The North Coast’s Newest Stay Is a Sculpted Boulder on Egypt’s Med

The newest arrival to Egypt’s north coast comes without spectacle. At the far end of Almaza Bay, past a gated checkpoint and down a stretch of manicured road, Sakhra Hotel & Spa stands in soft contrast to the sea. The building’s lines are clean, almost monastic. Low-rise, whitewashed, flanked by palms and scrub, it faces out toward a private sweep of beach carved into the crescent-shaped bay.

There is no cityscape to speak of. A few roads, the flattened coast, and, in the distance, Marsa Matrouh—some thirty minutes west. What surrounds the hotel is mostly quiet. On either side, other resorts line the same stretch, though each holds its own perimeter. Sakhra feels slightly apart, positioned further east than most, and edged by open sand on one side. Behind it, the terrain rises just slightly before fading into desert.

The hotel spans 257 rooms and suites, all arranged along structured, horizontal rows that slope gently toward the sea. Rooms are light, uniform, and measured. The design leaves little room for excess, but the layout is deliberate. Terraces face the sea or the gardens. Inside, marble floors, deep white linens, and polished surfaces echo the broader aesthetic of the hotel—pared down, even serene. Private villas come with their own pools, tucked quietly away from the main flow of movement.

At the centre of the property lies a long infinity pool, framed by palm trees and reflecting, in its stillness, the pale stone architecture around it. Elsewhere, a collection of adult-friendly outdoor pools and a heated indoor pool (used during winter) offer variation without disruption. A children’s pool sits just off the main walkway, near the Jazy Kids Club, which runs summer-long programmes shared with the neighboring JAZ Almaza Beach. The kids’ playground, animation team, and a full calendar of supervised activities offer younger guests a steady flow of games, crafts, and outdoor fun.

Tennis courts—softly lit for evening matches—and a tucked-away padel court sit behind the main buildings. A mini-golf course, bocce, beach volleyball, darts, and table tennis are woven subtly into the resort’s edges—present, but never insistent. The beach, cordoned off from its neighbors, opens gradually into the water, the sand a pale beige that runs nearly white in the afternoon light.

Dining is split across five outlets, including a main buffet and three à la carte restaurants—Baia (Italian), Yume (Asian), and the beachfront Ondas, which serves Mediterranean-inspired dishes. All are accessible by reservation. The food service rotates across breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with three bars spread across the hotel for in-between hours.

While the atmosphere remains subdued, the scale of the operation is apparent: a gym equipped for both cardio and strength training, spa access through the nearby Mividaspa, and a full suite of concierge services, all carried out with quiet efficiency.

Though Sakhra belongs to a larger planned community, its edges remain pleasingly undefined. The road out of the resort fades into flat open ground, the horizon running wide in both directions. No fanfare, no interruption. Just a new white shape by the water—designed not to rise above the landscape, but to sit within it.