9 Appréciation(s) 89404 Alexandrie, Al Iskandariyah

We are a family of 6 (4 kids - 8, 10, 13 & 15).

Arrived at Cairo and picked up quickly and taken to the villa.

Sayeed let us in and popped in to make sure we were OK and was always on hand to help.

Maha came and helped plan our trips in and around Alexandria as well as 3 trips to Cario. Thanks to her we had our whole holiday organised by 1pm on day 1. Brilliant.

The whole time the kids were by the pool, playing table tennis, exploring the garden, watching TV, looking through DVDs and books... you get the picture

We arranged for Ahmed to come the first day and from the moment he arrived we were in the safe hands of a real gentleman for whom nothing was a problem.
There is no doubt that Ahmed is a start attraction of Villa Sahara. His driving, patience, assistance and local knowledge were outstanding, only surpassed by his clear care for us to ensure we were always safe and having as good a time as possible. From local trips to Carrefour or the beach through to 3 separate day trips to Cairo, night outs in local markets during Ramadan, helping us barter and introducing us to foul (beans) & falafel take away. He was absolutely brilliant and faultless.

The other star is Asrar and her superb cooking. We don’t eat beef and there is no pork in Egypt (that we could find), but that was no problem to her. We enjoyed 1 veggie meal, 1 lamb and 1 rabbit dish and a whole variety of different delicious chicken meals which Asrar prepared with local culinary flavours and techniques which we enjoyed every single night. To miss her cooking would be to miss a part of Egypt. As well as cooking, her readiness to come every day and her help planning the days and with translations were invaluable.

With Asrar cooking and Ahmed driving, my wife and I sat back and relaxed... and boy did we relax. The kids loved the whole trip and were never bored, but the pool was probably the best part.

The villa is great with a modern kitchen, TV, wireless internet, 4 air con bedrooms and the pool. It was great to get back each day and just kick back and relax.

Guy and Maria were also on hand to help and it is clear that you enjoying the holiday is as important to them as your payment. The staff and that invaluable mobile phone is a clear demonstration of this.

Top Tips - speedboat trip in Montazah Water Sports, go to the markets with Ahmed, only pay 150EP/person (or less) for camel rides, keep Ahmed & Asrar.

And just enjoy

We have just enjoyed the most glorious two weeks at Villa Sahara. The information and support from Maria the owner even before we travelled was excellent and we felt confident that everything would be as described. Upon arrival we found the property to be spotlessly clean and beautifully equipped, thoughtful extras like toys and DVD's for children made quiet time out of the sun easy to manage! The provision of a car and driver was the icing on the cake for a holiday of pure relaxation. The roads of Egypt can be slightly hair-raising for a first time visitor but Ahmed is an excellent driver and we soon learned to go with the flow! Ahmed also provided a tour guide service and took us to places we would never have found by ourselves - he was utterly charming and extremely helpful. We were also thoroughly spoilt by Asrar the housekeeper who came as often as we asked to clean and cook for us. She too is simply lovely and an excellent cook - every mother looking to relax on holiday will appreciate her more than words can say! The property is managed by Maha who is fluent in English and is at the end of the phone whenever required to help with translation or any problems that may arise. Maria has provided a comprehensive handbook for the property which contains extremely useful tips on places to visit etc - she has also been extremely thoughful in providing a mobile phone pre-programmed with necessary contact numbers. We found Villa Sahara to be excellent value for money and the entire experience absolutely wonderful. Thank you to everyone involved for doing all that you did to make our holiday truly memorable.

Our family visited Egypt (Cairo and Alexandria) during the month of June 2010. While in Cairo we stayed at Hilton World Trade Center for a few days then traveled to Alexandria via Minibus that Maria was so helpful in obtaining for us. We rented this villa for a couple of nights and although a short stay at Villa Sahara, it helped us to unwind from previous places we had visited. Only wished that we could of stayed in Villa Sahara our full week in Egypt instead of the Hilton. Asra was so kind to clean, wash, and cook us an authentic Egyptian meal... which was delicious :) The pool was so clean and inviting, not to mention the Villa itself. Maria was kind enough to offer the purchase of certain groceries and drinks before our arrival to Villa Sahara.
Thank you Maria, Ahmed, and Asra. for all of your help during this stay and for making our trip to Alexandria very memorable. We will definitely stay here again on our next visit to Egypt.

Having only previously been to Nuweiba in Egypt (Sinai Desert) where we stayed in the beach resort all the time because there was really nowhere to go, and car hire was impossible, we (just 2 persons) chose this villa for our November break mainly as it had a heated pool, (which was great). We flew to Cairo with BMI from LHR. Excellent flight, could pre book a window seat at no extra cost, booked via Expedia (excellent) for lowest rate. We found our driver Ahmed waiting in arrivals and were soon on our way but a vital road was closed and we went bumper to bumper through Cairo which put an extra 2 hours (approx) on on our journey unfortunately. The Egyptians drive very close to one another, and in a 3 lane road expect 5 lanes of cars. They use their hooters in a similar way to how we use indicators. You soon relax into it and Ahmed is a capable calm driver. Maria and staff welcomed us at the villa which we did not expect, and this was reassuring as we were out of our "Eurpean" comfort zone. Hamper was excellent and Maria offered to get us a tray of beers as alcohol has to be bought from specific shops, and these were welcome. I took some wine from Duty Free, a very good move. Maria provides a mobile phone and we used this a lot, a fantastic asset for this holiday. We got used to the call to prayer, it starts pre dawn, (but we turned this around and went to the roof terrace to photograph the sunrise) and the railroad nearby with the honking, and the local dogs. The cook Asrar is a lovely lady and we had 2 delicious meals cooked for us which both lasted 2 days. The bed was the most comfortable we have ever slept in on holiday. The villa was full of homely touches, we loved it, but only went out with our driver. Alexandria was interesting, lots to see for everyone, and I bought a couple of silver necklaces and some scarves. (The Egyptian women wear their scarves beautifully, lots of colour co ordinating going on.) For the most unusual shops Alexandria souk area and Alexandria in general is best as Carrefour Mall has similar clothes to uk. Best point was seeing the Sphinx at Giza. What a day! And we went inside the Great Pyramid too and climbed the steps. The Solar Boat here was amazing, we did not even know about its existence pre this holiday. El Alamein was very interesting and absorbing, and we stopped at Charm Life with a wonderful white sand beach and had it to ourselves. Thanks to Maria, Ahmed, Asrar, Z FANTASTIC TEAMWORK IN ACTION. Holiday to remember

This was our first family holiday outside of Europe and we had no idea what it would be really like; despite the detailed information on the sahara website.
We had an AMAZING time in Egypt and it was always a comfort to get back to the villa.
Villa Sahara was a perfect holiday base for our family of 7 and the pool was always occupied. The interior was a welcome retreat from the heat of the day and the AC was essential for sleeping. We wanted to bring our bed back with us, it was very comfortable.
The staff were there when needed but left us to our holiday and made a big difference, can we adopt Asra?
Having a driver was the single most important benefit of this holiday and we had some never to be forgotten experiences.
For the boring stuff, like having to eat, the massive modern Carrefour supermarket was too easy and met all our western needs, it was a surprise to find such a place.
Wine and beer had to bought elsewhere but was easy to get.
Trying to add balance to our wonderful experience is difficult, because any negatives were so minor and mainly related to having to spend quite a lot of time in the car to get into Alexandria.
We loved this grubby city, that rewarded each visit in further unexpected ways.
The seafood restaurants live up to their reputation.
What made this holiday special; pyramids,deserts,Nile,monasteries, museums,souks,coffee shops and the odd library aside, were the Egyptians ,who were exceptionally friendly and welcoming.

We had a lovely time in the Villa for 1 week in April. Weather was great and the pool was fantastic and heated enough for my 2 young children to swim in. The Villa was spacious, very clean and a cleaner came nearly everyday which was really appreciated. The kitchen was well equipped and the DVD, TV provision was also an added bonus for the kids. The garden was well kept, very private and also large enough to play games in.
The driver and the owners are very friendly and Maria kindly returned Pooh bear when my daughter had left him in her room. I would have only 1 comment to make that you need the driver because there is not a lot around the local area and the distance to a good beach that will tolerate the Western way of sunbathing is a good hour plus..but if you want to chill out by a pool and like culture ( Alexandria) visits then this is the place.

The villa is wonderful, there is all accomodations we needed.
I take this opportunity to thanl again Maria for taking care of us.
The car and the driver were very helpful.
I strongly recommend this property to every one.