On a small peninsula looking out over the pristine waters of the Red Sea is the exclusive Egyptian resort of Soma Bay.

Featuring some of the best diving in the region, an 18-hole championship golf course, premium spas and seawater therapy centres, it’s gaining a reputation as a truly luxurious holiday destination – so let’s take a closer look at what this resort has to offer.

Location

Soma Bay can be found on the Red Sea Riviera, about 45km from Hurghada International Airport. It’s home to some of the Red Sea’s most spectacular sandy beaches and enjoys year-round sunshine, with temperatures generally ranging from 20 to 30 degrees C. The peninsula has been developed as a resort over the last 16 years by the Abu Soma Development Company.

Accommodation

Soma Bay has five hotels and resorts to choose from – perhaps the most prestigious of which is the Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay. The first hotel from the luxury Kempinski chain to be built in Egypt, it’s modelled on a Moorish fortress and features a private sandy beach, a dive centre and most famously its own system of swimming pools and lagoons spread out over seven kilometres.

Diving

Soma Bay’s reef extends for several kilometres and is rich with a variety of marine life, including morays, crocodile fish, barracudas and thresher sharks. This makes it a great location for diving and snorkelling activities: Panorama Reed and Abou Kafan are among the best spots to experience the underwater landscape, as well as the famous (or infamous) Salem Express Wreck.

Golf

Designed by South African champion Gary Player, the Cascades golf course at Soma Bay is one of the finest in Egypt. The 18-hole, par 72 course offers stunning views of green fairways amid the surrounding desert and the crystal-clear sea beyond. Adjacent is a nine-hole Golf Academy course that’s ideal for less experienced golfers, also designed by Gary Player.

Spas

The Red Sea’s thalassotherapy (sea water therapy) facilities are world-renowned, and Soma Bay has some great spas where you can receive all the massages, body scrubs and face rituals you desire! You can experience the health-giving properties of seawater and seaweed at Les Thermes Marins des Cascades, an extensive spa that can be found on the main resort complex.