Evenings by the water
Test the journey from the home to the places you would use after dark. A marina address and a marina view are different things.
Buyer guide · Egypt
Red Sea Riviera, Egypt
The Red Sea Riviera is a tourism name for Egypt’s Red Sea resort coast.
It covers a collection of destinations rather than one city or residential development. For buyers exploring the mainland around Hurghada, the useful starting points are El Gouna, Hurghada itself, Sahl Hasheesh, Makadi Bay and Soma Bay.
This guide helps you turn that broad search into an area shortlist. Our Red Sea property guide covers the wider market; here the focus is what the Riviera name means, how to read the different addresses and what to compare before choosing a coastal home.
Where is the Red Sea Riviera?
One Riviera.
Different places to call home.
Begin with the coast and town. Then identify the developer, neighbourhood and exact home. These are different decisions.
Mainland around Hurghada
The focus of this buying guide: El Gouna, Hurghada and the bays to the south.
The wider Red Sea
Explore Red Sea properties on the mapMarsa Alam and the Sinai destinations belong in the wider travel picture. They are separate trips and property searches.
Egypt’s Red Sea destinations include both the mainland coast and the Sinai side. The Egyptian Tourism Authority’s Red Sea destination directory lists Hurghada, El Gouna and Soma Bay alongside Sharm al-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba. Its Red Sea and Sinai tourism material also uses the Riviera name. A broad holiday label should therefore not be read as a precise property address.
On the mainland, El Gouna sits north of Hurghada. Sahl Hasheesh, Makadi Bay and Soma Bay are south of the city, while Marsa Alam lies farther down the coast. Sharm al-Sheikh and Dahab are separate destinations on the Sinai side. When researching a home, first identify which side and which town the offer concerns; an airport name or regional label alone is not enough to plan a viewing.
KÂMO’s area comparisons below focus on the Hurghada mainland corridor. They are a starting point for choosing where to look, not a claim that the Riviera ends at Soma Bay or that all destinations share the same property market.
Five mainland areas to start with
| Area | Start your research here | Question for a viewing |
|---|---|---|
| El Gouna | A separate destination north of Hurghada | Which neighbourhood suits your everyday routine? |
| Hurghada | The city and its individual districts | What is the exact building and street? |
| Sahl Hasheesh | A resort destination south of Hurghada | Which facilities and beach access come with this home? |
| Makadi Bay | The bay and separately named developments | Is the property on the bay or in an inland community? |
| Soma Bay | The place, then the named master development and village | Where is the unit within the plan, and what is operating around it? |
Use these questions to choose the next area guide rather than rank the coast from best to worst. A home that suits a short holiday may be inconvenient for a longer stay. Start with the places you expect to use regularly, then compare the actual journey from each candidate property. The same destination can contain homes with quite different surroundings.
Keep place names and development names separate. Soma Bay is the place; Somabay is the developer and its master development. Likewise, a Makadi Bay search should not lead you to assume that every development carrying the Makadi name has the same position or beach arrangements. Ask for a marked location and the full development name before comparing brochures.
A holiday base or a home for longer stays?
Golf in your routine
If golf shapes your stay, ask about the course, booking arrangements and the access attached to the specific home.
Time on the water
Choose for the beach and activities you will actually use. Check the entry point, operator and seasonal conditions locally.
Write down how you intend to use the property before looking at finishes. For short visits, arrival logistics, a reliable key handover and someone to look after the home between stays may matter most. For longer periods, test the ordinary routine: food shopping, working space, internet, transport and the places you expect to visit without planning a day around them.
A viewing should include the surroundings as well as the apartment or villa. Walk the route to the beach entrance you would actually use. Visit at a time that resembles your intended stay and ask which facilities are operating then. A hotel pool, beach club or restaurant pictured in a destination brochure does not by itself establish an owner’s right to use it.
If you hope to let the home while away, ask how guest access, cleaning, repairs and check-in would work for that particular property. Separate permission to let from the practical ability to manage a letting. A popular holiday destination does not establish occupancy, income or a return for an individual home.
Developers and destinations to recognise
The destination name is only the start. Meet four of the names you will encounter along the coast, with a guide to each destination.
El Gouna
Start with the town, then narrow the search to its individual neighbourhoods and homes.
Explore the destination
Somabay
The master development in Soma Bay. Identify the village and the home’s position within it.
Explore the destination
Almaza Bay Ras Soma
A separate Travco destination. Explore the overall plan and named residential collections.
Explore the destination
Developer render · proposed design
Marassi Red Sea
Emaar Misr’s Red Sea development, separate from Marassi on the Mediterranean North Coast.
Explore the destinationHow to compare Red Sea Riviera property for sale
01The coast
Mainland or Sinai?
Which arrival airport?
02The area
City, marina town
or resort setting?
03The development
Which developer?
Which neighbourhood?
04The home
Exact position, condition
and purchase commitment.
Once you have an area shortlist, compare homes on a consistent basis. Record the development, building or plot, floor, orientation, delivery condition and what the quoted area measures. Keep a clear distinction between a completed home you can inspect and a future home shown through plans or renders. A regional price average cannot answer those property-level questions.
Ask for the complete purchase commitment in writing. For an off-plan resale, that means distinguishing the total purchase price from cash payable at assignment and the developer installments still outstanding. The comparison should include scheduled maintenance and agreed brokerage, while identifying separate transfer or statutory charges. A small upfront payment is not the full price of the home.
READ THE WHOLE PURCHASEA +B +C
The upfront payment is only one part.
Cash at assignment
The amount due when taking over the resale.
Developer installments
The outstanding contractual payment schedule.
Other commitments
Scheduled maintenance and agreed brokerage.
Compare the full commitment and identify transfer or statutory charges separately. Check each item once to avoid double-counting.
For a completed property, request the current service-charge information, included furniture and equipment, and any known work required. For a home under construction, request the specification, payment schedule and contractual delivery terms. Use the same checklist across your shortlist so that an attractive photograph or payment headline does not hide a material difference.
You can then browse Red Sea properties on the map with a clearer brief. Listings are a starting point for enquiries; availability, condition and the final terms need confirmation for the named property. KÂMO can help organise the comparison and viewings. Independent legal, tax and financing questions belong with the appropriate qualified advisers; KÂMO is not a law firm, tax adviser or lender.
Plan a useful first viewing trip
Choose a small set of contrasting areas before filling the itinerary with individual homes. If your shortlist includes El Gouna, central Hurghada and Soma Bay, allow time to experience each setting rather than treating them as interchangeable stops. Confirm the correct airport and the actual route with your accommodation or viewing contact; this guide does not promise flight availability or fixed transfer times.
Send the same brief for each viewing: intended use, preferred property type, total budget and whether you need a completed home. Ask for the exact location and available documents in advance. After each visit, record what you observed separately from what was promised. The purpose of the trip is to narrow your choices with evidence, not to make a commitment simply because you have travelled.
Sources and image credits
View sources and image credits
El Gouna and Sahl Hasheesh photographs: KÂMO’s existing destination collection. Hurghada Marina: Vojtasekd, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, resized and framed for display. Makadi Bay coast: Dirgela, Wikimedia Commons, CC0, resized and framed for display. The Soma Bay coastal photograph is by Somabay Team via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, with existing crop and resizing under the same licence. Marina, golf and watersports photographs come from Somabay’s official destination material. Ras Soma imagery comes from Travco Properties; the Marassi Red Sea render comes from Emaar Misr. The developer marks are existing official logo assets used for identification. Orientation and purchase diagrams by KÂMO. El Gouna official destination. Full asset credits.
Destination context: Egyptian Tourism Authority’s Red Sea directory and tourism brochure. Reviewed 23 October 2026.
Common questions
Is the Red Sea Riviera a city?
No. It is a tourism name used for Egypt’s Red Sea resort coast. Ask for the specific town, development and property address when comparing homes.
Is Hurghada part of the Red Sea Riviera?
Yes. Hurghada is one of the mainland destinations associated with the name. El Gouna, Sahl Hasheesh, Makadi Bay and Soma Bay are useful nearby areas to research separately.
Does the Red Sea Riviera include Sharm al-Sheikh?
The wider tourism usage includes Sinai destinations such as Sharm al-Sheikh as well as the mainland coast. This property guide focuses on the mainland around Hurghada; the destinations are not interchangeable addresses.
Which Red Sea Riviera area should I choose for a second home?
Start with how long you will stay, your daily routine and the kind of setting you prefer. Compare the individual areas, then verify the position, facilities, management arrangements and full purchase commitment of each home.
Is Red Sea Riviera the name of a single property development?
The phrase is widely used as a regional tourism label, but it can also appear in a project name. Identify the developer and exact location of any offer instead of assuming that the regional description identifies one development.