JAZ Aquaviva
JAZ Aquaviva is a large all-inclusive five-star resort in Madinat Makadi, a self-contained resort bay on Egypt's Red Sea coast about 45 minutes south of Hurghada. Families come for Makadi Water World, a shared waterpark of more than 50 slides included in the price, a full daily activities programme and seven à la carte restaurants. The one thing to weigh first is that the hotel isn't on the beach, so a free shuttle runs the ten or fifteen minutes down to the sand.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who JAZ Aquaviva suits, the waterpark age limits to check and the facts to skim first.
JAZ Aquaviva is a busy, well-run all-inclusive built around volume and activity rather than quiet. Its draw is Makadi Water World, a shared waterpark of more than 50 slides included in the board, alongside a daily animation programme of football, tennis, dance classes and pool games, evening shows and seven à la carte restaurants. Families who want a full, structured week rate it highly. It scores 9.4 out of 10 on Booking.com from close to 1,500 reviews, checked in July 2026, and Mumsnet picked it as its best activity-focused family hotel in Egypt.
The waterpark is the main reason most families book, and there's one limit to read closely first. Every slide starts at age 4, so a baby or under-4 can't use any of them and swims in the hotel pools instead. More slides open up at 6, 8 and 10, so the resort gets stronger as children get older. The other thing to weigh is the beach: the hotel isn't on the sand, and a free shuttle runs the ten or fifteen minutes down to the shared Madinat Makadi beach. It is manageable, but it is not the same as walking down in two minutes with a pram. If you want quiet pool days or a beachfront room, this probably isn't the resort for it.
Best for
You want a big waterpark, a full activities programme and à la carte dining all week, with children of 4 or older who can use the slides.
Maybe not for
You want quiet pool days, a beachfront room or an independent holiday, or you're travelling with only a baby or under-4 who'd miss the slides.
Best ages
4 and up for the Kids Pool and Family Slides, 6 adds the Pirates Boat, 8 the Shark House, 10 and 120 cm the big slides.
What stands out
Makadi Water World, more than 50 slides included in the price, bigger than any other hotel waterpark in the Hurghada area.
What to check
The kids' club age range and cost, whether a cot can be arranged and that you're happy with the shuttle down to the beach.
Where is it?
In Madinat Makadi at Makadi Bay, on Egypt's Red Sea coast, about 45 minutes south of Hurghada.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where JAZ Aquaviva sits within Madinat Makadi, how it is laid out and what a self-contained bay means for a week with children.
JAZ Aquaviva is one hotel within Madinat Makadi, a large integrated resort complex on Makadi Bay run by the JAZ Hotel Group. The complex holds several hotels around a shared set of attractions: Makadi Water World, an 18-hole championship golf course, the Makadi Souq shopping street, a Mividaspa spa, padel and tennis courts, dive centres, entertainment venues and a shared private beach. Choosing JAZ Aquaviva buys into that whole ecosystem, and free waterpark access is the part that sets it apart from a hotel with only its own pools. It is a large resort, laid out the way most Egyptian ones are: low-rise blocks around the pools and gardens, a landscaped promenade to reception and the restaurants, with palms planted through the grounds. JAZ describes itself as Egypt's largest hotel operator, running resorts across Egypt as well as in Zanzibar, Fujairah, Tunisia and Greece, so it is an established name rather than a one-off. The resort is open all year, on a near-desert climate that keeps the sun reliable.
Makadi Bay is a purpose-built resort bay with no independent town, shops or restaurants you can walk to from the gates, so this is a contained, stay-put sort of holiday. That suits families who want everything in one place and don't fancy navigating a strange town with a toddler. Most families here don't need a car: meals, the pools, the waterpark, the activities and the beach shuttle are all inside or next to the complex, and day trips to Hurghada or the aquarium are booked through the excursion desk. The one part of the resort that isn't on your doorstep is the beach itself, which sits a free shuttle ride away rather than at the foot of the gardens, and that is the single structural point to weigh before you book. There's more on the shuttle and the sand further down.
Every restaurant and bar
The seven à la carte restaurants, the everyday buffet, the drinks and the things to confirm for feeding a young child.
JAZ Aquaviva is sold all inclusive, so all your meals, snacks and most drinks are in the price with nothing to pay at the table during normal hours. The dining runs on the group's JAZ Flavors idea, which gives you a set of separate themed à la carte restaurants across the week rather than the same buffet every night. Seven are named at Madinat Makadi, and between them they cover Italian, Levantine, Pan-Asian, Mediterranean, Indian and grills, so a week's dinners don't repeat. Two first-hand reviewers describe the food simply as good.
| Restaurant | Cuisine | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Ninos | Italian | Hand-stretched pizzas, risottos and antipasti |
| Sofra | Arabic and Levantine | Slow-cooked meats, chargrilled kebabs, warm bread and mezze |
| Makai Tukai | Pan-Asian | Sushi and sizzling wok dishes |
| Aqua | Mediterranean | Mediterranean plates |
| Amaya | Indian | Rich Indian dishes |
| The Grill | Middle Eastern grills | Grilled meats and Middle Eastern cooking |
| The Beach | Mediterranean, beachside | Mediterranean cooking down by the sea |
Ninos is the Italian, with hand-stretched pizzas, risottos and antipasti. Sofra is Arabic and Levantine, doing slow-cooked meats, chargrilled kebabs, warm bread and mezze. Makai Tukai is the Pan-Asian restaurant, with sushi and wok dishes, and Amaya serves Indian food. Aqua covers Mediterranean cooking, The Grill does Middle Eastern grills, and The Beach is Mediterranean again in a setting down by the sea. Alongside the seven à la carte restaurants, an Egyptian all-inclusive of this size will almost always run a main buffet for breakfast and usually lunch, though the hotel doesn't set out its buffet arrangements ahead of booking, so confirm them with your operator. The à la carte restaurants work as a dine-around across the week rather than all seven opening on the same night, so the buffet is the likely everyday choice for breakfast and lunch, with the named restaurants giving dinner its variety.
Children's menus, early sittings and high chairs are usual at big Egyptian family resorts, so ask your operator to confirm them if a fussy eater or an early bedtime matters. The all-inclusive drinks cover soft drinks, juices, water, tea, coffee and alcohol through the day; premium or branded spirits can sit outside the standard bar, so check with your operator if that matters to you. There's also an El Shisha Café in the complex for a coffee or a shisha, and in summer the Makadi Summer Street Festival puts on street-food stations as part of its events.
Rooms and suites
The room types, the hotel's own pools, the waterpark with its age limits and the beach on the bay.
The table below sets out the room types and their views. Room sizes, exact occupancies and bed setups vary, so confirm the layout with your operator before you book, especially if you need a particular configuration.
| Room type | View | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Room | Garden or pool | Double or twin; the entry room, and likely compact for long indoor stretches with a toddler |
| Family Room | Garden or pool | More floor space, set up for a family with children; the room most families book |
| Superior Room | Garden, pool or partial sea | A step up in fittings from the standard room |
| Junior Suite or Suite | Premium | A separate living area and more room, easier on a longer stay |
For most families the Family Room is the one to book: it has more floor space than the standard room and is set up for two adults and children. The Standard Room is the entry room, fine for a couple or a parent and infant but likely to feel tight for the long indoor stretches a toddler needs at nap time. The Superior Room is a step up in fittings, and a Junior Suite or Suite adds a separate living area that helps on a longer stay. If you need a cot, ask the hotel or your operator whether one can be arranged and confirm any charge, as cot provision isn't confirmed for this hotel ahead of booking. Whether rooms interconnect varies, so ask about that if it matters.
The hotel pools
Aside from the waterpark, JAZ Aquaviva has its own pools, and these are where the resort's day-to-day swimming happens. A first-hand reviewer describes them as very large with plenty of seating, and there's likely a children's pool among them, though the hotel doesn't confirm its pool line-up ahead of booking. If pool detail matters to you, such as depths or whether any are heated, ask your operator. The important point for the youngest families is that no slide at Makadi Water World is open to under-4s, so the hotel pools are the main water feature for a baby or younger toddler across the whole holiday, and it is worth knowing they are substantial and well provided with sunbeds.
Makadi Water World
Makadi Water World is the headline, and the single most common reason families pick JAZ Aquaviva over other hotels in the bay. It is a separately run waterpark inside the Madinat Makadi complex, with more than 50 slides, and entry is included in your all-inclusive board. It is open 10:00 to 17:00 daily, with a break from 13:00 to 14:00, and there are lifeguards at the park. Food and drink for all-inclusive guests are covered while you're there, with snack stations from noon to 16:00 and drinks from opening to close, taking in pizza and pasta, a sandwich station, pastries, ice cream and waffles; you can't bring your own food in. There are changing rooms but no lockers, and the park doesn't hand out towels, so bring your own from the hotel. There's a clinic at the park for first aid, though its services are charged even for all-inclusive guests.
The part to read closely is the age limits, because the slides are split into zones with different minimums and it shapes who gets the most from the park.
| Attraction | Minimum age | Height | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kids Pool Slides | 4 years | None | Animal and mushroom slides in shallow water, with a parent alongside |
| Family Slides | 4 years | None | An open-air raft ride, with full parental supervision |
| Pirates Boat Slide | 6 years | None | A pirate zone of seven slides, parents and children together |
| Shark House | 8 years | None | A pirate-themed activity pool with a 1,000-litre tipping bucket |
| The big slides | 10 years | 120 cm | At least fifteen named thrill slides, from steep drops like Kamikaze to longer rides like Aqua Tube |
The 10-and-over zone lists at least fifteen named slides, grouped roughly by what they do. There are steep vertical drops (Kamikaze, Tunnel Free Fall, Space Boat and Free Fall), longer winding tube rides (Aqua Tube, Turbulence, Rafting, Wide Rafting and Uphill), a fast open speed slide (Body), a swinging pendulum boat ride (Flying Boat), wave-style slides built for several riders at once (Wave and Tsunami) and two enclosed dark-tunnel slides (Black Hole and Space Hole). A few of those names may turn out to be marketing variants of the same physical structure rather than separate rides, but they all sit behind the same age-10, 120cm-minimum gate, so once a child clears that bar the zone opens up together rather than a slide or two at a time.
Children under 4 cannot use any slide at Makadi Water World, including the Kids Pool Slides and the Family Slides, which both start at 4. A 4 or 5-year-old has those two zones, a 6 or 7-year-old adds the Pirates Boat Slide and an 8 or 9-year-old adds the Shark House. From 10, provided they are at least 120 cm, the fifteen bigger thrill slides open up. So it suits a child better the older they are, and there's most for them from around 6 upwards. If you're travelling with a baby or an under-4, they will spend their pool time in the hotel's own pools, not here. As an all-inclusive guest your entry is included, so the ticket prices the park lists for outside visitors don't apply to you.
The beach
JAZ Aquaviva isn't beachfront. A free shuttle bus links the hotel to the shared Madinat Makadi private beach on Makadi Bay, a ride of about ten to fifteen minutes. The beach itself is sandy, and the bay's sheltered position keeps the Red Sea calm and clear with no real waves, which is what you want for small children paddling at the edge. A coral reef sits close in off the shore, which makes for good snorkelling and is a draw for older children who can swim. Water sports run from the complex, including snorkelling, scuba diving with PADI centres, jet skiing, parasailing, windsurfing, kite surfing and kayaking, and some or all of these are likely to cost extra on top of the board.
The beach is clean, clear water, but it doesn't hold a Blue Flag, which is no mark against it, since Egypt isn't part of the Blue Flag scheme and no Egyptian beach carries one. The shuttle, free and frequent as it is, adds real friction with a baby. A beach day means loading a pram, a nappy bag and a sun tent onto a bus rather than wandering down from the room, so it's worth planning around rather than assuming spur-of-the-moment trips to the sand.
Babies and toddlers
The kids' club and what's known about it, the animation and shows, and the baby details worth confirming before you go.
There is a kids' club, part of why the hotel reads as family-focused. Its name, age range, session times and cost aren't set out ahead of booking, so pin those down with your operator before you rely on it, especially the minimum age if you're counting on the club for a younger child.
The animation team runs a full daily programme for children and adults, with football, tennis, dance classes, organised games and pool games. Evenings bring theatres with live shows, and there's a La Loca disco that is an adult night spot rather than one for children. In summer the Makadi Summer Street Festival adds themed events every couple of weeks, from a Pharaoh night to a Latin or Hawaiian one, with entertainment, street food and crafts.
For baby kit, bottle warmers, sterilisers, baby baths and stair gates aren't guaranteed, so ask about them and pack what you can't do without. For weaning, the à la carte restaurants serve adult menus, and the buffet is the likelier source of plainer options for a baby, though there's no dedicated baby-food service confirmed at the resort. On medical cover, the clinic at Makadi Water World charges for its services, and the nearest hospital is in Hurghada, about 45 minutes away. Babysitting and in-room childcare aren't a given, so ask your operator if an evening to yourselves matters.
Things to do
Beyond the waterpark, the pools and the beach, the complex has plenty to fill a week. The Madinat Makadi golf is an 18-hole championship course, 6,880 metres (7,500 yards), designed by John Sanford, with a shorter 9-hole par-3 course, an academy and a clubhouse, open from 07:00. It sits outside the all-inclusive board, so green fees are a separate charge; the course has been named Egypt's number-one golf resort at the World Golf Awards, winning it six years running from 2014 to 2019. Parts of the course also close for maintenance in turn: in summer 2026 the back nine closed from 15 to 29 June, the front nine from 30 June to 14 July, and the executive nine and driving range from 15 to 29 July, so it's worth checking ahead if golf in early or midsummer matters to your trip. There are padel courts with coaching for all levels, tennis courts and several dive centres in the complex running excursions, lessons, equipment hire and PADI certification for beginners and experienced divers alike. The Makadi Souq is an internal shopping street for souvenirs without leaving the resort.
The Mividaspa at JAZ Aquaviva is the hotel's own spa, open 10:00 to 19:00, with a beauty salon alongside. Treatments run to massages, including an Egyptian massage and an Indian head massage, plus facials and body scrubs and treatments, with the salon covering hair, nails and grooming; treatments are charged on top of the board. For day trips off the complex, the excursion desk books the lot, from Dolphin World and the aquarium to Hurghada, Giftun Island snorkelling, Luxor and a Nile cruise.
The area and days out
Makadi Bay is self-contained, so there's no working town at the gates and most families spend the week inside the complex. For a change of scene, the excursion desk arranges the trips. Dolphin World Egypt is about 15 minutes away, with shows and dolphin programmes, and the Hurghada Grand Aquarium, an aquarium of Red Sea species, is about 25 minutes. Senzo Mall, Hurghada's main modern mall with shops, a cinema and restaurants, is roughly 20 minutes.
Hurghada city centre is about 45 minutes north, with a marina of restaurants and bars, the Mercato shopping arcade, the old El Dahar souk and glass-bottom boat trips. El Gouna, a luxury purpose-built holiday village of canals and lagoons with its own beaches and marina, is about 55 to 60 minutes north, and it's a proper town in its own right, with a hospital, an international school and a private airport. Giftun Island, a protected marine reserve with excellent snorkelling, is reached by a 30 to 45-minute boat trip from Hurghada marina, and the reef diving and snorkelling around Makadi Bay and Hurghada is some of the best in the world, with outer-reef boat trips available as paid excursions. Luxor, with the Valley of the Kings and the Karnak and Luxor temples, is a long day out at about three to three and a half hours by road each way, which is a lot with an under-3 or 4 in the heat and better kept for a trip with older children.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what they flag, how it stacks up against nearby resorts, the journey in and the weather by month.
JAZ Aquaviva rates strongly, scoring 9.4 out of 10 on Booking.com from close to 1,500 reviews when checked in July 2026, where it holds a Guests' Choice badge and ranks 51st out of 234 hotels listed for Hurghada, and Mumsnet names it its best activity-focused family hotel in Egypt. Scores move over time, so treat that as a rough steer rather than a fixed figure.
What families love
- Makadi Water World, the headline draw, mentioned by every source.
- The breadth of the activities programme, which keeps older children busy without parents planning it.
- The food, with the à la carte variety a step up on a single buffet.
- Large, well-provisioned pools with plenty of seating.
- Friendly, experienced staff used to families.
- A safe, self-contained resort you needn't leave.
- The reef straight off the shared beach.
Common gripes
- Not directly on the beach, with the shuttle the top thing families flag.
- The waterpark age limits, which leave under-4s off every slide and under-6s off most.
- Less appealing if you want quiet, low-key pool days.
- The summer heat, which tops 38°C in July and August.
How it compares
The choice in the area usually comes down to waterpark scale against beach access. Sunrise Alora Aqua Park, at Al Ahyaa about 20 minutes north of Hurghada, is newer and directly beachfront with no shuttle, but its own waterpark has 16 slides against Makadi Water World's fifty-plus; it scores 9.6 out of 10 on Booking.com from over 2,500 reviews. Sunrise Royal Makadi, on the same bay, has seven pools, its own smaller waterpark and a private beach, but no access to Makadi Water World. Steigenberger Aqua Magic in central Hurghada has a much shorter airport transfer, about 15 minutes, its own smaller aqua park and independent restaurants nearby, so it is less self-contained; Mumsnet's overall top Egypt pick is its sister hotel, the Steigenberger Aldau Beach, next door.
What sets JAZ Aquaviva apart is the size of Makadi Water World. At more than 50 slides it is substantially bigger than any other hotel's park in the Hurghada area, so for families with children of 10 and up who want thrill rides there's nothing else like it locally, and for 4 to 9-year-olds the Kids Pool, Pirates Boat and Shark House zones are properly age-appropriate. The trade-off you accept for it is the shuttle to the beach and the lack of beachfront calm.
The journey and the best monthsGetting there and when to go
The airport is Hurghada International, and the transfer takes about 45 to 55 minutes by road. Almost all UK families arrive on a package, with TUI, Jet2holidays, loveholidays and others all selling the hotel and the operator arranging the transfer; if you book independently, request the transfer in advance through the hotel, as it isn't laid on automatically. You don't need a car, since the complex is self-contained and day trips go through the excursion desk.
The resort is open all year. For a family with babies or toddlers, October to April brings the most manageable heat. Days sit around 22 to 32°C, with the sea a swimmable 21 to 26°C and cooler in February and March. The sun is near-guaranteed. That window maps onto October half-term, Christmas, February half-term and Easter. July and August are the peak of both the heat and the UK holidays, with days regularly topping 38°C and highs above 40°C recorded, when the waterpark and pools are the obvious answer but a baby overheats fast, so shade, high-factor sun cream and hydration matter and it's worth keeping little ones out of direct sun between about 11:00 and 15:00.
Month by monthWeather
The figures below are typical monthly averages for the Makadi Bay coast, which shares Hurghada's climate 45 km up the same shore. Rain barely features, at around 10 mm across a whole year over just a handful of days, so this is effectively desert, and summer rain is close to nil. In the July and August heat, sunbeds at the pools and the waterpark go early, so with young children an early start, a midday retreat indoors and a late-afternoon return work best.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22.5° | 11.5° | 0 mm | 0 | 23° |
| February | 23.5° | 12.5° | 0 mm | 0 | 22° |
| March | 26.5° | 15° | 1 mm | 0 | 22° |
| April | 30° | 18.5° | 0 mm | 0 | 23° |
| May | 34° | 23° | 0 mm | 0 | 25° |
| June | 36.5° | 26° | 0 mm | 0 | 27° |
| July | 37.5° | 28° | 0 mm | 0 | 28° |
| August | 37.5° | 28° | 0 mm | 0 | 29° |
| September | 35.5° | 26° | 0 mm | 0 | 28° |
| October | 32° | 22° | 5 mm | 0 | 27° |
| November | 28° | 17.5° | 6 mm | 0 | 26° |
| December | 24° | 13.5° | 0 mm | 0 | 25° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer. JAZ Aquaviva is a year-round resort on a near-desert climate.
Travel advice for Egypt
Where to check the current FCDO advice, the safety picture at the Red Sea resorts and the health and insurance basics.
Check the FCDO advice first
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office publishes the official travel advice for Egypt, and it can change between booking and flying. Travelling against FCDO advice can invalidate your insurance, so read the current advice covering Makadi Bay and the wider Red Sea coast at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt before you book and again before you travel.
Egypt's Red Sea resorts are built around family tourism, with security that stays in the background at the big hotels and high food-hygiene standards. Transfers are handled through the hotel or your operator, so you won't be driving or navigating busy roads yourself. If you head out on an excursion, it's sensible to steer clear of any demonstration or large public gathering, which are most likely on a Friday.
On health, Egypt asks for no vaccinations beyond your standard travel jabs, with hepatitis A commonly recommended; check with your GP or a travel clinic in good time. The heat is the main thing to manage with young children, so pack high-factor sun cream, sun hats and cover-ups and keep everyone hydrated. The nearest hospital is in Hurghada, about 45 minutes away, and the only confirmed medical point in the complex is the charged clinic at the waterpark. Travel insurance with proper medical cover is essential for the whole family.
Questions
Can our under-4 go on the waterpark slides?
No. The youngest slides, the Kids Pool Slides and the Family Slides, start at age 4, so a baby or younger toddler swims in the hotel pools instead and those pools are their water for the week. The bigger zones open as children get older, from 6 upwards.
How does the beach shuttle work?
A free shuttle runs between the hotel and the shared Madinat Makadi beach through the day, about ten to fifteen minutes each way. It is straightforward, though with a baby a beach day takes some planning around the bus rather than a spur-of-the-moment trip to the sand.
Is there a kids' club, and from what age?
Yes. The age range, session times and any cost aren't confirmed before you book, so check them with your operator, especially if you need it for a younger toddler.
When is the best time to go with little ones?
October to April. Days sit in the low-to-mid 20s up to the low 30s, the sun is reliable and the heat is manageable with a baby. July and August are the busiest and can top 38°C, which is hard on little ones even with the pools and waterpark to cool off in.
Can we get a cot?
Cot provision isn't confirmed for this hotel ahead of booking, so ask the hotel or your operator whether one can be arranged and confirm any charge before you travel.
Do we need to check the FCDO travel advice?
Yes, before you book and again before you fly. The FCDO's advice for Egypt can change, so read the current version covering Makadi Bay and the Red Sea coast at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt each time rather than relying on older information.
See more JAZ Aquaviva photos
Open the JAZ Aquaviva photo gallery →
Useful links
- JAZ Aquaviva: the resort's own site for rooms, dining and the children's facilities.
- GOV.UK Egypt travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Hurghada with little ones: our guide to the wider area, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 16 July 2026.
