Bab al Samawy

the best lower cost property in Egypt

Bab Al Samawy is quite simply the best mid-range accommodation option in the Luxor area.

If your prime areas of interest are the fabulous archaeological sites of the West Bank (Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens etc.), then staying in this vicinity makes an enormous amount of sense.

This charming little guesthouse is set in a traditional village, close to the road leading up to the sites, with a lovely rural aspect, looking out over verdant farmland.

The lodge has just six rooms. Our favourite is the Fairoz Suite, which has a lounge, inner bedroom and lovely private terrace.

The lodge is owned by the lovely Samantha Hargreaves, originally from the UK, a very widely travelled and a fluent Arabic speaker. She has poured her heart and soul into this place, a wonderful blend of style and modesty. She is a delightful and caring host, as well as being great company.

We usually recommend a three night stay, which gives you two full days in this rural area, preferably including lesser-visited sites like Medinet Habu temple, usually only venturing into the busy city to see Karnak temple on the day of departure. If you add a fourth night, then you can add the fascinating and much more remote archaeological sites at Dendera and Abydos.

It is important to note that the Luxor balloon trips presently take off from the adjacent field, so there is considerable noise to be heard in some rooms around dawn. That’s fine if you are ballooning yourself or want to head out early when the temperatures are lower and the sites are quiet. The lodge offers muffins and coffee at 5.30am, so that you can get out to one of the local sites (which open at 6am) before anyone else, then return for a leisurely brunch back at base. Otherwise, earplugs might be a good idea if you are a light and late sleeper.

If you prefer something more opulent, then Al Moudira Hotel is the stand-out option.

We usually recommend deploying at least three nights in Luxor, since the handful of hotels on the west bank are both unusually high quality and very relaxing.

The more time you spend here, the more likely you are to get under the surface of the place, avoid the crowds and get out to some of the lesser-known sites.

Seasonality

Luxor experiences a conventional northern hemisphere climate, with a pleasantly warm dry winter Nov-Mar and an uncomfortably hot dry summer centred on May-Sep.

During the Nov-Mar winter season the daytime temperatures typically reach a balmy 25C, with night-time temperatures plunging to a chilly 8C. These warm (rather than hot) conditions have led to winter being the most popular time to visit, meaning that visitor numbers reach their peak, especially around Dec-Jan. We therefore recommend November to mid-December and mid-January to March (excluding a week either side of Easter), although even then you probably need to deploy traffic avoidance measures when visiting the key sites.

The month of April represents a transition between winter and summer conditions and, in many ways, offers the best of both worlds, with visitor traffic also being relatively low (except for a week either side of Easter).

During the May-Sep summer season the daytime temperatures typically reach 41C, with nighttime temperatures holding up around 23C. These conditions are generally considered to be too hot and visitor numbers are much reduced.

The month of October represents a transition between summer and winter conditions and, in many ways, offers the best of both worlds, with visitor traffic also being relatively low.

Most trips spend 12-16 nights exploring the Nile Valley in a north to south direction. Luxor usually comes second, after the pyramids in Cairo and before a boat trip down to Aswan.

Getting there

Luxor is usually the second stop on an Egypt trip, after Cairo.

Guests returning to Egypt on subsequent trips may choose to avoid Cairo completely and fly directly into Luxor. Notably there are direct flights from London.

Most of our guests fly from Cairo to Luxor, but it is also possible for more intrepid travellers to take the overnight train.

The most popular way to leave is on a cruise boat, four to five nights south down the river to Aswan. This leg can easily be done in a few hours by train, or can be done by road if you want to visit the various sites along the way.

usually 3-4 nights between Giza and Aswan