The Chedi El Gouna Egypt: A Stylish Escape in the Heart of the Red Sea
- Suzana Lelic
- Feb 2
- 5 min read
This trip was special for many reasons—it was my first time in Egypt, our first trip as a couple, and also the first time I attempted to breathe underwater without panicking.
See, my boyfriend G has over 1,000 dives under his belt. He’s basically a fish whilst I was a proud member of the “never even put my face in the water with a snorkel” club. So naturally, getting my Open Water certification in El Gouna was going to be an experience.
And let’s just say—it was a bonding one.
In short - did I pass my Open Water certification ? Well you could say so. Did my boyfriend see a whole new side of me? Oh, 100%.
Diving is a great way to test a relationship especially if one is just starting—forget escape rooms, just throw yourselves into the ocean and see how well you communicate under pressure.
But before you head over to that post, let’s talk about where we stayed—The Chedi El Gouna, one of the best 5 star luxury hotels in the Red Sea.
El Gouna & The Chedi
El Gouna is a modern luxury resort town in Egypt, located on the stunning Red Sea coastline, near Hurghada. Built by Orascom Group, the same company behind Lustica Bay in Montenegro and Andermatt in Switzerland, El Gouna was their first-ever project and they started it in the late 80s. Imagine, there was nothing there before. Only desert and the sea.
Spread across multiple lagoons, sandy beaches, and coral-rich waters, El Gouna is often considered one of the best places to visit in the Red Sea for luxury travelers and diving enthusiasts. In El Gouna you will find trendy hotels such as The Chedi, trendy restaurants, beach clubs, and some of the best dive sites in Egypt.
One of its most recent luxury additions is The Chedi El Gouna, part of The Leading Hotels of the World, and having previously stayed at The Chedi Lustica Bay and Andermatt, I had high hopes and I was actually the one suggesting G that we should go there for our first ever couple holiday.
Getting There & First Impressions
We flew from Munich to Hurghada in late August 2023. In Munich we had 6 hour layover from Ibiza which was not ideal.
The transfer from the airport to El Gouna is a short 15-minute drive, which is a dream after a long flight.
Check-in was smooth, and since we arrived late at night, we could not wait to get to our room. We had booked a Premium Sea View Room, one of the most expensive options, located right on the beach.
The Room Situation: Not Quite What We Expected
Coming from my experiences at The Chedi Lustica Bay and Andermatt, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, our beach room felt small and underwhelming in comparison. The design was minimalist with Scandinavian influences, which, while stylish, didn’t quite match the Egyptian setting.
We decided to sleep on it and request a room change in the morning.
One cool feature, though: The hotel has an app that lets you order anything you need directly from your phone. At 3 AM, we tested it out by ordering a Caesar salad and soup, and to be fair—it was really good.
Room Upgrade to The Chedi Suite
The next morning, we checked out a few other rooms. Some were on the first floor, but climbing stairs wasn’t ideal. We finally decided on the Chedi Suite on the ground level.
✅ 78m² of space
✅ Separate living room & spacious bathroom
✅ More Egyptian-inspired décor (finally!)
This room felt more in line with The Chedi’s signature luxury style and warm tones that actually reminded us we were in Egypt, not Sweden. The only problem was that it was a lot of glass and staff passing by so we had to be careful and always have the curtains closed.
Overall, though, we were much happier here and in the beach front room. It def depends what you like. Some people would probably not agree with us and take the beach room instead.
Food & Dining at The Chedi El Gouna
Breakfast – Served in the main restaurant, with a great variety of fresh and high-quality options. Since we were diving every morning, we ate early, and the buffet was always fully stocked. I would give it 8/10
Lunch – The main restaurant was average, but we found a better option at The Beach House. It has beautiful views and a menu with pastas, burgers, and salads.
One night we went for dinner at Nihon (Japanese Restaurant) – A mixed experience. The food was 7/10, but there was no sake, and Chinese music was playing instead of Japanese. The setting was romantic, but windy, which made dining outside a bit of a challenge.
Most nights, we went to El Gouna town for dinner, where there are also great restaurants and vibrant nightlife. (Check out our top food recommendations here: [link]).
The Pool & Beach – A Windy but Beautiful Escape
The design of The Chedi El Gouna is stunning, and we loved the architecture and colors.
The beach was nice, and the pool area was beautiful, but El Gouna is naturally windy. If you’re looking for a completely calm, still-water beach, this may not be the spot.
Service was very good.
The Spa – The One That Got Away
At the time of our stay, The Chedi had just opened, so we expected a few things to be a work in progress.
We had planned to visit the spa, but by the time we tried to book an appointment they told us that every single slot was already taken for our five-day stay. So, unfortunately, we never got to see it, try it and therefore review it.
So If you’re planning a visit, our advice would be to book your spa treatments the moment you check in or even better before you board on your flight to Hurghada.
The Gym - Great !
The gym at the Chedi is well-equipped, spacious, and includes a steam room and sauna, making it one of the best hotel gyms in El Gouna. We always try to stay active while traveling, so having a high-quality fitness center is always a big plus. And steam room and sauna kind of made up for missing the Spa.
Final Thoughts – Is The Chedi El Gouna the Best Luxury Hotel in the Red Sea?
The Chedi El Gouna Egypt is a beautiful hotel with a lot of potential. While our first room was not what we expected, the suite upgrade changed our experience completely. There’s definitely room for improvement, but from what we’ve seen, they are actively working on it and we are sure that they will only improve.
💎 Pros:
✔️ Stunning design & architecture
✔️ Great gym & wellness facilities
✔️ Excellent service
✔️ One of the best luxury stays in the Red Sea
⚠️ Cons:
❌ Beach rooms could improve
❌ Spa was impossible to book
Would we go back? Yes, but we’d book a suite from the start. If you're looking for a stylish, high-end stay in El Gouna, this is definitely one of the top options in the Red Sea.
Have you stayed at The Chedi El Gouna? Let us know your thoughts!
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