Think of Egypt’s Red Sea and a few names immediately
spring to mind. These include the hugely popular Sharm el-Sheikh on
the Sinai peninsular, Taba further north, and Hurghada on the west
coast.
Until a few years ago Soma Bay, 28 miles south of Hurghada Airport,
was just a stretch of sand between the desert and the sea, and not
mentioned in any guidebooks. Slowly but surely this little-known
resort is making its mark on the tourist map with a marina and
handful of upmarket hotels now open.
Driving south from the airport, two colours tend to dominate
– the glittering turquoise of the sea and a golden brown
vista stretching to the horizon. It’s not just endless sand,
but an arid landscape of sandstone rocks carved into strange shapes
by the wind, and distant rugged mountains.
Though the sea is the key draw for many visitors, exploring the
vast expanse of the desert has its own rewards. We set out in Jeeps
across bumpy sand to a Bedouin camp, where we sat on rugs, ate
lunch, drank mint tea and tried the ubiquitous apple-flavoured
‘hubbly bubbly’ pipes. But the best was yet to
come.
Swapping camels for engine-power, we jumped on quadbikes for the
ride back, snaking through the desolate landscape under a burning
sun – a great way to experience the desert close up.
At night the desert takes on another persona. Dining under the
stars at an oasis, watching a bellydancer work her moves to
mesmerising Egyptian music is unquestionably exotic – a taste
of the Orient, even if it is just a tourist display.
The region’s other main attractions lie under water. Directly
off Soma Bay, and in several reef clusters not far from the coast,
are some of the best dive sites in the Red Sea – with highly
concentrated marine life. We took a boat from the marina and within
20 minutes were snorkelling through huge shoals of dancing fish.
Calm conditions, clear, sheltered waters and noticeably few people
make this a great place to learn to dive, with courses for children
as young as eight at Soma Bay’s Dive Centre.
The wonders of the sea have been harnessed for the sake of health
and beauty too, at Les Thermes Marins des Cascades, a
recently-opened thalassotherapy centre (and the only one in Egypt)
at La Residence des Cascades resort.
The heated seawater ‘aquatonic’ pool provides a workout
for the body as you wade through a labyrinth of water jets and
showers. It’s operated in co-operation with the famed Les
Thermes Marins de Saint Malo in France, with seaweed wraps,
underwater massage and a dark blue sea mist room among other
offerings.
Golf’s an option too, at the Gary Player designed 18-hole
Cascades Championship Golf Course, with great views over the
sea.
But for activities further afield, Luxor and the Nile Valley are
around three hours away by car, giving visitors the chance to
combine sightseeing at the Valley of the Kings and Karnak and Luxor
temples with time on the coast.
Besides La Residence, the Sheraton and InterContinental also have
properties in Soma Bay. Hyatt Regency Soma Bay, with 321 rooms and
suites, and The Breakers, a 154-room diving and surf lodge, will
open later this year. Mark Warner began a programme here this
summer, with an allocation of rooms at the InterContinental Abu
Soma Resort, and all the usual sports and other childcare
facilities included.
El-Khan, a shopping village designed to replicate an ancient souk,
will open soon on the marina and more development is in the
pipeline, both here and along the coast, as the Red Sea’s
popularity continues to soar.
But for now, for those looking for a quieter alternative to the
more established Egyptian resorts with great diving and tranquil
setting, Soma Bay could be the best choice.
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