Soma Bay, Egypt: Travel Guide For First-Timers

If you’re looking for a white sand beach holiday in Egypt and considering booking in Soma Bay, then good for you – why? Because it’s still somewhat of a Red Sea hidden gem, which means YOU are one of the lucky ones in the know. 

For those NOT in the know, Soma Bay is an up-and-coming luxury resort town about 45 minutes south from the popular beach city of Hurghada on Egypt’s mainland Red Sea Riviera. Soma Bay’s claim to fame is its enviable location on a peninsula jutting into the Red Sea, which means you get open sea with an extremely vibrant and thriving reef on one side, perfect for scuba diving and snorkeling; and the other side is a calm shallow bay with crystal-clear water and soft white sand; a nirvana for swimmers, sunbathers and kitesurfers. 

So what’s the difference between Hurghada and Soma Bay?

Hurghada is an actual city, so there’s the regular hectic local Egyptian life and hustle and bustle interspersed with hotels, restaurants and touristic activities. Taxis are needed to go from one part of Hurghada to another.

Read more: Hurghada, Egypt: A Local Guide For First-Timers

Soma Bay on the other hand is a quiet and gated resort town; a mix of private residences, 5 star hotels, beaches, and a handful of restaurants/bars. The only people who have access to Soma Bay are residents and visitors who’ve booked in one of Soma Bay’s hotels or have rented a beach villa or apartment there. All of Soma Bay can be explored by foot, golf cart or bike; no taxis needed.

Go to Soma Bay if you want: a 5 star luxury hotel or rental experience; stunning beaches;  outstanding scuba diving and snorkeling; a quiet and safe destination where you can leave your hotel and explore via walking or golf cart; a slew of different activities for both kids and adults

Don’t go to Soma Bay if you want: vibrant nightlife or a ‘city’ feel; backpacker hostels or budget hotels

Quick Facts About Soma Bay

• It’s easily accessed from abroad via Hurghada International Airport, with most flights from Europe averaging 4 hours, and domestic flights from Cairo averaging 45 minutes

• It’s then about a 45-50 minute drive from Hurghada International Airport (45 km)

• Soma Bay is on the Ras Abo Soma peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Red Sea, with a backdrop of Egypt’s eastern mountains

• Soma Bay has five hotels: Kempinski, Sheraton, Cascades, Robinson and Breakers

• It’s known for some of the best scuba diving in Egypt

• There’s an 18 hole championship Gary Player signature golf course overlooking the sea

• It’s home to one of the best spas in the region, the Spa & Thalasso at Cascades Hotel

Best Time To Go

Soma Bay is a year-round destination, with almost 365 days of beach sunshine, even in the winter. Spring and fall are considered Soma Bay’s ‘high season’ -- it’s when the weather is at its most ideal (beach weather without soaring temperatures) with warm breezy nights.

Summer is a great time to go too obviously because the water is nice and warm, but only if you can handle daily temperatures in the mid-to-high thirties (Celsius) or the nineties (Fahrenheit) and super-strong sun. During summer months, most people prefer to go to the beach in the morning or the later afternoon to avoid peak heat.

Late December through to February is considered Soma Bay’s ‘winter’ – but we use that term loosely because the weather is still sunny and warm during the day, although cold at night. We’ve also seen many visitors even swim during the winter months, although the water then is a tad too chilly for us personally. 

Getting There

If you’re coming from abroad (or even planning to fly domestically), then just fly into Hurghada International Airport, which is about a 45 minute car ride from Soma Bay. Once you land, it’s easy to either grab a taxi from outside the arrivals hall or pre-arrange with a car service (like London Cab or ABC Taxi) to pick you up. If you’re staying at a hotel, you can also easily arrange pre-arrival for your hotel to send a car to pick you up.

If you’re coming from Cairo, then you have one of three options: a) drive, b) take a bus, or c) fly. Driving from Cairo is now a super-smooth trip thanks to the new Galala Road which allows you to bypass the scary two-way twisty mountain roads of Ain el Sokhna. It takes about 4.5-5 hours by car from the Cairo toll station to Soma Bay.

If you’re coming by bus, then GoBus has a bus stop at the Soma Bay Marina, with daily buses from Cairo.

As for flying, the domestic flight from Cairo Airport to Hurghada International Airport takes about 45 minutes.

Where To Stay in Soma Bay

As we mentioned briefly above, Soma Bay itself (the private resort town) has 5 hotels and numerous rentals. But if you google ‘Soma Bay hotels’, you’ll find more than 5 hotels showing up in your search results. How come?

Because there are also a handful of hotels outside the gates of Soma Bay, stretching south on the coast towards Safaga, but still name/list themselves as ‘Soma Bay’. Some of these hotels are very nice, but keep in mind you won’t have access to all the amenities and activities in Soma Bay proper like you would if you stayed in Soma Bay’s 5 official hotels. But let us break everything down further, and you can decide on where to stay based on your personal preferences.

Hotels in Soma Bay:

• Kempinski - 5 star beach and pool luxury all the way. They also have the best restaurants of all the hotels

• Cascades Golf Resort, Spa & Thalasso - `5 star resort overlooking the golf course and home to the famous Thalasso spa

• Sheraton - a great 5 star resort for families, with almost 1 km of gorgeous beachfront

• Robinson - 4 star hotel ideal for German speakers 

• Breakers - a 4 star diving and surfing lodge for those mainly interested in watersports and activities, adjacent to the Orca Scuba Diving Center

Apartment and villa rentals in Soma Bay:

If you’re looking for something larger or just more personal than a hotel room, then there are a lot of great rental homes you can book depending on your preferences. There are apartments, chalets and massive beach villas, and most feature great sea views. Renting a home in a residential neighborhood also means you get access to that neighborhood’s pool (and some of the homes even have their own private pool).

Stayr is the official vacation rental provider in Soma Bay, and they offer concierge service as well.

Alternatively you can find a lot of great rental listings on Airbnb too. 

Hotels outside of Soma Bay:

As we mentioned above, there are a handful of really nice beach resorts nearby Soma Bay, but they won’t have access to all the extra activities, restaurants and amenities that the gated community of Soma Bay and its inner hotels have. But if you’re not planning to leave your resort anyway, then it doesn’t really matter. The best hotels near Soma Bay are:

• Steigenberger Resort Ras Soma

• Palm Royale Resort Soma Bay

• Solymar Soma Beach

Main Areas & Points of Interest in Soma Bay

So we’re just going to briefly explain the main areas and points of interest in Soma Bay, so you have an idea of the overall layout.

Residential neighborhoods (where the home rentals are)

The current finished residential neighborhoods are: Mesca, Baywest, Baycentral, Soma Breeze, Reef Town, Wadi Jebal, Golf Residences, Marina Residences

Hotel Area 

Next to the Soma Bay Marina, you’ll find a stretch of 4 adjacent beachfront hotels (Kempinski, Robinson, Sheraton and Breakers), stretching from the Marina all the way down to the jetty at the tip of the peninsula and connected via a promenade. The only hotel that isn’t directly on a beach is Cascades due to it being on the golf course, but it has its own beach accessible via shuttle bus. 

Soma Bay Marina

This is where you’ll find restaurants, coffeeshops, shisha, Cheers (an alcoholic beverage shop), the supermarket, pharmacy, fitness center, beauty salon, local shops and souvenirs and a medical center. This is also where boats and yachts dock.

Play Park

Behind the Marina is the Play Park, fun for both kids and adults alike. Here they have the Soma Splash Aqua Park, the Soma Raceway for go-karts, paintball, footgolf and a kids’ playground.

Seaside Promenade

Ideal for walking, bikes, scooters and golf carts. This path takes you from the Breakers Hotel next to the jetty all the way past the main hotel area to the Marina and onwards to Wyte Beach Club. If you don’t feel like walking it, there’s also a free shuttle that goes up and down the boardwalk. 

The Jetty

A 420m long jetty that allows you to walk above Soma Bay’s spectacular house reef. At the end of the jetty, there’s designated areas for both snorkeling and scuba diving, and the amount of sea life to be seen there is wild – dolphins, turtles, rays and barracudas are frequently spotted, and every now and then you can even spot Wally the whale shark!

Orca Dive Club

Soma Bay is one of the best spots in Egypt for scuba diving, and this diving center is ideal for both beginner and advanced divers alike; certified SSI and CMAS instructors offer diving and specialty courses in several different languages. The beautiful house reef is a mere minute’s walk away, and there are around 20 different dive sites by boat around Soma Bay. Orca Dive Club also has a beach bar to relax after a long day of diving.

Wyte Beach Club

It’s on a picture-perfect spot on the shallow bay, with crystal clear water and zero waves – ideal for swimming. They have umbrellas, sunbeds, beanbags and hammocks, and you can also rent canoes and other beach equipment. There’s also a beach bar and restaurant, and they offer shisha in the afternoons. On most weekends during the high season, they’ll have a DJ playing music throughout the day.

7BFT Kite House 

This kitesurfing center was ranked one of the top three in the world. Soma Bay is ideal for kitesurfing with its flat water and 300 days of wind (off-shore and side-shore winds ranging from 4 to 8 Bft). The 7BFT Kite House has training for beginners as well as advanced kiters and licenses up to ‘instructor’ level. Read more: 7 Best Kitesurfing Spots in Egypt

Gary Player Signature Golf Course

Designed by world-renowned Gary Player, this 18 hole championship golf course is right next to the sea.

Spa & Thalasso

At Cascades Hotel, they have the only spa on the Red Sea that uses thalasso-tonic seawater for therapy, as well as hundreds of other treatments for both mind and body. Even if you’re not a guest at Cascades, you can book the treatment of your choice and enjoy the spa’s wellbeing programs and amenities.

How to get around Soma Bay

Like we mentioned above, once you’re past the gates of Soma Bay and situated at your hotel or rental, getting around is pretty easy and there’s no need for taxis.

If you do want to explore outside of your hotel/rental and don’t have a car, here are the best ways to get around Soma Bay:

Walking: if you’re staying in one of the hotels on the beach and want to reach the Marina or the jetty, it’s a pleasant walk on the boardwalk. 

Free shuttle: there are free shuttles that will take you up and down the boardwalk. 

Bike or scooter rental: you’ll find at the Marina and down the boardwalk little kiosks that say ‘Hopper’ on them; there you can rent out regular bikes, e-bikes, and scooters either for a few hours or a few days. 

Golf Cart rental: Hopper also rents out golf carts, ideal for people who are staying in rentals in the residential areas and don’t have a car. There are designated golf cart paths all throughout Soma Bay. 

Golf cart taxi services: if you need just a ride from one place in Soma Bay to the other and don’t want to rent out anything, Hopper also provides golf cart taxi services.

Best Things To Do in Soma Bay

There are lots of things to do in Soma Bay, whether you’re active or just want a lazy vacation, with kids or flying solo. And luckily all are very easy to do! 

• Enjoy the beach, whether at your hotel or Wyte Beach Club

• Explore the jetty

• Scuba diving

• Snorkeling

• Boat trip (whether sunset boat trip or a snorkeling trip)

• Golf

• Desert safaris (provided by Alex Safari at the Marina)

• Tennis/Squash/Padel tennis

• Spend an afternoon at Utopia, a beach bar on nearby Tobia Island, completely surrounded by sea

• Horseback riding on the beach with Jasmine Stable

• Go-karting

• Take the kids to the water park

• Paintball

• Shisha at sunset overlooking the bay at SoBar

• Work out at the fitness studio

• Kitesurfing

• Windsurfing

• Windfoil

• Relax and decompress at the spa & thalasso

• Join the monthly full moon parties at the kite house

• Day trip to Luxor

Dining & Nightlife

Each hotel has their own roster of restaurants and beach bars, but if you’re looking for something outside of your hotel, then the Soma Bay Marina is where you’ll find most of your dining and nightlife options.

Here’s the best restaurant/bars in the Marina:

SoBar: this restaurant and bar is one of the best and most dependable in Soma Bay, with beautiful views over the Marina and indoor/outdoor dining depending on your preference. Their rooftop terrace is great for sunset drinks, and on weekends they usually have a DJ. They also have a section for shisha and set up big screens for football matches and other big sporting events. During the high seasons, there’s a party or performer of some sort on the weekends as well.

Kokomo: this grill and smoked BBQ restaurant and bar is only open during spring and fall, but they serve some fantastic dishes cooked over an open fire. Excellent pizza as well. 

Bamboo Shoot: this pan-Asian restaurant is run and managed by the Kempinski, but you’ll find it at the Soma Bay Marina on Wednesday through to Saturday nights. 

Baladina: want to indulge in some local Egyptian food? Baladina has an extensive menu of all the Egyptian classics, from breakfast to feteer to late night grills. 

Other dining options in the Marina:

Maison Thomas - a pizzeria

Burger Factory - burgers and fried chicken sandwiches

For coffee:

Seven Fortune - coffeeshop

Parting Local Tip

Just to summarize everything we spoke about above – if you’re looking for a relaxing Red Sea vacation on a world-class beach, and want all the perks of staying in a luxury hotel or rental but also have the ability to leave the hotel and enjoy safe resort town life, then Soma Bay is 100% for you.

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