Another Recommendation on Trip Advisor

This new post on Trip Advisor deserves a bit of a plug as Mahmoud gets a mention. He organised the cruise, hot air balloon and trip to Abu Simbel for them. Flats in Luxor is not just about apartments and flats but tours as well. I know he is a bit elusive at times so here is a photo.

We were talking by the pool and they said they had a quote from one of the agents on the Corniche and could we match it. So Mahmoud made a few phone calls and low and behold we had an offer they could not refuse. They were most impressed how easy it was for us to organise this. As I always say if Mahmoud can't fix it, it can't be fixed. Anyway here is what they said, BTW my name is spelt wrong Ashkar lol

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294205-i9426-k2185548-Trip_report_staying_on_West_Bank-Luxor_Nile_River_Valley.html

Having been a lurker for over a year and just returned home; I wanted to write of our fab time in Egypt. I may go on a bit.


For those of you considering staying on the West Bank, do so. Like all villages they soon know who you are and you are left alone, apart from the offering of taxis to VOK when we were walking back to the flat.


We stayed at Flats in Luxor run by Jane Ashkar and her husband Mahmoud. Our choice of flat was the fourth floor of the original flats and the view from the balcony was to die for. Believe me, drinking a Pimms looking out at the Theban Hills morning or evening was something else. By the way Jane told us that in addition to your duty frees from England as long as you do not exit the airport building, you can buy a further 4 bottles per person upon arrival. Back to the balcony - watching the hot air balloons was fun particularly when my husband watched the balloon of myself and son. Following on from the discussion a while back about various balloon companies, we were booked through one company but ended up making up numbers in another companies balloon so I think they are all much of a muchness.


Apart from having booked a flight to Cairo to spend the day with a cousin and visiting the Giza and Sakkara pyramids plus the museum; we had arranged nothing else before we left. We are fairly independent types. Most of the tombs and temples we had an a/c car and the Kent Weeks book on Luxor treasures that I highly recommend but physically too heavy to take on the day.


We did pick up a boat and travelled up the river to visit Karnak picking up a caleche for the return journey and ending up that days sightseeing with breakfast at the Old Winter Palace.


We also had a lovely evening when Jane's husband Mahmoud (what a fixer) arranged for a service car (They must have known I wanted to have a ride) to take us down to the Nile where a launch took us across to our felucca and ending up with a wonderful Egyptian meal on board.


Let me see what else did we get up to. Oh yes, Jane and Mahmoud arranged for us to experience a three day cruise...request of son...and we had a relaxing!! time travelling down to Aswan on the Solaris. No complaints there, great boat, food hot,service friendly and courteous, rooms clean and a mini balcony. Joined the convoy down to Abu Simbel and the time flew by and didn't take long. AS is a wondrous place.


Our first day we took a donkey ride up into the hills behind Hatshepsut's temple. The views were superb and the chance of looking down on the temple scary but wonderful.


Baksheesh and hassle. You don't get it in the village but what we did experience...at sites and the Corniche...my advice is to don't get uptight about it. We smiled but we were firm and there were no hard feelings on either side with the exchanges ending in an enjoy your holiday message.


We didn't experience any stomach problems, thank goodness and took basic precautions ie antisceptic handwash.


I took along the suggested pencils, pens, sweets and notebooks and once I overcame my reticence of physically handing them out; they were much appreciated from helpful temple guardians when I had no small notes to security guards, from the smiley woman in our local, small room supermarket to the village children. I wished I'd started handing them out earlier.


I had arrived with a list of recommended restaurants but we ended up going across to the East Bank twice in two weeks...we found there was no need. There is a burgeoning of small hotels with restaurants on the West Bank. We laughed our way through an evening at Tutankhamun. We ended up with a table groaning under the weight of the food the owner wanted us to try. The view is gorgeous too. The Nile Valley has a great roof top restaurant where the views are astounding - over the shoulder there was Luxor Temple lit up. There is a lane about half way up the village that leads to El Nakhil..again a great rooftop restaurant where the waiter hurried to set up the fan behind me...I don't do heat particularly well. El Fayrouz is fairly new and they were serving meals in their luscious garden. We found this place the cheapest. A copious breakfast for two came to £3 sterling total. And a two course meal with drinks for three came to £14.80.


I did say this may be a long report but I hope it is of some help to someone as all of your contributions have been to me.


Signing off with many thanks to all.


Maclean family

Actually changing the subject for a second the photo was taken by my mate D and she played about with it in photo shop as a birthday present for me. Do you know who's tomb this really is?

Flats in Luxor announces its 1000th tour booking, Finland to Egypt for the 4th year running

Welcome back to Heidi, Arja, Hans, Tuija and Miia from Finland. our 1000th booking at Flats in Luxor, Egypt. Established in 2003 Flats in Luxor now has 1000 satisfied clients from all over the world who have used its accommodation or gone on its tours.

Luxor, Egypt (PRWEB) August 5, 2008 -- Flats in Luxor welcomes its 1000th tourist since its formation in 2003

The 1000th guests are Heidi, Arja, Hans, Tuija and Miia from Finland, who have booked tours of Luxor for the 4th year running. As members of the Finish Egyptology Society their requirements for tours are not run of the mill.

They said 'We found Jane through the blog she writes in Tour Egypt. It was very easy to contact her on her website www.flatsinluxor.co.uk and book trips by internet.

The beauty of her, that you can choose yourself the sites you want to see and a schedule it as well. And there are a lot of sites from which to choose from.

Jane makes you feel welcome and her humour is over the top! But she´s also a true professional in what she do. You get tours so intensive and individual, and no one explains the sites like her.

We respect and rely on her and when we get home to Finland, we miss her a lot every time. But we can always comfort ourselves, that we will see her again next year.'

They are typical of the kind of guests that use the services of Flats in Luxor for either tours, accommodation or both, they want to get away from the standard offering, be more independent, have a more in depth look at the history and get underneath the surface of the Egyptian culture. Jane Akshar of Flats in Luxor was delighted to oblige and looks forward to welcoming her favourite Finns back to Luxor.

Flats in Luxor was founded in 2003 by Jane Akshar and Mahmoud Jahlan, their mission to provide high quality flats or apartments for the tourist market and to enable them to enjoy a unique and individual tour of this fascinating and historic country.

Having rented a flat in Luxor, Egypt themselves and been disappointed by the standards of cleanliness and lack of facilities they perceived a demand for Western standard flats in Luxor. For both those guests and those staying in hotels they also provide guided tours and all aspects of holidaying in Egypt.

Jane was a computer specialist by background and an Egyptologist of 40 years. She utilised her IT contacts to set up a professional website with availability calendar and booking database. Jane says 'I was over the moon when I found the domain name FlatsinLuxor was available. However I wished I had realised that Americans have no idea what a flat is. They would call it an apartment and being as our market is international this often leads to confusion.'

Although Jane has plenty of IT, sales and marketing experience she had never worked in tourism before. That was Mahmoud's side of the business, as a local he had worked with tourists in Luxor since he was young, knew everything there was to know and had all the contacts. The internet was an ideal medium for their business and utilising her Egyptology expertise Jane built up a dedicated following in the online Egyptology community which she used to publicise their business.

Jane goes on 'Mahmoud taught me everything about tourist, tourism and renting flats. We made a few mistakes at the beginning, the flats today are not the same as those early days and the swimming pool came later but everyone was supportive of the business. We still have repeat bookings from those early guests and we are in touch with many of them.

Heidi and her party are typical of our guests, coming back year after year and recommending friends. We have a Belgium group who come with their friends and family and rent several flats, a retired Australian couple who come every spring for month, a British man, keen Egyptologiust, who spends his winters here and finally an American working in Cairo who has sent dozens of his colleagues here as well as staying three times himself. They are all like family.'

The first business success was becoming part of Tour Egypt which is the premier tourism website about Egypt. That relationship is as strong as ever and Jane writes a blog www.luxornews.net on the Tour Egypt website with over 3,500 unique visitors a day.

Then after petitioning by many of their satisfied guests the Lonely Planet inspected the flats and included it in their guide book, the Rough Guide followed and most recently Responsible Travel approved them as Luxor's only 'Green' accommodation. They feature regularly in Trip Advisor both for accommodation and tours.

Now some 5 years later their company Flats in Luxor Group, which is registered in Egypt, have 4 apartment blocks with 21 flats some in development, some sold but the majority are available for holiday rentals. Their tours which include the more remote places in Egypt like Amarna, safaris in the Western desert, are exciting and unusual. They even offer sailing holidays on traditional feluccas. www.sailthenile.com

Mahmoud says 'To have reached 1000 guests is an important stage in our business. But we have even more plans for the future; especially green and eco friendly offerings, it is an exciting time for us.'

Property in Luxor Egypt

Uncertain about buying Egypt, see the two articles below. I think that first article is really fair but it fails to take account of the motivation behind a lot of sales. Retirement properties. The second article should reassure those looking at these.

With pension values falling, Westerners are facing an increasingly dubious future. Their pensions, if they have one, are minuscule and certainly not enough to maintain a decent standard of living or any living at all in some case. But because of the low cost of living in Egypt even the most cash strapped pensioner can live like a Pharaoh on a very modest pension. Buy your apartment or flat and never have to worry about rent again and live off your UK pension, yes it is possible here. After all there are no heating costs, it is sunny all year round. Food costs are approx 1/10 those of the UK. Also you can pass on your property with no tax, tempted, you should be.

The two article do reassure people looking to invest in Egypt that their capital value is set to rise. Which when you are facing an increasingly uncertain old age is very reassuring. The clincher is that you can pass everything on to your children, no tax!!!!

As you know we have property for sale and all is on private land where we can give you freehold and proper contracts and papers. Flats in Luxor has an international reputation for honesty and we can give you references from satisfied customers. We have a variety of properties some with swimming pools, so please get in touch and have a secure retirement.

Another article on why you should buy in Egypt

Why buy real estate in Egypt

Egypt may seem like an exceptionally unusual choice as a location in which to invest in real estate sure, its a great vacation location with its 7,000 years of history, its near perfect year round climate, stunning beaches and beautiful divingbut what does it have to offer someone wanting to invest in real estate as a commodity?

The answer is Egypt is actually fast moving from being an emerging real estate market place to a well established one because the levels of foreign direct investment into the real estate sector have increased based on some excellent fundamentals.

For example, Egypt is now considered to be a politically stable country and one that is absolutely pro-western, meaning that an investor can be confident in the political stability, will and vision of the nation. Next up, the economy in Egypt is going from strength to strength. According to The Economist magazine GDP grew by 5% in 2005, almost 7% in 2006 and is on target for over 7% growth in 2007.

A strong economy gives confidence to investors as well but it also means local people have more buying power which creates the perfect environment for house prices to rise in value and an investors real estate assets to appreciate.

Aside from these excellent foundations on which an investor can build confidence there are some travel and tourism angles you might like to consider when thinking about whether Egypt is worth a closer look as a place to invest your hard earned dollars into immovable property.

First up theres excellent statistical news and data from the World Travel and Tourism Council, they say Egypt is on track for enjoying 21.4 billion US dollars worth of economic activity from the tourism market in 2007 and that the nations travel and tourism growth rate is expected to hit almost 8% this year before averaging around 5 and a half % per annum until 2017.

Clearly there will be massive rental demand for accommodation that a property investor who buys well located real estate can benefit from. Boosting this demand is Egypts exceptional climate and the fact the nation is now cheaply and swiftly accessible from Europe and the UK thanks to cheap flight operators.

Finally, if you want more reasons why to buy real estate in Egypt think about the fact there are no capital gains or death/inheritance taxes in Egypt and the government has now made it easy and safe for foreign buyers to own a home or multiple real estate assets in Egypt and surely you have enough evidence to support taking a closer look at the Egyptian property market.

Rhiannon Williamson writes about property investment worldwide,

Now is the time to buy property in Egypt according to analysts

Egyptian Property: Too Good to be True or Too Good to Miss?

The recent media reports relating to the real estate market in Egypt paint a picture that would make anyone think twice about buying property anywhere else. Even the Prime Minister of Egypt believes that the construction industry has just witnessed a 15% expansion. But are all these tall tales about the success of the Egyptian property market too good to be true, or do they illustrate a picture of an investment asset that really is too good to miss?

The thing with Egypt is that it is an undeniably amazing country in terms of its travel and tourism appeal. It’s not like the authorities, tour operators or property professionals have got to flog a semi-decent location like Bulgaria is it?! Egypt has year round sunshine, it has the Red Sea, it has incredible beaches, it has the pyramids, Cairo, Alexandria, Tutankhamen – I mean, it has it all in abundance! And what’s more, the tourism industry is truly thriving…up 20% in 2007 on 2006 levels, set to increase by about 7% on average a year for the next ten years, and being targeting for inward investment by the government seeking to stabilise and diversify its economy.

So, the fact that the entire fledgling real estate industry is built on tourism makes property in Egypt initially seem like a no lose commodity. Surely as tourism numbers rise and rise and rise and all these amazing developments in all these amazing resorts are built and sold, so those who buy will be able to let to the tourists coming in and profit right? Well, yes…and no. What about all the hotels in Egypt? And all the hotels that are being built in Egypt? And the fact that tourists still prefer hotels with all their facilities and conveniences to self-catering? Aye, there’s the rub, not every tourist visiting Egypt is going to want to rent a fly-to-let investment property belonging to someone from the UK who has invested their life savings into what is being oversold as an amazing investment asset ‘guaranteed to double your money, honest.’

Sigh…

Sorry, we got carried away – it’s just that we despair when we see developers advertising properties for sale in untried and untested emerging markets with ludicrous promises about guaranteed rental yields, guaranteed capital appreciation and guaranteed returns. Yes Egypt is potentially a great place to invest, yes there are amazing fundamentals supporting the development of the nation economically speaking…but come on, it’s not a sure bet. Please, proceed with caution and look at any investment opportunity with just a little suspicion if you want to do the best for your money.

Kids Tours and Another Recommendation

Spotted this very nice recommendation from some past guests. They work at a school down in Cairo and are talking about using me for school trips which should be fun.

Here, we recommend Jane Akshar, whose teenage daughter often accompanies the tour when there are kids involved. She also explains that, "With kids on a tour, we sometimes act out, dressing up in galabeyas and some cheap beads, and pretend to be priests and pharaohs".

Want to know more about us

Flats in Luxor was founded in 2003 when I moved to Egypt. I first got interested in Egypt when I was 9 years old, my grandmother gave me a book to read on Tutankhamun and I was hooked. When I received some book tokens for my 10th birthday I got the book and never looked back. I first visited Egypt in 1979. having read every book in the library I thought I knew it all. I found I knew nothing, in fact as time has gone by and I realise just how much there is to know I realise my percentage goes down and down :)

I did evening classes with the University of London, 3 year, 2 year and 5 year courses and grew to love it even more. I did more visits and found the modern Egypt just as interesting and fascinating.

Through various times in my life Egypt has been the thread holding it together and frankly it is no surprise that I have ended up moving here. After all I started talking about that when I was in my teens. My husband Mahmoud Jahlan was the catalyst to making me move here and I am forever grateful to him for this.

If you want to know more about me search on the web for Jane Akshar and my Linked In profile details my business career.

Want to know more about the Flats, again search but beware of imitators. Lots of people have used the 'flats in Luxor' name but nobody else is in the Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Trip Advisor, Daily Telegraph, Responsible Travel, All the Experts, Echo, Tour Egypt, Luxor News, Egyptology News, Egypt Mad. We are the original Flats in Luxor, the first tourist standard in Luxor, the first to go Green and the first to make the guide books

Flats in Luxor is on Facebook

I have added a Flats in Luxor company page to Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flats-in-Luxor/23829117620 so if you use Facebook you might want to become a fan.

Story about us

Really nice article about our Flats in Luxor. http://www.asap.co.uk/news/a-green-vacation-in-egypt-5633201.html. The first Flats in Luxor to offer tourist standard accommodation the first Flats in Luxor with a swimming pool, the first Flats in Luxor o go Green.

We have also been in contact with another member of Responsible Travel in Egypt. They offer horse riding trips near Cairo. It is a really exciting new aspect to our business.

We are now recommended by Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Tour Egypt, Responsible Travel, Trip Advisor.

Excited, you betcha

Flats in Luxor goes Green

Ever since I went on holiday to Japan in 2007 and booked through Responsible Travel I have been looking at turning our business GREEN. After months working with Responsible Travel who have been most helpful we have been officially recognised as the first and only GREEN tourism business in Luxor.

We had to do a number things in order to met the criteria but many of the conditions we were already doing. Ever since the beginning of our business 5 years ago I have recommended that tourists keep the money in the local economy.

I am so excited about this new aspect to our business

Our page on Responsible Travel

Tiling Finished at the Swimming Pool

We had a big delay with this next to last stage for two reasons. One we had problems getting the tiles. But the more serious one was that when they did the test fill there was a leak. This meant that the pool had to be dug out all the way round to find where the concrete was leaking. An absolute nightmare. After doing all this they found no leak and it appears that the excess water had come from the irrigation next door. So all that effort and time was wasted.

The two photos show the pool and the boys standing on the bar stools give you an idea of scale.

The big round pool is for kids and the large pool has three levels which you can see by the different floor decoration. Behind the boys they have just dug out where the kitchen/bar is going to be. BTW the boys are Garden Mohammed, Hajaj and Ahmed.

Swimming Pool at Goubli nearly finished

It is so exciting, the pool has not turned out like I expected but never mind. The middle circle which I expected to be a jacuzzi is a kids pool, the jacuzzi is going to be separate. The pool is much bigger and see the bar stools. Tiling next week :)

New One Bedroom Flats on the East Bank

We have just developed the ground floor of our East Bank property into 2 one bedroom flats. Our East Bank property is down a cul de sac in the heart of the tourist area, just opposite the Isis hotel.
The two flats consist of a bedroom with a/c, shower room and kitchen/ lounge.

Flats in Luxor - Goubli Swimming Pool

Yes good news we have started digging the swimming pool at Goubli, it will be a while before it is finished but the bulldozer is on site now. We had to wait until the crops on the land around us had been harvested so we could go across their land to get to the back of the property. The plan is to have a kidney shaped pool with jacuzzi.

These apartments are available for both holiday and long term rental as well as sale. We can also provide management services should you wish to buy as a holiday flat investment.

Recommended by Trip Advisor

A couple of terriifc threads recommending the Flats and me

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294205-i9426-k1908316-Jane_Akshar_flatsinluxor-Luxor_Nile_River_Valley.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294205-i9426-k1834840-Jane_Akshar_Best_Guide_in_Luxor_IMO-Luxor_Nile_River_Valley.html

2008/2009 Prices

We are pleased to announce we are going to hold our 2007/2008 prices for the flats at £165 GBP ($330 USD) per week low season and £220 GBP ($440 USD) high season. Low season is 1st May 2008 until 30th November 2008 and High season is 1st December 2008 until 30th April 2009.

Our minimum booking period remains 3 days however we will take a shorter booking period as long as you are prepared to pay for the full three days :)

Tours will also be held at £30 GBP ($60 USD per person until November. We have heard that ticket prices are going up then by 25% so will be reviewing tour prices as soon as we know.

Feedback about kids tours

Lovely comments about my tours

http://scotsabroad.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/the-original-king-tuts-place/

We also seemed to be very lucky being in the right place at the right time, as we were often alone at major sites, and we met a wonderful family, the Bishops, who were prepared to take the risk and come with us on a tour Shona had cleverly arranged with a rather eccentric (but brilliant) Englishwoman called Jane Akshar living in Luxor.

This is Jane Akshar who offers accommodation, tours and cruises in Luxor. Shona found her website while in Cairo and contacted her before leaving for Luxor. Jane said she would provide a tour that included a serial killer and some dressing up! We encouraged another family staying at our hotel to join us. John and Melanie have three lovely boys who were brilliant with Cairo and Lucas. Thank you Joe, Luke and Daniel Bishop. John seems to be quite famous back home. Click on his name in the Blogroll to find out for yourself (he is touring his comedy show in Scotland next month). Great fella, great family and great company. Cairo made us laugh the day before, having been told about the tour and the content, by asking us if we were finding out about the ‘breakfast killer’ that day. The serial killer turned out to be Ay, who bumped off a few on his way to the throne including, according to Jane, Tut, and we visited his tomb (#23) in a secluded part of the Western Valley. We were the only people inside - we even had to get the key holder to come up and open it for us. Incredible. We visited another couple of tombs (Roy and Shuroy) and the boys got to go into some catacombs carved in the rocks, disturbing bats and getting a glimpse of ancient mummified bodies lying side by side. Then it was on to the Temple of Seti the 1st and a bizarre enactment of something silly. Great fun. I think the school will be using Jane’s services in the future when we send groups down to Luxor. She certainly brought things to life and was full-on for the whole morning.

Stay connected at Flats in Luxor free WiFi

At both the original Flats in Luxor block Al Gezera and the new block Goubli we offer free access to the internet.

Apartments and Property for Sale from Flats in Luxor

Investors will have noticed the rash of developments in Luxor and this will give you an idea of how advantageous it is to buy a holiday property in Luxor. Both national and regional government are positively encouraging development of the area and it is a very exciting place to invest your money. Capital growth is assured. Land prices are sky rocketing and those buying property in Luxor now will be able to sit back and watch their investment grow.

We aim to provide small intimate developments but with all the facilities of a major complex. Peace and quiet and away from the crowds. None of our buildings have more than 7 units and rather than buying off plan our properties are already completed and available for inspection. Dealing with our registered Egyptian company Flats in Luxor Group you can be assured that investment is safe. All our property is built on private land so no problems about land ownership. You can buy with confidence from Flats in Luxor.

We have property in Luxor on both the East and West Bank and every apartment has the same loving attention to detail, Mahmoud has very high standards and nothing is skimped and shoddily finished. We offer you a quality flat in Luxor in a small development direct from us, Jane Akshar and Mahmoud Jahlan. No big anonymous companies to deal with when you buy from us. We are always available personally to advise you and to look after the property should you not be in residence. Our trusted and reliable staff can help you with errands and improvements. One of our owners wanted an unusual painting job done on his flat so we got our painter to give him a star studded ceiling. Different but that is our specialisation, individual attention for our owners.

Apartments are for sale at: East Bank, Al Gezera, Goubli and the Arabesque house. We also have plots of land where we could build you a dream villa in Luxor. Let us show you around and you can see for yourself a property in Luxor should come from Flats in Luxor, the original and best apartments in Luxor.

Flats in Luxor Map

Trying to make up your mind which Flats in Luxor to choose, this map will help.

Now Flats in Luxor has 3 blocks on the West Bank. the original Flats in Luxor are on the edge of Al Gezera village and and the new Flats in luxor are on the Goubli road. Two styles of building Arabesque, traditional Islamic style 2/3 bedroom flats with a garden and roof terrace. Goubli is super luxury and will have swimming pool, jacuzzi, roof top resturant, lift, shop, library, WiFi internet and many more.

Kid's Tours

We just had a load of fun with a big kids tour. I had to make up some new roles so we had

Mr and Mrs pharaoh
Hittite Princess
Royal Scribe
Keeper of the Royal Zoo & Leopard
General
300 handmaidens
Priest of Anubis

what I try and do is act out scenes from tombs and temples and if I get enough time with a family we will see everything we have acted out over a few days.

This time it was two families and as you can see even Dads join in and make lovely Royal Handmaiden!


But sometimes the blushing bride or Hittite princess can hide her/his beauty lol however we always seem to have fun

WiFi at Flats in Luxor

Flats in Luxor Group are happy to announce the installation of WiFi at their new building on Luxor's West Bank.

Yes that's right our Goubli flats now have WiFi and our chef is installed and cooking. Next on the agenda is the swimming pool which we expect to start really soon.

BTW Quad Bikes can now be hired for a unique desert trip

Flats in Luxor recommended in the Daily Telegraph

Nice mention by one of guests Drusilla Beyfus http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2008/02/07/sm_activitynile.xml&DCMP=ILC-traffdrv07053100

A subsequent visit with Jane Akshar, an independent tour guide, took me into the smaller, off-the-beaten-track but none the less fascinating tombs of Ay in the western Valley of the Kings followed by the tombs of the nobles Roy and Shu Roy. They were wonderfully free of people like us.

Flats in Luxor Safe from Development

The government has decided to do a lot of development in my village of Al Gezera as part of the big project of making Luxor into an Open Air Museum. Unfortunately exactly what these changes meant is kept under wraps and rumour and gossip fly around. As we sell as well as rent flats we wanted to be confident that all our property was unaffected. I used my main blog www.luxornews.net to express my concerns and made sure news of this blog entry got to the governor. This resulted in an appointment with the man in charge of the West Bank development to explain what was going on.

General Mohammed Metwally is dapper and urbane and utterly charming and was happy to explain phase 1 of the development and for me to take photos of the proposed plan.

I went along with Michael who owns my Ra flat as obviously he was concerned as well. I explained that it was important for ex pat residents to know if the building they were buying or renting long term what the plans were so they could invest with confidence. The general assured us that none of my apartment blocks was affected by this or any other phase of the development. This was a great reassurance and means I can carry on selling with certainty. It is a great time to invest in the West Bank with these ambitious plans to development the West Bank will mean property prices will rise. There will also be less stock as many buildings in the Ramla area with Nile views are going. So our flats should be in even more demand as they are on private land well away from the edge of the Nile yet with great views.

You can buy with confidence form Flats in Luxor Group

Nicholas Sarkozy views our Goubli flats, Luxor, Egypt

Yes he did, really. Well he jogged past them and must have seen them and if you had been on this balcony you would have seen him.

Tony Blair is in Luxor now, perhaps he will visit as well. :)

Christmas Dinner Menu 2007

Every year I have been here I have invited the guests that were staying to Christmas Dinner. Although not everyone came numbers were on the rise, last year it was 12 and what with that and it being our busiest time of year it was gettign a bit much. So this year I have gone for something different.

There is a new Italian restaurant opened in Luxor called Benz and the chef Ben Wilson makes wonderful food. I challenged him to do us Christmas Dinner and so this what is on offer to my guests this year, pretty cool

Flats in Luxor
Christmas Dinner

Tomato Consommé
clear tomato & basil soup with vodka
or
Melon Midari fans
fans of melon soaked in melon liquor
or
Prawn Cocktail
The classic prawn cocktail prawns on a bed of lettuce with a home made Marie Rose sauce

-0-
Traditional Roast Turkey
Accompanied by
Buttered Savoy Cabbage
Garlic and Rosemary Roast potatoes
Duchess Potatoes
Roast Herb Parsnips
Honey Glazed carrots
Sautéed Brussel Sprouts with Toasted Almonds
Sage & onion stuffing balls, Home made gravy and Cranberry sauce

-0-

White Chocolate Pannacotta with a Champagne Granita
or
Christmas Pudding & Mince pies with Brandy Butter
or
Lemon Posset

-0-
A selection of Cheese & Biscuits

New Goubli Flats open for guests

We have just had our first guest in our new flats at Goubli and they loved it. As you can see from the photos the flat is to the normal high standards of the Flats in Luxor Group. Well appointed and tastefully decorated these are the best we have built yet, a mixture of owner occupier and tourist rentals. Two units have already been sold and the owners will be living there part time until retirement then full time. In the meantime we act as their agents for tourist rentals. So if you are looking to buy or just want a unique holiday apartment look no further.

Communal areas which are still ongoing include courtesy car, heated swimming and Jacuzzi, bar, restaurant, roof terrace, laundry facilities, pool table, satellite TV, Internet, designer garden and lift.

There are three bedrooms which all open out onto a large balcony. As there are two flats on each floor one balcony has views of the Theban Hills (my favourite)and of the River Nile the other way. These have air conditioning and fans and all linen including swimming pool towels is provided. There is a large family bathroom.
The master bedroom is furnished with a double bed, the other rooms have twin beds.
It has an ensuite shower room shown in this picture with granite sink surrounds.
The lounge has satellite TV, comfortable seating and dinning table for 6 people. As well it's own balcony with a view to the north and Hatshepsut's temple.
The kitchen is full equipped even down to the granite work surface. However we find most guests prefer to use it merely for keep beer cold and provisions for breakfast. Eating out in Egypt is so cheap. However everything is there should you want to cook.

What impressed our guests the most was the 360 degree view, here are views ,north west
north east
south east
and south west. The Nile, Luxor temple, Hatshepsut’s temple all visible from roof and higher flats. Ground floor overlooks the pool and garden.

If you want to book any of these flats please go to our main website and check out the availability or book direct here. Until the communal areas are totally finished we are holding the price at the same as our Al Gezira flats. £165 GBP per week or $330 USD.

If you have already made a booking at the Al Gezira flats and want to swap please email me quoting your booking reference.

Four flats face the Nile and these are from the ground up Maat, Mut, Hathor and Bast. There are only 3 facing the hills and I have one of them, so from the top down they are Sekhmet and Selket. The ground floor facing the hills is a pleasant reception/lounge/communal area, nice for evening entertainment

My best recommendation yet

I can't resist posting this picture. I just had this little girl stay at my flats and took her on one of my kids tours. I think she might have liked staying here lol

Rough Guide Gives Ringing Endorsement for Flats in Luxor

I had been told by Rough Guide that we would appear in the next edition and finally had sight of a copy of our entry today.

Reputable local agencies are Flats in Luxor which owns several fully equipped flats near the Pyramisa Isis and deluxe flats with pool and Jacuzzi on the West Bank

Hurrah for us

We still have Christmas 2007 Vacancies

With only a relatively short time until Christmas now is the chance to get in quick with a booking for flats to rent in Luxor Egypt. Our Al Gezira flats are full booked with the exception of my flat which I shall be vacating soon to move to the new flats at Goubli. These new flats also have vacancies but that is all. So if you want to celebrate Christmas or the New Year at Flats in Luxor book now.