Travel Review: Luxury Egypt Trip, Luxor, Cairo, Giza, Hurghada, Pyramids, Nile Cruise, Hot Air Balloon Ride, 15-Night Tour

Overall we had a wonderful trip to Egypt. Our guides were very good and knowledgeable. One caveat though: they should not bring us to places to buy things, that are tourist traps, because you end up paying way too much money (we believe guides get a percentage of the money paid for items bought, especially around Luxor). On the upside, we were very well received in Cairo and picked up from the airport and dropped off at our hotel in Giza and it all went smoothly. Our guides in Cairo (Amr) and Aswan-Luxor (Imet) spoke very good English and explained everything really well.

We had two very busy days in Cairo and saw a lot of interesting and beautiful things. Amr even arranged a balloon flight for us in Luxor and came to Luxor especially for that and to accompany us on our overland trip to Hurghada. 

About the hotel in Giza: even though it is stated as a 5 star hotel, we were disappointed. The rooms were very dated, the furniture old, curtains were broken and dusty, the air conditioning unit not serviced properly (which caused severe sinus problems for me), the bathrooms lacking comfort, with leaking shower cabins and bad plumbing. The pool was closed at 6 pm and overall the hotel has seen better days. I would not recommend this hotel for people that truly want the 5 star experience. About the Oberoi Philae Cruiseliner: We have nothing but praise about this cruiseliner. We were very well received, staff was excellent, food was delicious and the rooms were perfect: very roomy with a sitting area, beautiful bathroom with new fixtures, comfortable beds, wonderful turndown service, nicely decorated. We all would totally recommend this cruiseship!!! The resort in Luxor was ok, but the rooms were small and the hallways were not air-conditioned.

The hotel in Hurghada: Beautiful, although somewhat away from everything and not a good beach (reefs right up to the beach). There was one big pool area and we had to walk quite a bit to get there, because our suites were on the far end of the resort. Staff was very friendly though and the suites were beautiful and comfortable, with excellent turndown service.