Few words can paint a more heartwarming image during winter than ‘island’ and ‘getaway’. Tawila Island, the once deserted island in the Red Sea, is a perfect embodiment of that image. Approximately 24 km off the coast of El Gouna in Egypt, the island has seen a flock of modern developments arrive to its shore, catering to kite surfers and wanderers who seek its surreal beaches and crystal-clear waters.

Now, the remote island is receiving its own luxury hotel. Created by Dubai-based design practice JT & Partners, the Tawila Island Resort is a massive hospitality project featuring pyramid-inspired forms covered in sustainable materials, water bungalows offering fair fabrics and natural cane in their interiors, and an unparalleled intimacy with the Red Sea. With a portfolio covering a wide range of projects, JT & Partners arrived at the shores of Tawila with experience in island resorts, having previously designed the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on an artificial island in Abu Dhabi.

Journey by boat should take just under an hour. Closing in on the island, the first feature that appears is the main arrival building, which centres the Tawila Island Resort’s many beaches. “It features a 35-metre high structure that is partially covered by locally sourced thatch,” the architects explain in the project’s description. The straw-like material wraps the structure, intended to act as an abstracted resemblance of Egyptian pyramids.

The central building hosts the main public facilities, while strips of water bungalows expand into the Red Sea - one of which functions as a spa to present visitors with a portal into cloud nine. Staff accommodation, sewage treatment plants, and a desalination plant are the main infrastructure components that allow the resort to function remotely.

Meanwhile, organic landscapes enclose the project to further disconnect it from the world. “The project’s aim was to create a five-star resort in the Northern Islands of Hurghada, Tawila Island, that would set the benchmark in the region in terms of resort experience,” according to the project description. With phases in the resort completed, visitors have already begun flocking to its extremely instagrammable bungalows.

Covering 17,254 sqm of area, the logistics required to construct a resort on a remote uninhabited island present quite the challenge. Yet the choice of sourcing local materials and relying on lightweight and easy to assemble structural systems reduced the amount needed to complete the project. The Tawila Island Resort features 91 beachfront bungalows, 14 water bungalows and a presidential suite, along with all-day dining, a signature speciality restaurant, pools, kids club, gym, private beaches, pool bar, and retail and event spaces.