Bob Marley Peace Hostel — Hotel in Luxor City

a bumpy beginning..from the start i kept in contact w the owner(mia) via email and viber a month prior to my arrival. my flight time and flight # didn't change in the 4 weeks prior, i mention this bc of the snafu i experienced upon arrival to luxor airport. i was promised an airport pickup w a driver holding a sign w my name and all i received was a sketchy walk out onto the cab circle to explain to a non English driver on how to get to a hotel he doesn't even know exist. so, as you could imagine, no driver...anyhow i arrived to the hotel/dorm/hostel a bit upset bc of the empty promise and shocked by the overall appearance and outside ambiance of this establishment. ||||now for the Boomerang hotel, im being honest by saying this and at the same token understanding the cost effectiveness of this hotel, so ill be fair.. some Trip Advisor reviewers were incredibly generous towards their ratings and led me to believe that this hotel was much more than what it was, cheap..agreed, i didn't have the mindset i was staying in the sofitel(luxury)prior but i also didn't think i was staying in a bunker or a hideout as i was in an episode of Homeland looking for Brody. this place is a culture shock to say the least, yes, some people have expressed the enjoyment of walking among the locals and playing Frisbee w the neighborhood kids, im the opposite, i want to feel safe and not hear every possible noise from the outside streets and enjoy a tv that actually works.however, to be objective, the shower flow and water temperature worked great and they had working fan bc there is no a/c.||||back to the owner, i spoke w Mia prior on arranging a private tour and a private driver, do you think it was readily available and secured for my once in a lifetime trip? nope, instead they sent the neighborhood hustler to finagle a price for services while at every moment he wanted to charge double and get paid before service was even rendered. Mohammad the manager had to step in bc it became quite apparent i was annoyed by this character, to be fair he collected 25% upfront and assured i would only owe the balance upon completion. this experience wasn't a total mess, but it wasn't handled correctly, Luxor is a dream and even the ratty hostel didn't change that. the staff started w Mohammad who was indifferent but his night time employee(forgot his name) was much better and mia was surprisingly MIA. the hotel has its plus for a bargain shopper and also for individuals who love being submerged in the culture of poverty and constant haggling, on the fair side, it has a nice rooftop and decent common area downstairs where you can enjoy some tea offered by some of the friendly staff. ohhh, one other highlight was our driver, he never left my side and handled the translations and helped take some great pictures. ||||as for the hotel overall, communication and care is needed, yes its dirt cheap and yes i was on my way to leave the room after 2 minutes but something happened, my wife and i made a pack that "we can do this" and lets just gut it out as an experience as none other plus its one hell of a story over drinks. but i must say, TA let me down, well, some reviewers let me down, oh well,...

Give you the reviews of the Guest House and Some General Tips in Luxor

--- The Guest House ---

The room is good for the price – air-conditioned, with a toilet and shower inside.

The staff at the guest house are super helpful and friendly. If you respect them, they will also be nice and helpful to you.

The house is old, but they clean it well every day, even the corners of the room. Nice!

No need to take a taxi to Luxor Temple – it’s just a 15-minute walk to the ticket office. I recommend going there in the evening, as the street is extremely hot during the daytime.

--- General Tips ---

If you take a taxi arranged by the guest house or hotel, you’ll have to pay more. This is very common here. Uber doesn’t work here, so install the InDrive app – it’s easy to use and offers good prices.

Tour prices: There aren’t big differences between agencies, but the real price is not always clear. The Booking.com app offers good prices so far, or find a good guest house has many experiences.

Install the Google Translate app and download Arabic. Even numbers are written in Arabic, so use the camera translator of the app to check the real price.

Two nights and three days are enough to see most of Luxor’s attractions.

One day for the west bank of Luxor, with a balloon tour in the morning and Luxor Temple in the evening.

Another day for Karnak Temple and the east bank of the river.

If you don’t live here and don’t know Arabic, you might end up paying more and feel like you’ve been cheated. You could get angry, but if it’s not a lot of money, just let it go. Don’t ruin your whole trip over a small amount.

Learn some greetings in Arabic and use it often. It's a good start and big step.

Finally, enjoy sun and respect the people here....

I had a lot of questionable experiences in Egypt, but Boomerang was not one of them. The staff is fantastic and honest. In addition to being good hosts, you can trust them to get you the correct prices for things in Egypt. Knowing the right price for things are exhausting and it's super easy to be scammed (even hostels do this). Having someone that is looking out for you in all ways, from safety to prices, makes a world of difference and was one of the reasons I extended my stay in Luxor. ||||That means that the 100$ tour that you were overcharged for because you didn't know better they won't recommend and instead recommend the east and west bank for ~8 dollars total!(and good quality btw). Because they are here to help, not hurt. ||||Breakfast is really good and the atmosphere is chill. Internet was the biggest downside of the hostel, but Egypt has one of the worst internets in Africa so not sure how much of it was on the hostel. My room had A/C and the bed was good. I would go onto the rooftop in the morning and it was fanstastic. ||||The best part about the hostel is the staff and the fact that you can feel at home. I was super glad I went to Bob Marley hostel and it was my best stay in Egypt. I can luckily say after my time in Egypt that I made at least 1 Egyptian friend. Thanks Amr for...