Helnan Auberge Hotel

“Historic 104 room hotel directly on 82 sq. mile Lake Qarun.”

My wife and I stayed 3 nights, arriving at 2PM by Uber($17) from Giza. A welcoming English-speaking receptionist copied our passports, confirmed our prepayment, then we followed a porter carrying our bags up the stairs to the 2nd floor. Room #201 was clean, opened to a fully outfitted bathroom with… more

My wife and I stayed 3 nights, arriving at 2PM by Uber($17) from Giza. A welcoming English-speaking receptionist copied our passports, confirmed our prepayment, then we followed a porter carrying our bags up the stairs to the 2nd floor. Room #201 was clean, opened to a fully outfitted bathroom with a tub shower. The spacious wood floored bedroom had a closet, a comfortable king across a large TV(BBC/movie in English & 20 other channels), small refrigerator, water/kettle, desk/chair, table & 2 chairs. French doors opened to a balcony(table/2 chairs) with a view over their garden swimming pool to Lake Qarun. Our room had subdued lighting, 4 outlets, nice heat and strong WiFi in the Churchill Lounge. The 7AM breakfast was nicely officiated by a young chef; omelette station, fruit cocktail, Egyptian hot dishes(couscous/potatoes/falafel & mashed fava beans), meats, cheeses, breads/croissants/pastries & a specialty coffee machine. Our goal was to visit UNESCO Wadi El-Hitan and stay in King Farouk's 1937 duck hunting lodge that was converted to a quiet classic hotel and celebrates Churchill's 1945 visit. The manager helped us contact a local tour company as there are no local taxis.

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“Interesting history on the lake front, but could use a little clean up.”

If you are visiting the Fayoum oasis and want to experience a bit of history, stay at the Helnan Auberge, formerly King Farouk's 1937 hunting lodge, most famous for hosting Churchill with the Saudi king during WWII. The hotel does a good job of preserving the history, whether in the Churchill main… more

If you are visiting the Fayoum oasis and want to experience a bit of history, stay at the Helnan Auberge, formerly King Farouk's 1937 hunting lodge, most famous for hosting Churchill with the Saudi king during WWII. The hotel does a good job of preserving the history, whether in the Churchill main lounge, the foyer's historic photographs, or the king's suite. The staff were very very helpful and we were pleased with our elegant room overlooking the lake and the delivered fruit/sweets. The buffet breakfast/dinner was fairly typical for a hotel - just all right. The hotel could make some small adjustments: The situation with the indoor pool is bizarre. It was probably a good design initially, but most of the neat tiny 'star' lights in the ceiling are non-functioning and there is weird plastic coverings on the windows - overall, it looks a bit dilapidated. But even more peculiar, they will only heat the pool if you give them several hours notice and pay them $50 (but they will kick out any other guests that are there if you pay this fee!). I have never heard of a hotel with such a practice! Wouldn't it be more efficient to keep it heated than letting it cool and reheat? Another small but easy change: there was a lot of lakefront trash in front of the hotel that could be cleaned up. The hotel could even advertise how they are helping clean the lake environment. On the rooftop of the hotel it looks like there was once a stage, but now it's just storage for broken furniture (probably best if they just close off the roof to guests!) Given lakefront, it would have been nice if there was option for boating on the lake. Finally beware for those at the end of the east wing near the lake: the music on the pier is quite loud late into the evening.

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“The famous Auberge of Fayoum”

The ancient hotel of Auberge El Fayoum is a lovely place to stay, you can smell history in its well kept rooms, lobby, restaurant and gardens, overlooking Qaroun lake, serenity is unmatched till the weddings at night, there’s a wedding venue next to the hotel that ends at 1 in the morning. Staff ar… more

The ancient hotel of Auberge El Fayoum is a lovely place to stay, you can smell history in its well kept rooms, lobby, restaurant and gardens, overlooking Qaroun lake, serenity is unmatched till the weddings at night, there’s a wedding venue next to the hotel that ends at 1 in the morning. Staff are super friendly, and rooms are clean.

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“Escape from Cairo hassle”

The hotel has a great ancient atmosphere; once you enter you can feel it. The staff are very helpful and smiley and tried to please everyone. Breakfast and dinner were very delicious and lot of varieties. The view from the room is breathtaking, and you can enjoy a relaxing stay everywhere in the ho… more

The hotel has a great ancient atmosphere; once you enter you can feel it. The staff are very helpful and smiley and tried to please everyone. Breakfast and dinner were very delicious and lot of varieties. The view from the room is breathtaking, and you can enjoy a relaxing stay everywhere in the hotel. There is a nice playground for kids. However, the rooms were tiny and could hardly accommodate a family of 4. There are no elevators for the upper floor, so make sure when you reserve the room that you need an accessible room or not. Hot water during winter was not available all the time. During our stay, the weather was a little windy during the night; we felt that from our room. The overall experience is very good, and I recommend it for stay in Fayoum

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