Ravel's Dance and Art Retreat Is Taking the Girls to Marsa Matrouh

Some things deserve a sequel, and this Egyptian venture is one of them. Ravel's cult-favourite Dance and Art Retreat, the one that had dancers, doodlers and sun-worshippers raving about it for months, is back for another round.

This time the travel community that Rahma Arafah built in 2023 is swapping the Fayoum dunes for the impossibly turquoise shores of Marsa Matrouh, "because summer calls for the beach and the laid-back atmosphere that comes with it," she told SceneTraveller.

The retreat reads like a love letter to the coast, scribbled in baladi hip drops and watercolour smudges. Ravel has taken over Masayef Zaman, the kind of gloriously old-school chalet compound that smells like sunscreen and 2007 nostalgia.

"We wanted to create a safe space for women to be open and unleash their creativity and energy, and Masayef Zaman felt like the perfect place," Arafah says.

The private beach, a soft sandy stretch on one side and a moody rocky cove on the other, wards off every eye around, so the girls can serve drama with the sun setting into the sea.

"Women don't have to worry about anything," Arafah says.

"We have a belly dance and art instructor, art tools, and even the traditional dancing costumes." That leaves you with the simple problems of washing the sand out of your hair and picking the perfect shade of lipstick, a striking red, of course.

Because the nights run long once the banat get talking, mornings are built for recovery: sea dips, cutthroat rounds of cotchina and domino, and an expressive art session that has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with getting reacquainted with yourself. No easel skills required, no judgement issued.

"All of our activities help ladies express themselves and connect with other women because that energy is very healing," she explains.Come sunset, the whole energy flips. A baladi dance workshop takes over the chalet, hips moving before the music properly starts, and the night doesn't wind down so much as it builds.

"Baladi dance is our roots, which has long been connected to shame, but it's the opposite actually. It's power, femininity, energy. It connects you with your body and others' bodies," Arafah says.

"Egyptian women need to experience this and allow themselves to dance freely, without any judgement, so they can also connect to their emotions."

Running from August 6th to 9th, the retreat keeps its guest list to ten women, "to maintain the quality," so it stays close-knit rather than crowded.

"The most important thing is for everyone to be open enough to accept and respect other cultures and people around us, as long as they're not hurting us," she says firmly.

Somewhere between the shaabi beats, the salt air and the kind of sisterhood that doesn't need explaining, Arafah has built a retreat around self-exploration and the power of feminine energy.