COLIVING IN SIWA OASIS

LARGE COLIVING HOUSE

SIWA VILLA

Somewhere Different’s co-living co-working space in Egypt is located in a house called the Siwa Villa. It was/is a luxury villa built for families wanting high-end desert tours and was very successful before the revolution in Egypt in 2011. There are 4 rooms, single, double, twin and a dorm with 4 beds. The rooms surround the main work area so you can work with others or switch back and forth to your room for calls or private work anytime.

On the roof we have a fire pit where we gather after work in the evenings to try and not talk about work and plan our weekend trips out into the desert or a hot spring you have not visited yet. It has a spit for roasting lambs, goats, chickens… oberjeans – what ever you fancy
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SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

I have a Land cruiser, I know my way around the desert and I like nothing more than going out there. So when we are all up for it, we can go out for day trips at the weekends when we are not working and even sleep out there. We do full moon walks out in to the desert – its pretty amazing to walk for hours with just the moon to guide you. Then there are the hot springs – we visit them too at the weekends or sometimes during the week. The jeep has enough room to take us all and even the odd backpacker we find in town who wants to hang out. Quiet Neighborhood in Siwa – We are in a nice villa made of mud in a very quiet part of town behind the old Shali fort – yet only 5 minutes from the souk and restaurants and as much Siwan cultural experiences as you want.

QUITE NEIGHBORHOOD

Quiet Neighborhood in Siwa. We are in a nice villa made of mud in a very quiet part of town behind the old Shali fort – yet only 5 minutes from the souk and restaurants and as much Siwan cultural experiences as you want.

SUN SET

When on the terrace you can watch the sun set and the colour of the Shali fort go from a bright yellow to a dark red to then a bright white when the lights kick in and it all gets lit up. Take a 5 minute walk up the Shali it’s self and see the sun set over the oasis for miles and miles around.

This is a picture of a sunset out over the Siwa salt lake taken from the top of the Shali which is a few minutes walk from the house.

GARDEN TERRACE

away from it all. There is always someone on the terrace sunbathing or just hanging out but this little hideaway at the back of the house often goes unnoticed and is great for reading or playing board games that you want to leave out until tomorrow.

LIBRARY

Board games, chess, a pack of cards and enough space to spread around and forget about work for a little while. It’s all here for your entertainment after a busy and productive workday. There is no TV. We do have an iPod station so don’t forget the iPod and if you ask nicely we’ll let you copy our collection of Arabic music;)

The maps on the wall provide you with ideas for days out and exploring just like the old pioneers or desert exploration that came through Siwa nearly 100 years ago. There is a growing library of books in the study with a lot of the books around the theme of desert exploring and Siwa and paperback that people leave behind. So if you have a book and you are not attached to it, if you don’t mind, leave it in the library for future guests.

The study is bright and airy and has a great view of the Shali especially when the sun is setting and the colour of the old fort changes.

ROOF TERRACE

The idea of coming to Siwa Oasis and working from Somewhere Different is to enjoy the natural surroundings, the natural sounds, the locals, the perfect weather and the quietness so you can have a completely different experience than your usual work routine.

Our Co-working/Co-living space in Siwa is very laid back and around the Shali there is little to break the silence except for the odd child playing or a donkey making himself heard.

We have purposely made the villa a quite place, not only fully equipped with everything you need for productive work, but also perfect for relaxation and taking a break from the busy life outside.

View from the roof at night it is very relaxing watching the world go by… or not.

People watching from the roof:

The locals are cool with foreigners. We’re all from Mars and they don’t understand our ways… but they find us just as interesting people to watch as we do them.

My favourite place to get