I’ve finally gathered reviews and comments about Mara House and our Salahadeen Restaurant here on my own website. There aren’t many for Salahadeen, as it’s been open only to Mara House guests for years and TripAdvisor has since removed those reviews. These come from TripAdvisor, Google Maps, guest blogs, letters, and other kind words shared over time. Some are missing, as I hadn’t realized TripAdvisor began deleting reviews from tour guests who did their tours with us but who didn’t stay at Mara House. I hope these words give you a true sense of who we are and what Mara House is all about. Enjoy, Mara
Words cannot describe how awesome Mara is. I am a seasoned solo traveler and never hired a guided tour, it's not my thing. Until I found Mara.
I carefully plan my trips and I have never had major issues, but when I started researching the Egypt leg of my Middle East and Africa trip, I realized I may need to cave in and go on some sort of tour. Some sort... I didn't want to go on these inflexible tours that did not leave me any time to wander by myself.
I started asking around, a friend of mine recommended me a tour guide that she said was "fantastic". I asked him for quotes, he was promising me a great hotel but doing further research I was told that the hotel was in an area not up to North American standards (this is not exactly what the Egyptian person I consulted said but let's leave it at that). In addition every service you think you are entitled to, as spelled out in your country's Constitution or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in my case, is extra and this includes the use of toilet paper.
I then decided to ditch the guided tour and do it by myself, that is when I came across Mara's web page. Her blogs helped me realize that I really needed help if I didn't want to end up getting into a brawl over money in a foreign country. Her level of detail is second to none, for instance, when I got to the Cairo hotel, a suitcase lock and a box of antibiotics for gut bacteria were waiting for me. Her guides are deeply knowledgeable, respectful people and you are treated like a human being, not like cattle going in and out of a bus. Mara was extremely flexible with the schedule of tours, activities, time off to myself, arrival and departure times, etc... so many things to mention! Her house in Luxor is so beautiful and Amr's cooking so incredible that I regret not having eaten enough, it was ridiculously hot in July after all. One day I will go back just for the cooking.
I could probably go on and on about Mara but at this point I am probably losing you, so I am getting to the deal maker for me. Mara's service includes EVERYTHING, except for tips, and this should not come as a surprise if you read her blog about tips, which regretfully I did not, and it is on me. She goes above and beyond by paying extra to her tour guides so they do not make you waste an afternoon shopping at a bazaar in exchange for commissions, something that every tour guide does and would have bothered me. You can go to the bazaar by yourself if you want to, Mara's tours leave a fair bit of time for you to do as you please if that is your preference. Don't get me wrong, it is not the cheapest way to go but definitely the most money-wise one.
Sorry folks, getting to the end now. If you truly want to live the Egyptian experience within North American standards, Mara is your person. Her house is located in a Luxor neighbourhood, not in the five star hotels strip, and that is what I loved about it. The house has all the comforts: very spacious suites, comfortable beds, A/C, extremely clean and beautifully decorated. The cooking is sublime, I still dream about the food I could not eat because it was 46 degrees in the shade.
One last observation: if you suffer the hot weather avoid Egypt in July - August at all costs, unless you want to have the temples and tour guides all to yourself. Sometimes tolerating a bit of heat has its rewards.
Best of luck on your trip to Egypt and I hope you have as much of a blast as I did! If you don't, there is an "I told you so" with your name on it. 🙂
Traveled solo July2019. Reviewed on TripAdvisor June 2020. Booked Luxor 3 Nights Package plus Cairo 3 Nights Package
I carefully plan my trips and I have never had major issues, but when I started researching the Egypt leg of my Middle East and Africa trip, I realized I may need to cave in and go on some sort of tour. Some sort... I didn't want to go on these inflexible tours that did not leave me any time to wander by myself.
I started asking around, a friend of mine recommended me a tour guide that she said was "fantastic". I asked him for quotes, he was promising me a great hotel but doing further research I was told that the hotel was in an area not up to North American standards (this is not exactly what the Egyptian person I consulted said but let's leave it at that). In addition every service you think you are entitled to, as spelled out in your country's Constitution or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in my case, is extra and this includes the use of toilet paper.
I then decided to ditch the guided tour and do it by myself, that is when I came across Mara's web page. Her blogs helped me realize that I really needed help if I didn't want to end up getting into a brawl over money in a foreign country. Her level of detail is second to none, for instance, when I got to the Cairo hotel, a suitcase lock and a box of antibiotics for gut bacteria were waiting for me. Her guides are deeply knowledgeable, respectful people and you are treated like a human being, not like cattle going in and out of a bus. Mara was extremely flexible with the schedule of tours, activities, time off to myself, arrival and departure times, etc... so many things to mention! Her house in Luxor is so beautiful and Amr's cooking so incredible that I regret not having eaten enough, it was ridiculously hot in July after all. One day I will go back just for the cooking.
I could probably go on and on about Mara but at this point I am probably losing you, so I am getting to the deal maker for me. Mara's service includes EVERYTHING, except for tips, and this should not come as a surprise if you read her blog about tips, which regretfully I did not, and it is on me. She goes above and beyond by paying extra to her tour guides so they do not make you waste an afternoon shopping at a bazaar in exchange for commissions, something that every tour guide does and would have bothered me. You can go to the bazaar by yourself if you want to, Mara's tours leave a fair bit of time for you to do as you please if that is your preference. Don't get me wrong, it is not the cheapest way to go but definitely the most money-wise one.
Sorry folks, getting to the end now. If you truly want to live the Egyptian experience within North American standards, Mara is your person. Her house is located in a Luxor neighbourhood, not in the five star hotels strip, and that is what I loved about it. The house has all the comforts: very spacious suites, comfortable beds, A/C, extremely clean and beautifully decorated. The cooking is sublime, I still dream about the food I could not eat because it was 46 degrees in the shade.
One last observation: if you suffer the hot weather avoid Egypt in July - August at all costs, unless you want to have the temples and tour guides all to yourself. Sometimes tolerating a bit of heat has its rewards.
Best of luck on your trip to Egypt and I hope you have as much of a blast as I did! If you don't, there is an "I told you so" with your name on it. 🙂
Traveled solo July2019. Reviewed on TripAdvisor June 2020. Booked Luxor 3 Nights Package plus Cairo 3 Nights Package
See More
- Mara House Luxor – your home away from home
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Photos of Our Suites – Take a look at the rooms you’ll call home.
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Mara House Guest Gallery – Faces and memories from over the years.
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Salahadeen Restaurant & Feast – The story behind our restaurant and its exclusive menu.
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(Coming Soon: Photo Journal of Mara House – from the first brick to today.)