Hurghada all-inclusive vs pay-as-you-go: which suits you?

In Hurghada, "all-inclusive" almost always means: your room, breakfast/lunch/dinner buffets, all soft drinks, locally-branded alcoholic drinks (Egyptian beer + spirits), snacks at certain hours, on-site entertainment, and use of the pool and beach. Most 4-star and 5-star resorts run this model by default.

It almost never includes: premium imported drinks, the spa, motorised water sports, day trips, and crucially the boat trips like the Orange Bay tour.

Excursions and day trips. Your all-inclusive hotel does not include a boat to Orange Bay, a day trip to Luxor, a desert safari, or scuba diving. Those are paid extras, either through the hotel desk (often marked up 30 to 60%) or through an independent operator (better price).

Off-resort meals. If you want fresh seafood at a marina restaurant, that is not included.

Tips. Egyptian service workers rely on tips. Budget €1 to €3 per service interaction (waiter, driver, housekeeping). Not strictly required but very appreciated and culturally expected.

Sample budget for a couple on a 7-night all-inclusive in a 4-star Hurghada resort (mid-season):

Hotel: roughly €700 to €1,400 total (€50 to €100 per night per person).

Two Orange Bay boat trips (one shared, one speedboat): roughly €180 (shared at €25 per person x 2, plus the speedboat at €130 flat for the boat). Just the headline experience.

One desert safari for two: €60 to €90.

One marina seafood dinner: €40 to €60.

Tips, souvenirs, off-resort coffees / drinks: €50 to €100.

Realistic total: €1,200 to €1,800 for the week, including the all-inclusive.

A B&B or apartment rental in Hurghada starts around €25 to €40 per night for two. Sounds cheaper than all-inclusive, but you have to eat 3 meals a day and 5 to 7 nights of bar tabs. Locally those add up to €25 to €50 per couple per day in restaurants. Net result is often very close to the all-inclusive total.

Where pay-as-you-go genuinely wins: foodies, people who want to eat in different restaurants every night, and anyone who hates buffets. Where it loses: families with kids who want the pool + buffet rhythm.

Skip the hotel desk markup. The hotel tour desk takes a 30 to 60% commission on every excursion. Booking online direct (like through orange-bay.tours) gets you the same boats and the same crews at the price the operator actually sells at.

For the Orange Bay boat trip specifically, the hotel desk price is typically €40 to €60 per person for what we sell at €25 per person. Same operators, often the same boat.

For a one-week Hurghada beach holiday, all-inclusive at a mid-tier resort is the best value-for-money base. It removes daily decisions and you always know your food + drink cost.

Then book excursions independently, online, direct, before the hotel desk catches you. The Orange Bay shared boat at €25 per person is the highest-value experience you will do all week.

WhatsApp us before you arrive if you want a custom day built around your hotel pickup, occasion, or special requests.