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
I highly recommend Mara to organise your visit to Egypt. With any type of trip from full on sightseeing to relaxing in nature, you can be sure she will deliver an unforgettable and hassle free experience.
Together we planned a 2 week trip with my main focus being the many ancient sites. Mara managed to fit in my specific itinerary with places I never knew I needed to visit and the pacing was excellent from start to finish. You can really just let her do the work for you and enjoy.
Starting in Cairo and firstly moving into the western desert for nature safari, the tour operator she recommended was excellent and my desert guide was wonderful. I spent a further 2 days moving to camp in the white desert by 4x4, stopping at the black desert and crystal mountain. The food, hospitality and personal service were all excellent. I recommend this experience if you can spare the time for it, it is extremely worthwhile with natural beauty you can only find in Egypt.
Arriving back to Cairo, I met with our Egyptology guide Mahmoud, who is kind and extremely knowledgeable. He clearly takes pride in sharing the beauty of Egypt past and present. Great guy. He made things really enjoyable and went the extra mile for everything you can imagine. Also, he will give you a wealth of understanding of hieroglyphics and the deeper meaning behind iconography, which I think is really crucial to get the most from your visit.
Beginning with the pyramids of dashur and saqqara complex, we visited the bent and red pyramid. Must visit serapeum, very cool.
We visited Cairo museum, which has many interesting things you cannot find in the GEM. The Pharo’s mummies are at another Cairo museum and this was also organised.
We spent a day exploring the Giza plateau, highlight for me was the 3rd pyramid and valley temple. Both are strange and Mahmoud gives you all of the information you need without holding back your own ideas - there is a real mystery and you should explore it for yourself. We also visited the GEM on this day and Mahmoud’s experience helped us quickly navigate to the most important pieces.
In the evening I took a private visit to the pyramid with 3 others and this was a real highlight. We entered under cover of dark (cool!) and saw all areas including those which are usually closed. You have 2 hours so are not rushed. Mara specialises in organising these and it is a great opportunity if this interests you.
We saw Islamic Cairo, explored the streets of the modern city, another great day.
Then onto Luxor with flight and transfers organised by Mara, our guide following along with us. All felt very personal.
The next day, to Luxor and Karnak temples. Both incredible. Then down to Edfu for Kom - Ombo and Edfu temples. Great!
Early start for Abu Simbel - wow. Ending in Aswan. If you have the opportunity to take a small boat to the nature reserve - do. You will see many native and migratory birds.
We saw the famous Aswan dam and then moved onto Philai island temple which is beautiful.
Finally back to Luxor and our stay in Mara house with the wonderful host Amr. The food was impeccable, really delicious. I would highly recommend any traveller to Luxor to stay and eat here for a real taste of family Egyptian cooking and hospitality.
Mara house is beautiful and with a great location just beyond the touristic area, you really feel welcome and at home.
From Mara house we travelled to Abydos to see the temple of Seti I and then onto Dandara temple. Both exude a lovely, calming energy.
Our final full day spent in the Luxor West Bank with Valley of the kings, nobles, workers housing complex and Hatshepsut temple. I specially requested to see the colossi of Agamemnon which are a real treat to see in person, truly of an unimaginable scale. It is really great to spend the full day in the West Bank to take it all in.
Overall an amazing trip, very personal, very well organised - genuinely faultless. Thanks Mara, Mahmoud, Amr!
Reviewed on Fora Travel March 2026
Together we planned a 2 week trip with my main focus being the many ancient sites. Mara managed to fit in my specific itinerary with places I never knew I needed to visit and the pacing was excellent from start to finish. You can really just let her do the work for you and enjoy.
Starting in Cairo and firstly moving into the western desert for nature safari, the tour operator she recommended was excellent and my desert guide was wonderful. I spent a further 2 days moving to camp in the white desert by 4x4, stopping at the black desert and crystal mountain. The food, hospitality and personal service were all excellent. I recommend this experience if you can spare the time for it, it is extremely worthwhile with natural beauty you can only find in Egypt.
Arriving back to Cairo, I met with our Egyptology guide Mahmoud, who is kind and extremely knowledgeable. He clearly takes pride in sharing the beauty of Egypt past and present. Great guy. He made things really enjoyable and went the extra mile for everything you can imagine. Also, he will give you a wealth of understanding of hieroglyphics and the deeper meaning behind iconography, which I think is really crucial to get the most from your visit.
Beginning with the pyramids of dashur and saqqara complex, we visited the bent and red pyramid. Must visit serapeum, very cool.
We visited Cairo museum, which has many interesting things you cannot find in the GEM. The Pharo’s mummies are at another Cairo museum and this was also organised.
We spent a day exploring the Giza plateau, highlight for me was the 3rd pyramid and valley temple. Both are strange and Mahmoud gives you all of the information you need without holding back your own ideas - there is a real mystery and you should explore it for yourself. We also visited the GEM on this day and Mahmoud’s experience helped us quickly navigate to the most important pieces.
In the evening I took a private visit to the pyramid with 3 others and this was a real highlight. We entered under cover of dark (cool!) and saw all areas including those which are usually closed. You have 2 hours so are not rushed. Mara specialises in organising these and it is a great opportunity if this interests you.
We saw Islamic Cairo, explored the streets of the modern city, another great day.
Then onto Luxor with flight and transfers organised by Mara, our guide following along with us. All felt very personal.
The next day, to Luxor and Karnak temples. Both incredible. Then down to Edfu for Kom - Ombo and Edfu temples. Great!
Early start for Abu Simbel - wow. Ending in Aswan. If you have the opportunity to take a small boat to the nature reserve - do. You will see many native and migratory birds.
We saw the famous Aswan dam and then moved onto Philai island temple which is beautiful.
Finally back to Luxor and our stay in Mara house with the wonderful host Amr. The food was impeccable, really delicious. I would highly recommend any traveller to Luxor to stay and eat here for a real taste of family Egyptian cooking and hospitality.
Mara house is beautiful and with a great location just beyond the touristic area, you really feel welcome and at home.
From Mara house we travelled to Abydos to see the temple of Seti I and then onto Dandara temple. Both exude a lovely, calming energy.
Our final full day spent in the Luxor West Bank with Valley of the kings, nobles, workers housing complex and Hatshepsut temple. I specially requested to see the colossi of Agamemnon which are a real treat to see in person, truly of an unimaginable scale. It is really great to spend the full day in the West Bank to take it all in.
Overall an amazing trip, very personal, very well organised - genuinely faultless. Thanks Mara, Mahmoud, Amr!
Reviewed on Fora Travel March 2026
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.)