Fodor's Expert Review Horus Resort

There's nothing but a few yards of landscaped plaza between you and the banks of the Nile at Al Minya's sorely needed newest hotel. It's popular among Egyptian families with weddings to celebrate. Stay on a Friday night, and you may well see the outdoor pavilions lined with reception chairs, dodge toddlers running toward the kiddie rides, or hear the ululation—that birdlike trilling sound—of women. Highly polished stone walkways (Egyptians invest in flooring first) lead from the domed lobby to an indoor restaurant, a Nile-front café, and a pool. A distraction from these fine aspirations (at this writing, at least) is that nothing seems quite finished—trim is missing here, ladders are stacked up there. You get the impression that things have been left like this for some time. Expect ultrafirm beds and stone-clad baths in the rooms. But the best reason to stay here may be the possibility of watching the sunrise from the comfort of your bed, thanks to the room's sliding glass doors.