El Gouna Holidays

El Gouna, Egypt (or Gouna, as it's often known) is a Red Sea town built across a string of islands and lagoons, linked by little bridges and lined with beaches. Think turquoise water on every side, dinner on the marina and a tuk-tuk ride home.

Highlights of your El Gouna holidays 2026 and 2027

• Lagoon life - El Gouna (sometimes written ElGouna) means "the lagoon" and you can easily see how it got it's name - the whole town is built around them, spread across around 20 islands, so you're never more than a few steps from the water.

• Abu Tig Marina - The heart of El Gouna holidays: an Italian-designed harbour full of yachts, with restaurants and bars on the quay that stay busy late into the night.

• Kitesurfing - Mangroovy Beach has flat, shallow lagoon water and steady wind, which makes it one of the best places on the Red Sea to learn.

• Two championship golf courses - Both 18 holes, one designed by Gene Bates with Fred Couples and the other by Karl Litten, with the desert mountains as a backdrop.

• An award-winning green town - In 2014 El Gouna became the first destination in Africa and the Arab world to win the Global Green Award, sponsored by the UN Environment Programme.

Good to know for your El Gouna holiday

• ☀️ Weather - Winter highs of 22°C to 24°C, summer around 37°C, and around 3,500 hours of sunshine a year. The sea sits between 21°C and 28°C, so it's swimmable every month.

• 💰 Money - Egypt uses the Egyptian pound, and El Gouna is great value. A pint in a marina bar is around £1.50 to £3 / €1.75 to €3.50, and street food in Downtown costs well under £1 / €1.20 a plate. Keep small notes handy for tips.

• 🎓 Fun fact - El Gouna has its own campus of TU Berlin, one of Germany's leading technical universities, plus its own professional football club. Not bad for a town built from scratch in the 1990s.

A holiday in El Gouna is perfect for you if...

• You want the Red Sea without the big-resort crowds, in a town where you can stroll to dinner.

• You've always fancied learning to kitesurf, on calm shallow water.

• You like your evenings by the water, with a cocktail and the yachts coming in.

• You'd rather hop in a tuk-tuk than sit in a taxi.

• You want a golf course and a beach in the same week.

Local Lingo for your El Gouna holiday

Arabic is spoken here, though English is everywhere in El Gouna. Making the effort to learn and use a few words still goes a long way:

• Ahlan (AH-lan) - Hello!

• Shukran (SHOOK-ran) - Thank you

• Min fadlak / min fadlik (min FAD-lak / min FAD-lik) - Please (to a man / to a woman)

• Sabah el-kheir (sa-BAH el-KHAYR) - Good morning

• Yalla! (YAL-la) - Let's go! What you'll say to the tuk-tuk driver

• Bikam? (BEE-kam) - How much?

• El-hesab law samaht (el-hi-SAB law sa-MAHT) - The bill, please

• Ma'a salama (MA-ah sa-LA-ma) - Goodbye

Best beaches for your El Gouna holidays

The beaches here aren't your average stretches of sand. Each El Gouna beach has its own personality, from shallow lagoons for little ones to wind-whipped shores for the adrenaline junkies.

• Zeytouna Beach - On its own little island, reached by boat or footbridge, with a long jetty out over the reef that's perfect for snorkelling.

• Mangroovy Beach - The ultimate hangout for the active crowd and El Gouna's kitesurfing beach, with a buzzing, youthful energy.

• Moods Beach Club - A smart spot by the marina for comfy loungers and tasty seaside cocktails.

• The Smokery Beach Bar - A more exclusive feel with gorgeous views, a favourite with couples and friends after a high-end, chill vibe.

• Makani Beach Club - The kitesurfers' bar on the beach, ideal for watching the action with a cold drink in hand.

Where to Stay in El Gouna

El Gouna is small enough to cross by tuk-tuk in minutes, so for holidays in El Gouna the choice is about the feel you want rather than the distance.

💑 Where should couples stay in El Gouna?

Abu Tig Marina - Yachts, waterside restaurants and the best bars in town, all on one walkable quay. The boutique hotels here put dinner and drinks on your doorstep.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Where should families stay in El Gouna?

The beach resorts - The big hotels along the lagoons and the open sea have their own beaches, kids' clubs and pools, and Mangroovy's shallow water is ideal for little swimmers.

🎉 Where should groups stay in El Gouna?

Downtown and the marina - Downtown has the cheapest eats and a lively square, and the marina bars are a short tuk-tuk ride away, so everyone can do their own thing and meet up for the night.

⛳ Where should golfers stay in El Gouna?

On the golf course - The resorts beside El Gouna's two 18-hole courses put the first tee a stroll from your room, with a lagoon beach to cool off afterwards.

All-inclusive El Gouna holidays

All inclusive El Gouna holidays mean your food, drinks and snacks are all taken care of, so you can leave your wallet in the room and spend the money you saved on a kitesurfing lesson. El Gouna is better known for its marina restaurants than its buffets, but what it does, it does well: a handful of El Gouna hotels all inclusive, each with a beach of its own.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best all-inclusive hotels in El Gouna for families?

• DoubleTree by Hilton Mangroovy El Gouna Resort - A private sandy beach, a kids' club and a splash zone, and an adults-only pool for when you need five minutes. The kite beach is a short walk away.

• Sheraton Miramar - A striking Michael Graves design spread over nine little islands, with private beaches and a free kids' club for 5 to 12s. The main pool and kids' club reopen after a refurbishment in mid-December 2026.

💑 What are the best all-inclusive hotels in El Gouna for couples and smaller budgets?

• The Three Corners Ocean View - Adults Only - Adults only (16+), right by Abu Tig Marina, with a sundeck straight onto the sea and a boat over to Zeytouna Beach.

• Panorama Bungalows Resort - Our best-value all-inclusive in El Gouna, with four restaurants, two pools and its own lagoon beach reached by a little ferry.

🏨 What are the best hotels in El Gouna?

Every one of these hotels in El Gouna comes as part of our El Gouna package holidays, flights and hotel in one booking, and the town is so compact that you're never far from the marina or the beach. Here are the El Gouna hotels we'd book for holidays to El Gouna.

💑 Which El Gouna hotels are best for couples?

• Casa Cook El Gouna - Adults Only - Boho, barefoot and beautiful, with a private beach, three pools, some villas with their own pool and the Kitchen Club's Middle Eastern sharing plates.

• The Three Corners Ocean View - Adults Only - Adults only (16+) at Abu Tig Marina, with a sundeck straight onto the sea and a boat over to Zeytouna Beach.

• Fanadir Hotel - An adults-only marina hotel with a swim-up bar and Kiki's restaurant on site, and free entry to a beach club down the road.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Which El Gouna hotels are best for families?

• Sheraton Miramar - Spread across nine islands, with private beaches, a free kids' club for 5 to 12s and four restaurants. The main pool and kids' club reopen after a refurbishment in mid-December 2026.

• DoubleTree by Hilton Mangroovy El Gouna Resort - A private sandy beach, a kids' club and splash zone, and all-inclusive on offer, a short walk from the kite beach.

⛳ Which El Gouna hotels are best for golf and a bit of luxury?

• Steigenberger Golf Resort El Gouna - Set on the 18-hole El Gouna Golf Club course, with a lagoon beach, plenty of pools and teppanyaki at Harumaki.

• Movenpick Resort & Spa El Gouna - A beachfront five-star a kilometre from Downtown, with a lagoon-style pool and Egyptian and Thai restaurants on site.

💰 Which El Gouna hotels are best value?

• Ali Pasha - A friendly marina hotel with two pools, El Gouna's only Indian restaurant (Tandoor) and free use of Moods Beach Club.

• Cook's Club - A sociable, adults-only (16+) base with a buzzy bar and a shuttle to Zeytouna Beach. Ideal for a group of friends.

• Captains Inn - A small, great-value inn on Abu Tig Marina, with a terrace over the boats and the Ali Pasha's pool next door.

👉 All hotels in El Gouna

El Gouna Holidays 2026 and 2027 Travel Guide

💑 What are the best things to do on an El Gouna holiday for couples?

• Sunset at Abu Tig Marina - Watch the yachts come in with a cocktail, then wander the quay for dinner.

• A lagoon boat ride - Hop on a boat between the islands for the prettiest views of the town's villas and bridges.

• The Smokery Beach Bar - Loungers by day and a buzzy, grown-up crowd as the sun goes down.

• A film at the festival - Every October the El Gouna Film Festival brings red carpets and premieres to town, with screenings open to the public.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best things to do on an El Gouna family holiday?

• Learn to kitesurf - Mangroovy's shallow, flat water is ideal for lessons, with the steadiest wind from spring to early autumn.

• Snorkel off Zeytouna - Walk out along the jetty and the reef is right below you.

• El Gouna Fish Farm - A peaceful eco-park with ponds, ducks and fish to feed, perfect for little ones.

• Tuk-tuk adventures - Kids love zipping between the beaches and Downtown in the town's three-wheelers.

🎉 What are the best things to do on an El Gouna holiday with a group?

• Marina bar crawl - Start at Pier 88 and Breeze on Abu Tig Marina, then catch the late crowd at Moods.

• Golf - Two 18-hole courses, El Gouna Golf Club and Ancient Sands, both with clubs and buggies to hire.

• Desert hike - Join Mountain Goats for a guided walk into the mountains of Wadi Bileh.

• Watch the match - Jobo's Sports Bar in Downtown shows the big games.

🍽️ What's the food like on an El Gouna holiday?

• Zomba - Proper Egyptian street food (koshari, ful and falafel) in Downtown, cheap and delicious.

• Le Garage - Steaks and burgers on Abu Tig Marina.

• Tandoor - El Gouna's only Indian restaurant, at the Ali Pasha.

• Zia Amelia - Wood-fired pizza and pasta in Downtown.

More Destinations

• Hurghada - The Red Sea's big resort town, with the marina, the best nightlife on the coast and Giftun Island's reefs offshore.

• Makadi Bay - A sweeping bay of family resorts, most of them built around proper waterparks.

• Soma Bay - A quiet peninsula of five-stars, with reef straight off the beach and a championship golf course.

• Sahl Hasheesh - A polished bay of luxury resorts with a seafront promenade.

• Sharm el Sheikh - Famous for coral reefs, Naama Bay's nightlife and the Ras Mohammed national park.