El Gouna, Egypt — The Red Sea’s Lagoon City Near Hurghada

I am looking for a place that's really stylish and based in the Red Sea. This place should be easy to get to from Hurghada. I want it to be relaxed and not need a car to get around.

El Gouna is a place that's about 20 kilometers north of Hurghada. It is 25 kilometers from the Hurghada airport. El Gouna is, on the Red Sea. It has lots of pretty turquoise lagoons and islands. People often call El Gouna the Venice of Egypt .

Here is how El Gouna came to be.

El Gouna started with a plan by Samih Sawiris in the 1980s. He wanted to build a town on the Red Sea. He did not want to build another hotel that people would only visit sometimes.

Construction of El Gouna started in 1989. The town of El Gouna was officially made in 1990.

From the beginning Orascom Development. Developed El Gouna. They had a plan for El Gouna that included building houses making lakes and creating areas where people could walk. They also built neighborhoods around marinas.

This plan, for El Gouna is still used today to help El Gouna grow.

Beaches, lagoons and water sports

El Gouna is on a chain of lagoons with water that you can swim in. The water is great for days at the beach and for wind sports.

The town has low-rise hotels on the lagoon and public beach areas.

It is famous on the Red Sea for water sports like kitesurfing, windsurfing and snorkelling.

Zeytuna Island is great for snorkelling.

• You can take a boat ride from Downtown to get there.
• The boat ride takes five minutes.
• You can go snorkelling in the morning. Have lunch in the marina.
• For wind sports people in El Gouna like Mangroovy Beach.
• The beach has a sandy area to launch from, shallow water and steady winds from the Red Sea.
• This makes it perfect for kitesurfing and windsurfing.
• You can rent equipment. Get coaching from local schools, on the bay.

 Marinas & promenades

El Gouna has a social scene around its marina.People gather on the boardwalks at cafes and by the yacht docks along the water.
Abu Tig Marina is where it all started. It's a place to take a walk in the evening. You will find restaurants, cafes, shops and boat rentals here. They also offer yacht services like shore power, water and fuel. There are showers, laundry and 24-hour security.
* North Basin, called the New Marina is an extension that was built between 2006 and 2010. Some people call it the Super Yacht Marina. It was made to host boats and extend the promenade to the north. With Abu Tig Marina there are about 300 berths available. The North Basin can fit yachts up to 60 meters long depending on the configuration. El Gounas marinas, including Abu Tig and North Basin offer a lot of amenities, for boat owners.

Staying in El Gouna

You will find a lot of places to stay, like small hotels and big resorts near the water and the beach. There are also houses and apartments that you can stay in for a time.

Note about eating: People who stay in some hotels can eat in hotels. They have a program that lets them do this. What you can do and how it works is different, for each hotel. How long you stay. Sometimes you get tickets or points to use. Always ask your hotel. Look at the official website to see what the rules are before you go to El Gouna.

Food and nightlife

• You will not have a time finding places to eat or listen to live music in El Gouna. The main areas are Downtown, Tamr Henna Square, Abu Tig Marina and the North Basin. On these streets you will find cafes, ice cream shops and bakeries and restaurants that have simple food or really nice food with views of the marina.
• There is usually music and small events at these places but they change every week. So before you go out you should check what is happening that night.
• If you like to plan where you want to go Abu Tig Marina is a place to have dinner and walk around. You can rent a boat. Sit by the water. The North Basin has a long street with more fancy restaurants. The food they have changes a lot. You can usually get fish, Italian food, Middle Eastern food and food from all around the world. A lot of these places have tables where you can sit and look at the boats.
• If you want to go for a walk at night you should go to Fanadir Marina. It is near the hotels by the North Basin. It is not as busy as Downtown.. You can still walk or take a tuk-tuk to bars and kitchens that are open late, near Abu Tig.

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