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The Siwa Villa is an old Siwan mud house completely restored and transformed into Co-working / Co-living space. It is located in the centre of the old city just behind the Shali. Choose your membership option and live with like minded digital nomads, while getting some work done. We provide you the best possible environment to work online at day and enjoy Egyptian deserts & hot springs at night. We bend over backwards to make sure your stay in Somewhere Different Co-living is a special one.
The Siwa Villa was a traditionally built mud house completely restored to Boutique Hotel standards. Until some time ago it used to be an accommodation for families on holidays, safari groups or travelers who want to experience ‘Somewhere Different‘ and not just another hotel room. Now, after the villa was transformed into Co-working / Co-living space, it is quite work retreat behind the old Shali fort in Siwa, five minutes from the Market Square. There are four large bedrooms that surrounds the working area, kitchen and chilling space. The roof terrace has a large fire place big enough to roast a lamb or two with several quite areas around the house for people to relax. To see the different areas of the Siwa Villa inside scroll down the page to see them all. Please also see the relaxation and entertainment sections as well.
The roof terrace is 120 square meters on top of the Siwa Villa, giving you a 360 degree view of the old city. Enjoy privacy and relaxation during the day, or entertain a group around the fire at night.
The inside of the Villa is laid out in the traditional Siwan way. The living area is in the centre of the house to protect the family from the heat of the sun in the summer months, and from the cool nights in the winter.
Outside is the centre of the old city, where you are surrounded by a mixture of locals and foreigners. The sound of car alarms is replaced by passing donkey traffic and old men walking to the mosque.
Huge double bed and plenty of space to spread out and make yourself at home. The wardrobe and side tables are made out of stone from the edge of Siwa. Air conditioning and warm blankets make the villa a suitable destination for all weather.
There is no TV in the Siwa Villa. There is a pack of cards, monopoly, an extensive library, and the fire pit on the roof, it’s all here for you to entertain your group. Have a dinner party, spin a lamb…Relaxing in the Siwa Villa after adventuring out in the desert is what it’s all about. Sit around the open fire and chill; read about the explorers who came to Siwa or the Long Range Desert Group.
I chose the piece of stone in the picture above, Penny made the footprint stone the shower sits on and tiled every mosaic. Hot water 24/7.
Take a look at the common working areas, where you can get some work done.
Our Co-working / Co-living is serviced by a full time Siwan house keeper – Ahmed and Duncan, founder of Somewhere different and a digital nomad himself, who lives here in the winter months.
Ahmed will take care of your every need from morning to dusk doing all the washing up, changing the sheets, providing fresh towels, fresh bread in the morning and making the fires to taking you to the hot springs in the resident donkey and cart.
Duncan will make sure you have everything you need in terms of work and will sort out all your excursions into the desert or swimming in the many Roman springs around the oasis.
Duncan also can drive you anywhere you want to explore in the Oasis in his jeep, and if you want to go exploring somewhere he has never been, even better.
The main part of the co-working space is long room that runs right through the middle of the house. It is traditional for Siwan houses to have one large living room facing north south to catch the breeze that blows through the house through the day to keep it cool.
There are exposed palm tree beams on the ceiling, making the room look like an English baronial hall. This is the traditional way of making ceilings in Siwa. The lighting is provided by wall fittings made of salt giving a nice warm glow in the evenings. The floor throughout the house is a soft limestone about 3 centimetres thick and needed a five tonne truck to deliver!
Throughout your stay Ahmed, the receptionist & assistant, will be around to keep the fires burning on the roof using local olive wood and the kitchen sink free of washing up.
