Located less than 20 kilometers north of Hurghada, El Gouna is a vast resort city that comes with its own infrastructure, facilities, and 24/7 manned access gates. Though a part of the Red Sea Riviera, El Gouna enjoys a level of privacy that isolates it from the rest of the region, if not the whole country.
“Even in the midst of the revolution, day-to-day life in El Gouna was going on normally, as if what was taking place down in Tahrir Square was taking place in a different republic,” said Mirette, a lovable young Egyptian who first came to El Gouna three years ago for vacation but never managed to leave.
El Gouna grows on you. Here, time slips while you are enjoying high-quality living. Days can be easily spent working on that perfect tan, or perhaps, just chilling out by the pool with a book in one hand and an exotic cocktail in the other. Still, if you are not here just for relaxation and unwinding, there is a whole bunch of activities to pick and choose from.
Take up a windsurfing course or go quad biking in the desert, rent a boat for the day and go fishing or put your racing skills to the test as you go karting. Perhaps, it is about time to take that diving course you have been forever putting on hold. If all of that is not satisfying you adrenaline appetite, then kitesurfing is definitely the thing for you.
Buzzha Beach, one of El Gouna’s several beaches, is any kite surfer’s dream beach. It is a knee to waist deep reef-less lagoon that enjoys a steady flow of wind. If you have never gone kitesurfing before, that is not a problem, as several top-notch kitesurfing centers are here. They cater for experienced and beginners alike, and in a couple of day’s time, you can have your first kitesurfing experience. Enjoy the adrenaline rush.
If you are vacationing with the kids, don’t get the feeling that El Gouna is not the place to be. On the contrary, El Gouna caters for family vacationers with day-care facilities, kids parks, even on the beach (check out the one on Zeytuna Beach), as well as family-oriented out-in-the-sea excursions. The most famous, and most enjoyable, is the one-day boat trip to the Dolphin House. As the name might imply, it is a shallow moon-shaped reef where a pod of bottlenose dolphins call it home. It is an easy one-hour sail from the main shore; so, you don’t need to worry about the young ones getting seasick. Spotting the dolphins is almost guaranteed; however, going into the water to get an up-close and personal experience, largely depends on where the dolphins have been spotted, and of course, the weather conditions. With safety coming first, if it is too windy, rest assured that the skipper won’t let you off the boat. Dolphins are such amicable creatures that just seeing them jumping off the water brings joy to our hearts and leaves the kids giggling with happiness.
As much as daytime comes diverse with a wide array of choices, so does nighttime. Happenings revolve around two localities: Kafr El Gouna and Abu El Tig Marina. Kafr El Gouna is the city’s very first downtown and is the perfect spot for leisurely strolls, or perhaps, a typical Egyptian seafood dinner. Pick what you want to eat from an icy display of freshly caught fish and then sit back and enjoy the appetizers while your dinner is being cooked to perfection. In addition, Kafr El Gouna regularly hosts live performance and cultural events. The newer Abu El Tig Marina is a pedestrian marina peppered with fancy restaurants, Parisian cafes and hip pubs. Making a choice here can consume more time that you would expect.
Less than 500 kilometers separates El Gouna from Cairo, but with the recent turn of events grabbing the country, and more specifically its capital, the two cities may well seem worlds apart. Take a break from Tahrir Square and enjoy Egypt away from the CNN headline news.
EgyptAir flies daily to Cairo from which you can easily pickup a domestic flight to Hurghada. Hurghada International Airport is a smooth 20-minute ride from El Gouna.
For a super central location, go for Turtle’s Inn, located right in the middle of Abu El Tig Marina.
Turtle’s Inn,
For family vacationers, Sheraton Miramar is the perfect choice for its kids-friendly beach and lovable staff. Sheraton Miramar, www.starwoodhotels.com
