Sahl Hasheesh (Arabic: سهل حشيش Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈsæhle ħæˈʃiːʃ]) is a bay located on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, near Hurghada, approximately 18 km south of Hurghada International Airport.
Hasheesh Bay is home to several islands and coral reefs for diving and snorkelling. The nearby Abou Hasheesh Island is a local protectorate containing a thriving community of marine life.
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Development of Sahl Hasheesh
Development rights to Sahl Hasheesh are held by the Egyptian Resorts Company (ERC), which purchased the land in 1995. ERC itself was founded in 1995 and publicly listed in 1999. ERC had a vision of a massive project for this area. The builder’s objective was “to create a fully integrated mixed-use resort city, to achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability.” Plans for the 12-square-mile community were to be completed by 2020.
The residential units at Old Town and Palm Beach in this bay were completed in 2008 and sold out quickly. Palm Beach Piazza and Family Resort Ocean Breeze are the other residential projects selling apartments and villas in Sahl Hasheesh.
In the resort town, there is a partly submerged artificial city. This artificial reef attracts fish and is popular with tourists for diving and snorkelling.
In 2009, Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh was rated as one of the more upscale resorts in the Middle East and won first place in Trip Advisors 2016 Travelers Choice Award of the top 25 Luxury Hotels in Egypt. Other hotels at the resort were in the top 10 of Hurgada hotels.
In 2015, Bloomberg Financial reported that the developer was struggling to sell its properties and had lost a lot of value in its stock. But in 2016, the developer had a solid financial balance sheet and its hotels were highly rated by tourists worldwide. In 2016, tourism was returning to pre-revolution levels.
Another developer, Inertia Holdings, had projects in Sahl Hasheesh as of 2018.
