The Sinai Peninsula and Red Sea Coast Places

El-Gouna

El-Gouna is the dream of an Egyptian businessman who has utterly transformed a secluded bay and its surrounding resources. In 10 years, this virgin seacoast has been transformed into an established resort town and also a settlement for more than 10,000 full-time residents. Equipped with its own wells in the mountains, a hospital with a hyperbaric chamber for dealing with divers' decompression problems, four power plants, a school, a department of the American University in Egypt, and an impressive array of services, this environmentally friendly resort town is practically self-sustaining.

Designed around a series of seawater lagoons, the heart of El-Gouna is al-Qafr, a modern rendition of a traditional Egyptian settlement. To the north is Abu Tig, a majestic marina filled with multimillion-dollar yachts designed to recreate the atmosphere of the French or Italian Rivieras. Ground has just broken on a second, larger marina that will accommodate the largest motor yachts on the market. South of al-Qafr is El-Gouna golf course, which is surrounded with lagoon-side villas and apartments, where Egyptians and foreign residents come to unwind from the hustle and bustle of Cairo. Visitors have the choice of 14 hotels and an excellent range of water sports activities.