Sphinx Guest House - Cairo

If you are looking for somewhere cheap and close to the pyramids do check this place out. My recent Australian guests stayed there. they said it was basic, clean and VERY convenient.

Sphinx Guest House - Home

West Bank, the best place to stay! - Review of Flats in Luxor, Luxor, Egypt - TripAdvisor

O)ur latest review on Trip Advisor

West Bank, the best place to stay! - Review of Flats in Luxor, Luxor, Egypt - TripAdvisor

After 3 days staying on Luxor's east bank we decided to spend some time on the West Bank and contacted Jane. We are so glad we did. .... Being within walking distance of the ferry was convenient and the local shops, especially the bakery, were all great. Stay here for an authentic experience of Luxor. You will love it. My husband and I will be back inshallah!!! 

News/rumours about Uk direct flights

Received from a friend and backed up by other similar rumours :)

Was told today that above were supposed to be resuming flying in to Luxor 5th March.

Checked Thomson web site and they are showing taking bookings for that date BUT from Gatwick only - so far nothing from Manchester.

I tried to check availability for flight only - but nothing doing it cruise or hotel with them only so far.

Thought I'd let you know that things look to be moving from UK but before you go into print with good news (for the south of England anyway) would prefer you to check my info just to make sure its correct rather than going off on wrong information and getting every ones hopes up, I'm sure you will have contacts who can confirm if its right or wrong.

INAUGURATION OF KING ABDULLAH SQUARE, LUXOR

In thanks for the support and friendship the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has shown to Egypt, the square near to the Karnak Road and the General Hospital has been renamed in honour of His Majesty, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. These photographs are from the Inauguration celebrations at the square and afterwards at Luxor Temple for a music concert by a local orchestra. We hope that the photos sum up the lovely, happy, friendly atmosphere of a wonderful Friday evening.

INAUGURATION OF KING ABDULLAH SQUARE, LUXOR

Thanks to Theresa Clark for these great photos.

Thutmosis III Temple Project - 2013 Campaign

Good update from the Spanish team with lots of photos.
Thutmosis III Temple Project - 2013 Campaign

Chosing a hotel in Alexandra

A good friend lives in Alex and was asked for recommendations for hotels. Her post was so useful I asked her permission to quote it.

Regarding hotels. The three big ones in the centre are the three old ones. The Sofitel Cecil, and then the Windsor palace and The Metropole all  are on the corniche with sea views.
Everything else in that area is a distinct 3* max and its a case of take your chances.

All other hotels are then spread out along the length of the corniche. In order of distance from centre: the Royal Tulip hotel, Mediterranean Azur, the Plaza (lower 4* similar to Emilio but expensive prices), Four Seasons, Mercure, Hilton corniche and then right at the end of Alex which is an hours drive from the centre is a cluster of Sheraton, Aifu horizon, and Helnan Palestine.

The three in the centre have no beach or pool.
Of the others all have either a beach access or pool except for the mercure and the plaza.

Any of the other hotels would take between 25 mins and an hour to get to the city centre depending on how far out.

Upper Egypt-bound train traffic resumes | Egypt Independent

Upper Egypt-bound train traffic resumes | Egypt Independent: Train traffic resumed on Saturday between Cairo and Upper Egypt for the first time since 14 August, which was suspended following dispersal of the Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins in Rabaa al-Adaweya and Nahda squares.

Book now travel advice now lifted for Luxor

Egypt travel advice - GOV.UK

Thank you to my Danish guests at Flats in Luxor

Just got an email requesting photos for a new Danish Guide book. They said "We are finishing up a new travel guide about Egypt and "Flats in Luxor" is highly recommended in the travel guide."  so thank you to the Danish guests that must have recommended us.

But Is It Safe? by Doug Baum (copied from Facebook)

But Is It Safe? by Doug Baum (a great post by a great American)

13 October 2013 at 02:47

I’m going to try and convince you to come to Egypt with me in January.

During my recent trip to Egypt and Jordan I posted dozens of pictures on Facebook, as did my travel companion, Lori Waters. These pictures showed us enjoying the Western Desert of Egypt, everyday life in Cairo, visiting Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, and more in the country of Jordan.  Still, folks ask, “But is it safe?”

This was my third trip to Egypt this year.

Lori and I both heard “But is it safe?” a bazillion times (actual numbers might've varied) in the month leading up to our trip. To this I say: The day I came home from my March/April trip to Egypt a fertilizer plant exploded in my wife’s hometown of West, Texas. Two days earlier was the Boston Marathon bombing. This time, eight days before I left Egypt the US Navy Shipyard shooting occurred.

Perspective. 

I understand these types of things don’t happen everyday in D.C., West, or Boston, but the truth is, I’ve never, not once, not ever, been the victim of a shooting, bombing, or explosion in the Middle East. Nope, not once.  (Full disclosure: There was an attempted explosives attack on an interior minister in an area of Cairo Lori and I visited just one day earlier.) Statistically speaking, I am far more at risk eating a meal (odds of choking to death are 3,842:1) than I am in traveling to Egypt guiding a cultural immersion trip. And I eat three meals a day!  Simply put: These types of things don’t happen everyday in Egypt either, I don’t care how much 24-hour news you watch. It’s just not the case.

20 million:1, by the way, are the odds of dying in a terrorist attack, however you define that.

So, as the well wishes, prayers, groovy vibes and whatever else came in I said, “Thank you for your concern,” but I assure you, at every turn Lori and I were in the hands of people who are not just friends, but family to me. Adel and his sons Sayed, Mohamed and Magdy, Dr. Khalid El Bahrawy, my partners Malek, Johanne, Khaled, Abeeda, Eliwa, Ali, and my best pal Dr. Mohammed are all people who live in Egypt or Jordan, know their country, and I don’t give a moment’s thought to the possibility of some sort of incident harming us. Am I foolhardy? I don’t think so, but I’ll never be able to convince those of you who are worried about me being “over there” as long as you characterize it as “over there”, particularly if you’ve not lived among Egyptians as I have for the last twelve years.

Perspective.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to share with you images of other tourists coming and going to bolster my argument. Lori and I were almost the only visitors to Petra. But Cairo (Egypt’s capital) is a very cosmopolitan city with hundreds of thousands of foreigners living there. I know many Americans and Europeans who live in Egypt and haven’t left throughout the entire revolution (many Egyptians don’t like this word). There are trouble spots in a couple of the big cities. We didn’t visit those areas. There are also parts of Waco, Texas I won’t visit. The focus of this trip was desert, desert, and more desert. We saw parts of the country many Egyptians have never visited.

I will say, Syria’s recent alleged chemical attack on its own people created a bit of an interesting situation for Lori and me. Jordan neighbors Syria to the south, for those who are geographically challenged, and if we had only been in Egypt the situation in Syria would’ve truly been a world away, but we did visit Jordan from north to south and east to west. Jordan has received more Syrian refugees than its already-stressed system can handle, but tourism in Jordan isn’t tied to any links with Syria. Folks haven’t visited Syria in any great numbers for quite some time. It’s the perception of Egypt’s instability that has hurt tourism in the region.

There are some hopeful things going on in Egypt. The curfew in some parts of some cities has been shortened, part of emergency law, which is something I experienced during the beginning of the revolution two-and-a-half years ago, and all tourist sites are reopened. Some never closed. The airport has remained open and internet and cell phones, cut off during the early days of the revolution in 2011, have not been affected. In fact just this summer, before being deposed, president Mohamed Morsi used twitter to get his messages out to supporters. Times have definitely changed.

So ask me, “But is it safe?” when I climb a ladder.  Odds are 8,689:1 I could die doing that.

I’m planning my January trip(s) now. Email, call, or send a Facebook message if you’re interested. You can even ask, “But is it safe?” I’ll answer honestly.

Tourism adverts from a bygone time: Collection of Art Deco posters luring travellers across the world set to sell for £200,000 | Mail Online

Love this story from the Daily Mail, apparently these posters are in demand and selling for huge  sums.
Tourism adverts from a bygone time: Collection of Art Deco posters luring travellers across the world set to sell for £200,000 | Mail Online


I have a whole album of these fab photos if you want to look at some more old tourism posters

Get your 2014 Luxor calendar

Looking for a calendar that reminds you of all the lovely places in Luxor, look no further. Here it is Get your 2014 Luxor calendar

Prachtige locatie - My second Dutch Review of Flats in Luxor, Luxor, Egypt - TripAdvisor

It is lovely to have guests from different countries, over the years we have had all sorts of nationalities. This recent guest from Holland did her review in Dutch. I hope it encourages lots of other nationalities to come to Flats in Luxor. Don't forget you can fly to Hurghada on a cheap flight and we will pick you up.  

Prachtige locatie - Review of Flats in Luxor, Luxor, Egypt - TripAdvisor: In juli en augustus van dit jaar heb drie fantastische weken hier doorgebracht. De flats liggen op weg naar het Dal der Koningen en al de overige bezienswaardigheden aan de westkant van Luxor. De flat is voorzien van alle gemak en heeft een prachtig uitzicht op de westkant, je kunt zelfs als je door de fotocamera kijkt en inzoomt de derde terras van de Hatsjesoet tempel zien liggen.De restauarants en winkeltjes liggen op een steenworp afstand en indien je naar de oostkant wilt van Luxor neem je het veer wat een kleine 10 minuten lopen is.

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Thank you to everyone sending messages of support to us and Egypt

I have received literally dozens of emails, Facebook messages and Tweets from ex-guests, blog readers, and followers on Facebook and Twitter. These supportive messages mean so much to us and I want to thank you all so much. from Jane, Mahmoud, Little Mohamed, Ahmed and the family at Flats in Luxor.

My First Trip to Luxor | JoNeaIsisMarie

a lovely blog from one of my guests who arrived on Monday


My First Trip to Luxor | JoNeaIsisMarie: .........and I walked out to one of the most breathtaking views I have ever had the experience of taking. My words, or the picture above really do not do it justice. ..........

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Flats in Luxor (Egypt) - Condominium Reviews - TripAdvisor

Flats in Luxor (Egypt) - Condominium Reviews - TripAdvisor: Great location, friendly welcome by Jane, Little Mohamed, Ahmed the taxi driver and last but not least - Jane's father-in-law who frequently offered us cups of tea! He and Little Mohamed were always around and anything we asked for appeared miraculously!
All sites are within easy access, friendly people (so pleased to see us), local shops,variety of great restaurants within walking distance and no hassle!

Stayed August 2013, traveled with family

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Happy Eid from Flats in Luxor

Looking for cheap flights to Egypt

Just caught this on the EasyJet Facebook page and when they first release flights these are generally very cheap.
  

EasyJet

Are you looking to book flights for April, May and June 2014?

We will be releasing flights for this period at the start of September, with the peak Summer months following shortly after.

We will be sharing exact dates on our Facebook page soon – many thanks for your patience.

Transfers from Hurghada to Flats in Luxor

Flats in Luxor is pleased to offer its guests a transfer from Hurghada on the Red Sea. Just let us know when you book that your flight is a Hurghada one and we can pick you up no problem. Your transfer to Luxor will be with one of our regular drivers and he will also take you back. Flights to Hurghada are unaffected by current restrictions and can offer quite a bargain. Check with your insurance company for any restrictions.

It takes approximately 3 hours for the transfer so depending on your arrival time you may wish to spend time at the Red Sea. A couple of days staying in Hurghada and indulging in all the resort has to offer before transferring to Luxor. Or alternatively on the return journey.

We can arrange that too, a stay in Hurghada, a day scuba  or even diving with air tanks. Hurghada is a great beach resort with plenty of water sports to do. Last time I was there we hired a boat and I caught a fish, there are also land based activities like quad biking in the desert.

Egypt Q&A: What about holidays in the danger zone? - News & Advice - Travel - The Independent

Egypt Q&A: What about holidays in the danger zone? - News & Advice - Travel - The Independent: Q Would you go to Egypt right now?

A No, but only because of the excessive heat. Were I to go, I would be more worried about road safety than the danger of being caught up in the conflict.

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Live updates: Morsi ousted; head of constitutional court to take over Egypt presidency - Politics - Egypt - Ahram Online

Live updates: Morsi ousted; head of constitutional court to take over Egypt presidency - Politics - Egypt - Ahram Online: Live updates: Morsi ousted; head of constitutional court to take over Egypt presidency

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A new review on Flipkey - Neith at Flats in Luxor

Thanks to our guests for the lovely review. With people concerned about safety the last paragraph of this review will be especially helpful.  

.........It was sad to see the unnecessary way that tourism has been impacted by the less settled situation in Cairo. There were no problems as a tourist in Luxor related to the ongoing political changes. My view is that no one need be put off travelling to Luxor and enjoying what are, at the moment, quieter than normal archeological sites and museums.

3 Bedroom Apt. / Condo Rental in Luxor, Nile River Valley, Egypt - Neith at Flats in Luxor, swimming pool, restaurant:


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Being Green in Luxor - Responsible Tourism in Egypt

I first got interested in Responsible Tourism on a holiday I took holiday to Japan. The ethos of this holiday was having a good time, enjoying your holiday AND being ecologically friendly whilst doing it. From simple things like buying chopsticks and not using disposable ones, to bigger things like using public transport, we were encouraged to Think Green. We stayed in local Japanese run accommodation and ate in local restaurants, using local food, avoiding international chains at all costs.

I liked this kind of holiday; you got a much better feel for the country, people, food and life.  Lots of people who come to Egypt also want this experience so I decided to use what I had learnt in our Nubian Eco Village http://www.nubian-eco-village.com/

Firstly we would only use the internet for advertising, printed material is carries with it the taint of deforestation and I wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Then the accommodation would be built using local designs, the DOME is the big feature of the rooms, cooling the rooms the way the Egyptians have for many years. Hassan Fathy the world renowned architect researched this building design and used it extensively in his designs. It allows rooms to be kept cool without the need of air conditioning. 

 

We would have liked to use mud brick for the rooms but as the houses at New Gurna are now showing, the rising water table causes problems with this material. Constant water at the foundations and mud brick are just not compatible and we wanted to build for the future not just for a quick gimmick. So we used local baked brick but in the traditional Nubian design. We incorporated shelves, cupboards and even niches in the shower room, into the design which eliminated the need for some furniture. Wood has to be imported in Egypt and we wanted to avoid overuse.  The walls were built with thick walls to help with insulation. This makes the rooms delightfully cool. We even experimented with a room constructed of palm branches (with a proper toilet and shower).  Now there are 8 rooms sleeping 16 people in a mixture of single, double and triple rooms.

But most of the land is devoted to growing food for the in-house restaurant. Guests can view vegetables and fruit being grown to provide them with delicious meals. Some food does have to be bought but this is also locally bought and grown.

We also tried to be imaginative about tours, offer green alternatives like sightseeing by donkey, Nile cruising by sailing boat and bike hire. We also offer walking tours with a local guide. These tours are ideally suited to Egypt and indeed donkeys and sailing boats were used throughout Pharaonic history. .

Finally we applied for and were granted a listing with Responsible Travel, their criteria for awarding a listing is very tough and we were gratified to see our efforts acknowledged.

So for a green, ecologically friendly, sustainable holiday in Egypt visit the Nubian Eco Village Luxor.

City breaks with a cultural edge - Telegraph

City breaks with a cultural edge - Telegraph: Luxor

Luxor well deserves its sobriquet as the world’s largest open-air museum. There is so much here that you could easily spend weeks on end discovering the tombs, monuments and temples.

The mausoleums of the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens are surprisingly different in scale and design, from simple rock-cut chambers to intricate complexes of halls.

A trip to Hatshepsut’s Temple, a complex that looks uncannily modern, is a must. On returning from Egypt, the first question you’ll face is whether or not you saw Tutankhamun – so you should. Looking upon the mummified boy-king in his tomb really is to gaze upon the face of antiquity.

On the east bank where most of the modern city is, see Karnak Temple – on such a scale that you’ll feel you’re in the land of giants – and the Luxor Temple.

Overlooking the Nile, luxurious Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa has just benefited from a multi-million-pound refurbishment. Its facilities include seven bars and restaurants, a well-appointed spa and three riverside swimming pools.


Luxor has from 5* hotels to boutique hotels to self catering apartments with a pool like mine www.flatsinluxor.com

109th Trip Advisor review of Flats in Luxor

109th Trip Advisor review: “Ideal and welcoming base for your Luxor visit”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 3, 2013 N

Very easy to get around to see all the main sites. Jane is very knowledgeable and well-connected, and her staff are just as friendly and polite as she is herself. She organized a reliable taxi driver for our stay, and was invaluable for helping us with our requests to see more obscure sites. Views from the apartments are a delight, and the food was varied and of excellent quality. I will definitely stay here again when I return to Luxor.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g294205-d1174145-Reviews-Flats_in_Luxor-Luxor_Nile_River_Valley.html

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The new rules for hot air balloons in Luxor

The people at Hod Hod Soliman have very kindly explained the new rules for balloons in Luxor as applied by themselves. I suggest if you are flying with another company you find out how they are applying the rules.

Well there is basically no great change, except that there is now a safety briefing approved by the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority in use which passengers are required to sign to show that they have understood the need for the briefing and the steps that they can take to help to ensure a comfortable and safe flight for themselves and other passengers.

It is quite possible that some companies may require a waiver - Hod-Hod Soliman does not.

The insurance situation remains unchanged from the position before the tragic accident in the case of Hod-Hod Soliman Balloons