Blue Hues on the Red Sea at Nour Boutique Hotel in Egypt’s Dahab

As the pickup truck we had hurriedly crossed the road to flag down—and flung our embarrassingly voluptuous bags into—began to slow its rhythmic, blender-like shaking, and the crimson pin on my phone edged closer, I finally looked up from my screen. 

The deepest shades of presque-electric blue, fluently conversing with the Gulf of Aqaba just 15 steps away, and the pearliest whites, as if dipped in the drifting clouds above, were both accentuated by delicate details in the dustiest of yellows, borrowed from the towering Sinai mountains that embraced the city. Nour Boutique Hotel stood out from the neighbouring earth-coloured, graffitied dwellings in the starkest of manners. It was almost as if the surrounding structures had shimmied to the side to make space for the blue-white-and-gold lodge that had suddenly sprouted from the earth. 

The hotel aesthetically belonged on the streets of Moorocco’s Chefchaouen or on the set of a Wes Anderson movie, but geographically hugged the shores of the Red Sea in the very heart of Dahab.

On the verge of elated giggles, Jolie—my ever-cheery companion for the weekend—and I practically snatched our bags from the back of the truck, paid the driver, and pushed past two glass doors, the reception unfolding before us. 

As we were about to let our eyes wander across the intricately carved wooden sofas and chairs, traditional Islamic arches, gold-framed paintings, and ornate mashrabiyas casting shadowy shapes across the zellige-tiled floors, our gaze was drawn to the incontestable star of the space—the ceiling.

Hand-painted by a local artist over the course of several weeks, the lobby’s ceiling is adorned with interlacing Islamic patterns that unfurl from a central 16-point star, the pathways to which contain calligraphy that tells the tale of Nour Boutique Hotel.

While we gaped upwards in fascination, Nehal—arguably the most welcoming receptionist within and beyond the Egyptian borders—waved us over to the lobby’s tea trolly, insisting on serving us both a cup of traditional Arabic coffee (or Nespresso). 

Having filled out the customary forms and handed Nehal our IDs, we sauntered around the lobby before heading through a second pair of glass doors and out onto the courtyard—the gravitational core of the hotel and visible from every room. Unsurprisingly painted in the same triad of colours interwoven throughout the entire space, the courtyard consists of one quarter wooden-bench seating areas and three quarters picturesque pool, the water of which—with sunlight filtering through it—was almost irresistible.

“We need to go swimming. Now.” Jolie sprinted back inside.

Following a swift check-in process with Nehal, we were led up a few flights of stairs, across the terrace of the top floor overlooking the water and courtyard, and into one of the three Premier Rooms. While the hotel features 16 rooms across three different tiers—Superior, Deluxe, and Premier—this one is undoubtedly the jewel among them. 

As soon as we unlocked the elaborately engraved wooden door and crossed the threshold of our room, we were greeted by a cornucopia of blues, whites, and golds. Everything—from the elevated wooden beds and bedside tables to the wardrobe and vanity—had been hand-painted in those hues by the very same artist whose work we had admired just minutes ago.  

Our ritualistic hotel room exploration, which lasted a good half hour, finally led us onto the room’s private terrace. Almost three times the length of the bedroom, the terrace included a chaise lounge for tanning, two chairs for early morning breakfast talks, and sweeping views of the Gulf, the famous Dahab walkway below, and Saudi Arabia just beyond the horizon.

Later that day, Karim, our third and final companion, would confess to hearing our delighted squeals all the way from the lobby.

Within one hour (half of which was spent snapping pictures on the terrace), we were doing laps in the pool, taking videos of everything down to the grates, and spilling various types of tea. Once that activity had run its course, we set off on a quest to explore the rest of the hotel, starting with the mountain- and water-facing yoga studio. Run by Nour Wellbeing, the hotel’s wellness-focused sister company, the studio is built on the ethos of “slow living” as Ema Louis, Co-Owner of Nour Boutique Hotel, explained to me. “We try to offer a space for you to take a moment from everyday life, to take a breath and reconnect with yourself.” In the end, it was honestly just a nice place to meditate when the voices from back home were getting a bit too loud.

The Beach Deck, on the other hand, was perfect for some sunrise yoga, which Jolie continuously talked about doing but quickly abandoned in favour of breakfast, served right on the water by Nour Boutique’s sister hotel, Coral Coast.

I know, it’s like one giant Dahabian family. And there’s even one more sibling to name—Nour Concept Store.

With a ‘teaser area’ in the lobby and a full-fledged boutique across the main road, this family member possesses an impressive collection of works by local artisans, sustainable clothes by Dahab-based designers, and beauty essentials made from the land that shelters them all. 

Understandably, over the course of our much-too-short weekend stay, we wasted no time fluttering between the Nour network—buying hand fans here, sharing beachside potatoes with friendly neighbourhood dogs there, and taking the occasional dip in between all of the above. 

Keeping all this (along with the staff’s readiness to help with ordering late-night food, organising last-minute excursions, and booking then rebooking buses) in mind, no one can blame us for already engaging in serious talks about returning to Dahab, and to Nour Boutique Hotel, as soon as our jobs/lives/finances allow it.