Hotel Al Moudira, EGYPT

Description: Hotel Al Moudira

The Al Moudira hotel is an absolutely unique palace located on the West bank of the Nile - the side of the Nile where Egypt's most breathtaking antique sites lie. Al Moudira used the resources of the artisans of Egypt and the Orient to produce a unique decor of rare elegance.

In the open courtyard at the entrance of the hotel, an antique moucharabieh creates an enchanting dapple light effect. Sofas and kelims placed around a fountain, invite one to linger and unwind. Hundred year-old sculpted wooden columns, relics from long forgotten opulent oriental residences, have been saved from neglect. They add a unique touch to the interior design. Large Syrian frames, with Italo-Ottoman 18th century motifs, decorate the bar and dining room.

A local ancient workshop that made coloured tiles was opened up again to produce all the floor tiles for the hotel. The bedroom walls are decorated with frescoes, each hand-painted by the Lebanese artist Mario Dahabi. Objects found in the Orient and Europe add rich, original touches to each room.

Between the Nile and the mountains, Al Moudira is just a few minutes away (4km) from the Valley of the Kings. This is where the most famous pharaohs, Ramses II, Toutankhamon, Seti 1st - were laid to rest. The ochre-coloured outer walls of the Al Moudira hotel encircles a luxuriant eight-hectare garden with a swimming pool, an oasis in the desert. The hotel lies on the borderland where the cultivated fields end and the desert begins. Sugar cane growers across the way tend their fields with donkeys and camels just as their ancestors have done for thousands of years. The whole place exudes a wonderful feeling of peace and tranquillity.

Type of rooms: Hotel Al Moudira

Each spacious room is individually decorated and all are over 50m2 in size, with ceilings over 4 metres high. All rooms have their own furniture, unique atmosphere, desk and sitting area and magnificent king-size 4-poster beds.

Many of the rooms have engravings and paintings and hand painted frescoes. These are inspired from oriental designs and mythology. Mother of pearl inlaid desks, chandeliers, copper and glass lanterns, kelim rugs and wrought iron sofas have been sought out throughout Egypt over many years and add a unique charm to the bedrooms. A succession of patios and internal courtyards link the 54 spacious bedrooms, which open out onto a patio with a central fountain and onto the Al Moudira garden. Some rooms also have a private patio.

Additional information: Hotel Al Moudira