My husband and are both in our 60s and retired. Normally we like to stay in elegant, luxurious hotels. Our agency who handled the land portion of our Egypt trip picked this facility for us. We stayed 1 night, on May 19, 2011. This is classified as a 3 star property. We were greeted by the owner/operator Peter Wirth. Peter is very outgoing, very gracious, and very informative about his surroundings/town. Later we find that this hotel as well as our overnight camping experience is part of White Desert Tours.

Everything was great. The only hiccup was that at dinner which was outside in the garden we were swamped with insects that ended up all over the food making it impossible to eat. Some sort of repellant candle could have helped. We had lunch earlier inside the restaurant bldg. and it was delicious, no insects at all.

I enjoyed a relaxing soak in the hot spring pool by the reception area. All the staff were courteous and friendly.

The local tour we had that same afternoon led by our Bedouin guide, Humvee (phonetic spelling) was excellent despite some sites being closed due to after effects from the "revolution." He would be our guide for the desert camping experience. The camping overnight part of this excursion was the best and I give this a 10 out of 10. It was a magical experience and part of the package which included the 1 night at the hotel in Bawiti and the 1 night camping in the White Desert.

The hotel did not make the best use of its potential beauty and location. Tourists were a commodity with little genuine care and attention. The rooms smelled, the toilet only worked after three complaints (and then not properly), and the place looked run down - with the exception of a lovely bar: possibly a recent addition. The springs were a round pool into which spring water was pumped once a day.

Our children got badly bitten by mosquitoes and it would have been helpful if a sign or a note in the rooms had indicated taking the necessary precautions.

The restaurant served good food although we ate under a hushed rather awkward silence with the hotel owner's mother presiding over the buffet. The whole enterprise seemed a little odd. It felt like a very poor version of the wonderful Kibbutz Ein Gedi hotel in Israel.

We stayed in this hotel because we wanted to do desert tour. They can arrange good desert tour.
Hotel itself is very nice, quiet, safe, claen and staff are very friendly. They have a small hot springs, massage service, small kids park, bar etc. We relaxed a lot after 6 hours bus trip from Cairo. They serve European style meal as well. Prices are probably more than other hotels or restaurants but it was worth staying there for us. We want to come back again !

The owners have done an admirable job with the hotel itself. The rooms are clean and comfortable. The setting is stunning. However, with the way my itinerary was set up, I never got a chance to relax in its spa-like atmosphere. As soon as I had lunch, I was sent out with my Bedouin guide for a completely unexpected 3 hour tour of the oasis area. There are some interesting tombs and mummies in Bahariya; read up before you go, though; there is no “museum staff” who will guide you. Actually, it's startling how lax the "security" is.

If your agent books you in for a "half board" basis have them change it to full board. Took about 3.5 hours to get there from Cairo. The long drive to get there meant we didn't arrive ‘til about 1:00. The small oasis town is not really a walking option from the hotel, so when my driver left, I really only had the hotel as a place for lunch.

My main pupose for booking into this hotel was their reputation for conducting Desert Safaris into the Western Desert; do make a point of taking that option, it's an extraordinary experience.

On a general basis, I found the food at this place to be pretty pedestrian, a la cafeteria style. Food is very much part of my own holiday fun, and this place needs some help in that direction. Many people have said the food it amazing here, but I think Chef must have been off the time I was there!

You might want to build in time to actually relax in this amazing setting. Consider adding a day AFTER the safari to wash the sand out and relax; it would have been quite welcome, rather than returning from the safari, and then getting straight into a car for another 3 hours back to Cairo.

I travelled alone, but most of the people there travel in groups for the desert safari experience. I do NOT recommend doing the desert safari alone; it simply isn’t as much fun. I am not a camper by nature; this was a once in a lifetime experience for me. As such, I was disappointed that the hotel did not provide anything in the way of advance info on what I should pack, what I might expect, etc. I think they should do a little more in the way of educating their clients prior to sending them out into the desert.

I wouild certainly recommend this hotel, but make it a point to know what you're getting into before you go, and go in a group.