Our girl Hannah Tan-Gillies went to the sun-soaked shores of Somabay to experience the Solasi Festival, a three day wellness festival that celebrates wellbeing in all its forms.
Where to stay: Cascades Golf Resort Spa & Thalasso
Relatively undiscovered (but not for long) Somabay is in the midst of a major development which will see the rise of a bevy of luxury homes, new hotels and gastronomic delights on its shores soon.
It is already home to five, sprawling five-star luxury resorts which are destinations within themselves. We stayed in the Cascades Golf Resort, which is home to one of the region’s largest and best equipped thalasso-therapy centres. Picture a Grand Budapest Hotel-inspired thalasso style that will take you on a multi-sensorial thalasso-therapy experience that will relax mind, body and soul and literally wash away all your aches and sins.
Cascades Golf Resort is the quintessential Egyptian beach resort. The hotel offers 159 comfortable and graciously appointed guest rooms and suites with private balconies overlooking the Cascades Golf Course and a magical sea view beyond. It also has several luxurious one & two-bedroom suites. Most suites can be combined with a connecting room to form two or three-bedroom apartment complexes.
The eponymous Gary Player Championship Golf Course, is of course, a big draw for golf afficionados the world over and also offers incredible panoramic views of the Red Sea and desert mountains. The hotel itself is a sprawling Egyptian palace with a delightful buffet-style restaurant, the charming Spikes pool bar – which is flanked by one of the largest resort pools you’ve ever seen in your life. Speaking from experience, the live entertainment at the hotel is simply incredible and the selection of Egyptian wines must not be missed too.
The rooms themselves, though on the more traditional side, are generously spaced and really have all that you need for an idyllic poolside holiday. The service is friendly without being stuffy and you are ensured a great night by simply sitting down and having a chat with any one of the staff at Cascades.
The beach club can be accessed by regular shuttles which come every ten minutes. Here, you can work on your tan and soak up the Egyptian sunshine, go for a swim in the Red Sea and if you’re lucky you may even spot a camel strolling along the beach. If you want to venture out of the hotel, Somabay has a fabulous wellbeing scene – the pinnacle of which is the Solasi Festival. Click here for our full review.
Things to do
Go snorkelling at the house reef
Somabay’s glorious house reef is located at The Breakers Diving and Surfing Lodge and is home to an incredible and colourful array of marine life. It is easy to get lost under the sea when the underwater world is this vivid.
Horseback riding at Jasmine Horse Stables
Have you ever imagined yourself riding horseback on a beach? Imagine no more because at Somabay this fantasy can indeed become a reality. Jasmine Stables is a small, independently owned stable where the horses are the stars. Most of our group were quite experienced riders and so once the horses discovered that they were indeed going to the beach, you couldn’t stop them from going into a joyful gallop to the sea. Watching the horses play on the beach and splash around in the water is a truly heart-warming scene to witness.
Tranquil beaches, crystal clear water, and the pleasures of nature at every turn– all the beautiful clichés apply. Somabay truly is, outstanding by nature.
Take a boat trip with Happy Turtles Somabay
All about that yacht life? Then why not rent out a yacht with Happy Turtles Somabay? Captain Ibrahim’s yachts are luxury at its finest and Somabay offers plenty of gorgeous reefs to explore not too far from the marina. It is the best way to spend an afternoon, especially when surrounded by good mates.
Comments are closed.