Ancient Sands Golf Resort

On the hill, between the Mediterranean and Nubia

Ancient Sands sits on a low hill of a dozen metres or so above the lagoons of El Gouna, facing the golf course designed by the American golf architect Karl Litten. The architecture blends Mediterranean style with Nubian tradition: domes, arches, a monumental façade and arabesque-inspired interiors.

The resort has about 132 units, and that is its distinctive feature in El Gouna: you can stay in a hotel room, but also in an apartment, a townhouse or a villa with a private pool, with a fitted kitchen. It holds the Green Star Hotel label, the environmental programme for Egyptian hotels, and asks guests to reuse towels, limit water and plastic, and sort their waste.

Hotel or apartment: choosing well

The choice shapes the stay, down to the board: rooms are sold with breakfast, apartments on a room-only basis.

In a room. The Deluxe Room (33 m²) looks onto the golf course, garden or a pool, with a balcony or terrace and a large walk-in shower; some are wheelchair accessible. For a golfing couple who eat out. The Ancient Sands Suite (56 m²) adds a kitchen and living area, for a longer stay for two or three adults.

In an apartment. From 77 m² for one bedroom to 100 m² for two and 152 m² for three, with a fully equipped kitchen. It is the most flexible option for a family: children's meals at any time, a separate living room, several terraces.

In a townhouse or villa. The two-bedroom townhouse (135 m²) spreads over three levels, with a patio, two terraces over the golf course and a panoramic roof terrace. The two-bedroom (140 m²) and three-bedroom (190 m²) villas have a private plunge pool or pool, a roof terrace and views of the golf course, the lagoons or the Red Sea. For two couples of friends or a large family.

Our advice: beyond a week, or as soon as there are children, an apartment beats a room; for two families, the three-bedroom villa saves booking two units.

Golf, pools, and the sea by shuttle

Karl Litten's course borders the resort, and its lagoons serve as water hazards on several holes. Golfers also have the Steigenberger Golf Resort course nearby.

The hotel has five outdoor pools, two of them infinity pools and three heated in winter. The beach, about 2.5 km away, is reached by free shuttle: guests have free access to a private beach at Abu Tig marina, a few minutes' drive away, with the Marina Beach Bar. Back at the hotel, the 7 Ciel spa is open from 10 am to 7 pm: massage, Moroccan scrub, Turkish bath, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi. The World Gym is open to guests from 8 am to 10 pm. All times are local.

Evenings

Dunes serves breakfast and, in the evening, a dinner with a different theme each night, indoors or in the courtyard. Piazza offers international food by day, with an hour of pizza and pasta at lunchtime, and a buffet with a show every Wednesday evening. Crumbs, a café and bakery, serves pastries, coffee and cocktails with a view over El Gouna. At night, the MINT Bar and Lounge serves cocktails and coffee until midnight, and Club 88 hosts DJs. The animation team runs group yoga and live music.

With a kitchen in your unit, you can also eat in, or take a tuk-tuk to the restaurants of Abu Tig and Downtown.

Sabaro's view

For whom: golfers on long stays, families and groups of friends who want an apartment or villa, travellers with reduced mobility (accessible rooms).

Strengths: a range of accommodation rare in El Gouna, from 33 to 190 m²; villas with private pools; five pools; Abu Tig marina close by.

Good to know: the sea means a shuttle; apartments are sold without breakfast; the atmosphere is that of a family resort with entertainment.