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
471 entries.
Lovely Place to stay in Luxor
"Mara's House is lovely and you get personal attention from the idiosyncratic and attentive Mara. These are big advantages. To address what other's have (negatively) mentioned: it _is_ a little far out and when you arrive you _do_ feel...gosh, why am I staying here? BUT the truth is it's a very easy 10-15 minute walk from the center of Luxor (which turned out to be really inconsequential to me) and the fact that it's not right in the tourist district is actually refreshing. The advantages...specifically the quality of the rooms which are lovely...far outweigh the negatives (or at least they did for me). Mara is extremely helpful (another major advantage) in helping first time visitors negotiate the tourist options of Luxor...for instance Valley of the Kings and which tombs to see from the list that is open. The guides you can get through Mara, I found to be good. It's true, Mara's House is a little on the expensive side and especially in the current Egyptian situation where tourist trade is at a low, you might be able to get better deals elsewhere...but I found staying there lovely, and would whole heartedly recommend it."
"Mara's House is lovely and you get personal attention from the idiosyncratic and attentive Mara. These are big advantages. To address what other's have (negatively) mentioned: it _is_ a little far out and when you arrive you _do_ feel...gosh, why am I staying here? BUT the truth is it's a very easy 10-15 minute walk from the center of Luxor (which turned out to be really inconsequential to me) and the fact that it's not right in the tourist district is actually refreshing. The advantages...specifically the quality of the rooms which are lovely...far outweigh the negatives (or at least they did for me). Mara is extremely helpful (another major advantage) in helping first time visitors negotiate the tourist options of Luxor...for instance Valley of the Kings and which tombs to see from the list that is open. The guides you can get through Mara, I found to be good. It's true, Mara's House is a little on the expensive side and especially in the current Egyptian situation where tourist trade is at a low, you might be able to get better deals elsewhere...but I found staying there lovely, and would whole heartedly recommend it."
Fantastic place to stay in Luxor
"The place itself is beautifully decorated, extremely well tended to, and a pleasure to stay in. Service is excellent -- Mara is incredibly knowledgeable about the area and is more than willing to help out with anything. I honestly couldn't think of a better place to stay."
"The place itself is beautifully decorated, extremely well tended to, and a pleasure to stay in. Service is excellent -- Mara is incredibly knowledgeable about the area and is more than willing to help out with anything. I honestly couldn't think of a better place to stay."
Fantastic and Authentic "Home Away from Home" - Highly Recommended
"We stayed for 3 nights at Mara House and every moment of the visit was brilliant, commencing with Mara's warm welcome on our arrival at 3.00am in the morning!!
Mara House is in a residential area which was perfect for us as we wanted to experience the "real" Luxor, not just from a hotel! Our 2 bedroom suite was incredibly spacious, immaculately clean and very comfortable. The fridge was packed with drinks and snacks (and not at usual mini-bar prices!) and the rooms decorated very tastefully in the Egyptian style (but with air conditioning and fans!).
The staff were all really friendly, welcoming, and committed to ensuring we had a fantastic experience. Nothing was ever too much trouble.
Mara had recommended an itinerary for the three days of our stay to ensure that we made the most of our time. On all of the tours we were driven in an airconditioned minivan by Mahmoud who was a very experienced and reliable driver. Our Egyptologist guide was Mohammed who was not only incredibly knowledgable, but interesting and entertaining as well. The knowledge which Mohammed imparted to us was invaluable and added a whole new dimension to the experience – far more than we could have gained visiting the sites by ourselves. We toured the West Bank, Aswan, Karnak and Luxor Temples, as well as Abydos and Dendera - a lot to pack into 3 days but well worth it!
Mara herself is an absolute delight and we thoroughly enjoyed our chats with her as she is a fountain of knowledge and incredibly helpful - both through her website and the tips and advice she imparted.
I would highly recommend Mara House to anyone travelling to Luxor and looking for an authentic and magical experience."
"We stayed for 3 nights at Mara House and every moment of the visit was brilliant, commencing with Mara's warm welcome on our arrival at 3.00am in the morning!!
Mara House is in a residential area which was perfect for us as we wanted to experience the "real" Luxor, not just from a hotel! Our 2 bedroom suite was incredibly spacious, immaculately clean and very comfortable. The fridge was packed with drinks and snacks (and not at usual mini-bar prices!) and the rooms decorated very tastefully in the Egyptian style (but with air conditioning and fans!).
The staff were all really friendly, welcoming, and committed to ensuring we had a fantastic experience. Nothing was ever too much trouble.
Mara had recommended an itinerary for the three days of our stay to ensure that we made the most of our time. On all of the tours we were driven in an airconditioned minivan by Mahmoud who was a very experienced and reliable driver. Our Egyptologist guide was Mohammed who was not only incredibly knowledgable, but interesting and entertaining as well. The knowledge which Mohammed imparted to us was invaluable and added a whole new dimension to the experience – far more than we could have gained visiting the sites by ourselves. We toured the West Bank, Aswan, Karnak and Luxor Temples, as well as Abydos and Dendera - a lot to pack into 3 days but well worth it!
Mara herself is an absolute delight and we thoroughly enjoyed our chats with her as she is a fountain of knowledge and incredibly helpful - both through her website and the tips and advice she imparted.
I would highly recommend Mara House to anyone travelling to Luxor and looking for an authentic and magical experience."
Authentic experience paired with pure professionalism and service
"My husband and I stayed at Mara house in May 2011 and would go back again in a heartbeat.
It is not located near the main hotels - and we loved this! We really enjoyed spending time in a real Egyptian neighbourhood. We were generously invited in for tea by some of the neighbours and this experience was extremely authentic and someting that both neither I nor my husband will ever forget.
I must make mention to the staff working at Mara House - they were caring, passionate and truly commited to ensuring that we had a great stay. They even arranged for a driver for us for a day to do some specific sightseeing and shopping.
We really appreciated that Mara House was able to arrange tours for us. The process was smooth and met all of our expectations (fun, affordable, professional, informative). We also liked that the tour groups were small (no more than 6 of us) and with other guests staying at Mara House - we have made some life-long friends and again this is something that we will never forget.
All in all, a great stay (I really don't have anything bad to say) and I would recommend Mara House to other travellers!"
"My husband and I stayed at Mara house in May 2011 and would go back again in a heartbeat.
It is not located near the main hotels - and we loved this! We really enjoyed spending time in a real Egyptian neighbourhood. We were generously invited in for tea by some of the neighbours and this experience was extremely authentic and someting that both neither I nor my husband will ever forget.
I must make mention to the staff working at Mara House - they were caring, passionate and truly commited to ensuring that we had a great stay. They even arranged for a driver for us for a day to do some specific sightseeing and shopping.
We really appreciated that Mara House was able to arrange tours for us. The process was smooth and met all of our expectations (fun, affordable, professional, informative). We also liked that the tour groups were small (no more than 6 of us) and with other guests staying at Mara House - we have made some life-long friends and again this is something that we will never forget.
All in all, a great stay (I really don't have anything bad to say) and I would recommend Mara House to other travellers!"
You Will Love The Residential Experience!
"I stayed at Mara House in March 2011 with my husband, sister and brother in law. We all agreed it was our favorite hotel during our 2 week trip to Egypt, Jordan and Dubai. The reason - it is in a residential neighborhood, not in a touristy area of the city.
We arrived at night (Mara scheduled the airport pick up - arrived from Cairo) and I was a little hesitant at first - lots of construction, dirt (what you end up LOVING about Egypt). But the moment we headed out to walk to Luxor Temple we immediately knew this was a fantastic experience. The people are amazing - all the kids came up to talk to us, shopkeepers gave us the usual exuberant "welcome to Egypt!", people invited us in for tea. Every where else we stayed at Marriott’s and had a more sanitized cultural experience. At Mara House you are able to get a better feel for Egyptian life.
We stayed in room 7; a 3 bedroom apartment with a kitchen. The room was great, no complaints at all. My husband never did get the ‘wet room’ bathroom concept and continuously went in with socks after someone had taken a shower. The staff was very helpful and accomodating (brought breakfast to our room the day we checked out, since we wouldn't have time to eat in the main room).
We took Mara’s restaurant advice each night – our favorite was Safra (easy walk to and from the hotel). We also used her arranged tour to the West Bank. May have been a little pricey, but no ‘shopping’, air conditioned van, guide – we were very pleased. We did the East Bank on our own. I would highly recommend Mara House when in Luxor – the neighborhood experience will be one of the highlights of your trip!!!"
"I stayed at Mara House in March 2011 with my husband, sister and brother in law. We all agreed it was our favorite hotel during our 2 week trip to Egypt, Jordan and Dubai. The reason - it is in a residential neighborhood, not in a touristy area of the city.
We arrived at night (Mara scheduled the airport pick up - arrived from Cairo) and I was a little hesitant at first - lots of construction, dirt (what you end up LOVING about Egypt). But the moment we headed out to walk to Luxor Temple we immediately knew this was a fantastic experience. The people are amazing - all the kids came up to talk to us, shopkeepers gave us the usual exuberant "welcome to Egypt!", people invited us in for tea. Every where else we stayed at Marriott’s and had a more sanitized cultural experience. At Mara House you are able to get a better feel for Egyptian life.
We stayed in room 7; a 3 bedroom apartment with a kitchen. The room was great, no complaints at all. My husband never did get the ‘wet room’ bathroom concept and continuously went in with socks after someone had taken a shower. The staff was very helpful and accomodating (brought breakfast to our room the day we checked out, since we wouldn't have time to eat in the main room).
We took Mara’s restaurant advice each night – our favorite was Safra (easy walk to and from the hotel). We also used her arranged tour to the West Bank. May have been a little pricey, but no ‘shopping’, air conditioned van, guide – we were very pleased. We did the East Bank on our own. I would highly recommend Mara House when in Luxor – the neighborhood experience will be one of the highlights of your trip!!!"
Great time to experience Luxor
"We stayed two nights at Mara House in May and had a fantastic time. Our room was huge and tastefully decorated, and the staff couldn't have been friendlier. Mara recommended tours to the West Bank on our first day and Abydos and Dendara on the second; both tours were conducted by Mohammed who proved to be a friendly and informative guide. We chose to eat in on the first night and Mara provided a beautiful Egyptian feast of epic proportions. On the second night we decided to stroll down to the Winter Palace for drinks - this took about 20 minutes and on the way we were warmly greeted by the locals. All in all, we had a great time and felt completely safe. Now is a great time to visit, as things are a little quiet and the usual crowds/queues at major sites have diminished. We highly recommend staying at Mara House."
"We stayed two nights at Mara House in May and had a fantastic time. Our room was huge and tastefully decorated, and the staff couldn't have been friendlier. Mara recommended tours to the West Bank on our first day and Abydos and Dendara on the second; both tours were conducted by Mohammed who proved to be a friendly and informative guide. We chose to eat in on the first night and Mara provided a beautiful Egyptian feast of epic proportions. On the second night we decided to stroll down to the Winter Palace for drinks - this took about 20 minutes and on the way we were warmly greeted by the locals. All in all, we had a great time and felt completely safe. Now is a great time to visit, as things are a little quiet and the usual crowds/queues at major sites have diminished. We highly recommend staying at Mara House."
An amazing experience
"We stayed at Mara House for one night in April 2011 whilst on holiday in Hurghada. Mara arranged pretty much everything for us from a mini-bus to pick us up from our resort, to providing a guide for our trip to the West Bank. Staying overnight in Luxor gave us the opportunity to see as much as possible of the real Egypt. We were made to feel so welcome, we felt like we were at home.
The family room we were allocated was huge and extremely comfortable, there was even a mini-bar provided so you can purchase drinks. We were recommended an Egyptian restaurant to eat dinner and the manager arranged a taxi for us.
We visited the Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Nobles and the Valley of the Workers (Deir El Medina) along with Hatshepsut's Temple, the temple at Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon. We wouldn't have seen so many sights if this hadn't been arranged for us by Mara.
For anyone visiting Luxor, I would recommend staying at Mara House for the most amazing experience ever."
"We stayed at Mara House for one night in April 2011 whilst on holiday in Hurghada. Mara arranged pretty much everything for us from a mini-bus to pick us up from our resort, to providing a guide for our trip to the West Bank. Staying overnight in Luxor gave us the opportunity to see as much as possible of the real Egypt. We were made to feel so welcome, we felt like we were at home.
The family room we were allocated was huge and extremely comfortable, there was even a mini-bar provided so you can purchase drinks. We were recommended an Egyptian restaurant to eat dinner and the manager arranged a taxi for us.
We visited the Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Nobles and the Valley of the Workers (Deir El Medina) along with Hatshepsut's Temple, the temple at Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon. We wouldn't have seen so many sights if this hadn't been arranged for us by Mara.
For anyone visiting Luxor, I would recommend staying at Mara House for the most amazing experience ever."
A great hotel for independent travellers
"Mara's House is very welcoming and thoughtful. The rooms are massive and come with a stocked fridge at local prices. The service is great, very considerate and no hassle. Mara herself is incredibly helpful, both through her website and the tips and advice on travelling in Egypt. The location is just behind the central train station and not in a touristy area, but still well located. I would recommend this to anyone who does not want to join the maddening crowds and is willing to try something a little off the beaten path."
"Mara's House is very welcoming and thoughtful. The rooms are massive and come with a stocked fridge at local prices. The service is great, very considerate and no hassle. Mara herself is incredibly helpful, both through her website and the tips and advice on travelling in Egypt. The location is just behind the central train station and not in a touristy area, but still well located. I would recommend this to anyone who does not want to join the maddening crowds and is willing to try something a little off the beaten path."
Mara was knowledgeable, helpful and kind. A lovely person.
"As soon as I entered Mara House Luxor, I Immediately felt welcomed and comfortable away from the crowds and the heat and the busy details of travelling in a foreign country. Mara provided clean and relaxing accomodations at a good price and was very helpful in guiding us to the sights that we wanted to see and in a manner that would make the visits best for us. She was very acommodating and listened to our concerns and helped us to make the most of our time in Luxor. I loved the valley of the Kings, Abydos and Denderra and Hatshepsut's temple, as she knew I would since she planned the days especially for us. The guide she recommended and the driver she arranged were exactly what we needed to appreciate the beautiful cultural treasures around Luxor."
"As soon as I entered Mara House Luxor, I Immediately felt welcomed and comfortable away from the crowds and the heat and the busy details of travelling in a foreign country. Mara provided clean and relaxing accomodations at a good price and was very helpful in guiding us to the sights that we wanted to see and in a manner that would make the visits best for us. She was very acommodating and listened to our concerns and helped us to make the most of our time in Luxor. I loved the valley of the Kings, Abydos and Denderra and Hatshepsut's temple, as she knew I would since she planned the days especially for us. The guide she recommended and the driver she arranged were exactly what we needed to appreciate the beautiful cultural treasures around Luxor."
Live like a Pharaoh in true Luxor
"Mara and her very able team made my wife and I feel like we were ancient royalty living in a palace in the suburbs of real Egypt.
The rooms are HUGE! Our room was made up of two big rooms plus bathroom. The first - a grand sitting room with veiled couch, kitchen table and fridge and the second - a bedroom complete with 4-post bed. Tea and coffee anytime on request. Great breakfast. All situated 10 minutes walk from the train station and 15-20 minutes from the market and centre of town.
Mara offers to organise tours to the Valley of the Kings and Abydos and Dandera temples. The Valley of the Kings tours took us to the best of the must see attractions and also to tombs of workers and artisan rarely seen. Abydos and Dandera temples are out of Luxor but are some of the best preserved temples in upper Egypt.
I should note we were staying with Mara when riots erupted at the end of January. Mara held briefing sessions explaining the situation with each guest every morning and evening and before any tours to keep us informed of the situation in and around Luxor and in all of Egypt. Mara made all of us feel very safe and made sure that we could keep in touch with our family and embassies. She also organised for our safe transfer to the airport."
"Mara and her very able team made my wife and I feel like we were ancient royalty living in a palace in the suburbs of real Egypt.
The rooms are HUGE! Our room was made up of two big rooms plus bathroom. The first - a grand sitting room with veiled couch, kitchen table and fridge and the second - a bedroom complete with 4-post bed. Tea and coffee anytime on request. Great breakfast. All situated 10 minutes walk from the train station and 15-20 minutes from the market and centre of town.
Mara offers to organise tours to the Valley of the Kings and Abydos and Dandera temples. The Valley of the Kings tours took us to the best of the must see attractions and also to tombs of workers and artisan rarely seen. Abydos and Dandera temples are out of Luxor but are some of the best preserved temples in upper Egypt.
I should note we were staying with Mara when riots erupted at the end of January. Mara held briefing sessions explaining the situation with each guest every morning and evening and before any tours to keep us informed of the situation in and around Luxor and in all of Egypt. Mara made all of us feel very safe and made sure that we could keep in touch with our family and embassies. She also organised for our safe transfer to the airport."
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.)