Guest Book

The Best Part of Our Trip

"My wife and I recently spent 10 days in Egypt, and the four days we spent at Mara House were easily the best part of our trip. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there, and would recommend Mara House to anyone who is visiting Egypt to see the ancient culture.

ADVANTAGES: Mara House is very quiet. Mara and her staff are very friendly. They all helped out a great deal when I needed to contact the Marriott in Cairo. You can avail yourself of Mara's tours or not. We did, and we felt it was worth the money. Ali, Mara's tourguide, is very knowledgeable and friendly. He also did not try to steer us to the nearest "Papyrus Museum" or "Carpet School," two of the scams in Egypt. We also traveled in a very comfortable minivan, with AC, and believe me, that was a huge plus. Mara provides a free cold breakfast in the morning, but we found it very tasty. The coffee was very good. Mara also provides free wifi, though I could only get my smartphone to connect on the main floor. Still, this was another plus. I get so tired of paying more to a big hotel, and then they nickel and dime you for every little thing, include the internet. When I'm on vacation, I want to stay connected, but not have to worry about how many minutes I have left, or turning off my phone so it doesn't connect on its own. Also, Mara seems to have her own special cadre of trusted taxi drivers, so getting around carries a little less anxiety. The rooms were very large and comfortable.

DISADVANTAGES: Mara House is not in the center of town. It's "behind" the train station in a neighborhood that, at first glance, causes concern. (We learned later that the neighborhood is actually quite safe.) My wife and I, both 55, were easily able to walk to Mara House from the train station, with our luggage, on a hot afternoon. But, if walking is a problem for you, this could be a drawback.

Mara House has no pool, hot tub, fitness center, or TV. We didn't miss any of those features. Mara House also has no elevator. We were two flights up, which was just about our limit. Our bathroom did not have a shower stall, just a shower head on the wall and a drain in the corner. I had never used this arrangement before, so I had my apprehension, but it worked well. It helped that there was good water pressure and ample hot water.

CONCLUSION: I don't think I had ever gotten a hug from a hotel operator before, but that's the way our stay at Mara House ended. Traveling can be very stressful, especially to a foreign country. We found Mara House to be very comfortable, very friendly, and most importantly, very relaxing. I think we were both a little sad to leave."