"We stayed at the Jaz Neo Saraya Palms, Hurghada from December 24th to December 29th, 2025. I am going to give my detailed review (pros and cons) in parts, so it can help first-time Hurghada travellers plan their trip better.
Way to the Group of Resorts: If you are travelling by night from the airport to the hotel, you might feel a little lost and even scared because there are absolutely no street lights on this stretch of land. You will have to blindly trust your instincts and your cab driver and make this long 35-minute journey. But trust me, once you make that journey, and land on the paradise, you will be hugely rewarded. I am saying that with conviction because the entire chain of Jaz Hotels looks like a cozy-getaway-nest on the earth. The security people at the resort entrance and on the insides of the resort help you feel convinced about having selected this resort.
Front Desk/Reception: A big shout-out to the front desk at Jaz Neo Saraya Palms! I had a few queries before my travel and when I reached out to the front desk, I had the greatest luck of getting in touch with Mr. Ahmed. What a genuine, friendly and helpful friend/brother he has been. Right from trying to understand my queries to the best of his knowledge to getting in touch with his team and resolving them for me, he has played a great role in supporting my trip-preparedness. He went out of the way to understand specific food preferences that my children had and getting them sorted for us. Mr. Ahmed has proved that when you want to do the best for your team and clients, language is no barrier and it is only the will that matters. Thank you so much, Sir. Shukran Jazilan from all of us in our family! Also, Mr. Hamada greeted us when we reached the hotel and even though it was pretty late in the night, he assisted us with all the entry formalities and helped us settle down pretty quick.
Ambience: You will be pleasantly surprised by the palatial Jaz resorts, lush greenery, the lovely Shams restaurant, multitude pools, shops and pools all ensconced in the middle of a near-desert area. It is an amazingly serene ambience that can help you unwind and escape from the regular hustle and bustle of life. But, it is also super suitable for all groups - kids, elders, honeymooners, families or friends. The resort has something for everyone!
Rooms/Facilities: We were 12 of us (3 families in all, and, with kids), so we had booked 3 separate suites. The size of each suite was overwhelming! 2 big bedrooms, a large living room, a nice kitchen, 2 washrooms and great balconies extending from each bedroom. The big minus though was, the kitchen was a kitchen only in name. It had a kettle, basic tea/coffee supplies and a fridge, but sadly, no microwave or stoves or simple cookware to help make a basic cup noodle or heat up kids food. In a large resort such as this, and plus, one that has guests from a variety of countries, a functioning kitchen would have been a great bonus. However, the kitchen did have a lot of cabinets and storage spaces (if anyone was looking to store ready-to-eat/convenience foods and snacks). The bathrooms were maintained well and towels changed everyday. However, guests are not provided basic toiletries such as dental kits, razors, combs - so, you will have to definitely carry your personal belongings or purchase them from the store nearby. Also, the hair dryer in our room zonked out after a minute's use and we had ours, so, we managed. The safe lockers/electrical plug points and ACs definitely need improvement in majority of the rooms and we had to sort these out with the maintenance team. Also, please remember to carry converter plugs because most chargers do not fit and you might have to use the resort's converters to get your devices charged up.
Food: In one word, the 'HEAD CHEF', Mr. Mustafa is a keeper! So much so, that even my kids remember his name, sweet smiles and friendly demeanour. He takes the effort to reach out to each guest, understand their food preferences in great details, and takes painstaking efforts to provide everyone with comforting food. Infact, our brother's family reached very late because of a flight delay, and the restaurant team ensured they had a hot, fresh meal ready at 10.30 PM! Although you might find that every breakfast, lunch and dinner might have similar items almost everyday, it was fantastic to see and taste local options. Being hardcore vegetarians, we are extremely thankful to the chef and his team for keeping our gut happy throughout the course of our stay. Also, the vegetables and fruits looked straight from the farmland - fresh, colourful and very satisfying. By the end of our holiday, we could see most guests chatting away happily with the chef and asking for opinions on a particular dish/drink.
Pool/Beach/Shops/Waterpark: There are 2 pools and each pool has snack+drink bars right next to them. The beach is a bit far off and we might have to take the shuttle at specific timings or take a quick walk. The beach also has a variety of diving/snorkelling options and guides to help you take these tours with confidence. We did the snorkelling as a family and the variety of fishes and turtles we saw was amazing! There are many shops that help with souvenirs, groceries, clothing (along with sports wear and swimwear), but, everything is oh-so-pricey! You might do a double-take when you convert those prices to your local currency as we did. Be sure to negotiate as some of the vendors are nice and can agree for a good price in the end. Also, in the supermarket/grocery store, none of the items show prices on the boxes which is very strange because you will only know the price when you stand at the billing counter. You should definitely take a trip to the Makadi Water Park; there are a great many videos on YouTube to guide you through the water park and its ups and downs, but, do not miss it! A shuttle service takes you to the park and brings you back to the resort. Importantly, note down the shuttle timings carefully so you can avoid taking extremely long walks to the beach and water park, especially if you have kids or elders accompanying you.
Tipping: Tipping (Baksheesh) is extremely common in Egypt, but, sometimes, it can be annoying. We did find some of the resort people behaving out-of-the-way-nicely to people who tipped and not-so-nicely to people who chose not to. This was a very, very tiny portion of the team, so, I am not complaining. I am also not against tipping, but, it should be a voluntary choice.
All in all, an extremely wonderful holiday and stay. When we went to Cairo for the remainder of our holiday, we missed Hurghada, most importantly, Jaz resorts and could literally talk of nothing else (until we visited the Pyramids, that is)!
Thank you Hotel Jaz for having us over!"
