The course – El Gouna Golf Club – was designed by Gene Bates and Fred Couples and opened in 1999. It’s an 18-hole par 72 stretching to just over 6,200 metres from the back tees, with six tee options on every hole, so you can play it as a stiff test or a holiday round. Lagoons come into play on most holes, the Red Sea Mountains sit on the horizon, and the Seashore Paspalum fairways and greens hold up well in the heat. The signature 17th is a long par 5 hugging the water – it’ll either save your round or sink it. A maximum handicap of 45 applies from October to April.

The resort itself has been fully renovated in recent years. Architect Michael Graves gave the buildings a Nubian feel – arched windows, domed ceilings, warm earth tones – and the 268 rooms and 58 suites look out over the lagoon, gardens, pools or course. There are three swimming pools (one heated in winter), a kids’ pool, a private lagoon beach and a spa. Dining covers most bases: Fairways for the daily buffet, La Rotisserie for à la carte international, Harumaki for Japanese, and Lagoon Terrasse for something lighter. El Gouna itself is a purpose-built resort town just north of Hurghada, with a marina full of restaurants and bars, six miles of beach, and easy access to diving, kitesurfing and desert excursions. A complimentary boat shuttle links the hotel directly to the golf clubhouse.