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I am going to Egypt again and I would like more information about accomodation, meals and how to get to Siwa. maybe the people that live in Egypt know more than I can get from the net. Thanks
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strangelookingnegro Member # 151
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I don't know what sort of transport you want to use...will you have a car? A friend with a car? If not, then you can take the bus system. I did it a year ago, and while it is a LONG trip, it's not too terribly painful. You get on the bus in Cairo early in the morning, and ride to Marsa Matruh. In Marsa Matruh you change buses and head south to Siwa. As I recall, we left Cairo about 7 a.m. and arrived in Siwa about 8 or 9 p.m. It was fairly late. If you drive, most people stay the night at Marsa Matruh and carry on the following day. It is two very long lengths of highway. I don't remember what the cost was, but it was extremely affordable. Don't worry about cost.
There are loads of cheap hotels out there and loads of restaurants in town. I stayed at one that was a bit upper end for the first two nights....they would only sell us 1/2 board beds, so we had to eat breakfast and dinner there. I can't even remember the name of the place, but while it was clean and cute, it wasn't that good, and the food was not that good either. After the first two nights we moved out of town a bit to the Desert Rose Eco Lodge. Less luxy, but much much more fun. The problem with the Desert Rose is that it is a ways out of town and if you don't have a car with you, you will need to rent bikes, and it's still a long long ride. I want to say they are 7 km out of town, but it might be less. At the Desert Rose though, every morning you can tell Ali (the manager) if you want to eat with him at the hotel or not, and you can even tell him what you'd like to eat. He'll pick up the fresh food that day for those that want to eat that night with him, and it's really lovely. It's probably more fun if you have a good crowd of friends there.
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Thanks Debbie but I was thinking of renting a car with driver (4WD maybe)since it is only me and my friend Patricia. To eat and sleep I see that is very affordable but I donīt like "very cheap" places.I want to have some comfort since I'm on holiday and I am very tired and stressed from my daily life here...
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strangelookingnegro Member # 151
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Your choice of hotels in Siwa is really quite limited. There is one really fancy 5* Eco Lodge....don't know what the price per night is, but I'll guarantee you it's expensive. I was there once just to see it and they made a point of keeping us Lookie Loos away from the guests. They said something about not wanting us to disturb the guests. That's exclusive.
From that one, there isn't much inbetween it and the one I guess I stayed at that wasn't all that great. It was something Paradise I think. It might be the one that will suit you, except I still don't highly recommend their food. It was edible, but not something to write home about. Better meals can be found out in town. The Desert Rose had fabulous food, better beds than the something Paradise, but it was a ways out of town.
If you hire a driver with a 4x4, he'll probably suggest a hotel he likes and uses.
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