Ezbet Tunis.

This close to Cairo, just 2 hours by car in good traffic conditions from the capital of an 80+ million country, you would expect a more developed and posh weekend get-away. But then, Egypt is not your average country and time and again manages to surprise. Hence, Ezbet Tunis in the otherwise dreadful and garbage-littered Fayoum oasis is not an upper-class haunt with boutique art galleries and coffee chains but a charming, bucolic hamlet where donkeys graze lazily on the side of the (dirt) road and the occasional sign directs you to a pottery barn or artist shack. The village on the shores of Lake Qaroun (unfortunately separated from the same by the main road) is famous for its beautiful pottery that comes in myriad shapes and designs from mugs depicting scenes from country life to super-sized bowls with floral and abstract ornaments. It's hard to resist the urge to get into a spending spree here, but then Tunis pottery is quite affordable compared to what you would pay for the same objects in Cairo outlets. After an afternoon shop-hopping through the village, we prefer to retreat to the wonderful garden at Palm Shadow guesthouse. This well-maintained property lies smack-bang in the heart of it all and is a great base to explore the area, especially if you decide halfway through dinner that you should've bought that clay pot earlier... They offer great accommodation in fully-furnished apartments sleeping four or a villa for 8. Units come with a well-equipped kitchen and balcony looking out onto the garden and with a view of the lake in the distance.

http://fayoum-palmshadow.blogspot.com