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For most tourists, Egypt is the Nile Valley or perhaps the coral reefs of the Red Sea. But we were in Egypt with a different agenda. In Siwa, a desert oasis near the Libyan border, we were preparing for a candlelit gourmet dinner in one of the most unique hotels in the world.

Our trip from Cairo to Siwa had taken us 700 kilometres by car through the Western Desert. On arrival, after a day of unending sand and gravel landscape, we were astounded by the sight of tens of thousands of date palm, olive and fruit trees growing in orderly rows, surrounding a laid-back town of about 25,000.

Most who live here are Berber, with their own language and culture. There are very few Arab Egyptians in Siwa and even fewer visitors from abroad. There are a few small hotels and restaurants, many cafés, a growing number of shops selling local handicrafts and many pleasant streets and alleyways that encourage strolling.

About 15 kilometres from town, in its own small oasis at the foot of an impressive sandstone crag, we found the Adrere Amellal, an amazing hotel constructed in the Berber style using kershef, a mixture of salt, straw, rock and clay. We seemed, on arrival, to be entering a small village in the middle of the Sahara. As our car came to a stop, we were greeted by stately Berbers in turbans and jallabiyas, who took our luggage and invited us to look at a few available rooms (there are 34 in all) and select the one my companion and I preferred.

There is no reception area at the hotel, no restaurant, no phones, no air conditioning and no electricity. Still, guests live in the lap of luxury. The bedrooms are equipped, as is the entire hotel, with locally designed and manufactured fabrics and olive-wood furnishings in a sophisticated minimalist style. Rooms feature modern bathrooms and comfortable beds. At dusk attendants arrived silently to light the many candles that illuminated the room.

When it was time for dinner, we left our room to be greeted by an attendant, who led us through a fairyland of lights. The night sky was filled with stars, and hundreds of torches lit the pathway to the terrace for dinner. Dining venues could shift nightly from terrace to alcove to rooftop.

Over a cocktail, we met our fellow guests, interesting people from all over the world. Prince Charles has stayed here, as has Queen Paola of Belgium. You sit with whomever you wish for dinner or, if you prefer, at your own table. The food is excellent - mostly vegetarian fare grown a few feet from where we were sitting - and a full complement of wine and spirits was on offer.

In the morning, we were taken to another terrace, where we were served a delicious breakfast of yogourt, date syrup, eggs, locally grown coffee and freshly baked bread. We were then driven into Siwa for a pleasant stroll through the town.

A major stop on desert caravan routes from earliest times, Siwa Oasis was the home of the Oracle of Amun, whose ancient temple, dating from the sixth century BC - and badly restored - can still be visited in the mostly abandoned village of Aghurmi. In 331 BC, Alexander the Great made a special trip to Siwa to visit the oracle, who proclaimed him a god, the son of Zeus. Later, some believe, Cleopatra also paid a visit, and a pool formed by one of the many springs at the oasis is named in her honour. Joining the local kids for a quick swim provided us with a refreshing break.

Then it was back to the hotel for lunch under the palms beside one of the two swimming pools fed by natural springs. In the early afternoon, we explored all the hotel buildings, each one exquisitely designed and furnished. We then made the 20-minute climb to the top of the crag behind the hotel for a striking view over the oasis. There are a number of rooftop terraces to visit and a library along with plenty of spots to curl up with a good book.

At the end of the afternoon, a Toyota Land Cruiser took us out into the Great Sand Sea, which begins a few metres from the hotel. We drove over the dunes and then stopped on top of one of the highest to watch the sun set as our driver lit a fire and brewed mint tea. On the way back to the hotel, in the near dark, we stopped for a dip in a pool fed by a natural hot spring under a cluster of palms.

On our second day, we mounted Arabian horses from the hotel's stable to gallop across the desert sands. That evening, the owner of the hotel, Mounir Neamatalla, invited all the guests (we were only 10) to dinner at his magnificent home on the hotel property. Neamatalla is an engineer-architect from Cairo who is dedicating his working life to the protection of the Siwa Oasis from environmental degradation. Over another delicious meal, illuminated by candles and torches, he told us of the danger that modern development poses to the fragile ecosystem of the desert oases and of the work of his organization, Environmental Quality International, which works closely with the Berber people in the area.

The 120 hotel staff were all recruited from the area, and indigenous material was used for all the buildings and furnishings. Water and waste are fully recycled, no electricity is used, and the hotel produces almost all its own food. Technologies developed at the hotel are being adopted for other construction projects in the oasis, and Neamatalla's organization is sponsoring a number of other business start-ups.

For visitors to Egypt looking for a unique destination enjoyed from simple but high-quality and environmentally friendly accommodations, the Adrere Amellal is worth serious consideration.

Pack your bags

GETTING THERE

There are no commercial flights to Siwa. A bus trip from Cairo through Alexandria and Marsa Matruh takes about 14 hours with connections. The most practical solution is to rent a car with driver. This will reduce the trip to 10 hours on an excellent road. An interesting stop about halfway through the trip can be made at El Alamein, site of the famous Second World War battle between Rommel and Montgomery. We rented a car from Shafei Cars, 2 El Amine St., off Ahmed Oraby Street; 20-303-5844; shafeicars@yahoo.com. The total cost for five days was about $530.

WHERE TO STAY

Adrere Amellal, Siwa Hotel reservations can be made by contacting Environmental Quality for Touristic Investment in Cairo at info@eqi.com.eg. The cost is about $422 a day, double occupancy, including meals, all beverages and excursions. Payment must be made at least two weeks in advance.

MORE INFORMATION

Environmental Quality International http://www.adrereamellal.net.

Egyptian Tourist Authority 514-861-4420; www.egypt.travel.