Siwan Eco-Lodge Adrère Amellal is Landing in Egypt’s Ras El Hekma

As Egypt’s almost-year-round sunny season pulls us away from our glowing screens of endless emails and thrusts us onto a sandy stretch of beach on the North Coast with the promise of salty air, the sizzling sun and the siren song of the magical Mediterranean, the ‘finer things in life’ lovers among us are faced with an extreme case of choice paralysis. Upscale resorts, global hotels, lavish cabanas — the sumptuous options are endless, catering to a specific sort of sojourner, the type to scour the shores for seemingly never-ending Ibiza parties, any restaurant with the word ‘fusion’ in it and shops of the ‘pop-up’ or ‘boutique’ variety. 

Yet, for some of us, a strong yearning has been bubbling right beneath the surface, a nostalgic pull towards the simple, serene and secluded, concepts that exist in a realm far removed from the successive stimulation of massive Thursday concerts, beachside Friday festivals, and Saturday cabana parties. And just for this group of ‘silent sunsets by the beach’ appreciators, MARAKEZ – the Egypt-based real estate developer – has decided to stray away from the North Coast (or, locally, ‘Sahel’) sumptuousness we’ve come to know, love and seek out and, instead, has shifted its focus towards Siwan sustainability. 

More specifically, MARAKEZ has announced it will be the first to play host to one of the world’s most celebrated eco-lodges, which will soon (as early as the summer of 2027) be housed within Ramla, the local developer’s signature North Coast project, in Ras El Hekma — the illustrious Adrère Amellal. 

Founded by Dr. Mounir Neamatalla in 2000 within the Siwa Oasis, Adrère Amellal has been the topic of elite and exclusive conversations since its inception, owing to its earth-inspired design that echoes the enveloping desertscape and its core ethos that revolves around electricity-free – and by extension, worry-free – living. 

So much so that its salt rock and clay halls have been graced with the presence of some of the world’s most well-known figures, from King Charles and Queen Camilla to the eternally entrancing Isabella Rossellini. 

Similarly, Adrère Amellal ‘The Ramla Nature Lodge’ will infuse its 71 rooms and suites with this award-winning, nature-centric and modernity-free philosophy, imagining a North Coast that’s a lot more anchored to the ocean as a natural wonder and a lot less fascinated with it as a breathtaking backdrop. 

“By honouring our rich heritage and forging deep connections with our environment and the communities we cherish, we can conjure magical experiences,” Dr. Mounir Neamatalla, Visionary Environmentalist and Founder of Adrère Amellal, shares with SceneTraveller. “The introduction of Adrère Amellal to Ramla is not just a milestone, it is an enchanting opportunity to share our sustainable luxury ethos with a wider audience, while preserving authenticity and exclusivity for our guests.” 

Dr. Neamatalla’s vision of an effortless interplay between the mindfully man-made and the natural  is architecturally manifested in the form of building blocks made of natural materials, four massage rooms, a meditation room for yoga, a sea-water pool complemented by a lap pool, a sauna that incorporates woodfire burning methods, and four sensory enhancement rooms with ‘float island’ saltwater pools, offering a triadic experience of timelessness, weightlessness and quietness. 

Alongside the rejuvenating corners of this oasis on the coast, we can also expect a culinary journey of the most diverse cuisines with quaint eateries sprinkled throughout the beachfront eco-lodge. 

"At MARAKEZ, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of development by creating spaces that are not only luxurious, but also deeply rooted in sustainability and community,” Dasha Badrawi, MARAKEZ's Executive Vice-Chairman, tells SceneTraveller “The Adrère Amellal hotel at Ramla is a testament to our dedication to crafting unique experiences which resonate with international travellers and Egyptians alike.” 

And that full immersion into nature and culture of which they both speak, the one that harkens back to an era devoid of whizzing cars and mountainous skyscrapers, can be sought out and basked in not just during the June/July/August season but throughout the entire year, including as a stopover on the way to the original Adrère Amellal.