Siwa Dream Lodge was painstakingly built by the hands of its owners -- down to every last stone and window -- and you could tell that it was a labor of love. The design was aesthetic, from the quiet gardens and small pool to the circle-shaped rooms and palm-tree furniture. They even had double beds -- surprisingly uncommon for mid-range Egyptian hotels. And the bathroom was clean, with a constant supply of hot water and good water pressure.

The owners went out of their way to be hospitable, for example making a cake for another couple who happened to be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. Moreover, the breakfast fuul was the most delicious we had in three weeks in Egypt.

The Lodge is in the middle of nowhere, which makes it peaceful and quiet at night -- but expect a short walk or take a donkey cart to get to town. It would also have been nice to have a mosquito net around the bed.

The Dream Lodge is a hotel with traditional architecture, small dome rooms with multiple outdoors community spaces. The central courtyard has a cozy fireplace kept lit during winter, and a small natural spring pool in the center of the dome complex. The hotel is located a quick walk from the center of the town. It is a very peaceful location, near the picturesque mountain of tombs. The manager /staff Mohammad, Osama, and owner Gamal are extremely friendly, and very helpful. I highly recommend this hotel for people who are eco minded, and are looking for authentic experience.
Fariba and Fatima Behnam

I enjoyed my stay in this hotel very much. A special calm place, fine, peaceful energy, natural beauty in the hotelgarden, nice rooms, fine traditional breakfast, friendly athmosphere. everything in the first statement is correct, I don't want to repeat. I most time walked into town (20 minutes) and went home by donkey-taxi (20 pounds = 3 euros) - a good possobility to talk with young egyptans who are the drivers and who usually speak english.

I want to come back with family and friends to visit this wonderful oasis and hotel and the nice people here

We booked a 5-day Siwa tour though the Minamar Hotel travel agency which booked us into the Siwa Dream Lodge. We could not have been more delighted with this friendly and informal home away from home. Tranquility is a word that comes to mind when returning 'home' after a day of touring.

The Siwa Dream Lodge is a small hotel, designed in keeping with traditional Siwan architecture. I think it is about 2 years old. The guests' rooms are arranged around a central courtyard with a small pool fed by underground springs and a barbecue/fire-pit area where guests can gather and lots of gardens.

Breakfast is served outside, or alternately, in a gazebo-like structure, protected from the wind, heat and chill, and what a breakfast it is -- fule, cheeses, flatbread, yogurt, juice, eggs, tea of course, and Nescafe if you wish. Lunch and dinner are available on request. The management is very flexible about getting you what you prefer if at all possible.

The two brothers who operate the hotel were most hospitable, and ever attentive to our needs. Osama is willing to chat if you wish, and was our patient Arabic instructor. Neither brother is fluent in English, but they understand enough to get by. Most visitors to Siwa are connected with a guide in some way, so communication can be done through the guide if necessary.

The hotel is a bit on the outskirts of the town, and a bicycle would be an asset, though the walk is not excessive. Our tour guides were our transport, so we did not need to go to the town on foot, so I am not sure of the exact distance.

Room amenities are simple, in accord with the design of the building, very clean and included very comfortable beds with lots of heavy warm blankets for the desert nights, a few tables, reading lamps and a TV, (so we had sufficient outlets to charge our camera batteries). The tiled bathroom includes a toilet, sink and shower and everything was clean and functional. Each room has its own hot water heater which you may have to turn on yourself. Outside each room is a small deck and an eating area.

Beside the driveway in front of the hotel, a huge spring bubbles up into the ditch, and you can see how the water is carried away to the palm plantations nearby. It is an amazing site to see this watter bubbling on top of a hill.

In all, a wonderful place to stay. The contacts below are taken from the brochure we were given while there. I emailed the address below to thank the hotel staff, but received no reply. There could be several reasons for this, most probably that email in Siwa is not particularly reliable - (dialup only is available). If I were unable to contact the Siwa Dream Lodge, I would try to get information from the Minamar Hotel in Bahariya, which is well represented online, and should be able to provide information.

Contacts: Telephone: [--]
Mobile [--]
Email: [--]