Self catering in Luxor, Egypt

Although our flats are self catering we find that a lot of guests do little cooking. With restaurants being so cheap and so many within walking distance, many guests eat out. But what can you cook if you do decide to take advantage and cook in your self catering apartment.

Breakfast can consist of cereals with milk but be warned Egyptians have a very sweet tooth so local cereals are highly sweetened and may not be to your taste. If you are used to a high fibre breakfast then bringing a packet of your favourite might be a good idea. Other breakfast options are local fruit (all organic and seasonal), yogurt, eggs, bread, cheese, freshly juices and of course instant coffee and tea. Real coffee is often Turkish style so again if you like filter coffee you may wish to bring this.

Lunch can consist of light snacks and sandwiches. Tuna, cheese, luncheon meat(beef), sardines, corned beef are all available as sandwich fillings. Bread is fresh and baked locally. You can make many pasta dishes with fresh vegetables and frozen mince. Vegetables are truly tasty and again seasonal.

Want to cook meat for dinner then you can buy beef and chicken easily. The more squeamish might prefer to get frozen chicken as the fresh is really fresh. No that is not a pet shop, you choose your chicken and the girl kills, plucks and guts it for you. Meat is hacked off rather than jointed so great for stews but don't expect to get hold of joints. although I did have a guest who cooked a full roast beef dinner with Yorkshire puddings!!

Can't be bothered well most of the restaurants will do a take away and you can get a roast chicken for under £3 GBP with rice, salad and vegetables.

Donkey Rides in Luxor

If you like the idea of a donkey ride in Luxor then you are going to love our special tour. The Donkey Ride Over the Ridge. It is described in full detail with loads of photos here http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/donkeyride.htm A great way of orientating yourself on the West Bank for later independent touring or just for interest. You get to see most of the West Bank from a distance and the views are wonderful. I often call it the poor man's hot air balloon. It takes about 2 1/2 hours and we can arrange it from our flats but also from where ever you might be staying. Very popular with children and families although those under 4 -5 might prefer to share a donkey with an adult. The oldest person we have had take the tour was 83 so no worries there. Our donkey man has been leading this tour for many year and will happily help those less agile.

Quiet Tour

We have been offering the 'Quiet Tour' for some years now and it is consistently popular. The aim is to show you 3 sites where you are the only tourist. Of course this can not be guaranteed but even if there is someone else there there certainly won't be crowds. We generally take you to a royal tomb, nobles tombs and a temple.

There are actually quite a few choices of what site to visit and we generally make the selection after meeting you, finding out what interests you and where you have been before. My favourite combination is the Tomb of Ay in the western Valley of the Valley of Kings. the Nobles tombs of Roy and Shu Roy and the memorial temple the Ramses II, the Ramasseum.

This tour is also very good for kids as they find crowds overwhelm them and they can enjoy what is front of them with no grown ups to block the view.