Friday March 29th, 2024
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Get Gnarly on Nuweiba's Shores at Sayadeen Village

If Nuweiba is like a desert island then Sayadeen Village is like if the Swiss Family Robinson made a hotel, bringing in just that touch of greenery and modernity to Nuweiba's natural rustic charm.

Mariam Zakzouk

Get Gnarly on Nuweiba's Shores at Sayadeen Village

Nuweiba - located at the Gulf of Aqaba in Egypt’s Southern Sinai - is isolated in the best possible way, like a deserted island that you don’t mind mooring up to. It’s easy to get caught up in that feeling with its beaches and reefs, its umbrellas covered in palm leaves and the mountain range forming a natural wall between you and the startlingly blue shores. If Nuweiba is like a desert island then Sayadeen Village is like if the Swiss Family Robinson made a hotel, bringing in just that touch of greenery and modernity to make you comfortable without taking you out of Nuweiba’s charming beachside manner.


Built in 1985 by former president Mubarak, King Hussein of Jordan and Sultan Qaboos of Oman, the three-star hotel was largely popular until the mid-nineties when it unfortunately had to be sold off in an auction. Sami Soliman’s family bought the rundown hotel, re-vamped it and opened it back up to the public. Since then,  the hotel has become a go-to for many of its visitors, some coming up to six times a year.


“Our ‘luxury’ isn’t in the typical design of the place but rather the atmosphere that we maintain,” owner Sami Soliman tells SceneTraveller. “Our staff is highly attentive, they’re highly scored in most of our ratings, most guests comment on the friendly approach and the sense of being at a family’s place. We also take care to engage the local community, we organize shows by a bedouin band to come and perform for the guests, and invite small women entrepreneurs to sell their handmade works.”


As a cross between a hotel and a camp, Sayadeen Village stuck with a minimalistic approach to design, staying true to the Nuweiba ‘vibe’ and just adding their services, such as housekeeping, transportation, ACs and private toilets. Nuweiba is more about being rustic than luxurious, and that’s very much to its benefit. It has one of the cleanest air quality indexes in Egypt and the view from the coast line gives you an irreplaceable view of the mountains of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. You’re also close to St. Catherine, a town and mountain of religious significance, as well as safari spots such as the White Canyon and Wadi Weshwash. 


“Lots of people are surprised when I say this but Sayadeen is really open for a variety of people,” Soliman adds. “We get solo travelers that want to disconnect from the city life, families with young kids and groups of friends traveling together. The vibe is friendly and many guests end up befriending other guests too, which I believe reflects the easy going atmosphere we have.”


The hotel has a beach bar and restaurant that serves drinks -alcoholic and non, shisha, and food all day long. As for activities, they have a beach volleyball area, kayaks, and snorkeling. You can organize diving trips, safari trips, and outings to nearby hotspots like St. Catherine. 


The price to stay at Sayadeen Village starts at around EGP 1,700 per night. To book, you can text Sayadeen Village through their Instagram account at @sayadeenvillage, or email themat reservations@sayadeenvillage.com.