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4.5
#7 of 72 hotels in Luxor
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Mara House is an Irish owned, unique, private hotel catering to the tastes of discerning travelers who want to be sure they experience the best of Egypt. I help my guests with itinerary planning for all of Egypt, will steer you clear of tourist traps and ensure you have a relaxing stay. I know the importance of holidays with family and friends. The number 1 priority of everyone who works with me is that you have the best possible Egyptian experience. - Mara
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
If you are interested in more than the usual tour offerings to Egypt, do not look past Mara. She organises excellent tours out of Cairo as well as Luxor where Mara House is located. We did the Gayer Anderson House and Medieval Cairo walking tour. It wasn’t easy to find a tour that visited the former, and our guide Ahmed brought the stories of this amazing house to life. If you have an interest in Islamic architecture and art this gem of a house museum is truly a ‘must see’. All our guides organised through Mara were knowledgeable, with added inclusions built in such as the Solar Boat at Giza and Mummy room at the Egyptian Museum. Her tours might not be the cheapest but we found them to be excellent value for the standard of guiding provided.
Booking directly with Mara was easy, all replies were prompt and I found her blog to be an excellent resource for planning our first trip to Egypt. Mara House itself is in a residential part of Luxor but getting into town was easily arranged with taxis. Yes, the road outside is unpaved, yes it is in a local street with all the colour and noise that goes with it (bring ear plugs for the morning call to prayer) – however the welcome from Amr and the team is warm and genuine. Our room was large and spotlessly clean. The roof top garden would be a pleasant in the winter sun although we did not have time to use it.
If you are an independently minded traveller, looking for something outside of the usual tour offerings, I would not hesitate in recommending Mara and her capable team. We were very well looked after for our first trip to this amazing country.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
Room Tip:There is no lift so request a room on the lower floors if you have trouble with stairs.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mara house is a well maintained property with spacious rooms. Our unit was a two bedroom with a hall and a pantry . The house was neat and tidy with comfortable beds and furniture with a great artistic mind. A well maintained terrace is available for all. Breakfast was provided. The support staff is very good. The location is very close to Luxor temple, railway station, Gobus station etc.Also Ms. Mara has arranged our Luxor tours at a competitive price.
The only disappointment was the price charged for dinner was exorbitantly high- on a comparable terms the value for the dinner was significantly higher than a Tier 1 Cairo restaurant; not sure an indirect way of charging . Apart from this all positive for Mara house
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Date of stay: February 2023
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Room Tip:town center is at a safe walkable distance There are shops one can buy bread, water, fruits, or...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Staying at Mara House in Luxor and also working with Mara to book tours throughout Egypt was one of the best decisions we could have made. Upon arriving in Luxor, we were provided with a free airport transfer to Mara House, where we were warmly greeted by Amr, which set the tone for the rest of our stay. Tastefully decorated and inviting, our suite included a kitchen, a large sitting area, clean bathroom, and comfortable beds. It was the people of Mara House, however, that truly made our time unforgettable. Amr is an excellent chef and served us some of the best food that we had in Egypt. Amr also helped us with many other things, such as answering complicated questions, arranging transportation, ordering takeout food, and even taking care of our laundry . Prior to arriving, we worked extensively with Mara to arrange tours not only in Luxor, but also in Giza, Aswan, and beyond. In Giza (as well as Memphis, Saqqara, and Dashur), we were escorted in private car by Mara’s incredibly knowledgeable Giza-based guide, Mohammed. Having a doctorate in Egyptology with an emphasis in hieroglyphics, Mohammed was able to accurately and concisely explain the many things we were seeing.
Much of our time in Luxor and Aswan was spent with Mara’s very capable and thoughtful Luxor-based guide, Mohammed (Mo for short). Along with providing interesting information on Ancient Egypt, Mo ensured we always had enough water and also had time to explore the many sites that we visited. Additionally, Mo made sure that we visited sites at times of day when crowds were at their lowest, which made our experiences more relaxing and enjoyable.
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Date of stay: October 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Approached by a narrow, dark and dirty alley, Mara House was dingy outside with cracked glass in the front door. My first floor room overlooked a noisy street including amplified calls to prayer daily at 4:45 am. The rooms lacked common amenities: no drawers, closets, or hangers; no kitchen ware, towels, or dish soap in kitchenette; only a used bar of soap in bath. One hand towel and one bath towel provided were mismatched and worn. The shower was a trickle and required 30 min to heat water. Floors were gritty, decor cheap, and "housekeeping" (make bed, empty trash) sporadic. The website indicates a restaurant, but as I was the only guest, only breakfast was offered. This included instant coffee, stale pita bread, poor quality fruits and vegetables. There were no nearby restaurants or stores beyond junk food convenience shops. As a solo female traveler, I did not feel comfortable venturing out on my own in the evenings for meals, so I asked the manager/cook if it would be possible to get some oranges, hummus, and pita bread for dinner. His response ,"No, you go out for it." Had I not paid in full for my 4 night stay, I certainly would have found other accommodation after the first night.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I discovered Mara house when I began researching a last minute trip to Egypt. Mara‘s website is a wealth of information and she herself was very helpful initially when I was trying to plan the trip. I decided to book an apartment there and I’m glad I did so. the house is exactly as described on the website. it is a private home, not a hotel, and thus has the charm of a house but not the amenities of a hotel. It decorated with local furniture and artwork and so it feels like what I would imagine a private Egyptian home might feel like. For us it was an interesting and welcome contrast to the international hotel we stayed in when we visited Cairo. The manager, Amr, prepared three evening meals for us and all were delicious, among the best food we ate during our two week holiday. Breakfasts also were very good. We booked three tours through Mara and found the guides to be competent and helpful. We would recommend Mara House especially to families as the apartments are comfortable and spacious, providing room to relax after sightseeing. The roof terrace is an additional and pleasant place to relax. A few observations: (1) the bathrooms are basic ( as described in the website) with just a shower head over the floor. We were prepared with flip flops but were disappointed to find the drain was very slow and so the floor remained very wet for a long time. If the drain could be fixed, it would be fine; (2) the wifi does not have a booster and so really only works downstairs (not a problem for us as we were on holiday!); (3) the house is in a residential area, at least a 30” walk from the touristy areas. We would advise any future guests to ask Amr for a contact phone number for help getting a taxi to return after eating out (or at least write the address in Arabic); (4) when we were there, the house was almost empty, only one other family each night. If I had been alone, rather than with my family, I might have felt uncomfortable — not unsafe but just a bit alone in a large house without other guests — thus, I would recommend Mara House more to families and groups than to single travellers; (5) Mara herself seems busy with her life elsewhere and is not immediately available to answer questions — this, again, I would recommend guests get Amr’s number as a point of contact during your stay.
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Date of stay: April 2023
Value
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Room Tip:1) buy a local SIM at the airport, not only for use at Mara House but throughout Egypt
2) take...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Comfortable and spotlessly clean guesthouse. Delicious Egyptian breakfast provided and an evening dinner of Egyptian food offered on one night - beautifully cooked by Amr. All arrangements were seamless for our airport collection by Ahmed and expert guiding by Mohammed visiting some of the area's outstanding sites - places that we just wouldn't have got to if we had been on our own. It was a relief not having to think about all the admin and hassle that could have been involved, allowing us to see so many wonderful treasures in a short period of time. Thank you!
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Date of stay: January 2020
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AMAZING, words cannot describe how welcome and cosy my family felt while staying at Mara House!. The site is a true oasis in the middle of Luxor, and I am not only talking about the house itself but also about the cherished service we were provided by Amr and his family who is the house manager; we never felt like one more guest in hotel chain but rather we felt like friends or family invited to stay and it that way you get a perspective of how Egyptians live by staying in a real Egyptian house rather than a hotel. With that in mind Mara House is not for you if you are looking for a big hotel chain with restaurants, buffet, swimming pool, luxury, lots of tourists, big reception desk and people working around in suits; Mara House is about being independent, free spirits, and have different points of view of Egypt; and YES you should order The Salahadeen Feast dinner because I can guarantee you that it will be the best meal you will have in your Egyptian vacation because it is cooked with love like your granny will do and it taste delicious.
Apart from staying at Mara House we also booked our entire Egypt tours with her, from Cairo to Luxor, including the Nile Cruise and some add on sites we wanted to see; Mara did a pristine job on coordinating everything and providing information along the way (both at the time of booking but also when we were in Egypt) and despite we had an issue with a driver pick up at the airport in Cairo; Mara quickly corrected it and even reimburse us for that pick up without having to ask her to do it.
I would truthy recommend Mara and her team for your Egyptian adventures.
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Date of stay: November 2022
Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
When our flight to Cairo unexpectedly was changed to a much later departure, Emo Tours booked us into Mara House so that we would have several hours to rest and relax before heading to the airport. It was a good choice -- the gentleman who checked us in very friendly and polite and the room was comfortable with good mini split AC and otherwise well appointed if we had been staying longer (kitchenette, living room area). We also appreciated that 30 minutes before our scheduled pickup for the airport, the same gentleman provided a wakeup reminder.
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Date of stay: May 2021
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marie Vaughan, Owner at Mara House
Responded Oct 13, 2021
Thank you so much for taking the time to write the lovely review. I am happy you enjoyed your brief stay. :-) Mara
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We decided to visit Egypt at short notice and started organising it ourselves. When it came to organising the details of the Luxor section it became even more difficult and complicated. Luckily we found Mara's blog and website. We liked her style and approach and booked both accommodation at Mara's House and tours with a guide. All organised by Mara, who is a great communicator. Arriving in Luxor by train we were met by Mara's driver (the train was 2 hours late) and comfortably driven to Mara's House and met by Amr ( the housekeeper). It was like a breath of fresh air. The house is lovely and feels very Egyptian with large, clean and comfortable suites. It is in a local, residential area of Luxor. All the transport was provided by Mara's driver. Amr and his wife are excellent cooks so the food was extremely good ( with wine and beer available if required). More importantly Amr obviously cares deeply about his guests and went out of his way to make sure their stay was an enjoyable experience.
Our guide to the many sites of Luxor was Mohamed (Mo). He is extremely knowledgeable with good English and just as importantly very personable. The tours we went on were recommended by Mara and provided an excellent introduction to this historic ( and complex) area. The temples and tombs are obviously very impressive but were brought to life by Mohamed's detailed explanations , observations and historical context.
Mara's House is a great place to stay in Luxor but what makes it so special is the team of dedicated and caring people she has assembled to make your visit special. We thoroughly recommend using Mara. Egypt is a unique and special place but can be challenging for an independent tourist, made worse by the country trying to recover from the economic effects of COVID. We wish we had found Mara sooner for other parts of our Egyptian experience.
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Date of stay: November 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am 63 years old and Egypt has been on my bucket list for long time. We only had 12 days to see as many sites in Egypt as possible so we made the decision to hire Mara and her team in Luxor and we were very very happy we did. Her team (Mohamad and Mohamad) made the most of our time there and toured us through all the most important sites with their knowledge, ease and grace. Mohamad's tours were informative and comfortable and adapted to our particular interests. I highly recommend Mara’s team's tour services!
In regards to her hotel, it was as expected - very nice. Mara's manager, Amr, accommodated all our special requests and he even arranged and joined us on a feluca sailboat ride on the Nile. The one downside of her hotel is it is located probably 15 minutes walking distance from downtown. Amr solved that problem with several $1-2 taxi rides with his favorite taxi person.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Luxor area.
PRICE RANGE
₱6,203 - ₱9,924 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
mara house hotel luxor, mara hotel luxor
LOCATION
EgyptNile River ValleyLuxor
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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