Photo: Marc Ryckaert, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, colour-graded
Egypt's Red Sea · Destination guide
A planned resort town on a quiet bay south of Hurghada — seafront promenade, an underwater "sunken city" to snorkel, smarter hotels and a short drive from HRG.
Get your bearings
Sahl Hasheesh is a bay on the Red Sea, roughly 18 kilometres south of Hurghada airport. Nobody stumbled into it: it was planned as a resort town, with broad walkways, lamp posts, sandy-coloured buildings and a long promenade running past an Old Town and a formal square called the Arrivals Piazza. It feels more like a small, tidy town than a row of hotels with a road in front.
That sets it apart on this coast. Hurghada is livelier, and Makadi Bay is a calm line of all-inclusive hotels. Sahl Hasheesh sits between the two and aims higher. The Oberoi, Pickalbatros Citadel Resort and Baron Palace all stand here. Evenings mean a walk and a coffee on the front, daytime means the pier, the sea and the reefs and islands out in the bay.
What you're really here to see
Photo: Joshfdrake, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, colour-graded01The seafront walk is the evening outing. Palms, lamp posts, cafés and a paved corniche follow the water, and people stroll or cycle along it at sunset. There is nothing to book.
Evening stroll
Photo: Joshfdrake, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, colour-graded02A formal square of domes with a long, lit fountain channel down the middle. It is the set piece of the town, and the quickest way to see how carefully Sahl Hasheesh was laid out.
After dark
Photo: Marc Ryckaert, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, colour-graded03A partly underwater copy of an ancient city, built in the bay and now working as an artificial reef. Fish crowd round it, and snorkellers and divers head out to see it. It is manmade, not a genuine ruin, and that is half the charm.
Half day
Time to allow
This is a bay for a calm week in the sun, so allow four nights or more.
Beach time, an evening walk on the promenade and one snorkel at the Sunken City: a soft landing after a busy tour.
A full week of unhurried beach days, with a boat day from Hurghada, a desert evening and a few strolls along the front.
Temples first, then the road to the coast, with your hotel about 25 minutes from Hurghada airport for the flight home.
Spend part of the holiday here and part somewhere livelier, such as Hurghada or El Gouna.
Where it fits
Sahl Hasheesh suits anyone who wants a smart, peaceful beach hotel.
The Oberoi, Pickalbatros Citadel Resort and Baron Palace share the bay, so the choice leans towards the upper end.
Many resort bays are just hotels. Here there is a real promenade, an Old Town and a piazza for the evening.
Around 25 minutes from Hurghada airport, so little of the holiday goes on the road.
It is quieter than Hurghada. For bars, shops and plenty of restaurants, base in Hurghada or El Gouna.
Every way in
Day trips, classic multi-day tours, Nile cruises, hotels and private transfers – every part of an Egypt trip can be arranged from Sahl Hasheesh. Start wherever makes sense.
Hotel pickup, a private Egyptologist, half or full day.
2–15 day private itineraries, hotels and guides included.
Pair Sahl Hasheesh with a 3–4 night river cruise in one trip.
Aswan ↔ Luxor sailings, dahabiyas and classic cruisers.
5★ and boutique stays, hand-picked by our team.
Private meet-and-greet from the airport to your hotel.
Best time to visit
October to April is the comfortable stretch, with sunshine well into the British winter.
Pleasant for the promenade, the pier and excursions, and the sensible window if Luxor is also on the list.
The coast has a hot desert climate with dry summers. Keep outings to early morning or late afternoon and lean on the pool and the sea.
The promenade is best at sunset and after dark, when the piazza is lit.
Upper Egypt bakes in summer too, so temples and beach go together best between October and April.
The practical part
Fly to Hurghada, then a short private transfer. Here is how it works.
Book flights to Hurghada (HRG), around five hours direct from the UK. Sahl Hasheesh is about 18 kilometres south of the airport, roughly 25 minutes by car, and we arrange a private car to meet you.
Hotels run from ultra-luxury to large all-inclusive. We match the hotel to your budget, board basis and the kind of beach you like.
The promenade is easy on foot. Excursions to Hurghada include pick-up, and a taxi covers anything else.
The Sunken City and the bay's reefs and islands are close by. Dive centres and boats also operate out of Hurghada, and we arrange them ahead of your trip.
Common questions
About 18 kilometres, which is roughly 25 minutes by road. We arrange a private transfer from HRG to your hotel, so there is no hunting for a taxi after the flight.
It is a partly submerged, purpose-built copy of an ancient city in the bay. It now acts as an artificial reef that draws fish, and people snorkel and dive there.
Sahl Hasheesh is a planned resort town with a promenade, an Old Town and a piazza, and it aims upmarket. Hurghada is livelier and Makadi Bay is a quieter strip of all-inclusive hotels.
The Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh, Pickalbatros Citadel Resort Sahl Hasheesh and Baron Palace Sahl Hasheesh are all on our list, and we can help you pick between them.
Yes. Direct flights to Hurghada take around five hours, and October to April brings comfortable weather. Many UK travellers weigh it against the Canaries or Spain for a week of winter sun.
Yes. Luxor can be reached by road, and many guests see the temples first and finish by the sea. We can build the whole trip around your dates.
Photo: Marc Ryckaert, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, colour-graded
Plan your trip
Send us your dates, who's travelling and what you'd like from the sea, and within 24 hours we'll come back with a private plan: hotel, transfers and any day trips. Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Hurghada · Marsa Alam · Sharm El Sheikh, on the ground since 1988.
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