Eating with Kids in Hurghada: On-Board Buffets, Desert Grills, Ramadan – and When to Pack Something of Your Own

When eating with children at your Hurghada hotel, you can check meals and serving times directly with the hotel. Excursions need separate planning: the three-island yacht lists seafood, while a short speedboat trip does not list lunch. For an evening at the Marina, the opening hours of the specific restaurant matter.

What Ends Up on Your Plate on the Boat

The three-island yacht trip in the catalogue lists a seafood lunch. This establishes neither a fixed menu for all boats nor suitable dishes for every child. Confirm the food and serving time for the specific offer.

The short description of the four-hour speedboat trip with dolphins and two islands does not list lunch. That does not mean nothing is served: check drinks, food and possible supplements on the booking page. A shorter duration alone tells you little about catering. Half Day Instead of Full Day

Pack something familiar. The meal time on board may not match when your child gets hungry. Also ask whether you can bring your own snacks. Orange Bay & Giftun Island

What’s on Offer in the Desert

Desert tours do not always include dinner. The catalogue has short quad rides and packages with a barbecue and show. Check your chosen option; the word safari does not promise a buffet.

The catalogue offer with quads, camels, a show and stargazing has options ranging from sunrise with breakfast to sunset with dinner. For a three-year-old who sleeps at 7pm, the exact option therefore matters. Ask for meal and return times; if both are too late, a shorter outing without dinner fits better. Desert Safari from Hurghada

Eating Egyptian Food with Kids

Koshari, feteer and ta’ameya are dishes to look for on the menu. Ask for hot sauces separately and check ingredients directly.

• Koshari is an Egyptian classic: rice, pasta, lentils and chickpeas with tomato sauce and crispy fried onions. Garlic vinegar and chilli sauce only go on top if you want them – for kids, just leave them off.
• Feteer is a flaky buttery pastry, flat like a pizza, filled sweet or savoury. With honey or cheese, it has a good chance of becoming the holiday’s favourite dish.
• Ta’ameya is the Egyptian version of falafel, made from fava beans instead of chickpeas, green inside from the herbs.
• Aish baladi, the round flatbread, comes with everything.
• Om Ali is a warm dessert made from pastry, milk, nuts and coconut, somewhere between bread pudding and a baked pudding.

Experience Egypt

Good places for a first try are El Mamsha, the promenade with cafés and restaurants, and the Marina. Senzo Mall has a food court with familiar chains as well as an indoor play area – not the worst plan on a hot day. How the districts differ from one another is covered in What to See in Hurghada. Thomas Cook

An Early Dinner Outside the Hotel

For an early dinner, check when your chosen restaurant’s kitchen opens. El Mamsha and the Marina are possible starting points; there is no fixed dinner time for every venue.

Check the menu and bill to see whether service and taxes are included. A tip is an extra expense, not a substitute for a listed service charge. What a Week in Hurghada with Kids Costs

Confirm Meal Times during Ramadan

This also affects winter visitors: Ramadan is expected to fall in February and early March in 2027. The exact start and end depend on local moon sighting. Calendar dates remain provisional. Egypt calendar

Confirm meal times directly with the hotel or restaurant, including in tourist areas. The British Foreign Office specifically advises checking opening hours during Ramadan. Plan a lunchtime visit to El Dahar with a confirmed place to eat. Also ask your hotel where to take a break with food you have brought; eating and drinking in public during fasting hours is considered impolite. FCDO

Water and Shopping

The German Federal Foreign Office advises drinking only water from a safe source in Egypt and avoiding tap water. Buy bottled water before the outing. Discuss feeding questions for small children with your paediatrician before travelling. German Federal Foreign Office

For shopping, Spinneys lists two specific addresses: Senzo Mall on Safaga Road and Seven Stars Mall on Nasr Road in El Dahar. You need not automatically cross Hurghada for supplies. Ask the branch to confirm the baby food or nappy sizes you need; bring a particular brand from home if it matters. Spinneys stores

The Break Is Part of the Programme

In summer, plan a meal break indoors or in deep shade. You can interrupt a walk along El Mamsha for this; on a booked boat trip you depend on what is available on board. Check not only the menu but also where you can sit during the lunch break.

It gets dark earlier in winter than in summer. Check sunset for your travel date before planning a break followed by a beach visit. Hurghada sun times. More ideas for a day on land: Hurghada with Kids When the Boat Isn’t Sailing.

When We Advise Against It

The desert dinner show for a toddler who goes to bed early. If dinner and the return fall after their usual bedtime, choose an outing that finishes earlier. Check age limits and the show’s volume too. Other options: Hurghada with a Toddler.

Lunch in town during Ramadan, without a plan B. Check in advance which restaurant is open for lunch. The overview of all family topics is covered in Hurghada with Kids.