Western Desert
Bedouin, salt lakes, and palm-fringed oases.

Adrere Amellal Oasis
Siwa Oasis, Egypt
T: +20 02 340 0052. 30 rooms. US$ 400-, incl. meals
Email: info@eqi.com.eg
Spartan elegance at this mud-brick eco-lodge; dine on Limoges china, swim in a spring-fed Roman pool. Here at the Temple of Oracle, Alexander the Great sought counsel from the god Amun before taking over rule of Egypt. Go in winter; summer desert temperatures reach 135 degrees F.


Valley of the Kings
Antiquities, pyramids and Queen Nefertari's tomb; located on the West Bank of the Nile.

Al Moudira
Luxor, Egypt
T: +20 12 325 1307. 54 rooms. US$ 150-
http://www.moudira.com
Avoid the packaged tourist hotels on the Nile's East Bank and stay in the West Bank, on the quiet side of the river. Created and operated by jewelry designer Zeina Abuokheir, this elegant boutique hotel sits on eight acres of gardens and is just 3 miles from the Valley of the Kings.