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The organisation was generally good and the cost for what I received was satisfactory.
But the hotel which was supposedly 4 star wasn't 4 star by western standards. The Nile Cruise also wasn't 5 stars as it purported to be and was more like 3 star. The tour operator could maybe make this clear so that customers who are willing to pay more for better accommodation are aware of the differences.
The 'tipping' to those in customer service in Egypt is an expectation and customers need to make allowance for that in their costing for the trip. Tipping the tour leader who doesn't need to be there etc was an issue at times. Often it's enough, depending on the 'site' to have just a driver. For example, at the airport the tour leader was there to see me off.I dont need him there for that but I'm still obliged to 'tip'.
Tour Operators Reply:
Thanks for your feedback and comments. Sorry you were a little disappointed.
HOTEL STANDARDS: The star rating program in Egypt cannot be compared to Western Standards – Western Hotels are inspected regularly, but in Egypt they may be issued a star rating on opening new and 20 years later still have the same rating although no upgrades may have been done during that period. Therefore a new 4 star could be a better standard than an old 5 star. Some 5 star Hotels have totally unacceptable standards. As a result this often causes confusion among our clients trying to determine the level of Hotel they require.
We do not use the low end Hotels below 4 star as these are often run down and dirty. We attempt to utilize Hotels that are clean and of a good standard, both in quality and service. However, as with any country in the world, the levels of amenities, standards of furnishing, services etc. vary in comparison to the price paid.
* I think the hotel and Nile cruise, which was booked was very good, and The is the first time received a complaint of this hotel or Nile cruise. The hotel is Grand pyramids Hotel and the Nile cruise is Presidential Nile Cruises
TIPPING - BAKSHEESH - GRATUITIES: In Egypt tipping (or Baksheesh) is a general practice everywhere (even among the Egyptians themselves), and ensures extra services at monuments, museums etc. It can be a hassle and become irritating, but it is part of the lifestyle in Egypt.
I think there is no member of staff request or impose them on you to give your tip .
2
Client:
Bruce Barker - from United States
Trip:
This trip: Egypt: sights of Cairo and Nile Cruise
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
We had a wonderful time in Egypt, thanks to Lamia and her professional crew.
We had several different guides and drivers throughout our 12-day excursion, and at every step we were pleased with their helpfulness and attention to detail. The guides, with their vast knowledge of history, were simply amazing. My wife and I had chosen them because we wanted a more personal approach to exploring the country, and we were not disappointed. No large buses packed with tourists; even our largest group was quite small, and most of the time it was just us, a guide, and a driver. Exactly what we'd hoped for.
We felt we got a taste of the "real" Egypt, with some behind-the-scenes experiences that were certainly one of a kind. I'd be happy to recommend this company to anyone looking for a truly amazing experience in Egypt.
Thanks so much for a great online resource!
3
Client:
Marcus Lien - from United States
Trip:
This trip: Egypt: sights of Cairo and Nile Cruise
Rating:
rating 6/10
Comment:
I took the tour from Aug 30, 2008 to Sept 6, 2008 I found it over the internet and read many reviews about it. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, except with one big caveat: there were many add-on fees.
I contacted Lamia, tour owner, via e-mail. Lamia answered my questions and e-mailed me the "cost" of the trip ($1270) and the itinerary. The cost seemed reasonable and the itinerary was comprehensive. I placed a 25% deposit prior to the trip.
The tour leader, Fouad Hassan, picked me up at the airport. He was very courteous and professional. My plane was four hours late. We drove to the Zoser Hotel on Pyramids Road in Giza. I gave him the rest of the "cost" of the trip. Soon, I learned that there would more "add on" fees for various sites. Overall, add-on fees totaled $500 for the entire trip (paid in cash).
The tour guide in Cairo, Rasha Fathy, was excellent. The driver, Iman, was excellent and very personable. I saw the pyramids, sphinx, and Cairo Museum.
At night, I took a sleeper train to Aswan (12 hours). It was a unique experience. I was me at the train station by Mr. Ahmed Saadoon. He was an excellent tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. He took me to see many interesting sites in Aswan, Luxor, Edfu, and Abu Simbel.
I took the "Crocodile" Nile cruise. It was outstanding. The boat was beautiful and well-maintained. The food was excellent. The service was very good. It was an enjoyable experience travelling down the Nile in that boat with that crew.
I returned to Cairo via sleeper train. I visited Saqqara pyramids and Old Cairo.
My only complaint is that there were too many add-on fees: $150 to Abu Simbel, $20 for Aswan city tour, $60 for Karnak and Luxor temples, etc.... I wish that they would have e-mailed me a list of all "add on" fees.
Overall, they are a reliable and legitimate tour and provides outstanding service. However, be prepared for the extra fees!!!
Tour Operators Reply:
I am sorry the client had a complaint about the extra fees.
However, I would like to clarify that , the client decided to add an extra tours to the program agreed. The tour itinerary was provided and priced for the items included in the specified itinerary and therefore it was his responsibility to pay for the additional tours he decided to add on.
I would like to know if any one of my group made a pressure upon the client to convince him to take up the extra tours
4
Client:
Connie Gordon - from United States
Trip:
This trip: Egypt: sights of Cairo and Nile Cruise
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
Our Egypt Tour was wonderful.
The private attention we got from our guide, tour manager and driver was refreshing in an age when many tours are so "large group" impersonal.
They really made us feel like guests not just tourists.
5
Client:
Peter Taylor - from United Kingdom
Trip:
This trip: Egypt: sights of Cairo and Nile Cruise
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
An excellent introduction to what Egypt has to offer. From the initial contact with Lamia to the send-off from Cairo, everything went smoothly.
We (a party of two) were met at the airport and guided through the formalities by Fouad, then transferred to our hotel (Zoser) - all at one o'clock in the morning. The hotel accommodation was quite acceptable. I liked the way Fouad checked out the room to make sure everything was working (e.g. the air-conditioning - essential at this time of year).
Our visit next day to the Egyptian Museum was mind-blowing - you really could get up close to the Tutankhamun exhibits. By the way, there is much more at the museum than just this exhibition. Rasha was our guide and brought it all alive. Ayman was our driver in Cairo - possessed of nerves of steel. The air-conditioned vehicle was comfortable and roomy. The afternoon concluded with a visit to Gizah (Pyramids and Sphinx).
During the day we were taken to a papyrus seller and goldsmith...
We went to Aswan on the overnight sleeper. The sleeping compartments are reasonably comfortable and air-conditioned. Don't take too much luggage - there\'s not a lot of floor space! The evening and morning 'meals' provided by the train company are terrible - they would do better not to provide them at all: next time I'll try and get the hotel to make up a packed meal before we leave.
The train ran late. All the same, we were met in the morning and transferred quickly to our Nile river boat - a floating hotel called the Nile Admiral. We didn't have time to book in - but our luggage was taken and we went straight on to an air-conditioned coach for our first excursion. All the excursions were excellent and guided by a first-class guide (Maged) - all part of the Nile Cruise package (Presidential is the company). Be aware that the trip to the Valley of the Kings is not included in the package: it is well worth booking on the boat, paying the extra - you won't regret it. The other point to remember is the early starts required to avoid the heat of the day.
The cruise itself was really relaxing. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff. The room was comfortable, the meals (three a day, plus afternoon tea!) were excellent. Cruising down the Nile is something else; you leave your cares behind in the wake of the boat. After three days (you soon lose track!), it was time to take the sleeper from Luxor back to Cairo - the same comments as before.
We went on the Sights of Cairo tour, taking in the central market - a bit of an anticlimax, as it was Sunday and the shopkeepers are mostly Christian; so it was mostly closed. Better at night-time, too, I would think.
We did go to the Sound and Vision show at the Pyramids (late night sitting). This was an excellent way to round off our trip.
The next day, we were again escorted to the airport and speedily sent on our way. I shall definitely return, bringing others of my family with me.
6
Client:
Nirav Shah - from United States
Trip:
This trip: Egypt: sights of Cairo and Nile Cruise
Rating:
rating 8/10
Comment:
Overall Experience - Strong Positive - 4/5
Pros - Ontime reception at the airport. Orderly and ontime tours. English speaking and knowledgeable guides. Excellent Nile Cruise. Beautiful scenery and monuments. Worthwhile experience
Cons - Some guides expect lot of Tips even though they are already paid by the tour company.
Other comments - Local shopkeepers/ carriage drivers etc will hassle a lot. Must haggle a lot for any purchase and still be doubtful of quality.
7
Client:
Willem Mouton - from South Africa
Trip:
This trip: Egypt: sights of Cairo and Nile Cruise
Rating:
rating 9/10
Comment:
Every event for our tour package was very well organized and the tour guides and organizers was very professional and helpful.
Other then some tours to other countries we have been to, the final cost of the tour was pretty close to our initial budget. However, the tipping system in Egypt is slightly out of hand and caught us by surprise because they just make it feel as if it is compulsory and I personally feel tourist should be warned up-front so you could budget for this too because the total sum of tips was surprisingly high and some times we were completely out of money.
Other than that I can recommend this to any of my friends, and have already, and we also plan to visit again by the end of the year.
8
Client:
Chris Vear - from Latvia
Trip:
This trip: Egypt: sights of Cairo and Nile Cruise
Rating:
rating 9/10
Comment:
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to comment.
We had a superb holiday in Egypt made all the more interesting by the very knowledgable guides that were provided, particularly Rasha. The hotel in Cairo - "Zoser" was of a good standard and although marked as 5 star would in all honesty be regarded as a good 3+ by European standards.
The tour company provided air conditioned transport, were very flexible in meeting our needs as a group (12 in total) and came up with an interesting and varied mix of excursions, the tourist police and armed guard were reassuring in their presence whilst remaining unobtrusive.
The only down side was the Cairo city element which due to the huge numbers of residents & crowding into all areas and rubbish in the streets gave a very poor impression to tourists, although maybe we should have expected this more than we did. Trying to cross the road on foot was an experience and the general standard of driving displayed by most of the residents within the city was close to a white knuckle ride of a fun fair, throughout which our driver to his credit maintained a calm approach giving much needed ressurance to the group.
However it wasn't all bad, the Pyramids and Sphynx as you would expect still remain a highlight. Cairo museum whilst containing superb artifacts left us all a bit saddened by the conditions in which the exhibits were kept. Although this should change soon with the building of a new purpose built site. The mini cruise down the Nile was well worth it and everyone agreed that it would have been better to extend that part by two days and reduce the stay in Cairo. Luxor and Aswan provided a good contrast and allowed us to see the real Egypt that we had anticipated.
Sadly I suspect that if any of our group return to Egypt it would be to Sharm el Sheik and not Cairo.
9
Client:
N Ross McDonald. - from Australia
Trip:
This trip: Egypt: sights of Cairo and Nile Cruise
Rating:
rating 9/10
Comment:
On behalf of our family, I would like to confirm that the operator made our Egypt holiday an absolute pleasure!
We were given 5 star treatment by ALL of their employees & associates in person, the itinary was brilliant & on a number of occasions the staff went beyond our expectations, in terms of friendly & helpful customer service.
We thoroughly recommend this team to any potential tourists, who want to have a safe, secure, informative & fun tour of the great sites of Egypt.
My only suggestion would be to have the various 'optional' tours listed on the web site prior to arrival, to allow for pre-payment of all items of interest.
Thanks to Lamia & her wonderfull team for a great holiday!!
10
Client:
Devendra Amin - from United States
Trip:
This trip: Egypt: sights of Cairo and Nile Cruise
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
Our entire experience with this operator was great, they allowed me to customize the sites we wanted to visit and also made additions on the fly at reasonable cost.
We were met at each venue from Cairo airport to Abu Simbel with a knowledgeable coordinator and guide. We were never left waiting.
I wish we had had more time in Egypt to visit more places,
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Itinerary
I T I N E R A R Y
day 01: Arrive in Cairo airport to be met and assisted by our representative. He will meet you inside the airport with a sign of your name and he will assist you through passport control formalities, luggage identification & portage. You will then be transferred by air-conditioned coach to your hotel, check in & overnight in Cairo.
day 02: Breakfast at hotel before meeting your tour guide who will take you to visit Egyptian Museum. Then visit the Pyramids & Sphinx, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. overnight in cairo
day 03 : Breakfast and transfer to fly to Aswan Arrive in Aswan & transfer to your Nile cruise. Embarkation before lunch. Lunch - Introduction to your guide. Dinner - Dancing music.
day 04 : Breakfast – Visit the High Dam, the Old Dam. and the temple of Philae. Sail to Komombo & lunch - Visit Komombo temple. Sail to Edfu - Afternoon tea. Oriental dinner - Galabiya & costume party.
day 05 : Breakfast - Visit the temple of Hours in Edfu. Sail to Esna & lunch Sail to Luxor Dinner - Disco party.
day 06 : Breakfast – Visit the West Bank Valley of the King & temple of Hatechepsut. Colossi of Memnon, El Deir El Bahari. Disembarkation from your cruise.
P.M - Transfer to airport to fly to cairo Arrive Cairo & transfer to your hotel, check in & overnight in Cairo. day 07 : Breakfast and free day in cairo ( optional tour tom citadel and old cairo & overnight in Cairo.
day 08: Breakfast at hotel, then transfer to Cairo airport to fly home.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Price Includes: - 4 nights in Cairo at 4 stars hotel bed & breakfast - 3 nights in 5 stars Nile Cruises on full board - All transfers in the program by air-conditioned coach - Sightseeing in Cairo / Cruise with English speaking guide - Entrance fees during sightseeing - Domestic flights cairo/Aswan-Luxor/Cairo - Service charge & tax
Price Excludes International flights All items not mentioned in the above programme Visas Items of a personal nature TIPS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: During Peak season (Dec and Apr) prices will be slightly higher
