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 in recent years, but Maritim are not planning any major changes although there will be some 'soft' refurbishment from April 2008 until the end of the year (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 Old Winter Palace in the Centre of Luxor. There is also a courtesy boat service that runs between the hotel and a pier near the Old Winter Palace three times a day. A nice trip even if you only stay on the boat and go straight back.

Only the reception area with main restaurant and some services are in the main building. These include 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. For example, water is LE11 compared with LE3 in Luxor, so only use it for emergencies and get everything else before you come.

Also in the main building is Kings Bar, with low lighting, soft furniture and a good, if expensive, range of drinks; a room with a little more retail, travel agency, books that can be borrowed and an internet area. Internet connection in the main reception area, using their machines, costs LE60 an hour, more pro rata for less than an hour. However, wi-fi is being installed in the guest rooms.

The 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. The bungalows are a little dated and in need of some sprucing up, but they are spacious, clean, very well equipped with hair drier and minibar in addition to the usual TV and fridge (usually without an ice compartment), and each has its own terrace. The 'soft refurbishment' mentioned in the 'Building work' box will include upgrading bathrooms and decorations so the tiredness of the guest rooms should be dealt with in due course.

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 Jolie Ville has a much-praised club for children who have activities, a pool and play equipment and

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 'zoo', housing a crocodile amongst other creatures. This is the destination of felucca and ferry boats offering trips from Luxor to 'crocodile island'. The hotel charges a landing fee for non-residents. Other animals including 'Cleopatra', a camel with a baby born in 2007, may also appeal. Some visitors will be discontent with the amount of space the animals have, especially the amount of water allowed to the crocodile, but others make a point of visiting the zoo even if they are not resident at the hotel. Make up your own mind about containing animals in small spaces. Cute some of the animals may be: Whipsnade it is not.

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 name it still has Mövenpick ice-cream. Here it scores well, but without the ambience of some 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 in the middle of the day and can be taken outside, under the shade of umbrella. Again, prices are on the high side, but not exceptionally so for a hotel without local competition. Most salads are around LE28, but a plain one comes in at only LE19; soups are around LE20; there is a good variety of pastas between LE28 and LE35 and a steak meal is LE62. All in all, prices are about 20% or so 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.