El Gouna, Egypt - Sun and perfect Sandy Beaches

A six hour drive from Cairo, or more likely a short drive from Hurghada's International Airport is the Egyptian Marina Resort of El Gouna. Having visited a number of Egyptian beach resorts, I had been told that a trip to El Gouna was a different kind of experience. The other resorts I had visited were much more purpose built hotels, designed to offer you all your needs within your hotel whether that be dining, swimming or relaxing. El Gouna is set amongst a Marina and this setting means their are lots of options for dinning out or beaches outside of your hotel.

With plenty of choice in hotels it was easy to find a good deal on a quality hotel. This was to be a luxury experience on a budget. I decided on the Fanadir hotel shown in the photo. The hotel itself has a great location close to the Marina, and has all the facilities you need. The only annoyance if anything was the short walk to a neighbouring hotel for breakfast. However I understand this was less due to the Fanadir lacking the facilities, but more to share the costs due to the suffering tourist market in the north African country.

The hotel had its own private beach, however there are a number of public beaches throughout Gouna so time was spent exploring all the beaches on our stay. Gouna is a hub for kitesurfers and it was clear that the majority of the tourists were here for this reason. This meant that the rest of the beaches were essentially empty. I managed to find a spot of sand there there were no other people within 500-800 metres. ABSOLUTE BLISS. All the beaches have facilities you would expect in a modern tourist resort, the difference here in Gouna it is possible to grab yourself a bargain. Whether a kitesurfing lesson or a massage, there is always room for negotiation and depending on how adept you are you can find yourself saving a lot of money here.

Getting around Gouna is easy. Everything is a short walk away however if your feeling lazy Tuk Tuk's run in the resort and you don't have the hassle of negotiating like you would in the big city. Prices are set and are more than reasonable. You pay dependant on the number of people not on the distance so if you have strayed a little further away from you hotel you can get home with little effort.

At night time there is a number of options for dining and we decided to try out a new option each evening. A short walk from our hotel the Marina is a hub for restaurants and bars but not in a Benidorm kind of way. Nothing against Benidorm its just not for me. The relaxed feel of the Marina means you feel comfortable and relaxed as you dine watching the sun set amongst the yachts and beaches. If I had to single out a couple of dining spots I would say if you like pizza, make sure you check out Maison Thomas and for steak the Captains Inn was both great and affordable.

If Gouna sounds like your kind of break, go for it. The Egyptians need our support for tourism and Gouna is very safe, and offers a value for money not possible at other resorts. If you have any questions regarding Gouna feel free to get in contact via the links to social media on my page.