Mara House
Salah Al Din Al Ayoubi, Luxor 1364225 Egypt
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#2 of 77 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
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Wifi
Free breakfast
Airport transportation
Rooftop terrace
Concierge
Laundry service
Non-smoking hotel
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Room features
Air conditioning
Private balcony
Safe
Minibar
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Boutique
Quiet
Languages Spoken
Arabic
Location
50Car recommended
Grade: 50 out of 100
15Restaurantswithin 1 km
3Attractionswithin 1 km
Salah Al Din Al Ayoubi, Luxor 1364225 Egypt
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This was a lovely place to stay. My husband and I took our 3 young sons to Egypt and we spent 3 days in Luxor, staying at Mara House. We were very well catered for, the breakfasts and the evening meals were delicious, the apartment was beautifully presented and well-equipped nd very comfortable. We had a peaceful and enjoyable stay. We took a tour to Dendara and Abydos on one day (absolutely gorgeous) , and the Valley of the Kings on another which was everything you would hope for it to be; these were organised by Mara and were excellent. I really do recommend this hotel for travellers with families, we felt well looked after and were sad to leave.
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Date of stay: April 2023
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.
Helpful
My wife and I, both in our 70's, stayed here for 5 days in Luxor with tour arrangements handled by Mara and her team for Aswan and Cairo. I was surprised by some recent negative reviews but understand that some people might have unrealistic expectations of a guest house in the third world. We feel the tradeoffs in exchange for the benefits surpassed our expectation, even without considering the low price for our stay. We have travelled extensively in Asia over the years and plan our trips far in advance in order to achieve the best possible experience. Mara was willing to put up with my frequent emails full of questions. The suite was huge with a separate sitting room and bedroom, both full of antiques. Our wifi worked perfectly. We had a frig in the room. The bathroom is typical for a guest house and is as described on the web site. We had plenty of hot water and the shower drained onto the perfectly sloped floor and was dry and clean within 3-5 minutes. We always bring our own soap, shampoo, and tissues on trips which we have found needed at guest houses even in Europe. Food was excellent. Breakfasts were enough for two meals. We expressed interest in local foods so Amr prepared different foul and soft Egyptian cheeses for us daily. Each day we had a sampling of local pastries, fresh bread and in season fruits. A vegetarian feast was served at our request one evening, and we had the best koshary of our trip one day for lunch. Most of our dinners were taken in local restaurants. Transportation was arranged for us which came on time and was always ready for us when we were ready to depart. Amr even accompanied us shopping, to places we chose, without being dragged to the large group tour stores with their inflated prices and commissions as is typical of Egypt. He also went with us on a caleche tour as well as a felucca trip to make sure everything went smoothly. We felt that we had been welcomed into a private home, with children interacting with us and avoided the sterile atmosphere of a hotel. We chose Mara specifically because we felt that her relationships with local guides and transport would be vastly superior to random guides arranged by a large hotel. We were not disappointed. We spent two days on the west bank, one on the east, and another on a trip to Abydos and Dendera, all accompanied by her inhouse guide Mo. Mo accompanied us to Aswan stopping at Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo on the way. We spent three additional days with him in Aswan. He even called us twice to check on us after we got to Cairo. Tours in Cairo were arranged through Mara as well. She even set up an expeditor to get us through the airport in Cairo on arrival and departure smoothly, much faster than we could have managed on our own-also typical of third world travel. I think that those with negative reviews might have had unrealistic expectations. We felt that we had a great experience at a low price. …
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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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.
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We selected this hotel based on the reviews and we regret the choice. We've traveled extensively throughout Egypt for years, so this was not our first experience. The impression we got from the website was that of a quaint boutique hotel, but it most definitely does not deliver that experience. Here are some of the things to be aware of: - The bathrooms are wet bathrooms, meaning there is no separate shower enclosure. - There are no toiletries provided in the bathrooms at all. Not a bar of soap or a vial of shampoo. - The location is in a residential area that is about 2KM away from most activities. - There are no taxis readily available and you'll need to rely on the manager to call you a hotel. Somehow the taxi the hotel calls will always cost 5x more than the taxi back to the hotel. It's a mystery as to why. - There is no Wi-Fi in the rooms at all. None. If you need to use Wi-Fi you'll have to go down to the lobby. - The general attitude of the owner (who is not on-site but communicating from overseas) and the manager is that they are doing you a favor by letting you stay there. For the money and convenience you'd be MUCH better off choosing a four or five star hotel near the river.…
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Date of stay: April 2023
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Room Tip: Very remote and on a dark residential street. No taxis available.
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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: Travelled 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.
1 Helpful vote
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Hiiiii! Home away from Home in Luxor! It was a pleasant surprise, fun, and the food was delicious! If you want to have an experience not in city center with an Egyptian family. This place is perfect. And it’s immaculate too! Amir and his family became our friends. Every single thing we needed or wanted was there for because of Amir! He was the best!!!!! We even went shopping with him in town. However, if you want to spend time with Mara bc you are interested in the mystical, mysterious part of Om Setty make sure she is there. She is not often there. That was my one disappointment.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled 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.
Helpful
We stayed at Mara house for 4 days and here is a review. What worked very well: 1. Communication with Mara. Mara was communicative and patient in answering all my queries with respect to the tours and things to do in Luxor. Great first impressions. 2. The Accommodation Mara House itself is a gorgeous home. It's clear that lots of love and attention has gone into the upkeep of the home. The two bedroom suite we booked was spacious and works well if you don't like being confined to a hotel room set up. 3. The Tours Mara puts together comprehensive tours that covers highlights as well as some not-so visited but must dos in Luxor. We did the Luxor West Bank tour which we enjoyed thoroughly. The driver and guide were punctual and the guide Mohammed (not the Moh in some photos posted on TA) was a virtual encyclopedia. He gave us so much information and was clearly passionate about his job. We also took the tour of Abedoys and Dendera. The guide on that day while being knowledgeable prefered to give us a quick overview and show us few key things and left us lots of free time to explore. Different guiding styles perhaps but we clearly enjoyed the style used by our West Bank guide. What could have worked better. 1. Breakfast Breakfast ends at 9.30AM so if you are planning to sleep in late on a particular day (which maybe most people don't) please take note. The daily Breakfast consisted of cucumbers, tomatoes , egyptian bread, jam, some type of cheese and an omlette. For the three of us we found the breakfast inadequate. When we requested for a second helping of omlette we were told that this needs to be informed in advance. From our point of view, breakfast was poor value. 2. Bathrooms While we enjoyed our suites, the bathroom was a letdown. There is no shower curtain or enclosure that separated the shower area from the toilet. There is only hand wash provided and no shower gel, shampoo or conditioner. While these are easily available in stores it would be helpful to have a days requirement kept for guests usage. We had issues with hot water for two days. Though we informed the manager about the water he simply said keep the boiler on for 30 minutes which we did (for more than 30 minutes) but we got tepid water at best. When this was reported to Mara she promptly called and saw the issue was fixed. Which made me think I should have contacted her in the first place. It's the issue with the bathroom that took away the most from our experience. Also note that if you plan to pre-order dinner on a day you first arrive (by 10pm or so) dinner may not be available even on prior request so as not disturb other guests with sounds and smell of food. This does pose a slight inconvenience because like for us if you have just arrived in Luxor you aren't familiar with the place and since Mara House is a in a residential area there are no restaurants within an easy 10-15 minutes walk.…
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Helpful
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
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: town center is at a safe walkable distance There are shops one can buy bread, water, fruits, or...
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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.
Helpful
We were looking forward to our visit to Luxor and Mara House ever since we first contacted Mara by email in September 2022 and it did not disappoint. Despite booking international hotels in Cairo, our experience with Mara was much more personalized and that was reassuring. Mara was not only wonderfully responsive and very generous with tips and advice, her website is also packed with great information which was of immense help during our entire Egypt trip. As expected, our family of 3 thoroughly enjoyed our three nights at Mara House. Amr took such good care of us, making sure my husband, who was coming down with a cold, always had a hot cup of tea on hand. Amr and his lovely wife were also such innovative and excellent cooks, we enjoyed breakfast and dinner at Mara House each day and loved all our delicious meals. The house itself has such an original and Old World feel. One can imagine one is in old Luxor of the past and that adds to the charm. Add to that the wonderful service (last minute taxis that Amr arranged to drop us off and pick us up at Luxor Temple one night and Karnak Temple the next, packed lunches ordered the night before for our day trips, super early hot breakfasts to get us going before the 7am pick-up by our cruise operator) and you can't beat the experience!…
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Date of stay: December 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.
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My family and I recently stayed at Mara House and all the credit of our enjoyable stay goes to Amr. Amr, who did everything from taking our bags up three flights of stairs, made us hot tea to welcome us, ordered pizza for our lunch, arranged a taxi to take us to the sites we wanted to see, and, with his wife, made us an amazing dinner and breakfast, is really what made Mara House worth the visit. I will admit that I had trepidations prior to arriving at Mara House. Mara, the owner, does not come off the best during text exchanges and made me curious as to how she has managed to stay in the hospitality business. I was genuinely worried about how our stay was going to go and if we were to be treated well once we arrived. Thankfully, Amr more than made up for any hesitation that I had and truly made us feel welcome and taken care of. As for Mara House itself, it is a very charming place albeit not in the best location. We stayed in many different hotels during our Egypt trip, including The Fairmont in Cairo and The Four Seasons in Alexandria, however Mara House definitely stands out as a unique and wonderful memory in our travels. I would highly recommend staying there, especially for those who enjoy more intimate experiences in their travels.…
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Date of stay: December 2022
Cleanliness
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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.
1 Helpful vote
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PRICE RANGE
US$43 - US$54 (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
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Frequently Asked Questions about Mara House
Which popular attractions are close to Mara House?
Nearby attractions include Lotus Papyrus (1.0 km), I Can Travel (1.1 km), and Luxor Market (1.2 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Mara House?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and free parking.
What food & drink options are available at Mara House?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to Mara House?
Conveniently located restaurants include Sofra Restaurant & Cafe, Tutti Frutti Restaurant, and Quick Pizza Luxor.
Does Mara House have airport transportation?
Yes, Mara House offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are there any historical sites close to Mara House?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Temple of Karnak (2.9 km), Valley of the Artisans (Deir el-Medina) (6.3 km), and Howard Carter House (7.2 km).