The Jolie Ville used to be the Mövenpick Jolie Ville, but it has been bought by Maritim. It is now the Maritim Jolie Ville, although people tend to refer to it just as the Jolie Ville. There have been some changes in the reception area and pools areas in recent years. A 'soft' refurbishment' of the existing bungalows and an extension to increase in the number of rooms are underway (see the box on the left).

The Jolie Ville is about 4kms out of town on the south side. It has a courtesy bus service that stops at the Isis hotel (in the centre of the restaurant area), and at the Winter Palace in the Centre of Luxor. There is also a bookable courtesy boat service that runs between the hotel and a pier near the Old Winter Palace twice a day. A nice trip even if you only stay on the boat and go straight back.

Only the reception area, main restaurant, Kings bar with low lighting, soft furniture and a good, if expensive, range of drinks, and some services are in the main building. These services include the cash desk, internet desk, a library and a shop that sells most things you would want if you prefer not to go to town, such as souvenirs, jewellery, books, clothing, leather, drinks and pharmaceuticals. Prices are quite high, though.

La Fleur, an à la carte restaurant, is part of the same building but accessed from outside.

The guest rooms are arranged in clusters of bungalows spread around the grounds. Some bungalows are still a little dated and in need of some sprucing up (see the refurbishment information in the box), but they are spacious, clean, very well equipped with LCD TV, in-room safe, complimentary tea & coffee making facilities and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access, and each has its own terrace. The 'soft refurbishment' mentioned in the 'Building work' box will include upgrading bathrooms and decorations and should deal with the 'tiredness' of the guest rooms.

The hotel has massive grounds covering 24 acres with a long Nile frontage: much more space than you could hope for in a hotel closer to town. As well as providing opportunities for strolling along the Nile or amongst the trees, the grounds hide tennis and other sports facilities for the energetic. For the more restful there is a relaxing area beside the Nile where classical music is played as the sun sets. The increase in the number of bungalows will reduce the part of the grounds guests can stroll around.

The Jolie Ville has a much-praised club for children who have activities, a pool and play equipment. Adjacent to the children's area is a delightful 'infinity' pool, which is on the edge of the Nile but at a higher level and where there is an illusion that you are swimming in the Nile itself. So mum and dad can relax in the infinity pool within site of the little ones - and there are lifeguards on duty too. There is a separate pool some distance from the children's and infinity pools for those who want to swim in a quieter environment.

The 'Fellah's tent' is in the grounds of the hotel. This is the destination of the drinking, eating and culture show trip offered by tour agents. These evenings are popular and generally praised by those who like that sort of thing. Other evening entertainment is usually limited to singers in the bar. The general standard is not very good.

The Jolie Ville is well known for its food and despite the change of ownership it still has Mövenpick ice-cream. For food it scores quite well, but without the ambience of some restaurants and not without its critics. Breakfast is the usual self-service but plentiful and wonderfully presented. In the main restaurant dinners are buffet-style and themed, with a focus on a different nationality each night. The quality of these international dinners is variable. If you prefer not to experiment with international foods you can use the à la carte restaurant where quality is less questionable but not faultless. Snacks are available at lunchtime and are taken outside in 'Sherazade Paradise'. Most salads are around LE35, but start a little lower and go a lot higher; soups are around LE30; there is a fair variety of pastas starting around LE45 and a steak meal is LE78. These prices are on the high side, as you might expect for a hotel without local competition: overall about 40% higher than the better restaurants in town. As food and drinks are a little expensive by local standards, many guests choose to stay b&b and to eat in town. The savings will easily cover the cost of the taxi.

If you want to be out of town and if you are happy with the concept of a hotel that is a collection of bungalows rather than a single building, and especially if you are bringing children to Luxor, then we think you will be pleased with the Jolie Ville for a quieter and more hassle-free holiday than you would get in most Luxor town centre or southern cluster hotels.