Guest Book

Home Away from Home at Mara House in Luxor

"We have just returned after five nights at Mara House. The hotel is tastefully decorated with Egyptian style furnishings. We have never experienced such incredible personal service before and felt right at home, minutes after our arrival.

Our accommodation was a spacious 3 bedroom apartment style room with separate sitting room, kitchenette, good sized bathroom and balcony. The accommodation was spotlessly clean and the beds comfortable. There was no TV or telephone in the room, but we did not miss these too much. Afterall, Mara House does not pretend to be 5 star and is actually tailor made for those travellers looking for a private residence style of hotel accommodation.

This was my third visit to Luxor. In the past, I did stay in 5 star accommodation on the Nile. Of course they were very nice and well appointed. However, this time, as a more independent traveller -- I was anxious to get away from all the the noisy attractions and find some real peace and tranquility away from the tourist hassles with go hand in hand with travel in Egypt. Not only did we save a lot of money -- we also met Mara -- one of the nicest, friendliest and helpful people you will ever meet.

Mara House is situated right in the middle of a typical Luxor Egyptian family area. In the mornings, I would go out on to my balcony and see people going about their daily activities and even some children playing football in the street. The walk to the Nile takes around 10 minutes and takes you through the dusty local streets of Luxor. While to our eyes they may not be the most dust free, well paved or even the tidiest streets --- well, afterall, this is Egypt!! Nonetheless, we felt totally safe and remained intrigued with all the local sights along the way. Alternatively, taxis can be booked at a very reasonable price.

At first we were not sure of our way around, however, Mara was always on hand with maps, information, instructions - no matter how many times we asked. She was also very good at helping us arrange tours to visit the local sites.

Overall, I would say that this is one of the best hotels that we have stayed in, and I am extremely fussy. Perhaps Mara House is not the most convenient if you want to stay right on the banks of the Nile. However, if you want to mix your holiday in Luxor by living along side a real slice of Egyptian community life, lots of rest and relaxation, a safe family friendly environment ---PLUS your trips to the Pharonic Sites -- then experiencing "Egypt with Mara" is a must!"
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