Where exactly is Makadi Bay?
Makadi Bay is a natural bay on the Red Sea coast, south of Hurghada, between Sahl Hasheesh to the north and Soma Bay to the south.
Its single biggest advantage is proximity to the airport. Hurghada International is about 30 kilometres away — roughly half an hour by car on a direct coastal road. That isn't a luxury detail. It's what makes a unit genuinely usable on a short break, and rentable to a tourist landing at 11pm.
Hurghada airport is one of Egypt's busiest for direct international flights, with year-round scheduled service from Europe — and that is what makes the destinations south of Hurghada an international market rather than a domestic one.
The nature: why this bay specifically?
Makadi Bay is known for calm, shallow water near the shore and for coral reefs close to land. That means diving and snorkelling are accessible from the beach itself, without needing a boat — something not every point on the coast can offer.
The bay is also naturally sheltered, so the water stays calm most of the year, making it suitable for families and water sports at the same time.
Like the rest of the Red Sea coast, the weather is sunny almost year-round, and here winter is the high season, not the low one — the exact opposite of Egypt's North Coast. That single fact turns the investment maths upside down, and we'll come back to it.
Makadi Bay compared to El Gouna, Sahl Hasheesh and Soma Bay
These four destinations get compared constantly, and the difference between them isn't the quality of the sea — it's the same sea. The difference is character, price and maturity.
El Gouna is the oldest, most mature and most expensive. A full town with its restaurants, nightlife and international community; entry prices are clearly higher and supply is limited because most of it is already built. Buying in El Gouna means buying a finished destination and paying a premium for it.
Sahl Hasheesh is slightly closer to the airport and more hotel-led in character — a large share of its development is resorts rather than residential communities.
Soma Bay is the furthest from the airport on this list, quieter and more secluded, and known for watersports and golf.
Makadi Bay sits, practically speaking, in the middle: a reasonable distance from the airport, reefs close to shore, an established hotel base that guarantees tourist traffic, and entry prices below El Gouna with more room to grow, because residential development here is still at an earlier stage.
That is precisely why major developers have moved into this bay in recent years. The wider comparison across the whole governorate is in The best real estate investment areas in Hurghada
Why international buyers choose this area
Three practical reasons come up again and again:
Direct flights. A direct flight from Frankfurt, Munich or London to Hurghada, then half an hour by car. In winter that's far shorter than any comparable Mediterranean destination at the same price.
Winter. Europe has six months of real winter. The Red Sea is in its high season during exactly those months. A unit that sits empty on the North Coast from October to May is at peak occupancy here.
Entry price. A comparable beachfront unit in Spain, Greece or Turkey costs several times what it costs here.
The legal conditions for non-Egyptian ownership — requirements, procedure and paperwork — are set out step by step in Can foreigners own property in Egypt?
Demand and rental in Makadi Bay
A substantial hotel base in the bay means something important for an investor: tourist traffic already exists — it isn't a future assumption. Hotels create demand for the area as a whole (restaurants, services, transport), and the owner of a residential unit letting it out is a direct beneficiary.
In numbers: in-season nightly rates start at around EGP 4,500 for a one-bedroom unit, long-term monthly rent starts at around EGP 25,000, and rental rates in the area rose by up to 38% in a single year.
The full calculation — nights, high and low season, and the 80% owner share — is broken down in Rental yield in Hurghada: what will your unit earn?
Makadi Heights within the bay
Makadi Heights is Orascom Development's project inside Makadi Bay, divided into three phases: Ledge Valley for one- to three-bedroom chalets, Aden Parks for chalets around the lagoons, and Siyal for villas and townhouses.
Prices start at EGP 10,100,000 for a chalet and reach EGP 31,145,000 for a standalone villa, on two payment plans: 10% down over 7 years, or 15% down over 8 years — all units fully finished. Full details in Makadi Heights prices and payment plans
The bottom line
Makadi Bay is neither the cheapest nor the most famous stretch of the Red Sea. But it is the point where the largest number of factors line up on the same side: close to an active international airport, reefs from the shore, tourist traffic that already exists, and an entry price still below the mature destinations.
That is what an area with road ahead of it looks like — as opposed to one that has already arrived.
To see what's currently available at Makadi Heights and at what price, get in touch.