On its own peninsula at the quiet end of town, the Mövenpick Resort & Spa El Gouna has the open Red Sea on one side, turquoise lagoons on the other and more than 1.5 kilometres of private shoreline in between, five minutes from Downtown El Gouna and a short tuk-tuk ride from Abu Tig Marina.
This is one of the founding hotels of El Gouna, open since 1996 and now part of the Accor family, and it still holds the best plot in town. Rather than stacking guests into a tower, the resort spreads its rooms through low rise clusters and mature gardens, so even in peak season it feels unhurried. Lagoons thread between the buildings, the sea fills the horizon from the headland, and the whole place carries the soft, watery calm that El Gouna does better than anywhere else on the Red Sea.
It suits a wide church. Couples come for reliable winter sun, sea view rooms and dinner on the shore at El Sayadin. Food lovers get five restaurants and bars on resort plus the best dining town in Egypt a few minutes away, which is exactly why we sell it on half board. Golfers have El Gouna Golf Club practically next door, and kitesurfers have a dedicated launch beach with a professional school on site.
Our honest take: this is a big, sociable resort rather than a boutique bolthole, and the shoreline here is sheltered lagoon swimming rather than reef snorkelling, so keen snorkellers should plan on boat trips with the on site dive centre. What you get in return is space, gardens, a genuinely long private beach in a town where some hotels manage without one, and the tuk-tuks, marinas and restaurants of El Gouna itself on the doorstep.
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Half board here means buffet breakfast and dinner in the Palavrion, and both ends of the day are done generously. Breakfast runs from an Egyptian corner with foul, taameya and fresh oriental bread through egg stations, crepes and waffles to Swiss pastries and a healthy counter. Dinner is a daily changing themed buffet cooked at live stations, so a week never repeats itself. Drinks are payable as you go, and the resort can usually let half board guests take dinner in the a la carte restaurants instead with a credit set against the bill; the exact arrangement varies by season, so we confirm the dining package with your quote.
One more reason we sell this hotel on half board rather than all inclusive: El Gouna has the liveliest restaurant scene on the Red Sea, and Downtown and Abu Tig Marina are minutes away by tuk-tuk. Keeping lunches and the odd evening free to explore is, in our view, the right way to do this town.
The main restaurant, overlooking the piazza at the heart of the resort. Daily changing buffets move through Swiss, oriental and international themes, with chefs cooking to order at live stations.
The Fishermen, a rustic wooden deck right on the shore, serving fresh Red Sea seafood and oriental grills at lunch and dinner. Book a table for sunset; it is the meal people remember from this hotel.
Pizza from a traditional hot oven and homemade pasta on the piazza, with a proper Italian menu at lunch and dinner. The adjoining Gallery Bar is the evening meeting point, usually with a live band playing.
Casual lunches, snacks and cold drinks by the main pool, looking out to the sea, with a swim up bar so you never have to dry off. Open from mid morning to sunset.
Set by the infinity pool with the Red Sea on one side and the lagoons, golf course and mountains on the other. Cocktails, fresh juices and easy daytime eating with the best view on the property.
Three large pools are spread through the grounds of Mövenpick El Gouna, and they each have their own character. The main pool by The Oasis is the sociable one, with swim up stools at the bar and the buzz of the resort around it. The infinity pool by The Lagoon bar is the quiet achiever, a sheet of water that seems to pour into the sea, with the lagoons and the golf course laid out behind you. Between and beyond them, the gardens hide enough sunbeds that finding a spot is never the morning sport it can be at other big resorts. Early risers get the infinity pool more or less to themselves, with the mountains behind the lagoons turning pink as the sun comes up.
The pools are partially heated during the winter months, which matters more than people expect on the Red Sea; January sunshine is reliable but the water cools without help. Towels, parasols and loungers are all part of the deal.
More than 1.5 kilometres of private sea and lagoon beaches wrap around the peninsula, which is a serious stretch of shoreline by any standard. The entry is sandy, shallow and sheltered, with a marked safe swimming zone, and sunbeds, parasols and windbreaks line the sand, that last item a thoughtful touch in a town famous for its breeze. As well as the open sea frontage there are calm lagoon beaches within the grounds, where the water stays glassy even on the windiest afternoons and is barely knee deep at the edge.
Be clear about what this coast is: El Gouna is lagoon country, not reef country. There is no coral house reef off the beach here, and that is precisely why the swimming is so easy and the water so calm. For proper Red Sea snorkelling you head out by boat to the offshore reefs and islands, which is easily arranged on site and makes a superb day out.
Scuba World Divers runs the dive centre at the resort, with PADI courses from first bubbles to advanced, guided boat dives and dedicated snorkelling trips. Kitesurfers are even better served: KitePeople El Gouna operates from a separate kite beach on the resort, so learners and launching kites never share water with swimmers, and the school teaches to International Kiteboarding Organisation standards in flat, shallow, reliable wind. It is one of the reasons El Gouna is rated among the best kite destinations anywhere.
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