Sombay
The Allegra
Omar Nagi , Dreamland
Grand Egyptian Museum
opened for play in early 2019 14 years after the project began . Its holes meander through an old quarry , creating a striking layout with fairways winding below sandy cliffs and elevated tee boxes playing down to sunken greens .
Epitomising that is the delightful par-3 4th hole , which has a 100-foot drop to the green . From the tee box you can see the Pyramids – or at least part of them . They were fully in view from the tees when the course first opened , but it forms part of a residential development and new homes on a ridge half encircling the hole have blocked out all but the very tips of the two largest ancient structures .
That ’ s a shame , but it doesn ’ t take away from what is a course of real quality , boasting a variety of holes with clever bunkering and large undulating greens . It will leave you beaming after your round , as it does me . The Pyramids are very much in sight when you play nearby Palm Hills . John Sanford partnered with Nicklaus Design on this 27-hole course , which opened in 2014 . I play the A and C nines , at just under 6,100 yards
ACCOMMODATION AND ATTRACTIONS
Somabay is located on a peninsula and offers plenty to do besides golf , with accommodation in five hotels . I stay at The Cascades Golf Resort , Spa & Thalasso Resort and indulge myself in its huge Aquatonic Pool , one of the region ’ s largest hydrotherapy pools . The palatial facility is sub-divided into more than a dozen different zones with a series of powerful underwater jets , currents , counter-currents , bubble baths and showers to pummel and tone every part of your body with sea water . I walk back to my room feeling battered but totally relaxed . The spa also offers an assortment of treatments in its 65 treatment rooms .
Outdoor activities include biking , horse riding and footgolf , and there ’ s boat golf where you hit a bucket of 50 balls from a platform at the back of a catamaran cruiser to a floating green before snorkelling to retrieve the balls . Sadly , the wind is up and the sea is too choppy for my scheduled boat trip .
The wind is perfect for kitesurfing and sailing , however , and several people are taking advantage of it in the shallow bay off the soft , wide sands of S Cape Beach on the peninsula ’ s west side . On the seaward side , you can snorkel and dive on a coral reef teeming with tropical fish , turtles and other marine life . And at the end of the day , enjoy a sublime sunset with a sundowner overlooking Somabay ’ s marina and the mountains beyond from the rooftop Sobar bar and restaurant .
El Gouna was the first destination in Africa and the Arab Region to receive the Global Green Award , in August 2014 , for environmental sustainability under the United Nations Environment Programme . The resort town recycles more than 85 % of its waste , recycles all its used water and also has a desalination plant . Getting around is mostly by electric tuk-tuk taxis while visitors can also rent electric bikes . There are 18 hotels from three-star to luxury , among them the recently-renovated Steigenberger close to El Gouna Club , plus spas and wellness centres , while activities include kitesurfing , snorkelling , diving , horse riding , and safaris and hiking in the desert .
Besides the Steigenberger Makadi Golf Hotel next to Madinat Makadi ’ s golf course , there are another 10 hotels in the beachside resort town , where one of Egypt ’ s largest waterparks
18 DestinationGolf . travel