This Fayoum Villa Has Books, Domed Ceilings & a Pickleball Court

In Fayoum’s Tunis Village, Ohana Retreat sits like a desert daydream made real: a three-bedroom stone house with arched doorways, domed ceilings, and (because life is full of surprises) a pickleball court. Surrounded by towering eucalyptus trees, the villa is heavy with quiet, the kind of quiet that feels like it knows something you don’t.

Once you step inside what wanderers might call a relic of another time, the stone walls charm first: pale and sun-worn, giving off that soft, sandy beige glow that seems to shift with the desert light. With just a few more steps, the arched wooden doors open into rooms that feel almost monastic in their simplicity, with whitewashed domed ceilings and thick, cool walls that speak of centuries-old craftsmanship.

The house itself feels equal parts rustic and indulgent with three bedrooms (all air-conditioned because no one’s trying to be a hero in the North African heat), three bathrooms, and a sprawling living space where you can linger over coffee or pretend you’re the kind of person who regularly hosts philosophical salons. The kitchen comes pre-stocked with the basics so you can whip up something charmingly “casual” without realising you’ve essentially cooked a full feast. Or you can skip cooking altogether and have someone deliver a farm-raised duck to your doorstep. Which feels far more regal, I suppose.

Inside, books spill from wooden shelves, stacked in corners and scattered across tables, giving the sense that this is a house built for thinkers, wanderers, and readers who like to lose afternoons to stories. The furniture is a mix of vintage and handcrafted pieces: worn leather chairs, handwoven rugs in colourful earthy tones, heavy wooden tables softened by the patina of time. 

Outside, there’s a fifteen-metre pool where you can swim dignified laps or just float dramatically, staring at the sky like you’re in a French arthouse film. There’s also a pickleball court built to international standards—though you’re welcome to play at whatever standard you see fit. The gardens are vast and slightly wild, perfect for reading on a hammock, sipping mint tea, or concocting a plan to stay forever.

And if you ever tire of this private paradise (unlikely), there’s the desert to explore, birds to watch, horses to ride, and sand dunes to conquer. Tunis Village is famous for pottery, too, so you can try your hand at making something perfectly imperfect to remember it by.