LIVING "By the Real Estate Leaders" Fall 2015 - Issue #7 | Page 8

Keeping it Hot in

Al Ein El Sokhna

There is an even newer road being built. Where is it and how will it
change things?
Every year, the winter beach season kicks off with Egyptians
heading east to the resort city of Al Ein El Sokhna ("The Hot
Eye.") But unlike past years, 2015 marks a new beginning for the
resort city, which has developers – and buyers – flocking to the
area.
Originally developed around a hot spring, El Sokhna started to
become popular as a beach destination in the mid-1990s.
Located just 120 kilometers away from Cairo, its proximity to the
capital coupled with its warm weather made it the perfect
winter getaway for Cairenes. And while early developments like
Canary Beach and Amigo were clustered in the north near El
Sokhna’s factories, over the years, resorts have slowly crept
south on the coast of Zaafarana.
We speak to broker owners Mohamed Hesham and Mohamed
Gamil of RE/MAX The Address about investment in Al Ein El
Sokhna and how the landscape around the area is changing.

When did Sokhna become a beach destination?

MH: Sokhna became popular as a beach destination in the
mid-1990s because it was the closest beach to Cairo; this was
when resorts like Canary Beach and Amigo were popular.
Around 2005, several developers began to invest in this area,
which led to the development of resorts like Stella di Mare and
Mahmoud el Gammal’s Al Ein Bay, which are considered two of
the oldest compounds in Sokhna. And then came Little Venice,
but after that, developers went further down the coast to
Zaafarana Road, and La Vista came along and developed that
area. Later, Amer Group developed Port Sokhna, which
breathed some life into the area and created some commercial
activity.
The other thing that encouraged both investors and buyers is
that the Sokhna Road itself was re-done and re-paved, so it
became easier for people to come and go. The road played a
very important role in making it easier for people who bought
properties in Zaafarana.

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MH: Yes, the new road is called El Galala Road and it will run behind the mountains
from the toll station all the way to the beginning of Hurghada Road. It basically
allows people to avoid the dangerous road to Zaafarana that runs between the
mountains and the sea. It will have many different exits along the way to link the
new road to the old road. The Galala Road is part of President Sisi’s two-year plan to
develop road networks in Egypt. They originally said that it would open at the end
of this year, but we don’t have any actual date of delivery yet.
You mentioned that AMER group has played an important role in
breathing life into the area. There are new projects in the pipeline
that promise to create the same sort of effect by providing social
venues and facilities. Which compounds should people look out for?

MG:

The problem with Sokhna is that it’s not like the North Coast –there is
nowhere to go in Sokhna. People go with their family and friends, they pack their
food and drinks and sit in the chalet and then come back to Cairo, which is very
different than the North Coast where you can go out anytime and always find
something to do because there are facilities and commercial areas.
What AMER did is he managed to create an outlet with the string of restaurants,
and other compounds are now adapting this model. Telal compound is one of
those places, and they are planning a marina similar to the one in Gouna; this
should be completed within the next