El Gouna Times - Red Sea

Best Choice! by El Gouna Times

Hotels
Check Hotel Availability Now

Masterplan June 2007 (Click to zoom)

Hubert and the El Gouna Times have left El Gouna, but for the interested visitor we have put together a list of the best services in town. Allthough this (personal) list is not complete, it will certainly help you to enjoy your stay at the most in El Gouna, Red Sea, Egypt.

Best Taxi Service: TAXI MINA

Taxi Mina: confirms your call by sms, was always on time and their drivers speak english very well:
call: 0020 12 7340369 or 012 7340369

Hotels
Check Hotel Availability Now

Best Diving Centre in El Gouna: DIVE CONNECTION

The Dive Connection is the newest dive centre located in the Panorama Bungalows Resort in El Gouna, Egypt. Nikolai Baumann and Andrea Schubert, both from Germany, run the centre. Nikolai (Niko) has 30 years of diving experience and is already working as a PADI Course Director and Tec Instructor Trainer and has spent 8 years in El Gouna’s waters. Andrea with 12 years diving experience has spent 3 years as a guide on yachts exploring the Red Sea, before deciding to settle down as a PADI Instructor in El Gouna in 2001. The Dive Connection gets the benefit of Niko and Andrea’s longtime El Gouna experience. They offer first class service in diving and water-sports.
Ask for Mike Savelberg as your preferred Dive Instructor.
Website at: www.diveconnection.com

Best Things to do in El Gouna

Besides snorkling and scuba diving, we prefer WEBCAM Kitesurfing, Horse Riding at Yalla Stable, Water Ski with Chris, Catamaran with Han at Mövenpick beach, drive Go Cart behind Rihana and get a suntan at one of the beaches before shopping at the Revolver (Marina), Bollywood (Marina) or at 1000 Wishes (Tammr Henna).

Best Meals, not to be missed!

Jobo’s, Tammr Henna:
try the Planksteak before playing a snooker party.

El Taybeen, Downtown:
Filet with mushroom sauce, the best sauce in town!

Foul House, Downtown, (next to Ebeid Supermarket):
the real Egyptian fool food at incredible low prices!

Vienna Cafe, also called Cafe Servus at Tammr Henna:
a warm welcome, best Coffee with pancakes and the best Ice Cream.

Maritim, Marina:
the Fishplank with smashed potatoes are my number one!

Thomas, Marina:
best pizza in town, (ask for the crispy vesion!)

Le Deauville, Marina:
the Crevettes in Pernod are superbe!

Moods, Marina:
my personal choice here is the Alexandrian Liver

Best Transportation around El Gouna:

TokTok (local Extension 2338): 5 LE per person per ride
If 3 or more persons, however, a TAXI costs you the same: 15 LE per ride for 3 or 4 persons and you are out of the wind (especially important during colder winter season)!
Shuttle Bus: 15 LE per person for a weekly ticket
Lagoon Trip by boat: tickets at the Info Centre: 30 LE per person
(watch the changing times due to high tide)

I’ve been urged to stop my activities as editor of the El Gouna Times for the sake of my health. Therefore, I’m sorry to announce that the El Gouna Times Online Magazine will be no longer updated and our forum has been removed from this website.

The last two years I’ve spend nearly 10 months in El Gouna. And like many others, I felt in love with this special resort. During this time, I’ve met a lot of wonderful passionate people in El Gouna who are willing to let you feel at home and make your holidays to an unforgettable experience at a reasonable price. A warm thank you to all of them, without trying to name everybody in person. Hope to see you around during my next visit to El Gouna!

As a tribute to El Gouna, the nearly 700 articles, comments and reports and the over 5,000 pictures I’ve taken in El Gouna will remain online for the time to come. Please feel free to stroll through the links in the menu to the right to learn about this wonderful resort at the Red Sea in Egypt. One good advice to everybody who comes for the first time to El Gouna: don’t forget to climb the top of the Hill next to Mövenpick to view the results of what the founder of El Gouna had in mind when starting to create this resort, way back in the nineties.

For future permanent residents I would like to recommend to stay here first several weeks by renting an appartment or a villa (see our section: classified ads) and take your time to discover by yourself how daily life in El Gouna is. Even if the sun is shining every day here, living and working in El Gouna and in Egypt is still different from the European way of life. Talk with neighbours who live already here, and compare your expectations with theirs. A good starting point to exchange ideas with residents via the Internet is the Yahoo Group for El Gouna Residents (see our section: El Gouna Weblinks).

I want also to thank the Management of Orascom Hotels & Development for the clear insight in the way how they are running the El Gouna Resort in the middle of the desert in an unforgettable manner. Updated information will be available at their official website at www.elgouna.com.

And to everybody: have fun in El Gouna!

Hubert

Dear Gounies,

In order to make your internal communication within El gouna much easier, we would like to provide you with the following information:-

El Gouna internal lines are divided through two main central exchanges,(PBX):

-THE FIRST EXCHANGE: is for all El Gouna zones except phases 1,2,3,& 4, Golf area and the West Golf area. All El Gouna zones can reach each other directly without dialing any prefix to the extension number. The operator can be reached by dialing 0.
However, to reach the areas that are connected to the second exchange, (as noted above), you should dial 708 as a prefix.

-THE SECOND EXCHANGE: covers the phases 1,2,3,&4, Golf area and West Golf, owners in these areas can reach each other directly without any prefix .
Owners in phases 1,2,3,&4 should dial 581 as a prefix to any extensions in order to reach the areas in the first exchange. For the operator in the second exchange, please dial 5810.

For Golf, and West Golf owners, in order to reach the extensions in the first exchange dial 580 as a prefix. The operator is available on 5800.

We hope this information is clear and it will make communication easier for you.

If you still have any enquiries, please don’t hesitate to contact The Customer Service Department.

With best wishes,

Customer Service Department.
Ext. 4455 or 4466