The quality of beach life in Hurghada is very a question of the quality of your hotel. With a few hundred metres as exception, all of the beach has been taken over by hotels. Some, and then the better ones, do not allow non-visitors to enter, even at a fee. The public beach is a sad story, and not recommended to anyone having used time and money to get to Hurghada in the first place. What you get from paying a fee to enter a hotel beach is worth every pound. At almost every beach, there are many options beyond swimming and sunbathing. Snorkelling equipment, pedalos, glass boats taking trips out to corals ("you can pick your own coral!") seems to be basic anywhere. The better the hotel, the more is waiting for you.
