If you are looking for a small, friendly, clean and secure Egyptian hotel away from the tourists then stay at the Amon Hotel. The hotel has 18 rooms most of which have a balcony overlooking an attractive enclosed garden courtyard. The rooms have comfortable beds, air conditioning, ceiling fans and simple en-suite facilities. (There are some lower cost rooms with shared facilities for long term residents such as archaeologists). There is a roof sun deck – very pleasant near sunset but with no shade. Breakfast, lunches and dinner are generally served in the cool shady courtyard. There is an al a carte menu featuring simple, Egyptian fare. The hotel uses filtered water for washing food and we ate delicious salads there every day with absolutely no negative consequences. We found the location ideal. The West bank is significantly quieter and less touristy than the East Bank. The Amon is hidden away in an Egyptian village about 10 minutes stroll from the Nile where you can catch a ferry across to the East Bank when you want. The Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and the temples of Hatshepsut and Ramesseum are each no more than a 15 minute drive away from the hotel which is a big advantage if you want to see these wonders before the bussed day trippers arrive from the Red Sea resorts. Whatever you do make sure that you see the tombs of the nobles and the tombs of the artisans as well as those of the kings and queens. Probably the best thing about the Amon are the people –welcoming, helpful and friendly. Ahmed Soliman the owner and his son Mohamed really put themselves out to make our visit rewarding and hassle free. They arranged airport pickup (with a steady competent driver), a guide (Hassan with excellent English), a delightful felucca sail to Banana Island as well as bicycles which we used to tour nearby villages. (Judging by local reaction and frequent welcomes we must have ventured into areas which few tourists reach.) So if you want to avoid the expensive “Western” hotels on the East bank and fancy a stay closer to the Egyptian people we strongly recommend the Amon. It was a real haven for us.
