind holds themed nights and, on its terrace, a show every night: folklore, belly dancing, African and international performances. Tanga switches to Oriental cooking facing the sea; Alex Beach Club serves European fusion indoors. The night ends at Dewan, an open-air shisha (Egyptian water pipe) corner, from 6 to 11 pm, or at Karibu, open day and night, with live music.

Sabaro's view

For whom: families who want a real suite, couples on a wellness stay, travellers with reduced mobility (four adapted rooms, ramp access to the beach).

Strengths: suites of at least 50 m²; a complete spa; the best-rated hotel in our Hurghada selection, 9.6/10 on Booking.com from nearly 1,800 reviews.

Good to know: with 400 suites, seven meeting rooms and lively evenings, the hotel is big and busy; those looking for silence should choose Sahl Hasheesh.