In februari 2009 I stayed at Pharaohs Hotel on the West Bank of Luxor for my second time. The hotel is located right in the middle of many interesting places to visit. Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, the Ramesseum, temple of Hatshepsut and the temple of Habu are all very nearby, some of them even within walking distance! For all these attractions you have to get a ticket at the ticket-office witch is right next to Pharaohs Hotel, so very easy!

Luxor centre on the East Bank with Luxor temple, Karnak temple and the Luxor museum is easy to reach by servicebus or taxi and the ferryboat. All very cheap and taking you almost every few minutes!

The hotel itself has a nice terras surrounded by a garden with trees. It realy is a family hotel runned by Mr. Refat Hassan and his friendly staff. Don't expect any luxury and much comfort, but if you search for a good clean hotel with very good and friendly service, your at the right place! The staff is willing to give you any advise you want and helps you in every way they can.

The hotel has also an excellent restaurant that offers good Egyptian food for affordable prices.

When I visit Luxor again I will absolutely stay at Pharaohs Hotel!

Pharoahs Hotel is a budget hotel close to the old village of El Gourna. It sits just between the last of the green fields of the Nile Valley and the dry, dusty Egyptian desert. My wife and 4 teenage daughters stayed there in Feb 2005 and had a wonderful time.

The hotel has a patio area with a bar and comfortable chairs shaded by palm trees. The strategically placed pool table provided hours of entertainment!

The hotel itself has a cool lobby and restaurant, and three floors of accomodation. The rooms were simple/basic but clean, with en-suite and had working air-con (necessary with a heat wave producing 37C day temperatures and some hot nights). The toilets and showers were OK/adequate.

Food in the hotel was plain, tasty and plentiful (felafel, humous, flat breads, chicken etc)

The siting of the hotel allowed us to walk to Medinet Habu (600 yards), Deir el-Medina (800 yards) and up to the mountain above the Valley of the Kings (1 mile plus a climb) for a stunning view over the Valley of the Kings . Deir El Bahri was very close as well.The actual West Bank at Luxor, a mile away, had a internet cafe (importantly for the teenagers!). Getting to Luxor was a 30 min trip in a taxi (a bridge has to be crossed) for a very small fee or a trip over the Nile for an even smaller cost!

These things in themselves would have been enough to make our stay hugely enjoyable.

However the warmth and welcome given by the owner, Refat Hassan, were extraordinary and transformed our stay into a wonderful experience. One of our teenagers had a birthday and Refat not only produced a cake, he produced a party, complete with a band of local musicians and dancing, all with Refat's compliments. Hospitality takes on a new meaning under these circumstances!

So for those who want a budget hotel and perhaps some exposure to the genuineness and warmth of the Egyptian people this is a very good place to start.

We found the hotel via the web-site below:

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