Construction companies have taken a bet that fear of terrorist attacks will not deter families from investing in second homes in Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera resorts. Development goes on in and around such resorts as Hurghada, the Red Sea’s largest town, and nearby El Gouna in the belief that buyers will calculate that sunshine, diving and possible trips to the monuments of Luxor outweigh the risk of violence and an upsurge in Islamic piety that would make the wearing of even modest swimsuits ill-advisable for women. The chance to buy an apartment for £89,000 or so is the deciding factor for many families.

“We love El Gouna, it feels safe and comfortable,” says Trudie Hanson, who with her partner, Chris Morris, owns a three-bedroom property in the resort, which has been developed by Orascom, a company that also operates in the hotel and telecoms sector. She says: “Each time we visit we are remembered by more people, Egyptians and Europeans alike, and we are slowly building a small network of friends. The children [Michael, 13, and Vanessa, 12] are learning a smattering of Arabic and are not shy to use it.

“We are all keen scuba divers, and finding a destination that is warm in the winter is important for Chris, who works as an airline pilot and has considerably more leave in the winter than he does in the summer.”

The family bought off-plan in November 2003, and moved in in December 2005, six months earlier than expected. The purchase price was $95,000 (then about £60,000). “Because we bought off-plan and paid in instalments (after a 25 per cent deposit) in US dollars, the pound becoming stronger against the dollar helped us,” says Trudie. “It paid for the air conditioning and some other minor alterations.”

Despite continuing construction – a marina extension of 230 apartments (which is 70 per cent already sold, with prices starting at £61,300) is scheduled for completion by December – a modern, sophisticated water and waste recycling system has eliminated all drainage into the sea. El Gouna’s own utility centre assures electricity, water and sewage treatment, based on eco-friendly technology.

The attention to the environment, design, building and finishing at El Gouna reflects the general standard of building around Hurghada, the region’s main town. Running for nearly 20 miles along the Red Sea coast, Hurghada is a blend of traditional street markets, European elegance in several luxury hotels and, frankly, tourist tat. It is an ambience that Roy Bristow, marketing director of the property website New Skys, believes can only gain in popularity.

Golf courses and spas are other lures. Soma Bay, another resort, lies 30 miles south of Hurghada on land jutting into the Red Sea. The town has several hotels, including a Sheraton and the five-star La Résidence des Cascades, around which an 18-hole championship golf course, designed by Gary Player, is built, Robert Fellermeier, Soma Bay’s area manager, claims that its facilities and location are the draw. “We are on a peninsula, have open water and a bay on which to enjoy sailing, wind surfing and kite surfing,” he says. “We have a superb golf course, several high-class hotels, the biggest thalassotherapy centre in Egypt and premium real estate for sale.”

The Cascades golf apartments at Soma Bay are built of brick and are finished to a high standard; local ceramic tiles are used on the floors and walls, for example. Two-bedroom apartments are on sale from £87,000. They are sold unfurnished (which excludes air conditioning, kitchen fixtures and fittings), thus offering investors the chance to make their own mark.