Steigenberger Resort Ras Soma

Steigenberger Resort Ras Soma offers 409 rooms, suites and villas, all finished in a fresh, contemporary style that suits the seaside setting. Expect air conditioning, a flatscreen TV, complimentary WiFi, a minibar, safe and luxury toiletries as standard, and in most categories a private terrace from which to enjoy the Red Sea light. Whichever category you choose, the resort’s pools, beach and restaurants are only ever a short stroll away.

Superior Rooms

The mainstay of the resort, Superior Rooms come with a queen bed or twin beds and a private terrace. Choose between views over the pools, a side sea view or a full sea view across the bay of Abu Soma, where the morning light on the water is worth waking early for.

Superior Grand Rooms

A roomier take on the Superior, the Grand rooms add extra living space alongside the private terrace, with a choice of pool view or side sea view, and suit couples settling in for a longer stay.

Family Deluxe Rooms

Designed with families in mind, Family Deluxe rooms offer enough space for two adults and two children, with queen or twin bedding, making them an easy, comfortable base for a week or two in the sun.

Executive and Royal Suites

For something special, the Executive Suite with Swim-up Pool lets you slip straight from your private terrace into your own pool. At the top of the resort’s collection, the Royal Suite adds generous living space along with its own private swim-up pool, ideal for honeymooners or anyone marking a milestone.

Private Villas

The resort’s beachside villas are made for families and groups who want real space and seclusion. The two-bedroom villa spreads across around 350 square metres and the three-bedroom villa across around 450 square metres with several separate bathrooms, and each comes with its own private swimming pool just moments from the beach. You get the privacy of a holiday home with the service, restaurants and facilities of the resort on your doorstep.

The resort stands on the Ras Abu Soma headland, the slender peninsula that shelters Soma Bay on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, around 55 kilometres south of Hurghada International Airport. It is an easy transfer down the coast road, with shuttle and private VIP transfers available on request.

The wider Soma Bay area is one of the Red Sea’s most refined corners, known for golf, kitesurfing and superb diving, with The Cascades Golf and Country Club among the nearby draws. A few minutes along the coast you will find the Soma Raceway go-kart track, a fun diversion for racers and spectators alike.

Just to the south lies Safaga, one of Egypt’s great diving hubs, whose offshore sites include Panorama Reef and the sandy islets of Tobia Island. Snorkelling, windsurfing and kitesurfing conditions here are among the best in the country. Heading north, Hurghada offers a marina, shops and restaurants for a day out.

For a dose of ancient Egypt, Luxor is around three hours away by road, putting Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings and the west bank tombs within reach of a memorable day trip from the resort.

Days at Ras Soma revolve around the water. Two Olympic-size swimming pools, heated during the winter months, anchor the resort’s gardens, joined by a dedicated children’s pool, while the private sandy beach slopes gently into the sheltered bay of Abu Soma, with calm, clear water made for swimming and snorkelling. An on-site watersports and diving centre opens up the Red Sea’s reefs and wrecks to beginners and experienced divers alike.

The Mividaspa is a genuine highlight, offering bespoke treatments and rituals performed by professional Thai therapists, alongside a sauna, steam room and two indoor jacuzzis. The well-equipped gym features modern cardio and weights equipment with personal trainers on hand, and the activity programme includes yoga, Pilates, Zumba and aqua aerobics.

• Two Olympic-size pools, heated in winter, plus a children’s pool
• Private sandy beach on the calm bay of Abu Soma
• Mividaspa with Thai therapists, sauna, steam room and two indoor jacuzzis
• Watersports and diving centre
• Floodlit tennis court and paddle tennis courts
• Beach volleyball, mini football and a multipurpose sports court
• Fitness centre with personal trainers, plus yoga, Pilates, Zumba and aqua aerobics classes
• Bocce and darts
• Kids’ club and children’s pool

With so much on the doorstep, you can fill every day or do absolutely nothing at all, and the resort is equally good at both.

Classic Holidays sells Steigenberger Resort Ras Soma on an all inclusive basis, and with five restaurants and several bars to work through, it is a board basis that earns its keep here.

The culinary heart of the resort is the Kahramana Main Restaurant, where lavish buffets built on fresh, organic ingredients carry you from breakfast through lunch to dinner, with enough variety that no two meals need ever taste the same.

Evenings are when the speciality restaurants come into their own. Arabesque serves authentic Lebanese cooking, from generous mezze spreads to charcoal-grilled specialities, while Benisuma takes you east with Japanese, Thai and Indonesian dishes, including sushi and sashimi, plus a theatrical teppanyaki experience available for a supplement. Cabana, beside the pool, offers relaxed Italian coastal cuisine served a la carte, and the Maya Beach Restaurant puts Mediterranean flavours right on the sand, with salads, snacks and grills at lunchtime giving way to a la carte dining at night.

For drinks, the Safari Lobby Bar and Lounge is the resort’s all-hours hub, mixing signature cocktails and pouring wines and spirits, with a selection of Cuban cigars for those so inclined. Down by the pool, the Aqua Bar keeps you topped up with cold drinks and ice cream through the day, while The Shisha lounge is the place for oriental tea, coffee and a traditional water pipe as the evening winds down.

Between the buffet theatre of Kahramana, beachfront dinners at Maya and a nightcap under the stars, you could eat somewhere different every night of the week without ever reaching for your wallet.