JAZ Makadina

"-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Arrival, Overall Service & Management (8/10) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A) Arrival, General Staff & Hospitality [POSITIVES]: Arrival and check-out were smooth, effortless, and amazingly welcoming. The general staff—especially cleaners, waiters, and cooks—were extremely friendly, and my daughter loved interacting with them. [NEGATIVES]: None—front desk and general staff provided excellent warmth and hospitality throughout our stay. B) Management & Support [POSITIVES]: Manager Abd Elaziz was truly incredible. His hospitality was top-tier: he opened the gym early every single day so I could workout before opening hours and then spend as much time as possible with my family throughout the day. He also assisted me with the pharmacy, introduced me to Chef Mohamed for a tailored dietary plan, and arranged departure breakfast packages complete with baguettes, fruit, juice, water, and cake. When I suffered from a 2-day stomach bug, he located a nearby pharmacy and Chef Mohamed personally prepared special dietary meals and drinks, enabling a quick 48-hour recovery so I was fit and ready to enjoy the rest of our vacation. [NEGATIVES]: None—management and dietary support were phenomenal. C) Executive Chef Boundary Incident [POSITIVES]: None. [NEGATIVES]: We experienced deeply uncomfortable boundary issues with the Executive Chef. On one occasion, he took food directly from my daughter's plate to taste it (it was not funny at all), and on another day, he kissed her hand. While we chose not to make a scene at the moment, this completely crossed the line and left us shocked; for the rest of our vacation, we did our absolute best to avoid any contact with him and specifically protect our daughter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Dining & Drinks (10/10) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [POSITIVES]: The food was fantastic, featuring an amazing variety including steaks, Egyptian, Indian, Lebanese, European, and Asian dishes, alongside fresh off-the-grill meats, seafood, live pasta stations, and desserts. Ice cream was available throughout the day, which we really enjoyed. As non-drinkers, we loved the drink selection—the Ice Café, along with the virgin Piña Coladas and virgin Mojitos, were highlights (standard alcoholic options are also available). Mostafa, who was responsible for managing the outdoor seating areas, was exceptional. He kept active oversight across the space, made sure nothing escaped his eyes, and we thoroughly enjoyed talking with him. Ahmed, the waiter in the restaurant, was truly amazing. [NEGATIVES]: None—the food and beverage offerings were top-notch throughout our stay. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Room, Gym, Pools & Partner Spa (9/10) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A) Family Room [POSITIVES]: The family room was very spacious, featured a shower much larger than standard size, and was kept spotlessly clean. Daily towel changes were provided, bed sheet changes happened every 3 days (or on request daily), and free bottled water was replenished in the minibar every day. [NEGATIVES]: The room showed its age in areas like the doors and wardrobes, and unlocking the door with the key card often took several tries. Wi-Fi slows down during peak hours of the day (though this didn't bother us much, as we kept our phones in the room to disconnect—we came to enjoy the sea, not spend our vacation online!). Minibar sodas carry an extra charge beyond the free bottled water. B) Gym & Fitness Facilities [POSITIVES]: The gym was well-equipped with nice TechnoGym cardio machines, and Khaeled, who was there every single day, provided fantastic service and was great to talk with. Manager Abd Elaziz opening the gym early for me made maintaining a fitness routine completely seamless. [NEGATIVES]: Investing in a dedicated multi-use biceps/curl bar would be a great addition to complete the setup. C) Swimming Pools [POSITIVES]: The swimming pools were wonderful for both adults and children, offering perfect water quality and plenty of space to relax. [NEGATIVES]: None. D) Partner Spa Services [POSITIVES]: My wife booked two massages at a nearby partner spa facility—the hotel arranged quick 2-minute transfers, and the spa was clean, professional, and exceptional. [NEGATIVES]: None. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Beach, Location & Snorkeling (10/10) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [POSITIVES]: The location and beach are the absolute highlights of the resort and the main reason we returned to Makadi Bay. It features a safe, sandy entry for young children and a vibrant coral reef just 50–200 meters out filled with sea turtles, stingrays, moray eels, lionfish/firefish, clownfish, and an endless array of marine life. Beach ordering for drinks and water directly from the sunbeds was a seamless, perfect experience. The lifeguard, Bakr, was amazing—he consistently went above and beyond to help us find a non-smoking area on the sand. We also booked a snorkeling boat trip through Scuba World Diving Center (just as last year), which was world-class. [NEGATIVES]: None regarding natural sea life, beach service, and reef access. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Entertainment & Animation (5/10) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A) Daytime Activities [POSITIVES]: Standard daytime pool and beach activities were available for guests looking to stay active during the day. [NEGATIVES]: Daytime scheduling felt repetitive. For example, the daytime Carnival show occurred twice during our 10-night stay, whereas at Iberotel last year, no event or show ever repeated. B) Evening Shows [POSITIVES]: The evening entertainment had fantastic individual highlights: the Michael Jackson show was amazing, as were the oriental dance, acrobatic performances, and live musicians. [NEGATIVES]: Over a 10-night stay, the evening program felt noticeably repetitive. While Iberotel featured a completely unique show every single night, at Jaz Makadina we saw both the oriental belly dance and even the Michael Jackson show repeated twice (even though it was great). C) Children's Evening Program & Mini Disco [POSITIVES]: When the mini disco did take place, it was OK and the kids enjoyed it. [NEGATIVES]: Child-oriented performances were hit-or-miss, with the "Madagascar" show feeling quite awkward compared to "Moana." Bizarrely, the mini disco was not offered every evening, and relying on movie screenings as primary evening children's entertainment on off-nights felt like pure laziness on the animation team's part—nobody travels all the way to a resort in Egypt to sit watching movies they could easily stream at home! D) Kids' Club & Children's Program [POSITIVES]: Brodie from the UK was the absolute standout exception—even though she didn't speak German, she made a genuine effort to connect with our daughter non-verbally and even learned a few German phrases to communicate with her. [NEGATIVES]: The children's experience was the main weak point of our stay. In general, you would expect animation staff to be warm, approachable, and natural, but overall communication skills felt awkward and unnatural. One would naturally expect staff working in a Kids' Club to have the sensitivity to connect with children on a much better level, but most lacked basic warmth, ignored children saying hello, and mishandled language barriers by nodding silently instead of admitting they didn't speak German. Rules were bizarre—my daughter wasn't allowed to use craft scissors even with my wife sitting next to her taking full responsibility. Organization was poor: supplies used one day vanished the next, promised playdough never arrived, posted schedules were ignored, and my daughter was limited to making just one small bracelet while staff made several for themselves. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Smoking Policy (2/10) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [POSITIVES]: Indoor areas are strictly non-smoking. The outdoor non-smoking section next to the pizza oven became our default spot for lunch, dinner, and watching evening shows—pizza chef Ahmed and waiter Badawy were truly amazing there, providing exceptional kindness and attentive service. Badawy already knew our exact drink preferences and brought our drinks automatically without us even needing to order! [NEGATIVES]: Smoking policy enforcement made our stay a truly terrible experience. If other guests want to blow cigarette smoke around their own children, that is their choice, but on an expensive vacation, our family shouldn't be forced to breathe second-hand smoke constantly. At Iberotel, there was much better distance between sunbeds and umbrellas, whereas at Jaz Makadina, the loungers were placed terribly close together, making it practically impossible even for dedicated lifeguards like Bakr to keep us clear of smoke on the beach. Furthermore, smoking was allowed everywhere else around the bar and main entertainment areas—the only smoke-free sanctuary was the small area around the pizza oven. The entire resort outdoor experience felt handed over to smokers; we paid for a high-end getaway to enjoy fresh air, but instead felt like we spent our vacation sitting in the bottom of a pub's ashtray!"

"Thank you for such a wonderful and unforgettable holiday in Egypt! We truly enjoyed every moment of our stay. Everything was excellent – the delicious food, great service, friendly and attentive staff, beautiful sea, and amazing coral reefs. Thank you to the whole team for making our holiday so special. We felt very welcome and had a fantastic time. We would love to come back again!"

"Just back from 2 weeks at the Jaz Makadina from the 12th until the 26th August. I don’t normally leave reviews so I’ll keep it brief - you won’t be disappointed. Great facilities, staff and the beach is amazing!! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️"