A Visit to Siwa Oasis - Part II, An Evening in Siwa

After that grueling journey across Egypt, we checked in at the Siwa Safari Gardens Hotel.  Siwa is not a large town with the entire population of the oasis at around 30,000.  We were surprised to notice the similarity in architecture to the American Southwest.  At first glance, I though of Santa Fe or the smaller towns we visited in Arizona's copper country last year.  

 

The hotel we had chosen has around twenty rooms and they are constructed of brick with each unit having a domed shape ceiling.  The location is about a quarter of a mile from the downtown town square and is in the center of a large grove of date palms.

The proprietor/manager, Susie, has a Egyptian/German background and speaks English fluently.  All rooms were occupied the first night.  We had second floor units near the pool at the rear.  These aerial views from Google maps show the general shape of the grounds and the relationship to downtown Siwa.

Our room was on the second floor near the swimming pool.

  

 

 

For dinner, we headed to Abdu (or perhaps Abdo - the sign and menu differ on the spelling) which has a reputation as one of the better spots in town.

 

The service is good, the Lentil soup is excellent as was the rest of our meal.  The only issues are that all of the patrons are obviously all tourists, and the lack of a front wall gave the impression of eating in a "doll house" on full display for folks on the other side of the street.

  

 

 

Most of the main course items cost around $4 to $5, with the lentil soup coming in at about 85 cents.

After dinner, we went across the street to a local tea/coffee shop and watched other patrons enjoy their meals.   People were busily strolling past to visit shops on the street, as well.

  

Returning to the hotel, we found the bed comfortable and all amenities were quite adequate.  It was well worth the 900 EGP (30 US$) rate.  Breakfast was included and there was no sales, occupancy, or pillow tax;  most US hotels now come close to $30 for the various taxes!

There is wifi available in the hotel lobby where there are a couple of nice seating arrangements.

In the morning, we strolled past the cactus garden to breakfast which was served in a dining room adjacent to the lobby.  Eggs were cooked to order and an excellent buffet was available.