Steigenberger Golf Resort El Gouna

Michael Graves architecture, refreshed in 2023

The Steigenberger Golf Resort opened in 1999. It is the work of the American architect Michael Graves, a figure of postmodern architecture who also shaped El Gouna's style: arches, domes, gardens and lagoons, in a contemporary take on Nubian architecture.

The hotel reopened in February 2023 after ten months of work. Its 268 rooms and suites were fully redone by the firm GG&Grace International, which kept Graves's design and renewed the colours, materials and patterns. All have a terrace or balcony over the gardens, one of the pools or the lagoon. The hotel holds the Green Key label, an international environmental label run by the Foundation for Environmental Education.

Its tower, the Sunset Tower, serves as a lookout: other El Gouna hotels bring their guests here at sunset for the view over the lagoons, the golf course and the sea.

Golf, how it works

The El Gouna Golf Club championship course surrounds the hotel: 18 holes, par 72, designed by the golf architect Gene Bates with the American professional golfer Fred Couples. It measures 4,344 to 6,269 m depending on the tees, three per hole for both men and women, with the Red Sea mountains as a backdrop. It is open all year, from 7 am to sunset (local time), with a tee-time booking system.

What to know before you go:

• Handicap. From October to April, a handicap of 45 or better is required.
• Rates. For hotel guests, 18 holes cost €85 in winter (October to April) and €50 in summer (May to September); packages of 3 or 5 rounds lower the price, and twilight golf is cheaper. A cart costs €30 for 18 holes, and clubs can be hired on site.
• Practice. A 35-bay aqua driving range, two putting greens, a chipping and pitching green and a practice bunker.
• Lessons. The El Gouna Golf Academy teaches all levels: €50 for a 50-minute lesson, packages of 3 to 9 lessons, a family package for two adults and two juniors, and 9 or 18 holes with a pro.

The clubhouse has a pro shop, the Green Bar and La Rotisserie, a Mediterranean restaurant overlooking the course. Our reading: winter is golf season, summer the season of low prices, with an early tee time to beat the heat.

Which room to choose

All rooms measure at least 54 m². The Deluxe rooms look onto the gardens; the Premium rooms, the same size, onto the lagoon, golf course or a pool. For a golf stay, we recommend a Premium with golf view: you see the course from your terrace. The Junior Suites (72 m²) add a sitting area, and the Steigenberger Suite (128 m²), with two bathrooms, two balconies and two sofa beds, sleeps four adults, or a family on a long stay.

Rooms come with a king-size bed or two singles, a useful detail for two golfing friends.

Between lagoon and course

The hotel has its own lagoon beach, with loungers, parasols and windbreaks, a few steps from the rooms. There are three pools, one of them family-friendly; one of the two main pools and the children's pool are heated in winter. The spa offers Oriental and Far Eastern treatments in eight treatment rooms, with sauna, steam room and gym.

For meals, Fairways serves breakfast from 6.30 am, handy for an early tee time, and themed buffets in the evening. Harumaki, opened in 2023, is a Japanese and Asian restaurant where sushi and teppanyaki are prepared in front of guests, with more than 70% local produce; booking is required. The Lagoon Terrasse serves snacks and salads by the water. In the evening, Hole 19, named after golfers' "19th hole", serves cocktails on a terrace facing the pool, the golf course and the lagoon, from 6 pm to 1 am; the lobby bar is open day and night.

To go out, Abu Tig marina, Tamr Henna square and Downtown are reached by shuttle or tuk-tuk.

Sabaro's view

For whom: golfers of all levels, couples and families who want a large, quiet hotel away from the sea beach.

Strengths: a championship course around the hotel; rooms of at least 54 m²; a full renovation in 2023; the Green Key label.

Good to know: the beach is on the lagoon; for the sea and nightlife, take the shuttle; a handicap is required in the high golf season.