Review: La Maison Bleue, El Gouna, Egypt

Why book?

For superior, year-round seaside fun in extraordinary surroundings accompanied by excellent food and a bespoke wellness offering.

Set the scene

This pastel-hued seaside palazzo was born of the friendship of three maverick personalities: owner Samih Sawiris, Africa’s most successful destination developer, acclaimed Franco-Egyptian architect Olivier Sednaoui, and inimitable interiors and antiques aficionado Amr Khalil. Between them they conjured its extraordinary Orientalist style, taking inspiration from Minoan murals, Ottoman and Byzantine palaces and Art Nouveau villas. Initial guests were Sawiris’ family and friends, who relished the chance to swap Cairo’s manic pace for regular forays to easygoing El Gouna for some sun, sea and light-hearted fun.

The aura of these happy holidays lingers in the hotel, which still feels like an intimate escape despite the vast volumes of its salons, galleries and loggias. That’s thanks to Khalil’s extravagant décor, which fills every nook and cranny with eclectic furniture and antiques, tasselled and devore fabrics, silk carpets, glittering glass chandeliers, inlaid marble floors and fireplaces, painted ceilings, bronze sculptures and gilt-framed period paintings. It’s certainly not what one might expect at the seaside, but it works like a dream to transport guests to a fantastical refuge.

The other notable aspect of La Maison Bleue is its team, headed up by stylish GM Jane Drotter. She previously ran Yard in Paris and worked with Michelin-starred Bruno Verjus at Table before arriving in El Gouna in 2024. She brings with her an indefinable savoir faire that has elevated every element of the service and naturally filters down to the charming, youthful team. Drotter works hand-in-hand with ebullient French chef Vincent Guillou, whose joie de vivre telegraphs the sunny flavours of his classic cooking. Circulating tables and catching up with guests at the poolside bar or as they head out for morning yoga or afternoon boat trips, the duo creates a relaxed and at-home atmosphere.

The backstory

Sawiris likes fishing – a lot. It was his love of both the sport and this scenic stretch of Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera with its multicoloured coral reefs and large dolphin pods that convinced him to create The Lagoon, El Gouna’s private community. It started casually enough in 1989 with a pontoon to moor boats and just 20 homes designed by international and local architects such as Michael Graves, Alfredo Freda and Ramy El Dahan. Soon enough El Gouna had become a sort of in-the-know Egyptian Hamptons beloved of well-off Cairenes.

By 2005 Sawiris was tired of hosting and toying with the idea of a hotel. Wanting to put El Gouna on the map, he turned to friends Sednaoui and Khalil, two headstrong visionaries whose creative differences meant the mansion took six years to complete. “I think I spent as much time mediating as we did building,” Sawiris tells me. But he adores the seaside folly they created and insisted that the look and feel not be altered one jot during the glow up the hotel had in 2024 when it joined Relais & Châteaux.

Meanwhile El Gouna continues to flourish with new marinas and residential neighbourhoods mushrooming across 20 interconnected islands like a Middle Eastern Miami. Some say it feels too curated, like a resort town – but Sawiris detests this description, shooting back, “What resort has a world-class hospital and a premier league football team?” There’s also a striking concert hall and plaza designed by Studio Seilern Architects where an annual Film Festival is hosted. Sawiris is right: El Gouna is not a resort. It’s Egypt’s most successful and sustainable Red Sea community, awarded Africa’s first UN-sponsored Global Green Town Award in 2014.

The rooms

The 13 suites are fabulous. They start at a mere 80m² – the size of a small London flat – and make their way up to a palatial 120m², topped by the blush-pink Tower Suite which has 16 windows offering 360° views of the Red Sea and Eastern Desert Mountains. Here a polite note informs guests that staff will hoist the heavy silk drapes to save them the half-hour it might take. Other suites come in peppermint green, lemon yellow and lavender blue and have arches and domed bathrooms. Five have frilly Ottoman balconies overlooking the pool and sea, while suites 1 and 2 are centred on private plunge pools. Two ground-floor suites come with direct access to the beach and a luxe double lounger by the hotel’s private lagoon.

The vast volumes of the rooms are softened by silk carpets, enormous emperor-sized beds, embroidered wall hangings, twinkling chandeliers and cheeky, well-stocked bars hidden in repurposed turn-of-the-century wardrobes. The space is well planned with discreet walk-in dressing rooms and lavish marble bathrooms with baths, separate shower rooms and his-and-hers Art Deco sinks supplied with organic Nefertari toiletries. Complimentary daily snacks are a nice touch, as are the free laundry and shoe shining services.

The food

Chef Vincent Guillou grew up in Brittany and loves the kind of honest, flavourful food that his native land is known for. But he’s also a devoted Egyptophile, having lived here for 40 years and previously run Cairo’s best-loved bistro. He learnt Arabic in the kitchen and downtown markets, so knows all the best suppliers and has first dibs on prime Red Sea grouper and Alexandrian shrimp and seabass.

When asked about the menu, he scoffs at descriptors such as “international”, “fusion” or “French-Egyptian”, insisting that he is simply a classically trained chef inspired to make great food with the best market produce. One day this might be Marseillais bouillabaisse, the next a country chicken with mouloukhiyya (jute mallow) and Egyptian rice, or maybe a slow-cooked lamb Navarin. The key is the ingredients, with a focus on vegetables – most of which come from organic producer O’Roots or the potager and hydroponic greenhouse. The latter makes a delightful setting for a chef's lunch of stunning salads and mozzarella made from the milk of Nile buffalo.

At the glamorous poolside bar Gerges concocts creative cocktails like the signature Gin Basil from garden herbs. He trained all the bartenders at Agouri, the best bar in nearby Fanadir Marina, where they serve La Maison Bleue’s own-brand Pisco. Wines, meanwhile, include the best Egyptian labels, Jardin du Nil and Beausoleil, both made using organic, locally grown grapes, while Château Byblos is made in El Gouna from Lebanese grapes. The emphasis is always on quality, organic, local produce, wherever it can be found. The hotel can also arrange visits to the winery.

The spa

At first sight the cute, domed spa looks modest, with just two treatment rooms and a traditional octagonal, marble-lined Turkish hammam with hot and cold plunge pools. But its position by the pool is pure genius. In the morning the doors are flung open, beckoning you in. A staff member by the pool is au fait with the diary and can make appointments at a moment’s notice. It’s also nice to nip into the hammam towards the end of the afternoon (no reservation required). Therapists Pa and Julia trained in Bali and Indonesia respectively and offer authentic techniques such as Thai stretching, hot stone and Icelandic brush massages, clay and algae detox facials and wraps and Ayurvedic and Chinese treatments. Sandy, meanwhile, leads complimentary yoga, pilates and movement sessions and coach Abdelrahman (an ex-professional basketball player) creates targeted training programmes that are a pleasure to undertake on the wooden platform over the lagoon. Many guests return time and again for regular fitness and detox holidays because they are so good.

The location

El Gouna lies 25km north of Hurghada International Airport. It’s also a 4.5-hour drive from Cairo and a four-hour drive from Luxor, which means it can easily be incorporated in a broader itinerary. Entering El Gouna you pass through a brief security check beyond which is a 10-hectare area of landscaped coastline made up of interlocking islands. It’s a geographic sweet spot where the temperature hovers between 20°C (63°F) and 33°C (91°F) year round, although spring and fall are prime time. While there are small man-made beaches – one of which is in front of La Maison Bleue – most of the action takes place on the water and the three marinas are packed with boat charters. Otherwise life revolves around the Downtown hub and the Abu Tig, Abydos and Fanadir marinas, the latter being a few minutes’ walk from the hotel. Nothing is more than 10 minutes away and you can get around by bike, electric tuk-tuk or taxi.

Service

One of the highlights of staying here is the ability of the 60-strong team to craft completely personalised packages, from fitness and wellness to food and activities. If you fancy a detox, Abdelrahman, Sandy and Vincent will create a holistic nutritional and fitness experience. Likewise you can spend a full week on the water with kitesurfing sessions, dives and boat trips all pre-booked. Or add in a bit of golf or horse riding. On arrival reception will connect via WhatsApp providing an easy and unfussy way to book spa treatments, dinners and taxis. And they really do go above and beyond. I somehow left most of my clothes on the boat only to have them returned – freshly laundered. La Maison Bleue also provides a supportive training environment for students from El Gouna’s German Hotel School, the only vocational academy of its kind in Egypt.

Eco effort

El Gouna was designed to have a self-sustaining eco-system and La Maison Bleue benefits from the town’s solar and wind energy infrastructure and recycled waste water system that provides irrigation for the golf course and farms, meaning the majority of the hotel’s food is produced locally. The hotel also has a reverse osmosis system to supply fresh water, eliminating the need for bottled water. Lighting and air conditioning are automatically activated to reduce energy consumption and local organic toiletries and artisanal products are championed in the shop.

Accessibility

The hotel can accommodate wheelchair users with half of the rooms accessible.

For families

This is a quiet, elegant place that is primarily an adults-only resort. However teenagers over 14 years old can be accommodated.

Anything else to mention?

The hotel is currently renovating a 22m-motorboat with three cabins and two large decks for seafaring adventures and picnics on deserted islands. Also due to open in October 2025 is an independent restaurant next door called Botanica. It will feature two large bars (indoors and outdoors) and a vibrant, vegetable-forward menu of mezze and fish. Perched at the edge of the water, it looks like it’s going to be a special place.