Hotel Sheherazade

The staff were generally helpful and pleasant, the rooms were dated but comfortable, and breakfast was really nice. They were happy to make something different, though sometimes they seemed to say they understood when they didn’t, or didn’t want to admit they couldn’t provide something. If you want fried eggs, show them a picture. We had dinner there one night, and the food was very nice with a bottle of Egyptian wine. The garden and pool are lovely places to relax or read after early temple visits, and the architecture is thoughtful. It’s a beautiful, quaint hotel, well located for the Valley of the Kings, and I’d use it again. But there are some frustrating issues. There’s no lift, and no phone in the room to call reception. Our room was on the third floor, and with the high ceilings that meant the equivalent of six flights of stairs. After visiting three temples and coming back exhausted on our first night, we found there was no hot water. Neither of us wanted to go down all those stairs to report it, so I took a cold shower. They explained the hot water problem and fixed it, but it happened again the next day. A phone in the room would have made this much less inconvenient. The manager also approached us to pay our food and drink bill in cash. That raised red flags for me because I live in Egypt and know cash may not be declared or may go straight into someone’s pocket. We refused and asked to pay by credit card. The next evening the manager insisted again and suggested one of us ride on the back of a motorbike to get cash from an ATM. I refused.

The included breakfast was amazing every day, and the room was alright. The hotel looks very nice from outside, though the rooms feel a bit dated. The neighborhood seemed a little strange and unsafe, but it was okay.

A beautiful, authentic place, and the team were so welcoming and nice. If I stay again on the West bank of Luxor, I’ll choose Sheherezade.

Quiet rooms, really friendly staff, and a very good atmosphere. Great value for the price.