Pickalbatros Jungle Aqua Park Resort - Neverland Hurghada

"Pickalbatros Jungle Aqua Park Resort – Neverland, Hurghada, Egypt ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ Our stay: 1st–8th November 2026 Travelling party: Two adults and our granddaughter Board basis: All-inclusive Our rating: 4.5 out of 5 We have just returned from a week’s stay at Neverland in Hurghada, travelling as a family with our granddaughter. Overall, we’ve had a fantastic holiday and would give the resort a very strong 4.5 out of 5. There is an incredible amount included in the all-inclusive package, and I think it’s important to explain just how much this resort has to offer, particularly for families. Arrival and check-in Check-in was very good, quick and straightforward. We were extremely fortunate to receive a complimentary room upgrade from Ahmed A Ghany, who was exceptionally friendly, welcoming and helpful. A special thank you to Ahmed for making our arrival such a positive experience. We were also first drop-off on the transfer coach from Hurghada Airport, so our journey to the hotel didn’t take too long. Our accommodation Our upgraded accommodation was absolutely massive! We were given a beautiful duplex with both an upstairs and downstairs area. Both floors had their own large television, fridge and bathroom with shower. We also had an upstairs balcony and a downstairs terrace, which was particularly lovely as it was literally about 10 steps from a swimming pool. The pool was shared with other guests but was extremely quiet during our stay. Our building was slightly tucked away from the busier areas of the resort, making it a lovely peaceful spot. The room was spotless on arrival and cleaned every day. The beds were extremely comfortable, and we had tea and coffee-making facilities with a kettle. The bathrooms had complimentary shower gel and shampoo, which were replenished daily, along with a hairdryer. The cleaner also left us six bottles of drinking water every day, which was a lovely touch. Another couple of things worth mentioning are that the room safe was completely free to use, and pool towels were provided free of charge and could be exchanged whenever you wanted. It’s good to see these things included, as some hotels are increasingly charging extra for them. Food and drinks If you’ve been to Egypt on an all-inclusive holiday before, you’ll probably know roughly what to expect when it comes to the food. There is plenty available, although I think younger children might struggle a little with some of the evening food choices, depending on their tastes. For me, the standout food was actually available at lunchtime in the main waterpark. The freshly made pizzas and chicken shawarma were particularly good and were probably my favourite things to eat during our stay. There are also some lovely extra snack stations around the resort: * Fresh doughnuts in the afternoon. * Candy floss in the evening near the bumper cars. * Waffles and popcorn in Midway. The soft drinks were all branded, including Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. There was also a selection of cocktails and mocktails. The lager was OK, as were the vodka and white wine. We had no real complaints. Many of the bars have self-service soft drink dispensers, which is handy. Some bars got quite busy at certain times, but we found that leaving a few dollars as a tip each sitting made a real difference to the service we received. Our drinks were consistently brought directly to us wherever we were sitting, meaning we didn’t have to keep getting up and queuing at the bar. Waterparks and swimming pools The waterpark is absolutely massive and is apparently the largest in Egypt. There is a huge selection of slides and attractions catering for all ages. The lifeguards were very good and kept a close eye on everything happening around the pools and slides. There are even free bumper boats operating in one of the swimming pools during the daytime. We always managed to find available sunbeds, so there was no need to get up at the crack of dawn to reserve one. However, if you have a particular area in mind, you might want to put your towels down on your way to breakfast. A few of the swimming pools were heated, which was particularly welcome during our November visit. Not all pools were heated, though, so some were noticeably cooler than others. Evening entertainment and Midway There is certainly no shortage of entertainment. There are three different stages around the resort, each putting on its own entertainment, giving guests a choice of what to watch. There is also a special Neverland show every evening. This is completely FREE, although you need to book your place in advance through the hotel app. Food and drinks are served to you while you enjoy the show. We watched it and thought it was good, although it wasn’t really our granddaughter’s thing. It’s difficult to cater for absolutely everyone, but it’s definitely worth experiencing. If you want a lively atmosphere, Midway is definitely the place to be! There is a fantastic funfair atmosphere with numerous rides, two and four-seater bikes that you can ride around the resort, a large VR gaming room and a roller-skating rink. The really impressive thing is that all these attractions were included in our all-inclusive package. We didn’t have to pay extra for the rides, bikes, VR games or roller skating. Staff and customer service One thing that really deserves a mention is the staff. Every single member of staff we encountered throughout the resort was extremely friendly. From reception and housekeeping to the bars, restaurants and pool areas, everyone seemed genuinely happy to help. A special mention again to Ahmed A Ghany for our complimentary room upgrade and the fantastic welcome we received. Getting around and the hotel app The resort is very large, so getting around is something worth mentioning. We generally enjoyed walking around during the mornings, but in the evenings we made good use of the shuttle buses. The service was very good. One particularly useful feature is that you can see exactly where the shuttle buses are using the hotel app. We also used the app to book the Neverland show and find information about entertainment, bars, restaurants and swimming pools. The Wi-Fi worked well throughout the hotel, and we had no complaints. Our granddaughter probably used it more than anyone else! Beach access Although Neverland isn’t directly on the beachfront, this certainly isn’t a problem. There is a complimentary shuttle bus that takes you to the beach in less than 10 minutes. The hotel has its own private section of the beach, situated right next to a sister hotel from the same hotel chain. The beach area has its own bar serving drinks and snacks, including pizzas, chips and hamburgers. This means you can enjoy a full beach day without having to return to the main hotel for food and refreshments. It’s another great addition to the all-inclusive package. Shopping There is a large shopping mall within walking distance of the resort, with a McDonald’s, KFC and a good selection of shops. However, I wouldn’t particularly describe it as a place for buying souvenirs, as there aren’t many traditional souvenir shops. The hotel shops were actually much better for this. They were very reasonably priced and had a surprisingly good selection of souvenirs, clothes, trainers and bags. Check-out Check-out is at 12 noon, but one particularly good thing is that you get to keep your wristbands afterwards. This means you can continue enjoying all the hotel’s facilities, including the pools, waterparks, restaurants and bars, until it’s time for your transfer back to the airport. A great bonus if you have a later flight! What could be improved? If I had to pick one area for improvement, it would probably be the food. However, we’ve been to Egypt many times before, so we understand that the food is probably fairly standard for an Egyptian all-inclusive holiday. I certainly didn’t go hungry, and there was always something available to eat. I also appreciate that I’m probably more accustomed to English food and that there are naturally going to be things you simply won’t find in Egypt. I wouldn’t let the food put me off booking this hotel, but it is something worth bearing in mind, particularly if you’re travelling with children who are fussy eaters. Would we return? This is where I think it’s important to be honest. Would we return with children under 16? Absolutely YES! I think Neverland is an ideal family hotel. There is so much to keep children entertained throughout the day and evening that it’s difficult to imagine them getting bored. Would we return as a couple, just myself and Sharon? No. We would choose somewhere less family-orientated. This is a very family-focused resort, and I wouldn’t recommend it to couples looking for a quieter, more relaxing or adults-only style holiday. That’s not a criticism of the hotel. It’s simply about choosing the right type of holiday for the people travelling. Final verdict – 4.5 out of 5 ⭐ No hotel is perfect, but considering the accommodation, enormous waterpark, entertainment, facilities, incredibly friendly staff and everything included in the all-inclusive package, we think Neverland offers excellent value for money. For families with children, particularly those under 16, I could easily see this being a 5 out of 5 holiday. Highly recommended for families. Definitely not recommended for couples looking for a quieter, more adult-focused holiday. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our week and would happily recommend Neverland to families looking for a fun-filled holiday in Egypt."

"We stayed at Jungle Aqua Park with our two children, booked through TUI from 16 to 26 October. After my youngest was injured and needed emergency surgery locally, she and I stayed on until 8 November while she recovered and was cleared to fly. What you're booking The naming is confusing, so worth explaining. Neverland is a complex of three hotels: Jungle Aqua Park (ours), Water Valley and Alf Leila Wa Leila. You can eat and drink at the restaurants and bars in all three. It's inland, so there's no beach on site, but there's a shuttle to another Pickalbatros hotel where you can use theirs. Why it works for families Nothing needs booking. Restaurants, water parks and activities are just there. On a previous holiday in Mexico, restaurants opened for booking 48 hours ahead, so we were choosing the dinner after next while eating tonight's. Here you decide on the day. The water park is on site. No transfer, no tickets, no timed entry. Go when you want and leave when you're done. There is a huge amount to do: 85 water slides across the complex by the hotel's count (from enormous ones to tiny toddler slides, so nobody meets the size requirements for all of them), 20 rides, free VR games, three stages for shows, an outdoor cinema and an ice rink. Queues were short. Our children waited three to five minutes for any ride or the VR, which is basically one cycle. They need a Ride Access Pass at UK theme parks, so this was a godsend. The buffet means everyone eats what they want. We had four different cuisines at one table and nobody compromised. Plenty of familiar food (couscous, beef, salad, bread, rice) alongside local dishes like fatteh. You can also eat on the island in the middle of the pool, choosing from different restaurants. Snacks are everywhere: a bakery open from 2am to midnight with excellent cakes and coffee, iced doughnuts at one of the water parks in the afternoon, a chocolate fountain and fresh mango and pineapple at the Waves stage one evening, and popcorn, waffles, crêpes and zalabya (little Egyptian doughnuts) on the Midway in the evenings. The kids club is good and our children enjoyed it. Lifeguards are everywhere and actually paying attention. The entertainment team is great; there's even a mime. We asked for a central room for mobility reasons and got one, which made it easy to go back for a rest mid-afternoon. The towel art on the beds was a daily highlight for the children. Things worth knowing - Bring water shoes. It gets slippy by the pool and the floor is hot. You need shoes you can wear on the slides and walk back up in. - The kids club is free, but while we were there they were making T-shirts at £15 per child. Optional, but nobody wants to be the parent who says no, so budget for it. - Not everything is included. The motorised ride-on animals and go-karts are run by an outside vendor, cost extra and are cash only. The bumper cars are free. It's like the paid extras at Chessington or Legoland, so not a surprise, just worth knowing. - Bar staff bring drinks to your lounger, or you can go to the bar. We brought a cup carrier, which helped as a family of four. - There's a fridge in the room with bottled water topped up daily, plus fridges around the resort. - Some slides have scales to check weight limits. Fair enough for safety, but it could be difficult for some people, so worth knowing in advance. - Get the resort app. The Waves stage (mini disco, evening shows) is along the main pool, the one marked "kids pool" in the centre of the app map. - Laundry is available and reasonably priced. - The resort pharmacy can have medicines and toiletries brought to your room. Dearer than at home, but a lifeline if you run out. The not-so-good - As other reviews say, the pools are cold. They're generally unheated. - Also as others say, the alcohol tastes cheap, even in cocktails. I'm not a big drinker, so it didn't bother me. - Some signage is poor. The sign by the rainbow slide gives contradictory height limits (over 90cm, over 120cm and under 140cm on the same sign), and in practice both my children, at 115cm and 145cm, were allowed on, so the signs don't match what staff enforce either. - The app is great overall, but sometimes forgets its users don't work there. Venue names aren't on the map: the Waves stage isn't labelled, and there's also a Waves food court a long way from it. Two venues called Waves, neither marked, is confusing. On some negative reviews "Nothing to eat": there's plenty of familiar food and snacks all day. No pork, as you'd expect in Egypt. "Nothing to do": see above. This is clearly a family resort. If that's not what you want, there are plenty of other hotels to choose from. When things went wrong This is where the hotel went far beyond what we could have expected. While my daughter was in hospital, Mahmoud Saad (Mahmoud Saad Shehab), Assistant General Manager, had food sent to the hospital every day as a goodwill gesture. When our insurer booked our extra nights through their own system and couldn't guarantee the same room, he confirmed we could stay where we were, with no checking out and back in, so she didn't have to move rooms straight after surgery. Emad Elawamy, manager, was outstanding. When a problem with our insurer's booking meant our key stopped working, he let us straight back into the room to rest, with her medicine inside, while he sorted it out. Reception were courteous and kind throughout. When the booking finally arrived as a standard room, he let us keep the family room we were in. The next day he arranged a hotel taxi, free of charge, to take her to her hospital follow-up, and had my medicines brought from the pharmacy the same afternoon. On our last night he arranged a beautifully decorated table for our dinner and came over himself to check we were all right. The kids club and entertainment teams mattered as much as anything. My daughter is autistic and, after hospital, frightened of new people. Seeing the same kind, familiar faces every day gave her people she could build relationships with, and I think that helped her recover psychologically, not just kept her busy. A week after surgery she went back to kids club, and Shannon and Molly took great care of her; it was also the first real break I'd had since the accident. The next day she chose to go back, and sat in the front row at the mini disco. Small kindnesses too: a waiter at the buffet noticed she was too tired and sore to eat and brought her a carton of apple juice, and the pharmacist gave me mosquito cream and her a lip balm as gifts. Despite everything, this is a holiday our children remember for the right reasons. They're already talking about coming back next year, and so are we."

"It is very large, we have been here very often already. It is beautiful, new rides are always being added. There is everything possible from ice cream to popcorn to bumper cars. The rooms are spic and span."