The Chedi El Gouna

A Chedi on the Red Sea

Chedi is the luxury brand of GHM (General Hotel Management), a hotel group based in Singapore. In El Gouna, GHM partnered with Orascom Hotels Management, the hotel company of the group that develops the town; it is the two groups' third collaboration, after The Chedi Andermatt in Switzerland. The project, announced in 2021, turned an existing beach hotel into a property of 82 rooms and suites.

The architecture follows the pared-back Asian aesthetic of the Chedi hotels, as a tribute to the Nubian village and the Egyptian countryside. The building steps up a hillside on the sea side of town, above a private cove and beside the lagoons. The hotel is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, an international association of independent luxury hotels.

That is its place in Sabaro's El Gouna selection: a mid-sized beach hotel, between Casa Cook's 129 rooms and La Maison Bleue's 13 suites, and the only one of the three facing a sea cove.

The cove

The beach is a private, sheltered cove of about 250 m, with fine sand, calm water and a gently shelving bottom. That is an argument for a family with young children. Because the bottom is sandy, the best coral lies offshore and is reached by boat.

The hotel lends snorkelling gear, sea shoes and life vests free of charge, and offers volleyball, bocce and board games; paddleboards and kayaks can be hired by the hour. Horse rides follow the shoreline.

Two tropical-style pools, both heated in winter, complete the beach: the main one, with cabanas and daybeds, and a smaller, quieter one. They are open from 8 am to sunset (local time).

Which room to choose

All rooms have a king-size bed or two singles, a rain shower and digital controls; what sets them apart is the view and the location. For a couple who come for the sea, our pick is the Premium Beachfront, with a terrace close to the sand on the ground floor or a beach-facing balcony upstairs. A family can book a Deluxe Room connecting to a Chedi Suite; for three, the Junior Suite Sea View, on the top floor at the top of the hill, faces the sea.

Room sizes are more modest than at the Steigenberger Golf Resort, where rooms start at 54 m²: here, the asset is the cove.

Restaurants and spa

Stays are sold half board, with breakfast and dinner at The Restaurant, indoors or on the terrace: contemporary, international and Egyptian cooking based on local produce. Two paid à la carte venues vary the evenings: Nihon, a Japanese restaurant on the roof, open from late afternoon to midnight, and The Beach House, on the beach, with a Mediterranean and grill menu, from late morning to early evening. The Lounge, the lobby bar, serves whiskies and cigars from its humidor. Room service runs around the clock.

The Asian-inspired spa has four single treatment suites with steam showers, two couples' suites with whirlpool baths and two traditional hammams: massage, hammam rituals, skin and beauty treatments. The Technogym gym is open around the clock, with separate saunas and steam baths, and yoga classes take place in a dedicated studio for a small charge.

Sabaro's view

For whom: couples on a beach and spa stay; families with young children who want calm water and a peaceful hotel.

Strengths: a sheltered private cove with a gentle slope; two pools heated in winter; half board plus two à la carte restaurants.

Good to know: the hotel runs no children's entertainment; the coral means a boat trip; some guests report that the beach can be windy and the entry into the water stony in places.