El-Nakhil Hotel — Hotel in Al Baairat Village

El Nakhil was recommended by our tour agency and it turned out to be an excellent choice.||||The place is clean, and comfortably furnished. Our room had a private balcony which looked out over a lovely courtyard. The bathroom was modern and boasted what had to be the best hotel towels ever--these were custom made for El Nakhil and are made of soft, thick Egyptian cotton.||||The hotel is located on a narrow road at the edge of the village. It's a short walk to the ferry and the riverbank past houses painted with colorful murals depicting the owners' journey to Mecca for the Haj. The area is very safe. Except for the cab and tuk tuk drivers at the ferry landing no one will hassle you here and even these guys will take no for an answer. The only down side about the location is that it's right down the street from a mosque so expect an early wakeup as the faithful are called to prayer. My husband called it "the complete Egyptian experience". I came to enjoy it--a reminder that we were immersed in a very different culture. Must of the time the cooing of pigeons interspersed by the calls of other birds in the hotel courtyard are the loudest thing you'll hear.||||The rooftop restaurant is first rate--a regular visitor to Luxor told us it's the best place on the West Bank--with a nice mix of Egyptian and European dishes all at reasonable prices. Beer and wine is available and quite affordable. They even had pizza! My husband gave it a thumbs up and he's from New Jersey where we take our pizza seriously. ||||Finally, the staff is great! They truly go out of their way for you. Our time in Luxor was taken up with pre-arranged tours but if you want, the manager can help you arrange drivers, guides, horse and bike rentals--whatever you need. No pressure--no hassle. Need laundry done? You'll get it back the same day all neatly folded and for a reasonable price too. Do you have any special breakfast requests? No problem. Finally, the policy here is that tips are shared by the entire staff and given as a gift at the end of your stay. Once again--no hassle.||||If you are the kind of person who likes small hotels which may not have every amenity under the sun but does all the basics with style and where you are treated as an individual I think you'll like this...

I am finally getting around to writing this review... so sorry it took me this long - we were there for 5 nights at the end of November. The hotel is lovely, nicer than we expected from the pictures. Location, on the West bank (same side as the Valley of the Kings, Queens, Hatshepsut temple, ecc.) is perfect especially if you like peace and quiet: a block or so down a quiet road but very close to the ferry terminal. Our room (15) was nice and very quiet facing the inner garden with a small private patio with table and chairs. We very much enjoyed relaxing there at the end of the day. There is a very good rooftop restaurant where we ate wonderful breakfasts and delicious dinners. They also serve drinks, beer and wine. The whole place is neat, well organized and well kept but the best feature is the helpful, friendly staff. Everyone, from the owner (who is an interesting, kind and charming man, and helped us with all sorts of planning) on down was eager to make our stay enjoyable. We were sad to leave!||A couple of practical tips: The ferry to the East bank (Karnak, Luxor temple, museum) is a very short walk (just a few minutes), runs often and is super cheap. After having a driver take us to the farthest sights on the W bank, we enjoyed renting bicycles to tour the closer sites. The owner can arrange a bike for you or there is a dependable shop at the corner. The room does not have a safe, but after struggling with various safes in other hotels this didn't seem to be a problem (you can leave valuables with the front desk). There is an ATM nearby (about half way to the ferry), it doesn't allow big withdrawals but it's very convenient (some of the fees for the tombs are pretty steep so get...

El Nakhil is a clean, quiet and well-kept hotel a short walk from the ferry on the West side of the Nile in Luxor. The AC and WI-FI worked well. The bathroom was clean,modern and there was plenty of hot water. We spent most of our time on the East Side, which meant taking the ferry back and forth once or twice a day, but it was pleasant and we enjoyed observing the local scene. There are hardly any tourist touts on the West Side as opposed to the East where all the cruise ships dock. I had considered staying at El Fayouz, next door to El Nakhil, but I’m glad I chose El Nakhil and would do so again. One suggestion is for the owners offer to send someone from their staff to the train station to meet their guests, and guide them onto the ferry and then to the hotel. The directions we were given were confusing and not at all practical for anyone arriving at night, even with just a carry-on bag. The walk from the ferry dock to the hotel is not long, but the road is a dirt road and partly uphill, not practical for walking with a rolling suitcase. The owner might suggest guests take a Tuk-Tuk for a cost of 30 L or so. We booked a ride with a private car and driver to Aswan with El Nakhil, and the trip worked out perfectly. The driver was courterios and careful, and helped us get to our accommdations once we arrived in Aswan. I highly...