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.
Wonderful place to stay in Luxor!
"We’ve just come back from staying at Mara House for 5 days and I’ve got to say we couldn’t be happier.
The service from the staff was impeccable and the house itself was very comfortable and stylishly decked out in Egyptian style furnishings. Our room was very large with a fridge stocked with chocolates, beer, water etc, all at about the same price as the local shops.
Breakfast was good and could be served in your room or on the roof terrace. We went on one of the guided tours to Dendera and Abydos, the guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgable and it was great to be able to ask questions about the pictures and hyroglyphics on the temple walls.
Mara herself is a gem and very helpful and will explain about the sites of Luxor and its temples. She is also a really nice person to have a chat with and always seems to have time for your questions.
So..In a nutshell I can thoroughly recommend staying here and I hope to go back myself in the not too distant future."
"We’ve just come back from staying at Mara House for 5 days and I’ve got to say we couldn’t be happier.
The service from the staff was impeccable and the house itself was very comfortable and stylishly decked out in Egyptian style furnishings. Our room was very large with a fridge stocked with chocolates, beer, water etc, all at about the same price as the local shops.
Breakfast was good and could be served in your room or on the roof terrace. We went on one of the guided tours to Dendera and Abydos, the guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgable and it was great to be able to ask questions about the pictures and hyroglyphics on the temple walls.
Mara herself is a gem and very helpful and will explain about the sites of Luxor and its temples. She is also a really nice person to have a chat with and always seems to have time for your questions.
So..In a nutshell I can thoroughly recommend staying here and I hope to go back myself in the not too distant future."
good for travelers with young children
"I and my wife traveled with our two small kids (3 &1 yr old) in September, when it was unbearably hot. However, thanks to Mara and her wonderful staff, our family enjoyed their hospitality, useful advice, and flexibility to my family and could spend the intriguing time in Luxor and brought a wonderful memory from there.
Mara prepared very useful and practical advice for serious travelers who want to feel the real sense of ancient civilization in Luxor. She is a wonderful story teller about history and culture.
The facility is cozy with fine decoration, attached with a restaurant which offers wonderful Egyptian meals. If you hesitate to visit Luxor because of your small accompanies, just contact Mara. She will find a solution for you.
Just a minor suggestion. It could have been better if we had more choices or variety in breakfast and lunch prepared by the House when we took a tour."
"I and my wife traveled with our two small kids (3 &1 yr old) in September, when it was unbearably hot. However, thanks to Mara and her wonderful staff, our family enjoyed their hospitality, useful advice, and flexibility to my family and could spend the intriguing time in Luxor and brought a wonderful memory from there.
Mara prepared very useful and practical advice for serious travelers who want to feel the real sense of ancient civilization in Luxor. She is a wonderful story teller about history and culture.
The facility is cozy with fine decoration, attached with a restaurant which offers wonderful Egyptian meals. If you hesitate to visit Luxor because of your small accompanies, just contact Mara. She will find a solution for you.
Just a minor suggestion. It could have been better if we had more choices or variety in breakfast and lunch prepared by the House when we took a tour."
Simply Outstanding!
"Mara House was recommended to us by some friends after their stay - we weren't disappointed. A real home from home.
Despite a connection delay, Mara made sure we were met, welcomed and looked after throughout our stay. The staff are friendly, the rooms are clean and tidy, put simply nothing was too much for Mara or her staff. Mara House meets all your travel needs, somewhere to stay, great advice and excellent local knowledge, you don't even need to do much thinking as Mara is a font of advice and information.
With so many things on offer in Egypt it would be difficult to select a highlight, but Mara House comes very close; my wife, daughter and I thought it was outstanding. We will be going back!"
"Mara House was recommended to us by some friends after their stay - we weren't disappointed. A real home from home.
Despite a connection delay, Mara made sure we were met, welcomed and looked after throughout our stay. The staff are friendly, the rooms are clean and tidy, put simply nothing was too much for Mara or her staff. Mara House meets all your travel needs, somewhere to stay, great advice and excellent local knowledge, you don't even need to do much thinking as Mara is a font of advice and information.
With so many things on offer in Egypt it would be difficult to select a highlight, but Mara House comes very close; my wife, daughter and I thought it was outstanding. We will be going back!"
Fabulous, didn't want to leave
"Mara House was excellent - partly the spare but beautiful appointed rooms, and mostly the expert advice and support of its proprietor, Mara.
She proffered advice as to where to eat, where to purchase chandeliers like the ones throughout her hotel (alas the store did not have them in stock), and with her passion for Egyptian antiquities and the fascinating alternative theories possible around them, excellent advice as to where to go for tours. I had very little time there - 2 full days and 1 one night - but her recommendation to go to see the temples Abydos & Dandera was dead on.
The hotel has a lovely dining area, sitting room/bar, a roof garden. Breakfast is included and served in your room. On some days - and I was lucky enough to sample this before I went to catch my flight - a delicious Egyptian tasting menu is served - and if you like, it can be delivered to your room.
Mara herself is an Irishwoman who has been in Egypt for 8 years, so she knows all the ins-and-outs of Westerners travelling in Egypt, dealing with local inhabitants very keen to sell you something and so forth. Ask her about her life story and her thoughts on ancient Egypt, and she'll be happy to tell you!
All in all a very satisfying stay!"
"Mara House was excellent - partly the spare but beautiful appointed rooms, and mostly the expert advice and support of its proprietor, Mara.
She proffered advice as to where to eat, where to purchase chandeliers like the ones throughout her hotel (alas the store did not have them in stock), and with her passion for Egyptian antiquities and the fascinating alternative theories possible around them, excellent advice as to where to go for tours. I had very little time there - 2 full days and 1 one night - but her recommendation to go to see the temples Abydos & Dandera was dead on.
The hotel has a lovely dining area, sitting room/bar, a roof garden. Breakfast is included and served in your room. On some days - and I was lucky enough to sample this before I went to catch my flight - a delicious Egyptian tasting menu is served - and if you like, it can be delivered to your room.
Mara herself is an Irishwoman who has been in Egypt for 8 years, so she knows all the ins-and-outs of Westerners travelling in Egypt, dealing with local inhabitants very keen to sell you something and so forth. Ask her about her life story and her thoughts on ancient Egypt, and she'll be happy to tell you!
All in all a very satisfying stay!"
Best place to stay in Luxor by far...
"My wife and I just got back from our amazing honeymoon and I have to say that staying at Mara House was one of the highlights.
The room was really nice and the hotel does a great job of making you feel at home while reminding you that you are in Egypt. The highlights of Mara House are the staff and Mara herself. Everyone is extremely friendly and there is NO HASSLE which we found to be extremely rare in Egypt. The restaurants, trips and guides that she recommends are top rate.
If you are planning a trip to Egypt.... Make sure that when you visit Luxor you stay at Mara House."
"My wife and I just got back from our amazing honeymoon and I have to say that staying at Mara House was one of the highlights.
The room was really nice and the hotel does a great job of making you feel at home while reminding you that you are in Egypt. The highlights of Mara House are the staff and Mara herself. Everyone is extremely friendly and there is NO HASSLE which we found to be extremely rare in Egypt. The restaurants, trips and guides that she recommends are top rate.
If you are planning a trip to Egypt.... Make sure that when you visit Luxor you stay at Mara House."
Best service in Egypt, fantastic place!
"Mara house was the best place we stayed in Egypt. Our room was light, clean and incredibly spacious. Mara was amazingly helpful. She Organised tours for us, provided detailed maps and directions and provided us with a great understanding of the local area and it's attractions.
Mara went above and beyond any service my partner and have ever recieved by helping us when our Egypt air flight to Aswan apparently didn't exist. Egypt air were of no assistance despite the fact we had booked and paid for the flight all they could tell us is they no longer fly to Aswan!
With no idea what to do we called Mara and she came to our rescue by organising a driver to pick us up from the airport and drive us to Aswan. The driver was there within 15 minutes of our call.
Mara house is a great place to stay and I guarantee you will nit be dissappointed!"
"Mara house was the best place we stayed in Egypt. Our room was light, clean and incredibly spacious. Mara was amazingly helpful. She Organised tours for us, provided detailed maps and directions and provided us with a great understanding of the local area and it's attractions.
Mara went above and beyond any service my partner and have ever recieved by helping us when our Egypt air flight to Aswan apparently didn't exist. Egypt air were of no assistance despite the fact we had booked and paid for the flight all they could tell us is they no longer fly to Aswan!
With no idea what to do we called Mara and she came to our rescue by organising a driver to pick us up from the airport and drive us to Aswan. The driver was there within 15 minutes of our call.
Mara house is a great place to stay and I guarantee you will nit be dissappointed!"
Mara House is the best place to stay in Luxor
"My daughter and I stayed at Mara House in July of 2010 - Our vacation to egypt was her graduation present, and I spent allot of time researching our trip. When I travel I normally stay at Marriott hotels, but there were none in Luxor. I am so happy I found Mara House. I located some great reviews online and they do not come close to what we found. Mara is a wonderful hostess, She made sure everything went right for us. She arranged our day trips to Abydos (Do not miss this, well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive), Karnake, and Valley of the Kings. She set us up with an excellent guide, who helped us really understand what we were seeing. At the end of each day, Mara asked for details and helped us plan the next days journey.
Mara helped make our trip very successfull, and after an 11 our flight from Virginia USA - This trip needed to be excellent. The hotel rooms were wonderfully detailed, her dining suggestions were great. Each day we had a hot breakfast brought right to our room.
You get allot for your money at Mara House & one on one service, like no place else. I did not think Mara House could live up to the online reviews, but I must tell you Mara House and Mara exceeded them.
I highly recommend Mara House to any one travelling to Luxor, You will be very happy with your decision."
"My daughter and I stayed at Mara House in July of 2010 - Our vacation to egypt was her graduation present, and I spent allot of time researching our trip. When I travel I normally stay at Marriott hotels, but there were none in Luxor. I am so happy I found Mara House. I located some great reviews online and they do not come close to what we found. Mara is a wonderful hostess, She made sure everything went right for us. She arranged our day trips to Abydos (Do not miss this, well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive), Karnake, and Valley of the Kings. She set us up with an excellent guide, who helped us really understand what we were seeing. At the end of each day, Mara asked for details and helped us plan the next days journey.
Mara helped make our trip very successfull, and after an 11 our flight from Virginia USA - This trip needed to be excellent. The hotel rooms were wonderfully detailed, her dining suggestions were great. Each day we had a hot breakfast brought right to our room.
You get allot for your money at Mara House & one on one service, like no place else. I did not think Mara House could live up to the online reviews, but I must tell you Mara House and Mara exceeded them.
I highly recommend Mara House to any one travelling to Luxor, You will be very happy with your decision."
The real Luxor
"Several folk have wirtten about Mara's hospitality, her pre-arrival service and advice, her support and friendliness - I can say little more other than agree. I was very pleased to find that I had chosen such a great place to stay. The rooms were pleasantly set up in an Egyptian style that made me feel I had arrived. Mar'as guidance and advice was great, too. Perhpas most of all for me, was the location. I loved living in the "real" luxor and not in some super fancy, high priced hotel that was just like every other hotel in the US or elsewhere. Mara's had warmth and a sense of belonging. I enjoyed walks through the lanes and streets of luxor around Mara's. And when I later needed help, Mara was a great help. I hope that I may return some time soon."
One of our best memories of Luxor is staying with Mara!
"My family and I have just returned from a 3 day stay with Mara. Even before we left the UK Mara had emailed us to confirm details, organise the transfer and our side trips from Luxor. Already she was looking after us! We followed Mara's advice on which tours to take and would highly recommend that everyone staying with Mara does the same. We did the tour of Danderra and Abydos first- this really set the scene for our other wanderings to the more widely known sites. Mara and her team are fantastic. They looked after us for our entire stay; the hospitality is second to none."
"My family and I have just returned from a 3 day stay with Mara. Even before we left the UK Mara had emailed us to confirm details, organise the transfer and our side trips from Luxor. Already she was looking after us! We followed Mara's advice on which tours to take and would highly recommend that everyone staying with Mara does the same. We did the tour of Danderra and Abydos first- this really set the scene for our other wanderings to the more widely known sites. Mara and her team are fantastic. They looked after us for our entire stay; the hospitality is second to none."
Perfect for our needs
"Was safe, convenient and perfect for our needs.
We did multiple tours arranged by Mara and can recommend these as well - especially the trip to Dendara and Abydos. In terms of sights this was by far the best experience on our 10 day trip to Cairo, Giza, Luxor and Aswan.
As someone wrote it's not the Ritz - but if your read through the reviews you will get a very accurate description of what to expect. "
"Was safe, convenient and perfect for our needs.
We did multiple tours arranged by Mara and can recommend these as well - especially the trip to Dendara and Abydos. In terms of sights this was by far the best experience on our 10 day trip to Cairo, Giza, Luxor and Aswan.
As someone wrote it's not the Ritz - but if your read through the reviews you will get a very accurate description of what to expect. "
See More
- Mara House Luxor – your home away from home
-
Photos of Our Suites – Take a look at the rooms you’ll call home.
-
Mara House Guest Gallery – Faces and memories from over the years.
-
Salahadeen Restaurant & Feast – The story behind our restaurant and its exclusive menu.
-
(Coming Soon: Photo Journal of Mara House – from the first brick to today.)