Orange Bay or Hula Hula: which Hurghada day trip suits you?
Updated October 1, 2026 · 7 min read
In short: if you are travelling for the place itself and are prepared to give the day eight hours thirty minutes, book the Luxury Cruise Trip to Orange Bay with Lunch – from €45.65 per person, a 4.9 rating from 6,664 reviews. If budget decides, the Hula Hula Cruise with Lunch, Massage, & Snorkeling costs half as much: from €22.89 per person, eight hours, a 4.4 rating from 2,050 reviews. If a whole day doesn’t suit you, both are also available as a shorter option – table below.
Choosing Orange Bay or Hula Hula from water photographs alone can take a while: both pages sell beach relaxation with a boat trip. Comparing two specific excursion days is more useful. One couple prioritises the lowest final price, another wants plenty of time ashore, while friends need activities that suit everyone. A general “best island” label does not solve those problems.
Below, we compare four trips to these two places. This is not a ranking of every Red Sea beach, nor a claim that every trip to one destination works identically. Check the final basket and option name for your selected date.
Four trips to two places
| Trip | Duration | from | Rating | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hula Hula Speedboat w/ Optional Snorkeling & Lunch | 4 hours | €32.24 | 4.5 from 1,570 reviews | people with only half a day free |
| Orange Bay Yacht, Snorkel, Breakfast, Lunch & Drinks | 5 hours | €29.75 | 4.7 from 769 reviews | couples who want Orange Bay without a full day |
| Hula Hula Cruise with Lunch, Massage, & Snorkeling | 8 hours | €22.89 | 4.4 from 2,050 reviews | those counting every euro |
| Luxury Cruise Trip to Orange Bay with Lunch | 8h 30m | €45.65 | 4.9 from 6,664 reviews | those travelling specifically for Orange Bay |
Of these four, the Orange Bay cruise has the highest rating and the most reviews — a reason to read the reviews themselves, not proof of a better day out.
Price differs more than duration
Orange Bay is listed from €45.65 per person, for eight hours thirty minutes, with a 4.9 rating and 6,664 reviews. Hula Hula starts at €22.89 per person, for eight hours, with a 4.4 rating and 2,050 reviews. Both titles mention lunch. Orange Bay’s short description also mentions an onboard massage, while the Hula Hula title names massage and snorkelling. Orange Bay options · Hula Hula options
For two adults, the starting fares total €91.30 against €45.78, a difference of €45.52. For four adults, that becomes €182.60 against €91.56, a €91.04 difference. These calculations assume no child discounts. We are comparing starting totals, not promising those prices for your family or friends on every date.
Total duration differs by just thirty minutes. Explaining the almost doubled starting total purely as a “longer trip” would therefore be misleading. First check whether the same transfer is included, which services are paid for and which boat is selected. Only then can you establish the actual extra cost of the option that suits you.
See prices and dates for the Hula Hula cruise
The beach matters, but confirm time there
Orange Bay is on Giftun, according to its official website. An excursion name identifies a place to visit, rather than necessarily a separate island. In practice, it matters more which beach area you will visit and how much free time you will have. Orange Bay official website
We do not call either location quieter, cleaner or less crowded: that would need comparable evidence for the particular day. An empty beach photograph does not tell you how many groups will arrive alongside yours. If music or close neighbours bother you, ask about the selected area and seating arrangements. Do not try to infer the atmosphere from the name.
Someone wanting to lie on the shore with a book needs an offer with confirmed, extended, uninterrupted beach time. A keen swimmer is more interested in the water stops. Eight hours outside the hotel guarantees neither; journeys, waiting and food also occupy the day. How snorkelling trips work
See the Orange Bay cruise itinerary
Travelling as a couple with different interests
Imagine a couple: one wants the reef, the other does not intend to enter the water. Do not choose solely by the number of snorkelling stops. Establish where the second person will be while the first swims, whether they can sit in shade and how comfortable staying aboard will be. This is a question of organising the day, not a failing in someone who does not want a mask.
Another situation: one person wants a massage, the other longer beach time. Confirm the service’s timing and location to see whether your plans fit together. Do not assume an appealing extra in the title occupies a large part of the day or is available whenever you want. If answers remain vague, choose by the confirmed main programme and treat the extra as secondary.
A couple who doesn’t need a full day on the water suits the short option: Orange Bay Yacht, Snorkel, Breakfast, Lunch & Drinks – five hours from €29.75 per person, a 4.7 rating from 769 reviews.
See the short Orange Bay yacht trip
Check meals without making assumptions
Compare more than the presence of the word “lunch”: check where it is served, drinks and whether your dietary requirements can be accommodated. A boat buffet and a meal in the beach area give the day different rhythms. We do not assign the same restaurant to all options or promise that every dietary request will be met without prior agreement.
If you have already paid for full board at your hotel, an included lunch can still be convenient: you will not need to organise food separately during the trip. However, do not assess an extra charge solely on the basis that food at the hotel is already paid for. The whole route matters. For a brief beach visit, a long cruise may still be unnecessary regardless of the menu.
With children, the beach name is not the decision
Your child spends the day in transfers, aboard and at stops, rather than in an advertising photograph. First confirm a toilet, shade, somewhere to rest and a life jacket in the correct size. You cannot derive a universal minimum age from these two prices: operators set different conditions on their individual option pages.
If your child tires quickly and wants to return, neither long group trip becomes a personal timetable. Establish beforehand what is possible if you need to stop participating. Discuss seasickness and sun protection with a pharmacist or paediatrician. A separate family comparison covers shorter days.
When to choose one, and when not to book both
Check Hula Hula first on a restricted budget: its starting total is lower, but the basket including your hotel must confirm the saving. Consider Orange Bay if that particular destination is your aim and the chosen programme provides the beach time you want. The higher rating is a reason to read reviews, not automatic evidence of a better day out.
We would book both similar days consecutively only if you deliberately want to repeat the island format. Otherwise, compare confirmed programmes in our island trips overview, choose one and keep the other day for a different interest. You will be paying for the experience you want rather than another name above a similar photograph.
Our recommendation
For most people, the Luxury Cruise Trip to Orange Bay with Lunch suits best: eight hours thirty minutes from €45.65 per person, a 4.9 rating from 6,664 reviews. It costs more than every other option here, and for that money you get a long day — check in the basket that the transfer from your hotel is included in the price.
Anyone who cares about budget takes the Hula Hula Cruise with Lunch, Massage, & Snorkeling from €22.89 per person: almost as many hours for half the amount, but a 4.4 rating from 2,050 reviews — lower than Orange Bay’s.
Check availability for the Hula Hula cruise
Anyone for whom a whole day doesn’t suit — because of children, the heat, or simply a short holiday — chooses a shorter trip: Orange Bay Yacht, Snorkel, Breakfast, Lunch & Drinks for five hours from €29.75, or Hula Hula Speedboat w/ Optional Snorkeling & Lunch for four hours from €32.24.
For whom none of the four suits: if you want quiet and an empty beach, an island day from Hurghada will not give you that for either €22.89 or €45.65. All four are group trips to places where other boats arrive on the same day.
