A few minutes south of Luxor the Nile parts around a single island, and the whole of it belongs to one hotel. Jolie Ville Kings Island Luxor spreads low rise bungalows through around 150 acres of mature gardens, so you can spend your days among the temples and come home to birdsong, four pools and sunsets over the West Bank hills.
Crossing to the island is the moment the holiday starts. The road noise of the east bank stops at the water, and what takes over is a garden estate that has been maturing for decades: towering palms, flowering shrubs, lawns running down to the riverbank and a 2.4 km jogging track looping the shoreline, with a small zoo tucked among the trees. It is a completely different proposition from the corniche hotels in town, and that setting is the reason we sell it.
Many returning guests will remember this as the Maritim Jolie Ville Kings Island. The Maritim name has gone, but a major rebuild has left the island in the best shape we have seen it, with a new lobby and reception building, a new gym, spa and beauty centre, the English style Ascot Bar and a vast infinity pool of around 2,800 square metres gazing straight across the river.
In our view it suits three kinds of traveller especially well. Couples adding restful days either side of a Nile cruise, who want gardens rather than another city hotel. Sightseers planning full days at Karnak and the Valley of the Kings who want pools, space and a proper spa to come back to. And anyone who simply wants the prettiest setting in Luxor, with feluccas drifting past while you eat breakfast.
This is a resort rather than a doorstep base, so you will not stroll out to the souk after dinner. Free shuttle buses run into town several times a day, a boat crosses twice daily and taxis are easy, so in practice it is far less cut off than the map suggests. The grounds are genuinely vast, which is the point, but if walking distances are a concern tell us and we will request a room near the pools and restaurants. Guests consistently rate it among the best hotels in Luxor, and for a garden and river setting we think nothing else in the city comes close.
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Around 530 rooms and suites are scattered through the gardens in 32 low rise bungalow style buildings, joined by three royal villas. Nothing is high rise and nothing feels crowded. Every room has air conditioning, satellite TV, tea and coffee making, a minibar, a safe, Wi-Fi and Egyptian cotton bedding, and almost all open onto a furnished terrace or balcony facing the gardens, the pools or the Nile.
The entry point and compact by this hotel’s generous standards, but a smart ground floor room with king size or twin beds, a walk in shower or bath and its own furnished terrace on the gardens. Some positions look towards the river. A sensible choice for a short stay built around sightseeing.
Ground floor rooms with king size and twin beds and a furnished terrace, giving two adults and two children double the space of a Standard without moving up to a suite. There are more than a hundred of them, so availability is usually good.
A big step up in floor space, with splendid views over the gardens, the pools or the Nile depending on position, king size or twin beds and a furnished terrace or balcony. These sit in the renovated bungalow wings and feel fresh and bright.
The category we book most. Floor to ceiling windows, a proper seating area with a dining table for two, king size or twin beds, a walk in shower or bath and a private furnished terrace or balcony looking over the island gardens and the river. With over 200 of them, good positions are worth requesting early.
A master bedroom with a king size bed plus a separate living room and a furnished terrace overlooking the gardens and the Nile. Only ten exist, and they suit couples who want a sitting room without paying Executive prices.
Ten seriously spacious suites with a master bedroom, an en suite bathroom, a dining area and floor to ceiling windows framing the Nile, plus a private furnished terrace. The one to book when the view is the whole point of the trip.
Three Victorian styled suites kept for special occasions, with grand reception rooms and VIP treatment. We confirm current details and availability directly with the hotel when you enquire.
Three villas named for the King, the Queen and the Princess, each with its own private pool set in its own stretch of garden. If you want the full private island experience, this is it, and we price them on request.
Breakfast on both boards is an international open buffet in the Felucca main restaurant, served from 6.00 to 10.30 with eggs cooked to order, fresh breads, pastries and plenty of fruit. That early start matters in Luxor, because Karnak and the Valley of the Kings are at their best before the heat and the crowds arrive.
Half Board adds dinner in the Felucca too, an evening buffet whose themes change through the week, including a popular Egyptian night with local dishes, grills and fish. Drinks are not included on either board; the hotel is fully licensed, so you pay as you go for local beer, Egyptian wines and cocktails at the table and the bars.
The heart of the hotel, bright and central with a lovely Nile outlook. Buffet themes rotate through the week, eggs are cooked to order at breakfast, and it seats everyone without ever feeling like a canteen.
An osteria style room serving wood fired pizzas, homemade pasta and a proper tiramisu. Relaxed, family friendly and the easiest sell on the island for a first night.
Teppanyaki theatre and a menu that roams across Asia in a warm, intimate setting. We rate it as the most fun table on the island for a special evening.
Charcoal grills, kofta and Egyptian mezze at tables overlooking the river. Order generously, watch the feluccas drift past and eat the way Luxor does.
The showpiece is the infinity pool, around 2,800 square metres of water whose edge seems to merge with the Nile, so you swim while cruise boats and feluccas ease past. The Oasis pool adds a waterfall and its own outlook towards the West Bank, there is a quieter adults only relaxation pool for undisturbed lengths, and a separate pool for children. Loungers are plentiful across the terraces and lawns, and the two pool bars keep you fed and watered without leaving your spot.
The hotel’s spa pairs a jacuzzi, Turkish hammam, steam room and sauna with treatment rooms for massages and facials, plus a beauty salon. It was rebuilt as part of the recent renovation and it shows. Our tip: book a massage for the evening after your Valley of the Kings day, when your legs will thank you for it.
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Classic Holidays when selling travel arrangements is a trading name of Co-op Travel Services Ltd. Classic Holidays is an Accredited Body Member of Co-operative Travel Consortium. (ABTA P7508, ATOL 12904).
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