SURF, TURF & TENNIS IN SOMABAY
You know when you are getting close to Somabay, a series of vibrant billboards line the road with the slogans - “Love Sport, Live Soma”, “Love Turtles, Live Soma”- one after another they continue “Love Osprey, Golf, Learning”! All, a welcoming hint at the diverse experiences awaiting within this expansive ten-square-kilometre peninsula, along Egypt’s stunning Red Sea.
As a prominent sports travel destination, sporting activities were paramount during my stay. Especially with the introduction of the S-Tennis Academy and The Kaktus Hotel & Co-Working Hub, which both opened this year and was now hosting Somabay’s first-ever ATP Tennis Challenger 50 tournament.
Upon arrival, I was greeted by the sight of twelve international-standard hard courts aglow with floodlights. Professional players were practicing under the watchful gaze of the team behind the academy, run by Hend Eissa, Mohammed Safwat - the current Egyptian Davis Cup Captain and Gilbert Schaller - former Austrian Davis Cup Captain, both ex-pros with distinguished careers. The anticipation in the air was palpable.
The Kaktus Hotel & Co-Working Hub
The Kaktus Hotel’s façade is enlivened by colourful murals adding much energy, alongside its earthy tones which evoke the surrounding landscape. Checking-in, the hotel was emphasising its identity as a sports and lifestyle hub, as the reception buzzed with bronzed athletes and tennis bags, all in view of the tennis courts.
The lobby oozes modern design, with plenty of comfy seating to perch with a laptop or a more formal co-working space, located directly on the floor above the lobby, ideal for digital nomads looking to work remotely.
Beyond the reception desks, the arms of the hotel wrap themselves around a central pool area, beside which sits the bar, restaurant and outdoor deck, the hotel’s unofficial social meeting point.
Corridors feature 'Malqaf' windows, a sort of windcatcher which enhances natural air-flow whilst framing picturesque views of the pool or mountains. The far end of one corridor led to the fitness studio where a handful of tennis players were already warming-down after practise.
My room was spacious and continued the sleek décor, with smart TV, chaise-lounge, balcony and a king-sized bed, fit to flop-on after any tennis classes, coaching and matches.
Outside of elite tournaments, the hotel and courts are very much geared-up for amateur clubs and individuals wanting to improve their tennis skills. The courts and modernist club house count the Red Sea Mountains as their spectacular backdrop.
This certainly set the scene for some high-level competition, with the sunken courts shielding against Hurghada’s desert breeze and the tiered courtside seating creating an amphitheatre for gladiatorial rivalries either side of the net.
Exploring Somabay
The ATP Challenger Somabay brought together young British tennis talent, who excitedly faced-off against contenders from Europe and the United States. The S-Academy buzzed with activity as ball boys rushed between courts to relieve sun-soaked colleagues, and spectators were drawn courtside, revelling in their close proximity to the action.
In between tennis matches, the turquoise shoreline has a magnetising pull towards it, whether to relax at a beach club under a reed-grass parasol or discovering your inner Jacques Cousteau below the wave line.
Even the Gary Player-designed PGA course, includes holes hugging the coastline, allowing for glimpses of marine life through crystalline waters and the terracotta-coloured architecture of the five-Star Cascades Golf Resort & Spa, a welcome sight for players striding up to the 18th green. Waiting for golfers is Cascade's Eagles Nest Bar and Spa Zone, with renowned hydrotherapy treatments promising total relaxation in a series of salty pools.
Life below the waves
After experiencing the manicured fairways of the Par-three, nine-hole course, I took my hired golf-car towards the eastern end of the bay, where the 'Jetty Hub' awaited. The route presented the 'Sports Arena', with its Olympic-sized pool and football academy offering year-round training camps which compliment a running track, gym, squash, padel and even a duo of grass tennis courts.
Nearby, 'The Marina' serves as the start point for a 5km pedestrian promenade, lined with luxury yachts bobbing gently in the surf and overlooked by artisan boutiques, charming restaurants and cafes.
Beyond, the promenade meanders beside the palm-fringed, sandy coastline passing the five-star Kempinski, Robinson and Sheraton hotels to finally reach the ‘Jetty Hub’; this popular snorkel and dive site, sits opposite the Orca-dive club and Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge.
Snaking 1km into the sea, I walked along the wood-slatted pier as fish darted beneath my feet, feeding off the coral before disappearing from view. At the jetty’s end, I descended the semi-submerged ladder into the sea with my mask, snorkel and dive buddy ‘Schocko’.
With calm precision he pointed-out a range of fish with kaleidoscopic luminosity or those camouflaged on the sea-floor, whilst below me divers appeared from the murkier depths, their air bubbles rising to the surface like shoals of jelly fish.
Eventually, Schocko pointed back to the jetty, my mask breaking the surface again to see the sun glinting from the crest of waves. With the taster session around the house reef complete, it was time to snorkel the 'Seven Pillars' coral reef sculptures far out to sea.
Reefs, Sunsets and Stables
Slipping from the bow of the Yacht into the open sea, I was instantly mesmerized by the barracudas hovering above the 'Seven Pillars' coral structures, as fish darted around in all directions. Then without any preparation or introduction, a family of turtles glided gracefully below me, a fabulous reminder of the vast array of marine species thriving in the Red Sea. Cousteau would have been proud.
Back onboard, and with legs dangling over the side, the daily ritual of watching the sun set and drop gently behind the Red Sea Mountains is one that people have been enjoying for millennia. With the sea lapping the hull and feeling the suns fading, warm embrace, I and the boat skipper Ibrahim, sat contentedly for a few hypnotic minutes.
In fact, Somabay has several ways to admire one of the world’s most breathtaking sunsets before a starry night arrives. I took to the beach with a bean-bag on the sand and sipped a cocktail on the balcony of ‘SoBar’ in the heart of the Marina, but the ultimate way I experienced the sun sinking towards the mountainous horizon was on horseback.
On a quieter stretch of beach, my trusted steed galloped towards the suns mellowing rays before slowing to trot gently through the shoreline waters as the sky blazed with deep orange tones. Fellow horse riders were silhouetted against the saffron-coloured scenery before we made our way back to the Jasmine Stables.
On the day of my departure, two British players had reached the ATP Challenger tournament finals. The climax of the event could not have been poised better, as I once again passed the billboards beyond the main gate and all I could think of was a new slogan.
“Lived Soma. Loved Soma. Returning to Soma”.
