Guest Book

Mara House surpassed my expectations!

"I never write reviews but I was so happy with my stay at Mara House that I thought I should share. I happened across Mara House's Web site when I was researching my itinerary for Egypt. The information on the Web site about Egypt, sight-seeing, and tips for travelers was so helpful that I decided to stay at Mara House. Having been to Egypt now and stayed at Mara House I can attest that everything Mara House's Web site says is true. The accommodations were clean, nicely-appointed, and comfortable. My room was spacious and had a very convenient refrigerator stocked with items at uninflated prices. Mara House and my room were wonderful respites from the excitement, dust, and heat of Luxor and a day's sight-seeing (the air conditioner worked great).

Even better than the accommodations was Mara House's service. The staff were friendly, helpful, and went out of their way to make me comfortable. Example: I arrived around 10:30 at night. When I checked in I asked if they had a map since I like to do my sight-seeing on foot. Not only did they provide a map but they also took me on a half-hour walk at 11:00 at night to show me how to get to downtown Luxor! On the walk, the gentleman explained all kinds of things about the city, e.g. how to buy food at the shops, how much to pay for transportation, how to get in touch with Mara House if I experienced any trouble, etc. I don't think the staff ever slept or left the lobby because every time I returned to Mara House from my excursions, they were there to open the door even though I had my own key and ask how everything was. They also were up at 4:30 am on the day that I left to make sure I was awake and accompany me to the airport with the driver they arranged.

I am not one for guided tours since I like to find and experience things on my own, but I would recommend you let Mara House arrange for tour guides and drivers for any excursions that take you out of Luxor, like the Valley of the King or the temples at Abydos and Dendera. I discovered that things are not clearly marked or explained and that walking the Valley of the Kings would have taken up too much of my valuable sight-seeing time. Mara House made all my touring easy. I told the staff where I wanted to go and they arranged for a driver and tour guide for both of my day trips. All I had to do was show up in the lobby in the morning and everything was taken care of! The tour guide was friendly and accommodating and took care of buying all the tickets and navigating through the itinerary. Thankfully, the drivers knew their craft well since driving in Egypt is not for the faint-hearted.

I loved everything I did and saw in Egypt, but I would go back just to stay at Mara House again."

Reviewed on Tripadvisor