Our opinion
The Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay shimmers over the Red Sea like the mirage of Moorish fortress and borders one of the most stunning sandy beaches on the Red Sea.
Hotel description
Shimmering over the Red Sea like a mirage of a Moorish fortress The Kempinski Hotel opened in 2009 to excited acclaim. Situated at the heart of the exclusive Soma Bay resort, the Kempinski sits in a beautifully panoramic position on the Soma Bay peninsula, gazing back across the bay to the Red Sea mountains beyond. Criss-crossing an amazing myriad of pools, waterfalls and lagoons, this is a magical resort with one of the most stunning sandy beaches on the Red Sea. Continuing the Moorish theme, rooms at The Kempinski Soma Bay are rich in Oriental touches, with arch windows in the bathrooms, and warm, sun-baked terracotta décor connecting you to the desert beyond. Simultaneously modern, with free WiFi and 37” Plasma TVs, all rooms have spacious balconies or terraces, and can be connected to form 3-bed rooms that are perfect for families with small children. Families will also appreciate The Kempinski’s Children’s Club, with activities indoor and out for children aged 4 to 12. A Mecca for divers and snorkellers, the Red Sea shelters an extraordinarily colourful underwater world, with the hotel’s PADI dive school superbly set up for snorkelers and divers of all standards, from those wanting to learn, to those already qualified to dive the nearby sites of Safaga. Considerably quieter than most other Red Sea Scuba spots, this beautiful region is still littered with drop-offs and wrecks, coral gardens and a profusion of sealife, including sharks and eagle rays, moray eels and turtles. For snorkelers, just swimming along from the hotel jetty produces breathtaking results. Above water, The Kempinski has an excellent watersports centre, as well, while away from the beach, guests can play tennis, squash and golf at the Gary Player designed Cascades Golf and Country Club. If all that sounds too much like hard work, The Kempinski has a health club and spa, as well as one of the best Thalassotherapy centres on the Red Sea – or you could just watch the sun turn the mountains a deep-fired red, as you sit in one of the hotel’s three bars, sipping sunset cocktails on plump, seraglio-style cushions. Dining at The Kempinski is everything you’d expect it to be, with four superb restaurants offering a rich variety of dishes, both indoors and out, from Middle-Eastern and Asian Bamboo Shoot, to Italian and Oriental. A spectacular resort offering typically warm Egyptian hospitality, The Kempinski Soma Bay is the bright new star on the Red Sea coast.
Distance from airport
45 minutes
Room types
325 garden and sea-view rooms and suites.
All rooms are air-conditioned, with balcony or terrace, telephone, TV, safe, minibar, and private bathroom.
Hotel facilities and services
Four restaurants, 3 bars, Gym, Sauna, Beauty & Wellness centre, Spa, Children’s club (4-12 years), Watersports centre, 4 floodlit clay tennis courts, PADI dive school, 18-hole championship golf course, Gift shop, 24-hour room service, dry-cleaning and laundry service, free WiFi access in all public areas and rooms, 24-hour Business Centre, Butler service on request, Concierge, One main outdoor freshwater pool (heated), 1 family pool, 1 heated children’s pools and an almost endless network of swimming pool channels and canals weaving around the resort.; in addition there is an open-air Jacuzzi.The resort is situated on a powder-soft, bone-white beach, with beach beds and umbrellas free of charge.
Water sports
Watersports including diving, sailing, windsurfing, waterskiing, jetskiing, kitesurfing - all chargeable. Must be at least 8 years of age for ‘Bubblemaker’ dive, 10 years for PADI Open Water course, and 12 years for Discover Scuba one-off dive.
Land sports
Golf, tennis, squash - all chargeable. Use of gym is complimentary. Joggers can follow a jogging track running around the resort.
Out and aboutnearby/local interest
Situated on the Soma Peninsula, surrounded virtually everywhere you look by sea, the water at The Kempinski Soma Bay is the almost irresistible draw, and the hotel can arrange an array of excursions to get you sailing on it, snorkelling around it, or diving under it. That said, the desert beyond the Red Sea hills is a fascinating, stark alternative, and the hotel offers half- and full-day desert safaris by camel, 4x4 or quad bike. Soma Bay is also an excellent base for visiting the Nile Valley, with Luxor’s staggering Valley of Kings only a three-hour drive from the hotel. Highlights for families include snorkelling on the spectacular house reef just beside the jetty. Or a Bubblemaker dive (ages 8+), where kids get to breath underwater. The Valley of the Kings (240km) is also a massive hit with kids: mummies, pharaohs, it’s a long day but they love it. Excursions from here include Luxor, Nile Valley, Sailing, Boat trips or embark on a desert safari by camel, jeep or quad bike, all arranged by the hotel for a charge.
Children
Children are not allowed in the Spa.