Luxor makes a good base from which to explore pretty much the whole of Upper Egypt - that's from Abydos to Aswan - and more. Mara House became my little home from home from which I ventured out, mainly across the river to the west bank, where I walked, cycled, motorcycled, bused and taxied all over the place visiting temples and my friends in Qurna, the community of people whose villages ring the ancient Theban necropolis on its eastern flank. (visit www.mandoxegypt.wordpress.com for more stories about all that.) One could also ride (horses or camels but that ain't really my thing)

Whereas West Bank and Qurna is a very much more rural, very quiet experience. Mara House is situated in the Inner City right behind the very busy railway station and just 15minutes walk up El Nozri to Luxor temple and the lively area around the souk where little restaurants like Ali Baba offer has nice food (Egyptian or International) and beer plus one of the best views of any restaurant.

So I lodged my entire two weeks at Mara's where they looked after me very well. I was in room 4 - one floor up on last time - very nice quiet room - with a large glass topped dinning table on which i could lay out my books and laptop. Very comfortable there.

I also had the opportunity to go on one of the longer day trips to Abydos in the company of Mara, Mohammed and Amr. There should be links to some film of this on the mandoxegypt site or youtube. Journeying to this famous pilgrimage site has long been one of my ambitions. The journey on this new desert road was fantastic - desert scenery all the way then a gem of a temple - with not one but two guides to show me the special bits. We had a lot of fun and even managed to step briefly onto the Osireion, which was dry.

Several hours there wasn't enough enough and I must go back - if only for more gossip from Mara (but I am a nerd). We then got to Dendara for last two hours - which is best time to see it - more than enough there to keep one busy for the day.

Coming back in rush hour I think on reflection I'd get off at Jazeera on the west back and catch the public ferry over and walk back to Mara's rather than spend an hour via Luxor Bridge which is quite far upstream. Even so its probably a detour one should make at least once - just to see the bridge and uptown or is it downtown Luxor.

Many thanks to Noor, Asdar and Sahry for looking after me so well in the Hotel. Keeping my room looking so fresh and providing such nice breakfasts every morning and tea whenever I needed it. Coming back late I'd often get a call from Sahry just to make sure I was OK - which is nice really - people in Egypt really do go the extra mile ... thank you - hope to see you all on my next expedition.

Hi I stayed at Mara House for 5 nights in January along with 8 friends. The rooms were huge and beautifully decorated, and they did a great job of organising trips for us during the stay. Above all Mara and the team really made us feel at home and secure.

I was part of a trip of nine who stayed at Mara House in January 2013 and I can't rate it highly enough if you're looking for a good-value B&B with excellent service. Even before we arrived, Mara (Irish lady who owns the place) sent us loads of advice and dealt effortlessly with our questions and schedule changes.

Arriving at Mara House is a little bit of a shock, as it's on a backstreet that (to our untrained Western sensibilities) looks a bit rough - but nothing could be further from the truth. The front door opened to an oasis of tranquility and calm, the people in Luxor are lovely and when we got there, Mara and her staff (Amr and Sahji) bent over backwards to accommodate us.

Mara arranged all our excursions, Amr accompanied us and arranged all the driving and let's not forget Mohammad, our hotel-appointed tour guide, who opened up a world of understanding at the sites including the Luxor and Karnak temples, Abydos, Dendera and the Valley of The Kings. If you stay with Mara, I thoroughly urge you to take advantage of the full service package they offer for excursions etc - you won't find a better deal.

On the longer excursions (requiring an early start) they provided packed breakfasts, which were just the ticket. And if you stay here and they offer you Amr's home-cooked Egyptian feast one evening, make sure you take them up on the offer.

Oh, and of course - the rooms were huge, spotless and comfortable, the service was impeccable and the roof terrace provided a lovely escape from the hubbub below.

If you don't know what to expect, in the first couple of days the Islamic call to prayer at 5am will jolt you awake - but it doesn't last long and you will have the same experience if you stay at the most expensive hotels. This is Egyptian culture - embrace it!

Thank you Mara and team - you were an essential part of making Luxor a great experience.

I stayed at Mara House with my son for 4 nights in January 2013. The accomodation is in a "genuine" Egyptian neigbourhood away from the other hotels and about 5 minutes from the railway station. The accomodation was a large living room with a large bedroom. Breakfast, which was included in the price, was continental in nature and perfectly fine. Unfortunately time precluded taking some of the tours that Mara organised and unfortunately we were not able to attend the Egyptian feast as the chef was ill on the relevant day.

The biggest plus of Mara house is that the staff (and I will no doubt spell these names wrong) Sahry and his colleague (Amr). They genuinely cared that you had a good experience in Luxor and were always anxious to ensure that the vist was as hassle free as possible. In particular, we had a difficult situation with a caliche driver who upped his fee by a great deal and became very aggressive. Sahry and Amr came out of Mara House at what was 1 am in the morning and spoke with him, arranged a reasonable fee and directed us inside.

Overall I would recommend Mara House. Being in a genuine Egyptian neighbourhood, you really benefit from meeting real Egyptians who are not out to hassle you and we were touched by the acts of kindness shown to us (such as a local giving us a "no obligation" ride on the back of his moped to Mara House when we got slightly lost one night). It is slightly out of the town centre (15 minutes walk to Luxor temple) compared with other hotels and did not have a TV (if this is important to you) etc, but if you are willing to walk or use the fixed rate taxis/caliche that Mara House organises and wish to experience a less touristy side of Luxor, it is perfect.