Soma Bay

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Soma Bay

Soma Bay ( Arabic خليج سومة باي Chalīǧ Sōma Bāi  'Sōma Bay Bay') is an Egyptian bay and one on the Ras Abu Soma headland ( Arabic رأس أبو سومة Raʾs Abū Sōma  'Abū-Sōma-Kap') and a tourist destination along the bayon the Red Sea . It is located around 50 kilometers south of Hurghada and around 15 kilometers north of Safaga , and belongs to the Safaga district in the governorate of al-Bahr al-ahmar .

There are several hotels on Soma Bay, the centerpiece is the self-contained resort of the same name on the peninsula, which is colloquially also called Soma Bay . The Ras Abu Soma peninsula, which is around ten square kilometers in size, is around five kilometers long and two kilometers wide. It was originally the habitat of numerous rare bird species and turtles, among others. The resort's tourist offerings focus on scuba diving , golf , windsurfing , kite surfing and wellness .

The coral reefs close to the beach in the bay and the fringing reef are known for their biodiversity and are regularly visited by several diving boats.

tourism

There are several hotels on Soma Bay. The centerpiece is the self-contained resort on the Ras Abu Soma peninsula .

Marina Marsa Tubya
Footbridge over the reef roof

The resort, which was built in 1996 and developed and developed by the Egyptian Abu Soma Developing Company based in Cairo, consists of five hotels designed for high to highest demands. It has a marina ( Marsa Tubya , opened in 2010), a kitesurf station, diving centers and a golf course .

One of the hotels ( The Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge , four stars, opened in 2010) is operated by the Egyptian development company Abu Soma Developing Company . Two five-star hotels are operated by the US company Starwood Hotels & Resorts under the brands Westin Hotels & Resorts (The Westin Soma Bay Golf Resort & Spa) and Sheraton (Sheraton Soma Bay Resort) . One five-star hotel is operated by the European luxury hotel chain Kempinski (Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay) and one by the TUI subsidiary Robinson Club (Robinson Club Soma Bay) .

The Westin is connected the Wellness Center The Cascades Spa & Thalasso Soma Bay and the the South African professional golfer Gary Player -designed, challenging 18-hole golf course The Cascades , including 9-hole short course and driving range . The golf course is u. a. a venue for the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup (since 2016) and national championships. Both facilities are open to all guests of the resort.

The outer edge of the fringing reef can be reached via a 420 meter long jetty that leads from the Orca Dive Club , which opened in 2007, over the reef roof in the south of the peninsula . From there you can dive or snorkel at the so-called house reef, for example .

In the bay and along the headland there are several diving spots , such as the Ras Abu Soma and Ras Abu Soma Garden , which are regularly visited by various diving boats.

Infrastructure

Electricity is generated by a local power plant. Drinking water is obtained through a seawater desalination plant . Two different technologies are used for this, conventional vacuum evaporation and the much more modern reverse osmosis . Wastewater is treated on site and used for watering plants. There is a gas station on the northern edge of the peninsula.

The peninsula is accessible from coastal highway 24 by a seven-kilometer private road. The Hurghada airport is 45 kilometers away (60 kilometers or 70 minutes by road).

Web links

Wikivoyage: Soma Bay  Travel Guide

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Soma Bay . In: Jürgen Stryjak: Marco Polo travel guide Red Sea, Sinai . 4th edition. Mair Dumont, Ostfildern 2013, ISBN 978-3-8297-2590-3 , pp. 84-85.
  2. ↑ Carina Wernig: New sports hotel with house reef: Red Sea - paradise for divers . In: RP Online , August 8, 2010, accessed April 1, 2017.
  3. ↑ Reinhold Schnupp: Egypt - Soma Bay and the evergreen golf oasis . In: Welt Online , April 7, 2010, accessed April 1, 2017.
  4. ^ Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup also in Egypt . In: Golfsportmagazin.de , May 2, 2016, accessed April 1, 2017.
  5. ↑ Soma Bay - Golf on the Red Sea . In: Golfpost.de , accessed on April 1, 2017 (picture gallery with subtitles).
  6. ↑ Sascha Tegtmeyer: Anniversary party: Orca Dive Clubs celebrates ten years in Soma Bay . In: diving.de , February 19, 2017, accessed April 1, 2017.

Coordinates: 26 ° 50 ′ 50 ″  N , 33 ° 59 ′ 26 ″  E