Welcome to El Gouna!
The El Gouna blog is written by Gounies, for Gounies, and beyond! The purpose of the blog is to share with residents and guests the latest news about our precious seaside town, and to share, to newcomers and future guests alike, the ‘El Gouna State of Mind’: a lifestyle that focuses on self-care, development, environmental awareness, sustainability, physical, mental, and emotional wellness, health, family, and community; in short, it is the embodiment of an ideal living experience. Events, activities, and the latest news in El Gouna will be featured on this blog to give you a glimpse of living life by the Red Sea. Want to know more? Begin by clicking here and start living the ‘El Gouna State of Mind’.
Contributors
Craig Botes
South African by birth, Craig Botes has traveled the world, living in many areas, absorbing the cultures and ways of different people. Travelling the world broadens the mind and Craig has learned the width and breadth of different cultures. Yet, he has decided
to make El Gouna his home due to the child friendly environment, lavish blue waters, and the wisdom of the desert beyond.
Ghada Amin
In 2006 Ghada moved to El Gouna along with her tiny family, which have now grown to be a family of five including three little native Gounie citizens. As a working mother, and a member of Orascom family for over 10 years, Ghada had the opportunity to enjoy a
360 degrees experience of what El Gouna and its community has to offer, and has fallen in love with this marvelous town she now calls home.
As a talented cook, and a devoted foodie, Ghada will be taking you on a journey through the town’s versatile restaurants, trying to unveil El Gouna’s culinary secrets, and letting you in on special yummy recipes from the different cuisines around El Gouna.
As a talented cook, and a devoted foodie, Ghada will be taking you on a journey through the town’s versatile restaurants, trying to unveil El Gouna’s culinary secrets, and letting you in on special yummy recipes from the different cuisines around El Gouna.
Hadeel El Deeb
She always had the dream to live by the sea, and in 2014 that dream became a beautiful reality when Hadeel and her husband started their life together as a married couple in El Gouna. In love with her surroundings and inspired by the town’s community living
, Hadeel picked up her pen again and started writing for El Gouna magazine, her own series of short stories, and now for Orascom Hotels blog.
Hadeel El Deeb graduated in 2004 from the American University in Cairo with a BA in Broadcast Journalism and has been working in Public Relations since then. She has experience working with hotels, law firms, luxury brands, music talents, and had started her own online magazine in 2013.
El Gouna has a very special place in Hadeel’s heart; it is where she first met her husband in 2009, started a life together five years after, watched her baby take her first steps in 2018, and where she learned a whole new side about herself with the new found love of water sports.
In April 2019, Hadeel and her husband left El Gouna to start a new adventure with their toddler in Muscat, Oman where she will continue to write and work on her first book to be published in the near future.
Hadeel El Deeb graduated in 2004 from the American University in Cairo with a BA in Broadcast Journalism and has been working in Public Relations since then. She has experience working with hotels, law firms, luxury brands, music talents, and had started her own online magazine in 2013.
El Gouna has a very special place in Hadeel’s heart; it is where she first met her husband in 2009, started a life together five years after, watched her baby take her first steps in 2018, and where she learned a whole new side about herself with the new found love of water sports.
In April 2019, Hadeel and her husband left El Gouna to start a new adventure with their toddler in Muscat, Oman where she will continue to write and work on her first book to be published in the near future.
jordan Fuller
"Jordan Fuller is a golf enthusiast and traveler, who is now mentoring and coaching his students. His passion for golf develops and turned him into a golf writer. He also owns a golf publication site: www.golfinfluence.com
, where he shares some tips and tricks on how to improve your game."
Kelly Bateman
Since her first visit to El Gouna, in 2005, Kelly dreamed of calling the town ‘home’. While studying for her BA in Marketing Management, Kelly worked as a freelance marketer, specialising in the sustainable growth of startups - by digitising services and
achieving excellence in communication through marketing and operations. She later studied education and was awarded a Professional Diploma by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, whilst working full-time as a marketer for both local and international technology companies.
In 2018, Kelly was inducted as a full-time Gounie, when she took up her post as Business and English teacher at the El Gouna International School, and has since vowed to never leave the town she dreamed of residing in for over a decade.
With a penchant for all things creative, Kelly spends her time painting and writing - composing poetry and creative short stories for a variety of audiences - as well as meditating, diving and fine-dining when rest and relaxation is required.
In 2018, Kelly was inducted as a full-time Gounie, when she took up her post as Business and English teacher at the El Gouna International School, and has since vowed to never leave the town she dreamed of residing in for over a decade.
With a penchant for all things creative, Kelly spends her time painting and writing - composing poetry and creative short stories for a variety of audiences - as well as meditating, diving and fine-dining when rest and relaxation is required.
Michael Dehoyos
Michael Dehoyos writes and edits at Academic Brits. As a travel writer, he writes about experiences in the UK, Germany, and other European places
.
Mushira Sabry
Mushira is a long-term resident of El-Gouna. She arrived to our gorgeous seaside resort in 2013 and hasn't looked back since! Not only is she a teacher in El Gouna International School, she also runs a community theatre group, El Gouna Players. This workaholic
has been a published social and commercial writer, editor, copy editor and translator for over 10 years. She received her acting degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) in 2003, her M.A. in English and Comparative Literature in 2013 from the American University in Cairo, and is currently studying for her teaching degree with the University of Sunderland. Mushira is passionate about literature, education, fine-cuisine, and fitness.
Rawan Abdel Latif
With a passion for writing and creativity, Rawan Abdel Latif has spent the last five years handling content-based jobs, from a copywriter to an editorial director, and now a content executive at an advertising firm. A strong believer in the power of sending
out a short yet meaningful message.
Fueling her drive to create content, her ideal place of inspiration is anywhere outdoors in the company of a strong cup of coffee and a good book.
Rawan graduated from the American University in Cairo in 2014 with a BA in Communication and Media Arts.
Fueling her drive to create content, her ideal place of inspiration is anywhere outdoors in the company of a strong cup of coffee and a good book.
Rawan graduated from the American University in Cairo in 2014 with a BA in Communication and Media Arts.
Samaa Ayman
Sam Ayman is a Rowayat award winning writer, academic consultant and one very proud mama bear. In 2015 she moved to El Gouna, inspired by its incomparable charm and unique identity. Besides raising her little Gounie Roman Pharaoh, Sam enjoys messing up her
kitchen and pretending to workout. After years of publishing short works and stories, her debut novel The King's Debt was released in 2019. The gripping thriller explores social dynamics and gender issues through several feminist perspectives.
