Guest Book

Great place to come home to after a busy day of sightseeing

"When we first arrived at Mara House we were immediately put off by the slightly asymmetrical pattern in the reception area. But apart from that we couldn’t fault our stay with Mara. The place is away from the main tourist area so our taxi driver had some trouble finding it, but once you know where it is it’s easy enough to direct other drivers. The walk to the Nile isn’t too bad, but taxis are cheap as chips and Mara has good drivers she can call if you don’t feel like walking. The rooms/suites are nice and large with plenty of extra space. Since we were there in the quiet season we got 2 suites between 5 people. Each suite has a large living area/kitchen, bathroom and 3 bedrooms. There was far more space than we could possibly use. The hot water came on quickly which isn’t that common in Egypt. The shower is located in front of the toilet so it gets wet after a shower, but it’s not really an issue and there’s an extra toilet in the bar you can use. The air-con works well, albeit a bit rattly. Mara was a great host and she always had plenty of stories to tell us, we could’ve sat around talking for hours. The staff were all very friendly and helpful too. Mara gave us lots of advice on what to see, do and eat while we were there and we had a great time. We booked our tours with her, and our guide Ali who was well versed in ancient Egyptian history taught us a lot. I’m not sure how the prices compare to other companies, but we got a private car and good guide for the whole day who doesn’t take you on those dreaded ‘shopping trips’.

So in summary, we very much enjoyed our stay at Mara House and would definitely stay there again."