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Voykit pocket guide · Egypt
Soma Bay
Spend 2–3 days for beach, golf and water sports; a short stay fits most itineraries.
Soma Bay is a private resort on Egypt's Red Sea coast offering luxury hotels, a championship golf course, diving, kitesurfing and a thalassotherapy spa. Access requires a hotel booking and QR code. Most activities are within walking distance or on a free shuttle, making a 2‑day stay enough for relaxation and sport.
- Country
- Egypt
- Best months
- Oct–Apr (mild temps, steady winds)
- Avoid
- None specific
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EGP
- Money
- Currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP, also written LE or £E). Hotels, cruise boats and larger restaurants take cards; taxis, markets, small cafés, tips and toilet attendants are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget EGP 300–500 excl. bed (check) · Mid EGP 600–1,000 excl. bed (check) (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat (e&) and WE sell tourist SIMs at Cairo airport with passport; about EGP 500–1,000 for 20–40 GB — check.
- Emergency
- Police 122 · Ambulance 123 · Tourist police 126
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 220 V · 50 Hz · European round-pin sockets.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 10% even when service is added (it rarely reaches staff).; Guide, full day: US$10–20 per person.; Driver, full day: US$5–10.; Cruise crew: About US$5–10 per person per day in the envelope.; Toilet, porter, small help: EGP 10–30.
- Water
- Tap water is chlorinated in cities but most visitors drink bottled; do not drink Nile water.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels and restaurants; attendants at sites expect EGP 10–20. Carry tissue.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Dive entry (Orca Dive) | €10 |
| Snorkel equipment rental (Orca Dive) | €5.5 |
| Taxi from Hurghada Airport (≈45 km (28 mi))Taxi from Hurghada Airport (≈28 mi (45 km)) | EGP 300–400 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HRG · Hurghada International Airport
- —
Typical fares
- Hurghada Airport → Soma Bay (taxi)
- about EGP 300–400, 45–65 min (check)
- Free shuttle bus (hotel‑to‑hotel)
- no charge, runs every 15 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walking is easy; a free shuttle bus links all hotels, the golf course, spa and water‑sports centres.
See and do
Known for
- Diving and snorkeling
- Golf
- Kitesurfing and sailing
- Thalassotherapy spa
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monasteries of St. Paul and St. Anthony | Taxi or private transfer, about 45 min each way | ≈1 h 30 min round trip |
| Roman ruins of Mons Porphyrites and Mons Claudianus | Guided tour by hotel, 1 h drive each | ≈2 h total |
| Fortress of El‑Quseir | Taxi, 30 min each way | ≈1 h |
| Wadi Hammamat | Private 4×4 tour, 1 h each way | ≈2 h |
Sleep
- Sheraton Soma Bay
- Pharaonic architecture, central pool, private beach.
- Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay
- Moorish‑fortress style, extensive pools and lagoons.
- Robinson Club
- Family‑friendly, water‑sports focus, large beach.
- The Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge
- Budget‑friendly for divers, kite‑surfers, sea‑view rooms.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | عفوًاʿafwan |
| Thank you | شكرًاshukran |
| How much is it? | بكم هذا؟bikam hādhā? |
| Can I pay by card? | هل يمكن الدفع بالبطاقة؟hal yumkin al‑dafʿ bil‑bitaqa? |
| Where is the toilet? | أين الحمام؟ayn al‑ḥammām? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Salam alaykum', handshake; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Hugging strangers
- Eating: Right hand; accept tea; avoid: Refusing hospitality flatly
- Bargaining: Humour and patience; avoid: Anger
- Dress: Shoulders and knees covered in cities; avoid: Beachwear outside resorts
- Baksheesh: Keep small notes ready; avoid: Showing a thick wallet
- Photos: Ask; pay if agreed; avoid: Photographing police or military
Scams and watch-outs
- Entry requires a QR code from your hotel or activity provider; confirm before travel.
- No public bus reaches the resort; use hotel transfer, taxi or private shuttle.
- Check the exact fare for private transfers; rates vary by vehicle type.
Soma Bay is generally safe for tourists; the main risk is the private‑resort entry system—ensure you have a confirmed booking and QR code before arrival.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Soma Bay yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Diving and snorkeling
- Golf
- Kitesurfing and sailing
- Thalassotherapy spa
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Soma Bay official site: somabay.com/
- Wikivoyage: Soma Bay, revision 5340301 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5340301
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/soma-bay). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.