Been to America and back. Work in high-tech marketing.
Been to America and back. Work in high-tech marketing.
Member since:30.06.2004
Reviews:8
If you've ever been inspired by the the efforts of man in the early days of civilization and have perhaps seen some Greek or Roman ruins then prepare to be amazed. Egypt is positively a global treasure house. From the temple at Abu Simbel built out of a mountain to the extensive Karnak complex at Luxor there is simply nowhere in Europe to compare to the historical paradise of Egypt.
Flying into what we anticipated would be a third world country we were greeted off our flight in Cairo by Ali, a Gate 1 representative who whisked us through immigration. If you travel Gate 1 they have a great system where they send yellow Gate 1 straps which you can strap around your bags. Then they take care of picking up your bags from the airport belt making the travel experience even easier than travelling in the Europe.
Travelling with Gate 1 we were escorted all the time to the front of lines, avoided the ticket buying experience and given a first class insight into the history and background of each new place by a very experienced guide.
The one time we had a day free and tried to buy tickets to get into the Valley of the Nobles in Luxor we discovered what a hassle this can be if you try it yourself. After waiting in one of several unlabeled lines and reaching the front the Egyptian ticket seller refused to sell me tickets saying I was not in a group. Only after defiantly showing that I was not budging until he sold me tickets he continually refused to possess did he actually back down.
The hotels we stayed in were super deluxe. We had travelled from Greece where super deluxe was a statement that was made about some quite dubious hotels, but in Egypt these boasts were more than genuine for the Mena House in Cairo. This hotel had oversize rooms, decent beds and terrific service. In fact throughout the trip the service provided by Egyptian waiters, porters, drivers and others was actually better than in Europe. We found out why - if you complain the reprimands are much more brutal so they really take you seriously. A worthy tip - don't complain about trivial things, Egyptian companies/hotels will take negative feedback more than seriously.
If you stay at the Mena House then the best restaurant in the hotel by far can be found by going up the main stairs, turning right and going all the way down the corridor. I forget the name but the wooden panelled restaurant had great French food and amazing service. The Italian restaurant and caberet/restaurant also in the Mena House were definitely inferior to this French restaurant.
The highlight of our trip, and a place that people should go out of their way to visit is the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan. This really is the most picturesque Hotel perched on a twist in the Nile river that no imagination is good enough to do justice to. It was the hotel featured in Death on the Nile and in fact visited by Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill and Howard Carter. You should have no hesitation in adding yourself to this prestigous list of visitors. Although the rooms are not as big (they are still not that small and have high ceilings) the Old Cataract seems a truly "special" place. The 1902 restaurant there is the best we found in Egypt, in fact it's French cuisine rivalled if not exceeded the many Parisian restaurants I have dined at. If you have any opportunity to get this on your itinerary bend over backwards to make it to the Old Cataract.
Part of our tour was on a Nile cruise boat, the Movenpick Radamis. This boat was OK, smallish rooms, semi-luxury appointments and varying food quality. The Oberoi boats (the Philae) are apparently better with cabins double the size. So if you can get the Old Cataract and an Oberoi boat you are really going to have a fantastic time.
Our Gate 1 guides, Mohammed Mandour and Soha were both terrific. Mohammed in particular had an astonishing depth of knowledge about the places we went, you just knew you were skimming the surface of his vast knowledge of Egyptology and the fact that he has spent much of his own time visiting libraries and reading up on the subject shined through. Soha was also great and took us through the many monuments at a fast pace - which was needed since there was so much to see.
One thing to be prepared for is being driven on the roads in Egypt. There are no rules apart from the largest vehicles have right of way. Everyone is edging past each other and then honks to declare they are passing. No one drives with headlights, they just use their lights to flash slower drivers out of the way. Amazingly we did not see any crashes. We were told that despite the chaos accident rates were low since there are hardly any drunk drivers - in a Moslem nation this is just one of the benefits of the religion.
Secondly there were no homeless, I'll repeat that, no homeless! Moslems take care of their own with a fantastic support system. Vendors were of varying aggressiveness being at their most insistent when we visited Esna. There they come alongside your cruiseboat in rowboats and throw up their wares to the top deck for tourists to inspect and buy.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Egypt and particularly Gate 1. If you were thinking of going Abercrombie and Kent, save your money, we were staying at the same places for a vacation that cost 1/2 the price with guides and tour reps that could not have been more competent. Having Gate 1 escort you everywhere through what can be a chaotic maze of a country truly made our vacation.
We were with two groups - the first was almost entirely comprised of younger couples - four who were American investment bankers from London and two from an internet start-up. Our second ground was more balanced with older folk. This was refreshing since we had been concerned out tour group would be old, but Gate 1 is definitely attracting a younger crowd.
Weatherwise we went in late April. The weather was in the high-80s F and in Abu Simbel over 100F. If possible go earlier in the year. Going later than May you are asking for intolerable heat.
Egypt has simply so many historic sites compressed into one country that it pales Greece and Italy by comparison. Astonishingly the finds so far are just a few and most of the treasures of this ancient civilization remain buried in the sand.
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Advantages: a testament to the genius/talent/skill of the ancient people. Lovely weather Disadvantages: the men are extremely rude, the temples are not given the respect they deserve
sekhmetscat 07.12.2002 ·
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Review of General: Egypt
Advantages: Close to the Egyptian Museum and other interesting places Disadvantages: Compared to the other hotels it was on the expensive side - but well worth it
Steven_Holroyd 07.06.2007 ·
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Review of Nile Hilton, Cairo
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