La Maison Bleue

A house for friends turned hotel

La Maison Bleue was not designed as a hotel. Samih Sawiris, the Egyptian businessman who founded El Gouna, wanted a house by the water to host his family and friends. He entrusted it to Amr Khalil, an antiques collector, and the architect Olivier Sednaoui. The house later opened to travellers while keeping its size: thirteen suites.

The décor tells the story of an imaginary 19th-century Levantine merchant who brought home whatever he loved from his travels. The pastel-blue façade, inspired by St Mark's Basilica in Venice, stands out against the desert. Inside are Minoan-inspired frescoes, Catalan-style mosaics, Syrian arches and Venetian tiles, colonnades, marble, coffered ceilings, crystal and porcelain chandeliers, silks, antique furniture and paintings by local artists. The gardens are the work of the French landscape designer Louis Benech.

The house has been a member of Relais & Châteaux (an international association of independent hotels and restaurants) since 2024, and the Michelin Guide awarded it one Key (the guide's hotel distinction) in 2026.

Vincent Guillou's table

The French chef Vincent Guillou, who has lived in Egypt for some twenty years, runs Le Restaurant, open for lunch and dinner every day. His classic cooking blends French and Egyptian flavours; the menu changes with the seasons and draws on nearby markets and the house glasshouse, which supplies some of the vegetables. You dine in the dining room, on the shaded terrace or in your suite. Vegetarian and vegan menus are offered.

Botanica, opened more recently in the garden, is devoted to wellness-minded cooking. The glasshouse also hosts private dinners.

Which suite to choose

All thirteen suites have a marble bathroom built around a bathtub, parquet floors, high ceilings and their own décor; they measure up to 120 m². The choice is mainly about the view and outdoor access. The Garden View Suites look over El Gouna and the mountains of the Eastern Desert, the Sea View Suites over the Red Sea. To swim as soon as you wake up, our pick is the Beach Front Suite, opening straight onto the lagoon; for a honeymoon or an anniversary, the Tower Suite with its private roof terrace.

Living with thirteen suites

The house has its own private beach on the lagoon, on the edge of Mangroovy Beach, with access to the lagoon and the sea. The pool is lined with marble, and the pool bar shelters under wave-shaped canopies. The Roman-inspired spa is near the beach: sauna, steam room, treatments on booking. An open-air yoga session takes place each week at the hotel's marina, and the gym is open to guests.

With thirteen suites, you meet few people, and the house has its own host, Jeanne Drotter. The hotel arranges airport meet-and-greet at Hurghada and a paid shuttle within a 5 km radius; Abu Tig marina is about 2 km away.

What sets La Maison Bleue apart from Casa Cook, the other adults-only address in our El Gouna selection: Casa Cook is a 129-room hotel geared to kitesurfing and sun, in a pared-back setting; La Maison Bleue is a small house full of objects and stories, where you come for the food and the calm.

Sabaro's view

For whom: couples, honeymooners, lovers of décor and good food.

Strengths: only thirteen suites; a Michelin Key and Relais & Châteaux membership; Vincent Guillou's cooking; a private beach on the lagoon.

Good to know: the very ornate décor is a deliberate choice; getting around El Gouna means the paid shuttle or a tuk-tuk; dining and the spa depend on season and availability.