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INTRODUCTION:

This ebook is about what to expect from a hotel-based holiday in Luxor. It covers many aspects, including some of the main hotels in Luxor that I have either stayed at, or frequented. This is not a hotel facility ebook, more a pictorial look at some of the different accommodation available in Luxor, plus some useful general information regarding Luxor and the surrounding areas, with a some of my own personal observations thrown in.

It should be noted that I have not been commissioned or asked to endorse any of the hotels mentioned in this ebook. This ‘guide’ has been put together from my own personal photographs and experiences and basically has been produced to give you an idea of the different types of hotels available, showing where possible, exterior and interior shots, plus things you may have to deal with, or come across during your holiday. This ebook, plus our Nile Cruise and Photographing in Egypt eBooks make ideal companions.

Jolie Villa Movenpick,
Luxor Sheraton,
Isis Pyramid,
Le Meridian,
Sonesta St George,
Novotel,
Old Winter Palace,
New Winter Palace,
Mercure Etap,
Luxor Hilton.

The ebook also contains general information regarding, arrival at Luxor, airport procedure, welcome meeting, medical matters, money matters, standard hotel facilities, eating out, prices (meals, rooms, fares and tipping)), local historical sites, getting around Luxor and a map showing the location of the hotels mentioned above.

This ebook is illustrated throughout with photographs of the following:

• Hotel photographs (Internal and External – some with typical room photographs)
• Luxor map showing the main places to visit.
• Aerial view of the coast of Africa and the Nile valley from thirty two thousand feet
• Example of a Egyptian visa document (2004)
• Typical medication
• Local Taxis / Caleshe / Felucca
• Local bottled water
• View of the Nile (including sunset)
• Belly Dancing
• Ancient Egypt entrance Site tickets
• Historical sites

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Your first glimpse of Egypt will probably be the North African coastline from thirty-two thousand feet up in the air (below – left). The flight ......... generally takes ....... There are several routes that your flight can take. On my last trip we travelled from the UK over to ... then across.... the......... and..... Once you cross into Egypt Luxor .............. The picture below right shows the meandering route the river takes through the fertile Nile Valley at Luxor..........

  

ARRIVAL:
On arrival at the airport you will pass through customs after ………………….. Below is an example of the visa form in 2003. More information regarding airport procedure is documented in our Nile Cruise Travel eBook.

An .......... representative of ........... will probably meet you inside the airport, as .......... reps are not allowed .........

WELCOME MEETING:
If you are travelling with one of the many travel companies that operate throughout Egypt you will probably be invited to their ‘Welcome Meeting’ the following morning. They usually........... ...................
On my last visit this was held at ........ Again there is more in-depth information regarding a typical welcome meeting in our Nile Cruise Travel eBook.
I would recommend you attend this meeting, especially if it is your first visit. My reasons for this are;

1. The reps usually .....................etc.
2. Plus, they will probably offer you the chance to ..................
3. They can offer you .................. including ....................

MEDICAL ISSUES:
You can read general medical advice at............................ Also there is more detailed information contained in our Nile Cruise Travel eBook. Please be aware that ....................................will not be the same as................ which are amongst the highest in the world. It is not recommended that you .............
Regarding the hotels, these do ........................ However I have experienced .................. on a couple of occasions and probably the most useful practical advice I can offer is; ..............................
Whilst these are inviting ................Also the ......., particularly the ...........
However, against my better judgement on one ocassion, I did ................... Unfortunately however, by ................... I was paying the price, with .................................
It has to be said, some of the hotels are better suited for dealing …………………… This, in my opinion, is a far better situation. Once such hotel that I have regularly stayed at is .......................
If you do suffer .............. you can obtain ………………, which is the local ............ (See image below) Again more information regarding ................ is available in the Nile Cruise Travel eBook. However this ............, from my experience, only .............. If you are really ..............that you can get .............. which should ............ . .....................is recommended.
Once you are beginning to ...............then .............. If you explain your problem ....... they will .......................... If your ............... is ............. I would recommend .................

MONEY AND SECURITY MATTERS:
Most of the hotels have ................ However they will ................. You will also need ........ Also you will be able to get ......... There are also ......... again there will be a small charge. It should be noted that since this year any hotel .......... cannot ........... You best bet is to use your .............. etc. The National Bank of Egypt is ............. At present you are only allowed to .................. per person. If you wish to check out ............please ...........

MAP OF LUXOR:
The map below shows where most ............. are situated in the town centre of Luxor. You will notice that most of these are situated along the ................ Many of these are .......... For example .................. to the New Winter Palace.

Map of Luxor town centre

However I would NOT recommend ............, ..............drop into one of the many ............. which are situated between the two.

It should be noted that the …………………………. are …………….. and you should …………... An average price for .............from ..... to ......... should cost you approximately ...........

HOTEL INFO:

Typical Room and Meal rates (2004)

Rooms:
The typical layout of .......hotel ......... is very similar in most hotels. As you enter you usually find ............ You can see an example of this under the New Winter Palace Hotel section. Along the straight wall to your right is usually the ............ There is usually two ......... You can see example of typical bedroom under the New Winter Palace, Luxor Hilton and Mecure Hotels.

Meals:
Meal times are usual .............,in order to accommodate .......... For example ............
Breakfast is always ............ The only exception ........... on demand. The menu is ..............................................
A typical breakfast will include a choice of ...............
Evening meals are more .....................and can be a ..........................
In my opinion ............ is totally unnecessary. My reasons for saying this are:

1. You are limiting ...........................
2. More likely than you will want to ................ (The ...........do not .............)
3. Also you do not actually ................. which will be the same.
4. Also if you are unable ............... due to .............you will again lose out.

Average Prices (2003):
A local beer ............. will set you back around ............. and a 2 litre bottle of water around ............ An evening meal in a hotel will cost on average ...............

Local bottled water

Eating out can be a good …………………….. I tend to ......... and they also have a wide variety of different style ............ Again your................... e.g. ................ etc.

The only ..............restaurant in Luxor is at the ............. some ............. up ..... Although I....................it is very good, with wonderful views of the Nile.

However, if you are after something a little bit special, than I can recommend .................... We ate there on our last holiday and the bill, including a bottle of sparkling white wine, came to .................... for the two of us, of which the wine cost ............The .............. famous for being patronised by famous people such as ..........

You will find that many of the hotels hold ................. and once again your ......... .............. information.

A FEW LOCAL MEALS AND DRINKS:
............... local delicacy and are served grilled, with rice.
...............and ....... rolled into fingers and barbequed.
.............; barbequed ......... served ........ often with roasted vegetables.
..............; A delicious dish of ............ served with ......... and fried onions.
............: A .....drink made from ................ (I find it very pleasant)
............: A very strong and acquired taste. (I don’t like it – ..........me!)

Phoning from your hotel .............. You can buy ........... which will last about ....... Personally I ........ When not in use you can always ............... Most hotels have some form of ............. .......... the most popular being ........

TIPPING:
Restaurants and bars do ......... of the bill. Although tipping ........
Porters are usually offered ........... A maid ........... per week. A coach driver ............ A guide about ............

There is concern by the Egyptian government ............. being encouraged to .........rather .............This is because ................ For example, ....... Egyptian........... is approximately ..........an hour. Therefore if you are thinking of giving something, offer ........... or better still .......

CAR, BIKE AND MOPED HIRE:
Many tour operators do ............. I have to say .............

BAZAARS:
The main market areas are situated off ................ Haggling is a must if you want to get a good price. Roughly speaking, expect to pay .................... Goods to look out for are; ............ More information about bartering (and how to deal with it) is available in our Nile Cruise ebook.

DUTY FREE SHOP:
This shop is situated behind the ............... It sells ............................... Also a recently introduced law means tourists can only ........... Also you have .............. and the shop is closed ................. If you do decide to visit you must ........... I .................................

ALCHOLIC DRINKS:
Beers in the hotels can ....... So, ............. to drink in ............... way of ...............
. Obviously .................... This can come in handy if you have .....................................

GETTING AROUND LUXOR:

The most frequently used forms of transport in Luxor are;

• ...................
• ....................
• ....................

Generally speaking I ............... when visiting the sites, but ............. other hotels ........ It really depends on ............... with the driver. At the time of writing (Nov 2003) the average ................. price from .........to .......... was approximately .......

Tip: If you are intending to visit the ............. say you are .............., (C F AND G on map), otherwise you will be ............!# They never like to miss out on ...................

Local Taxi

Regarding the ........................... you may notice that some ............. If you do decide to .............tell the driver why you have chosen ............. then hopefully the conditions .........improve.

............ on the main Corniche road through Luxor.

Tip: The ...........seats are usually either ............ some ............ Watch out for ........test before you ......!!

A ............. is a lovely ............... By law, the ......... before the ........ so it’s quite ............. to see ................ a dramatic backdrop. (Remember to take your camera!) An average price ............. (Nov 2003) was approximately ............ Other popular day trips ......... and ............. where the ............ is situated.

Nile ...........

Tip: You can .............(not much to see) and .............. but be aware ........... to be paid. The former will charge .......whilst the latter, ..........will charge you ........ Besides ...... has a ........

Tip: If you decide to be ........ and ........... make sure ........... they ........! Don’t expect it to ........ but at least ........

MISCELLANEOUS:
Clocks go back ...........
Friday ................
85% of the ............
............varies from year to year and is calculated by ........ It lasts for ........., during which time they are not allowed to ..........
If you see .............. try to ………………… effectively be interrupting .......
Some ............. do not have ...........

PHOTOGRAPHING IN LUXOR:
You can find information on what to photograph in Luxor in our Photographing in Egypt eBook, which contains the main sites and some photographic advantage spots plus hints and tips.

Jolie Ville Movenpick Hotel: (No 1 on map)

This ...........hotel is actually located ........... which is ............ centre of Luxor and is reached ..........

The hotel does have .................... One of the best things I like about the hotel is ......... situated in the foyer, where you can .......... If only other hotels would follow suit!!

Jolie Entrance

I have to say, from the outside, the hotel looks more like ........... but looks can be deceptive and the Movenpick is ............ In the foreground is one of the local ............ These ...........are ............. Luxor. However, because of the hotel’s .........you will probably need ........ The same can also be said of the Luxor Hilton Hotel ..................

Garden area at front of the hotel

Hotel's swimming pool

The Movenpick has a large beautiful swimming pool that has no................. The pool is approximately ..........at its widest point. The sunbathing area has ...........

Garden area and pictureque Nile

Above is a panoramic view of the beautiful gardens at the rear of the hotel ..........and.......... hotel’s....... There is a ...... for visitors ..........

Nile view

ABOVE AND BELOW: Main foyer and bar area inside the Movenpick hotel.

Another view of the foyer and shop area.

The hotel has ............which are ............ situated in ......... The restaurant offers a wide variety of world cuisine including,............

There is live entertainment most evenings ............ ...... facilities ......... and include ............. There is also a golf course ..........There is a ........ hotel grounds, which is ..........

Personal observations
I love the .........
The ........... is one of the best in Luxor.
..................... costs ....... Egyptian pounds for 1 hour or .........Egyptian pounds for half an hour.
The hotel is somewhat ......... In fact I have to say two of my favourite hotels are ........
The Movenpick is reputed to have the best .........and I can concur with this.
The hotel is .................

Hotel Details:
Address: ................
Star Rating: .......................

AND FINALLY:
To round off this ebook I have listed a few Luxor historical sites below, which you will probably visit whilst you are there.

LOCAL SITES AND TICKET COSTS (2003)
If you do some sightseeing on your own than I would strongly recommend that you ............. Alternatively you could .........The reason I ........... (Always remember to ...........) The main sites cater for this .........

Regarding the order in which to see the sites? .................. but I would say, .............. you’re ............ will be to the ......... If you are limited ......... is the quickest way. However since ........... I would actually recommend you ......... If you are planning on a ........... will be looking at approximately .......... plus maybe a .......... tip. Plus your ............ And remember ..........it a godsend!

My personal favourite places on the West Bank are; ............, ......... and .................

TEMPLES: ............ who will constantly ........... Just tell ............ I know you ......... you show any signs of uncertainty.

Tickets : Valley of The Kings:    Karnak Temple: Luxor Temple

West Bank Balloon Trip
The ever popular balloon ride over the west bank involves ......................... you may have .............. .......................

You should be aware that the tour operators do not .............. ...........! You can imagine that................. enthusiasm ............... The average seems to be around two.

I have to say that people's ............. Unfortunately I fall into the latter group ...............photograph was Medinet Habu. (See pictures below.) However, as this will probably be a once in a lifetime .............. It should be noted that the balloon rides are very expensive and can cost ................

The balloons are not allowed ............. There was great uproar one day ..............

There are normally a ...........holding......... I would also recommend that women ....................... Landing involves .....................

Obviously the stronger .......... If you suffer .............. Also be aware that most likely your .................. There may also be an ................ imposed on the flight.

Sometimes the balloon ride is followed by a .............................

Other places you may wish to visit around Luxor are; the ........., the newly opened .........., ...........areas, .......... held at .........., and a little further afield, ............

Shops on the West Bank

I would strongly recommend that you read up on the ancient sites before you leave home, and take a good Egyptian travel guidebook with you. I have listed some of the most popular on my website. You can also find a number of Arabic Phrase books, which may come in handy.

Also if you are intending taking a Nile cruise I have another ebook, which covers this topic and is full of general and practical information, including many hints and tips. If you would like suggestions on what to photograph whilst you are in Egypt then I would recommend you check out my Photographing in Egypt ebook.

DISCLAIMER:
The views on any hotel or accommodation within this eBook are my own views and observations, not those of anyone else, based on my own personal experiences. I have not been asked by any of the hotels to pass comment and therefore my opinions are not biased towards any individual hotel or company. I can only guarantee that the prices, accommodation, facilities etc listed in this eBook were correct at the time writing. The opinions passed are my own and as such are subjective and individual to me, and therefore may not coincide with your own experiences.