Why limit yourself to just one hotel per trip?

Just a 30-minute drive from Hurghada airport, El Gouna is a spot of paradise in the Egyptian desert that comes with constant surprise. Here’s why I recommend you visit…again.

El Gouna is a relatively small city with a population of 25,000, but has an enormous amount of high-quality eateries. With over 100 restaurants around the city, across every cuisine you could think of, from Italian to Japanese to Mexican, and of course Egyptian, but here are my recommendations:

One of the great advantages of El Gouna is that price point will not stop you living your best life. You may not have the funds to stay at The Chedi, but you will be able to eat at their restaurant, as all hotels open up their facilities and restaurants for anyone to come and dine. Depending on when you visit, Nihon frequently has Michelin-starred chefs as guests to deliver a world-class experience, and on my most recent visit I was fortunate enough to catch The Twin Stars Culinary Journey just before they left town.

There is nowhere better in my opinion, for breakfast than Malu's Deli. Situated beautifully at the Abu Tig Marina, Malu's embodies the community spirit of the town as you're embraced with incredible hospitality, and a stellar menu that will always have you coming back for more. I personally recommend The Workout Breakfast; it's delicious every time.

A lot of restaurants are either great at the food or just great at cocktails, but Tandoor is perfect at both. With incredible views of the Abu Tig Marina, this is the perfect restaurant to have a warm summer night dinner at.

I love to relax as much as the next person, but we all need an activity or two to see what a new location really has to offer– and Gouna is not short of any. 

An exciting but not taxing activity is dolphin sighting. The water is FULL of dolphins! They’ve leap and dance around your catamaran like a scene out of a Disney movie.

El Gouna is famous for its lagoons, so hire a boat to do a full lagoon tour to learn about the city, its history, and what’s to come for its future. 

If you’re a little more of a thrill seeker, El Gouna has a robust water sports community with many water sports schools in the area. Packed with many professional kite surfers and its own wakeboarding park for those who really want to test their limits against the water.

My new tip for travelling is split accommodation. Every hotel creates a different vibe and atmosphere for your holiday, so why should it be limited to just one? On my most recent trip, I stayed at both Cooks Club and The Steigenberger, and here’s how they’re the best to combine for a week's trip.

Cooks Club is known for its youth culture. There’s a DJ at the pool, it’s adults only and it’s right next to downtown El Gouna…I’m not kidding, it’s a 100 steps away. This a hotel that’s made for those who want to jump to a bar or restaurant at a second's notice or party the day away at the pool. 

Steigenberger is a 5-star resort outside of the town that creates the ultimate luxurious experience. You could go to this hotel and never leave. They have multiple restaurants, including a Tapankyaki experience, boat trips on their own lagoon, a 18-hole golf course and a sunset tower view that looks over the whole town. A hotel that makes you forget the outside world exists.