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.
Freindly, helpful host; spacious apartment in a quiet, great location
"A great place to stay away from the more touristy parts of town but within walking distance of the key attractions. Mara goes out of her way to ensure your trip is enjoyable with advice on what to see, where to eat and shop, orgamising tours, taxis - you name it. Highly recommended."
"A great place to stay away from the more touristy parts of town but within walking distance of the key attractions. Mara goes out of her way to ensure your trip is enjoyable with advice on what to see, where to eat and shop, orgamising tours, taxis - you name it. Highly recommended."
friendly and personalised, value for money
"Excellent service in an authentic part of Luxor, far from the crowds and the harrassment, quite common in the touristic part of the city. The rooms are large, the beds excellent. The proposed tour to Abydos and Dendera a must. These temples are absolutely fabulous, and you will be almost the only tourist... Also stay for dinner. Mara and her crew prepare an excellent dinner, with local specialities. These may be served on the roof terrace."
Book this hotel for the real Egyptian Experience
"Mara's house is a wonderful choice if you are staying in Luxor. We stayed in a 3 bedroom family suite. It was very spacious. We booked two tours through Mara: West Bank Tour and Abydos and Dendera. Both were very good and reasonably priced. We also enjoyed our meal provided by the kitchen at Mara's. Authentic Egyptian meal for a great price. We walked to Luxor from Mara's. The neighborhood may seem unsafe, it is not. People are very friendly and we really enjoyed seeing a local neighborhood. Don't miss the real Luxor market. Cross the street at the end of the tourist market and you will enter the daily life of an Egyptian. The horse carriages do go through it, but walking it is much better and SAFE. Fascinating! In Cairo we stayed in one of the big chain hotels. It was nice but we didn't feel like we were in Egypt. Stay at Mara's, you'll know your in Egypt!"
"Mara's house is a wonderful choice if you are staying in Luxor. We stayed in a 3 bedroom family suite. It was very spacious. We booked two tours through Mara: West Bank Tour and Abydos and Dendera. Both were very good and reasonably priced. We also enjoyed our meal provided by the kitchen at Mara's. Authentic Egyptian meal for a great price. We walked to Luxor from Mara's. The neighborhood may seem unsafe, it is not. People are very friendly and we really enjoyed seeing a local neighborhood. Don't miss the real Luxor market. Cross the street at the end of the tourist market and you will enter the daily life of an Egyptian. The horse carriages do go through it, but walking it is much better and SAFE. Fascinating! In Cairo we stayed in one of the big chain hotels. It was nice but we didn't feel like we were in Egypt. Stay at Mara's, you'll know your in Egypt!"
Great place to stay.
"As with other travellers I had a wonderful stay here. It has spotlessly clean large rooms and very helpful staff led by Mara herself. The tours are well organised and good value. If you are looking for a good mid range hotel away from the main Luxor hassles this is an excellent option. I would definitley stay there again.
The location is in a quiet side street with no traffic noise although as with everywhere in Luxor the obligatory local mosque ensure an early alarm call. The hotel is 5 mins walk on the far side of the station but that was a trade off I was happy to make for the hotel quality and being away from the main tourist hassles."
"As with other travellers I had a wonderful stay here. It has spotlessly clean large rooms and very helpful staff led by Mara herself. The tours are well organised and good value. If you are looking for a good mid range hotel away from the main Luxor hassles this is an excellent option. I would definitley stay there again.
The location is in a quiet side street with no traffic noise although as with everywhere in Luxor the obligatory local mosque ensure an early alarm call. The hotel is 5 mins walk on the far side of the station but that was a trade off I was happy to make for the hotel quality and being away from the main tourist hassles."
backpackers plus
"I found the location of the hotel is a bit odd including the surrounding area. If you want to feel the everyday life of Egypt, that would be the best place to stay. The hotel also offered local dish dinner which was a great opportunity for us since we couldn't find any local restaurants we could feel it's safe in hygene-wise and security-wise."
"I found the location of the hotel is a bit odd including the surrounding area. If you want to feel the everyday life of Egypt, that would be the best place to stay. The hotel also offered local dish dinner which was a great opportunity for us since we couldn't find any local restaurants we could feel it's safe in hygene-wise and security-wise."
Home away from home
"We enjoyed our stay very much, Mara as everyone says is friendly and willing to share useful information. The staff were friendly and helpful. We loved the short walk into town and our teenage boys went down and played soccer with the local children in the street which was a highlight for them. We felt so comfortable staying there, the apartment was perfect for us, two families with teenagers. The boys wanted to play cards at night and sure enough Mara had a pack of cards for them to play with. I couldnt fault the hospitality. Breakfast was great, a nice assortment of bread, fruit and boiled eggs juice tea and coffee. Mara has thought of everything you may need or want for a stay, it just made it all so easy. Mara loves to talk and it was great to sit and have a chat with her. If you are thinking of staying there, dont hesitate, it will make your trip."
Quaint and w/a nice breakfast
"I really enjoyed the quaintness of Mara House. Mara provides a wealth of information for her guests. Information like what you should pay for a cab ride as well as advice on tipping. The breakfast had a wonderful presentation and was quite filling.
The only thing that was a bit much was that my suite was on the street side and at times it was quite noisy; the call to prayer can clearly be heard as well as the noise in neighboring rooms. I still managed to get plenty of sleep. My friends who were in another room (where the bedroom was not on the street side) said that the noise factor was not a big issue for them."
Lovely Hotel
"After getting lost, we finally found Mara House and at first we were a little worried about the location, as we'd been driving around trying to find it. But once inside, we fell in love with the place.
The rooms are like a small apartment and very nicely and tastefully decorated.
Mara herself is wonderful and will go out of her way to make you feel welcome.
In Egypt I had felt that I was missing part of the 'real Egypt' experience and one thing about the location, is that you will definitely get to experience the culture and people of Egypt as they really are and not from a bus or a resort. I really liked that about it, but others may not.
We also took a tour through Mara House that we really enjoyed also. The guide was very informative and the driver, fun.
Mara House isn't actually too far at all to Luxor temple and the restaurants and souk along the Corniche.
But if you do get a chance and it is offered, eat in! the food prepared is excellent and probably some of the best food you will eat in all of Egypt.
The mini bar was well stocked and very well priced. The wines also were good!
The staff were excellent - really there is nothing to fault.
I would definitely recommend this place."
"After getting lost, we finally found Mara House and at first we were a little worried about the location, as we'd been driving around trying to find it. But once inside, we fell in love with the place.
The rooms are like a small apartment and very nicely and tastefully decorated.
Mara herself is wonderful and will go out of her way to make you feel welcome.
In Egypt I had felt that I was missing part of the 'real Egypt' experience and one thing about the location, is that you will definitely get to experience the culture and people of Egypt as they really are and not from a bus or a resort. I really liked that about it, but others may not.
We also took a tour through Mara House that we really enjoyed also. The guide was very informative and the driver, fun.
Mara House isn't actually too far at all to Luxor temple and the restaurants and souk along the Corniche.
But if you do get a chance and it is offered, eat in! the food prepared is excellent and probably some of the best food you will eat in all of Egypt.
The mini bar was well stocked and very well priced. The wines also were good!
The staff were excellent - really there is nothing to fault.
I would definitely recommend this place."
This must be one of the best bed and breakfasts in Africa
"This is a delightful guest house. We had a spacious and comfortable three bed apartment on the top floor, with access to a shaded roof garden. The breakfast was wonderful, best of the holiday with fresh fruit and yogurt. I'd also recommend the Egyptian Feast, which is served in your room and comprises about twenty small dishes all made with local ingredients.
The main benefit of staying here though is Mara herself. She organises some great tours. We did two full day tours, one of the West Bank (Valley of the Kings etc) and one to the temples of Abydos and Dendara. This also had the benefit of seeing a lot of the Egyptian countryside going through small towns and villages to see how people live. For £50 each per day including transport and a knowledgeable guide they are great value. You go in a minibus with any other guests from the hotel so its nice and friendly. Mara is also able to give help and advice with anything else you want to do.
Unfortunately we only had two days (one night) but I would definitely go back both to Luxor and to Mara's."
"This is a delightful guest house. We had a spacious and comfortable three bed apartment on the top floor, with access to a shaded roof garden. The breakfast was wonderful, best of the holiday with fresh fruit and yogurt. I'd also recommend the Egyptian Feast, which is served in your room and comprises about twenty small dishes all made with local ingredients.
The main benefit of staying here though is Mara herself. She organises some great tours. We did two full day tours, one of the West Bank (Valley of the Kings etc) and one to the temples of Abydos and Dendara. This also had the benefit of seeing a lot of the Egyptian countryside going through small towns and villages to see how people live. For £50 each per day including transport and a knowledgeable guide they are great value. You go in a minibus with any other guests from the hotel so its nice and friendly. Mara is also able to give help and advice with anything else you want to do.
Unfortunately we only had two days (one night) but I would definitely go back both to Luxor and to Mara's."
Mara House definitely lives up to the amazing reviews, by far the best place to stay in Egypt
"Everything about Mara House is exceptional, from the moment we arrived we were looked after by her lovely staff. The location is the best, away from all the touristy haunts but only a 10-15 minute walk into town. Our suite was incredible and the bed was one of the most comfortable I have ever slept on. It's the details that really make this place special, from the very reasonable priced beers in the mini bar which we enjoyed every night lounging on the rooftop terrace watching the sunset to the chance to spend some time with Mara herself and hear a few fascinating stories. We went on her West Bank tour which was great but in hindsight I wish I'd gone on the Abydos & Dendera tour with Mara herself. Mara House helped make Luxor our favourite place in Egypt, the locals here are the friendliest and you can really catch a glimpse of "real" Egypt. HIGHLY recommended."
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.)