Holiday Xourse in Luxor are you interested?

I want to run this past all visitors to Luxor, could you complete it and post it on your wall as well. It is an idea to regenerate business here in Luxor and given work to a lot of Egyptians but I need to know how popular it would be http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PP5BFHH

Upside Down Villa

The stone facade is stunning, much more complimentary to the surroundings.

YouTube - Heavy protests in Luxor on 04.02.2011.flv

Found this video on You Tube showing a Luxor protest.YouTube - Heavy protests in Luxor on 04.02.2011.flv: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Why spoil a good story with the truth?

It is so good to be online and to tell my readers the truth about what has been happening here in Egypt. I have been watching Al Jezera and the BBC and wondering which country they are reporting on, it wasn’t the Egypt I live in. Go destroy our livelihoods why don’t you. According to their own reports before yesterday the maximum number of people in demonstrating was 10,000 in Cairo. This is a city of 25 million, so do the sums .0004 % of Egyptians, Now you might be forgiven for thinking it was at least half the city judging by the news reports. Could they even have been creating the story, it was a tiny minority and the cameras focused on them continually. They did not report the MILLIONS who were not protesting at all. Here in Luxor we believe the protestors were 2-300 out of a population of 500,000, the sums .0006 %. Yet the news reports that it is unsafe to visit Luxor, what a load of poppy cock. I was here the entire time, I had guests visiting the sites, going on sailing trips, smoking shisha in the coffee shops at 11pm at night. I went to the dentist in central Luxor no problems. But that does not sell stories. There was a waiting room full of mostly Christian women and several of them were so angry with the news reports.

I was interviewed by the BBC, I told them it is safe, business as normal. Did you hear any of that, of course not. It is much more fun the scare every tourist away, destroy the economy and the lives of ordinary Egyptians. Al Jezera was reporting at one point that there were tanks in Sharm, BBC World was saying there wasn’t! If there had of been it would have broken the terms of the peace treaty with Israel, pretty irresponsible reporting, well I got to the point I didn’t believe any of them. Al jezera said there were over 2 million demonstrating yesterday, BBC less than a million. All I can tell you is there were no problems AT ALL on the West Bank, Luxor where I live. If it hadn’t been for the TV I wouldn’t have known there was a thing wrong.

I am not going to go into the politics, what happens next etc, that is up to the Egyptian people but I totally resent the way the media has manipulated the story for their own ends and harmed many thousands who are dependent on the tourist trade. My message to the world, support Egypt, support Egyptians and come and visit West Bank, Luxor in total safety.

Flats in Luxor on Trip Advisor

We now have 65 reviews up and some totally fabulous guest photos so do have a look and see what people have said Flats in Luxor - Trip Advisor

I have been asked why we are under Specialist Lodgings and other apartments are under hotels. I honestly have no idea, it took me ages to persuade Trip Advisor to give us a listing as I was determined to be honest and not pretend to be a hotel. Eventually they agreed and put us under Specialist Lodgings so that is why we are there. Why other apartment blocks are under hotels I can only speculate.

East meets West – Split Holidays at Flats in Luxor

Finding it difficult to make up your mind which side of the river Nile to stay? Why not do both? Flats in Luxor has flats both sides of the river and offer special deals on split holidays. Free transfers and only a 2 day minimum both sides means you can have your cake and eat it. Check our website and book your selected flats quoting SPLIT2011

Our East Bank flats are situated on the same side of the river as Karnak and Luxor temples and down a quiet street in the heart of tourist town.


Enjoy the bustle and shopping on the East Bank and come back to your space in our roomy flats.


Then transfer over to the West Bank for the other 21 historical sites, camel and donkey rides and our restaurant


You flat has views of Hatshepsut's temple the the mountains which are floodlit at night.


Enjoy the delights of our West bank pool

foursquare :: Goubli Flats in Luxor :: Luxor, Egypt

We are on Foursquare!!!foursquare :: Goubli Flats in Luxor :: Luxor, Egypt: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

RIP Nasser

Christmas Party 2010

Had the Flats in Luxor Christmas party tonight. Lots of guests



Lots of food cooked by our trusty chef Gamal.

Served by our waiter Mahmoud

Supervised by father and son, Mahmoud and Hamdi

Lots of faces of wonder as the party progressed

The men rather enjoyed the belly dancer

And the women tried to copy her

But our staff, Nasser here, were much better

Then Mr Magic performed his tricks (yes I know he look like a pimp)

The children were mesmorised

The the whirling dervish

which fascinated adults and children alike

and at the end of the evening a rather orange moon said good night

The latest magazine to feature Flats in Luxor Property Sales

Monarch Airlines has featured Flats in Luxor in it's inflight magazine Explorer. The article from A Place in the Sun talks about the safe way to buy property in Luxor and quotes Jane Akshar the owner of Flats in Luxor. We have also placed our advert next to the article.

We are very proud that they have recommended us and that you can buy all your property needs, with confidence, from Flats in Luxor

Last minute Christmas deals with guaranteed sunshine in Luxor, Egypt

Flats in Luxor still has Christmas vacancies, get away from the cold and snow. Come to Luxor and bask in warm sunshine. Egypt is affordable with loads to do and lots of local culture. Luxor is designated the biggest open air museum, do a donkey ride to the Valley of the Kings, see Tutankhamen, a day trip to Cairo and see the pyramids. Get cheap flights on EasyJet or any of the charter airlines. Check out my East Bank flats, the Arabesque House and the one bedroom villas. All have Christmas vacancies and prices start at $50 USD a night.

Flats in Luxor and Gaddis Hotel

Flats in Luxor Group has accommodation both sides of the river but the majority is on the West Bank. As a consequence we have the greatest facilities there, including our two chefs Gamal and Mohammed. Guests staying at Goubli have these great cooks on site but at Al Gezera, the Villas and the Arabesque House deliveries are easily arranged.

Our guests staying on the East Bank have rather missed out on all this but now we have a great solution. The Gaddis Hotel, which is just a very short walk from the flats, has a great selection of English, Egyptian and International food, including a pork menu! Snacks, pizza and sandwiches are also available and Flats in Luxor is able to give you a 10% discount card.

The Gaddis Hotel also has Karaoke Nights every Saturday and Tuesday for 9pm until late. The Gaddis hotel is very famous in Luxor, not only because of Mr Gaddis is the Honorary British Consul but because of the fabulous photos taken by his father. These black and white studies are so atmospheric and evocative of the town, with both its recent and ancient history.

Jane Akshar and Flats in Luxor have appeared in all these magazines

Here at Flats in Luxor we are fiercely proud of our reputation and the fact that we have appeared in so many major magazines both for our property sales and our holiday rentals, Jane Akshar has also had many of her writings published. So you can have confidence in Flats in Luxor, recommended by the Boston Globe, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, A Place in the Sun, Archeological Diggings, EasyJet in-flight magazine, Monarch in-flight magazine, Bird Watching and Papyrus

EasyJet continues to make Flats in Luxor guest happy

Our 4th group of guests arrived tonight 40 minutes early and very happy. It was a group of three people who had booked separately, no one had paid more than £200 GBP return and the best price was £80 to Luxor and £90 from Luxor so a return price of £170 GBP, not bad!!

Also they brought me a copy of the EasyJet inflight magazine which includes my destination guide to Luxor.

Home - Latest News and Events

My Swansea students!!!!


During the Summer 2010, MA Ancient Egyptian Culture students took part in an excavation and conservation project of the Late Period Tomb TT223 as part of a study trip. Home - Latest News and Events: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Facebook | Party 07 November 2010

We had a couple come from Somewhere Different to stay at the villas and the company had asked if we could make sure they saw local entertainment. So Flats in Luxor had a party at Goubli in our roof top restaurant. Great night. You can see all the photos here. Facebook | Party 07 November 2010: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

EasyJet to Flats in Luxor

The first EasyJet flight landed in Luxor 3rd Nov and I had three sets of guests on it. It is a natural combination a self catering apartment or villa from the Flats in Luxor Group and a cheap flight from EasyJet. So how did my guests find it using EasyJet for their cheap holiday in Egypt to see the ancient culture? How did it compare to a deal using a charter flight and hotel. Well we came out on top!!

First the price they paid for their flight depending on how far in advance they booked the flight. The cheapest was £87 return and the most expensive was £250 return. So to get the cheapest deal on a flight to Luxor, Egypt, book early.
Every one of them said they would use EasyJet to fly to Luxor again and would recommend it to their friends. Most of them took their own food but those that did have the food were quite satisfied.

So the cost of one week if you book in advance and were a family of 5 sharing one of Flats in Luxor three bedroom apartments with private swimming pool. Would be £164 per person, full board would be £234, that’s right a holiday in Luxor Egypt for a family of 5 for £820. EasyJet/Flats in Luxor; what a combination.

Our website is here Flats in Luxor

Monarch Explorer

Flats in Luxor is in the Monarch Inflight Magazine. Both the article quoting me and recommending purchasing our properties and our advert, Live the Dream, see page 110.Monarch Explorer: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egypt sets minimum monthly wages to $69 - BusinessWeek

Something to remember when you are being hassled for baksheesh or tips. If you can imagine proving for a family with food, clothes, medicines, school uniform, well something has to give. As a diabetic my medicines cost me 1000LE a month. This minimum wage increase takes the minimum wage to 400Le a month. So what do Egyptian diabetics do, well they die or if they are lucky and a member of their family works in tourism and gets good tips, they live. So please be generous

Egypt sets minimum monthly wages to $69 - BusinessWeek: "Around 40 percent of the country's 76.5 million people live on or near the poverty line of $2 a day.

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Your Luxor apartment, your decoration, whatever that might be

When people buy a flat or villa from us at Flats in Luxor they sometimes ask for it to be decorated to their own personal taste. Michael was the first person to buy from us and asked for a rather unique decoration in his lounge.



That was back in 2006, this year he asked that we get his bedroom ceiling redecorated and this is what he choose. Isn't it brilliant, Sennefer eat your heart out.




So if you want to buy a flat from Flats in Luxor and want a rather unusal decoration, no problems. Can we do it, yes we can :)

Luxor, no longer a luxury - Africa, Travel - The Independent

Come on EasyJey!! With cheap flights and cheap accommodation at Flats in Luxor.

Luxor, no longer a luxury - Africa, Travel - The Independent: "Luxor, no longer a luxury

The city that is the cradle of civilisation is now a no-frills flight destination. Simon Calder enjoys this Nile gem that offers culture and pleasure in equal measure

We say

Gatwick's longest no-frills flight begins next week. The destination, five hours away, of the easyJet plane is the city on the Nile that combines an astonishing amount of history with a laid-back vibe and clear blue November skies

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Flats in Luxor 2010/2011 prices

Live the holiday dream in Luxor. Fantastic flats, awesome apartments and value-added villas from Flats in Luxor Group.

We have a huge variety of apartments and villas from simple one bedrooms to luxury family apartments with private swimming pools. Although these are self catering, with our two resident chefs you need not prepare a single meal unless you want to.

The prices start from $25 USD for one bedroom flat, $30 USD for a two bedroom flat and $40 USD for a three bedroom flat. These are in buildings with limited communal facilities like the Arabesque House and East Bank building but you are most welcome to use the swimming pool, free WiFi etc at our luxury apartment blocks on the West Bank.

The luxury apartments at Goubli and Al Gezera are keeping their 2009/2010 prices and even at Christmas these are only $75 USD a night.

All bookings are for a minimum of three nights and we offer a courtesy meet and greet service.

Special Introductory Offer

We are offering our one bedroom villas at $60 USD a night, yes even over Christmas, your dream holiday in Luxor just got mega cheap. Please quote SP15

Flats in Cairo!!!!

Well just for December and January. A friend of mine in downtown Cairo has a 2 bedroom flat available for rent, it sleeps three persons and is very central. just 10 minutes from the museum. It is his personal flat and he is away for those 2 months. If you are interested please email me.

Salads in Egypt

I know a lot of tourists are frightened of eating salads in Egypt, rubbish!! Be scared, really scared of buffets where food is kept tepid for hours but a freshly prepared salad in a tourist establishment is fine. Personally I eat street food with salad and never had a problem. This is three salads prepared by my chef that my guests (and me) had for lunch today; Oriental lots of garlic and aubergine, Greek with feta cheese and black olives and Tuna with spicy peppers. I tell you they tasted as good as they look.

Luxor Vacation Rentals & Vacation Rental Homes - Rent Holiday Homes in Luxor

Flats in Luxor has just started using this accommodation listing website. Run by a PCG member, my old trade association, he has offered me a years free listing. Good for both of us as I have just trebled his Luxor entries :) Luxor Vacation Rentals & Vacation Rental Homes - Rent Holiday Homes in Luxor: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Flats in Luxor's new advert

Planeta Sostenible & Flats in Luxor

This Spanish website promotes eco tourism and selected Flats in Luxor and the Nubian Eco Village. So I am hoping for lots of Spanish guests. Planeta Sostenible: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Traveller - Inflight Magazine of easyJet

I have been asked to write the destination guide for Luxor as EasyJet start flying there in November so bookmark this page and see Luxor appear next month. I have no idea how much editing of my piece will occur so I shall be waiting with baited breath too. Traveller - Inflight Magazine of easyJet: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Making Egypt 'accessible' for tourists

Interesting article about traveling in Egypt with a handicap. It can be done!

Making Egypt 'accessible' for tourists: "Making Egypt 'accessible' for tourists

Programs for physically challenged tourists are designed to allow the tourist more time for visits and includes almost all the activities.

By Tamim Elyan
Special to Daily News Egypt

CAIRO: Claudia Ehlers has always dreamed of seeing the pyramids – a dream dismissed by almost everyone she told given the challenges she would face as a physically challenged tourist.

“But I followed my dream in defiance of all difficulties,” Ehlers said.
The German tourist stayed in Egypt for eight days and went on a safari trip on Al-Ryan Lake in her wheelchair. She says her trip exceeded all expectations.

“Everything was so unbelievable, so experience-rich, so fantastic and most importantly so problem-free,” she said, describing her trip.

Ehlers’ adventure started at Cairo Airport where she was carried off the plane by two men. “I was carried out of the airplane in a manner I never experienced before, namely without any utilities; normally the transport in and out of the plane is done with a very small chair, but here it seemed that they didn’t have anything like that. I worried about the two men who carried me because I’m not very light weighted but then I saw a wheelchair in front of the plane.”

Ehlers visited the Cairo Tower where she was helped by her tour guide up the tower to enjoy the view from the top. The next day she paid the pyramids a visit.

The highlight of her trip was when Ehlers gave up her wheelchair and took a ride on a camel with the help of her guide.

Ehlers’ seamless trip was made possible by Egypt for All, the only Egyptian travel agency dedicated to physically challenged tourists, designing programs specifically to cater to their needs.

Established by Sherif El-Hendi and Martin Gaballah in 1999 as an associate of Grabo-tours in Germany, Egypt for All comprises a professional staff devoted to the services of the physically challenged tourist.

El-Hendi received his first delegation in 1999 formed of six tourists on wheelchairs and his client list has been only growing ever since.

“We have been gaining experience and we now have our own equipment and specially equipped cars with ramps and toilets,” he boasted.

Vehicles are modified in a workshop by removing seats, attaching clamps for securing wheelchairs, and adding portable ramps for getting on and off the vehicle.

Potential market

Nashwa El-Sherif, professor at the faculty of tourism, Helwan University, says that the lack of interest in accessible tourism can be referred to the culture, lack of adequate infrastructure and absent marketing.

“We are missing a huge potential market if we continue to ignore physically challenged tourists,” El-Sherif said.

According to Ahmed Al-Khadem, former chairman of the Egyptian Tourist Authority, the traffic of physically challenged tourists reached 180 million tourists around the world in 2007 and we shouldn’t miss out on that market.

“We need a proper study that evaluates the economic worth of this type of tourism and how we can establish good infrastructure to enable us to compete in it,” he said.

Programs for physically challenged tourists are designed to allow the tourist more time for visits than other tourists; it also has more breaks in between visits. However, it includes almost all the activities other tourists would be interested in, such as scuba diving.

Mick Riley, an English physically challenged tourist made a two-week trip to Luxor visiting the temples of Karnak, Luxor and Hatshepsut, the Valley of the Kings as well as a ride in a Felucca.

“I was surprised how much of the area I actually got to see,” Riley said.

With a tour guide and someone to push the wheelchair, Riley visited Karnak where he said “the ground is slightly more uneven, the help of someone pushing me came in handy enabling me to videotape the area.”
He recounts his visits to Hatshepsut temple and the Valley of the Kings.

“This is where I thought I would encounter most of my problems, first we went to the Valley of the Kings; three tombs were accessible with help from the guys [from the travel agency], after a short drive we arrived at Hatshepsut temple towering into the mountains behind, two huge ramps and stairways were easily climbed with the help of the two men, one person would have serious difficulty getting you up here alone,” he recalled.

Claus Sans from Germany went a step further; he took a flight in a two seated air glider in Gouna, Hurghada.

“Our flying objects were kind of a small engine delta flyers in which two seats were positioned behind each other, with the back seat set a little higher than the front seat. The pilot was in the front seat steering the flyer, and I was sitting in the back seat. It was like a dream to me, and I never felt myself that free before,” he said.

“The deed made me totally forget about my disability and my wheelchair; I even felt as if I never needed one and wished those 20 minutes – the flight duration – never came to an end,” Sans said, “But our pilot finally went down, and landed me again on the ground of hard reality.”

Mohamed Abdel Lateef, a tour guide from Luxor says he has dealt with a lot of physically challenged tourists sometimes coming in groups.

“Of course they know that it is more exhausting than usual but they always find help whether getting on and off vehicles or inside the sites; the most important thing is not to give them the impression that they are receiving special care, they don’t want to be reminded of their disability,” Abdel Lateef said.

Challenges

According to El-Hendi, major challenges that accessible tourism faces in Egypt are the shortage of especially handicapped-accessible hotel rooms, mainly exclusive to 5-stars hotels which raises the expenses of the trip.

Out of 350 Nile cruise ships between Luxor and Aswan, only one, Amarco I, has handicap accessible cabins.

Egyptian law stipulates that 5 percent of the rooms in all hotels should be handicapped-accessible.

Another problem is when the tourist wants to go on a free tour in the streets of the city which are not accessible at all; El-Hendi says he must appoint an assistant to help him or her navigate their route.

Accessibility solutions

Al-Khadem says the problem is that physically challenged tourists are only attracted to cultural tourism not to adventure tourism like scuba diving and safari.

“Most sites in Egypt are closed ones that require effort from the tourist to move and making it accessible is very difficult; however, the Supreme Council of Antiquities is already working on this,” Al-Khadem said.

El-Hendi resounded this claim as he noted an improvement both in historical sites and airports during the past 10 years regarding accessibility.

“What we need is to increase the number of accessible hotel rooms in different categories, reduce the time needed to finish paperwork at the airport and tickets’ queues; especially, at the valley of kings where disabled tourists can’t take the mini-train and we have to negotiate with officers to use our cars,” he said.

He also called for encouraging new agencies dedicated to physically challenged tourists to see the light in order to serve this growing market.
“Travel agencies should start making programs for physically challenged tourists and proper infrastructure should be made available which will result in huge revenues for all sides,” El-Sherif said.

“They are working within their capabilities; there must be a media awareness campaign, intensive marketing campaigns and related activities such as equipments exhibitions and conferences,” she added.

According to experts in the field, Egypt is moving on the right track but until it reaches the level when it is 100 percent accessible, Egyptians’ sense of hospitality will always give the physically challenged tourist the warm welcome.

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