Egypt: Takeaways from a Seasoned Travelers First Visit
For many people, a trip to Egypt is at the top of their bucket list. Admittedly I was not one of those people. I am not a history lover, nor a fan of museums, so while Egypt was always interesting to me it was never a ‘must visit’ destination. Having just returned from my first trip to the North African country I now understand why many view Egypt in this light, and why many who have had the pleasure of visiting return time and time again.
My company, KAI, started working with a brand-new luxury boat on the Nile – Historia – earlier this year. That relationship presented me with the opportunity to not only experience the magic of a Nile River cruise, but also spend some time in Cairo to see what all the buzz is about.
I was joined by my wife Katie, a travel advisor who was also visiting Egypt for the first time, and we did a very typical fist-time leisure traveler itinerary:
2 nights Cairo
4-night Nile River cruise, Luxor-Aswan
1 night Aswan
1 night Cairo
Rather than present a day-by-day recap of my experience that you could gather by reading my itinerary, I thought it would be more beneficial to share some feedback and unexpected learnings from my time in Egypt that might be helpful to you when you get your next Egypt inquiry. Liberty Egypt, a great Cairo-based DMC handled all of our ground arrangements and did a terrific job!
In Cairo, we stayed at Marriott Mena House on the front end (2 nights), then The Nile Ritz-Carlton for a night at the end of our trip. Both hotels were GREAT and I’d highly recommend either, but I would recommend switching the order for the following reasons:
It takes almost twice as long to get to Mena House in Giza from the airport – after the long flight from the US a shorter transfer is appreciated (especially if you’re doing touring later on arrival day, which many people do).
While in Cairo, travelers will often visit The Egyptian Museum, The Citadel & Mohamed Ali Mosque, and Kan El Khalili Bazaar. These are located much closer to Ritz-Carlton (and many other nice international hotels in the same area if your clients aren’t at Ritz), limiting the amount of time in the car – traffic in Cairo can be BRUTAL!
Mena House has a more relaxed feel which would be nice to enjoy after a long, busy itinerary.
Mena House is located in Giza, next to the pyramids. For most visitors, the pyramids are the highlight of their trip – why not save it for last, instead of hitting the main event at the very beginning of the trip?
The Citadel - and specifically the mosque - is a MUST visit. I’ve been to many mosques around the world and this was one of my favorites I’ve ever seen, absolutely stunning!
The hospitality, service, and food were all terrific! Granted we stayed at some of the top properties in the country, but I was blown away by the level of service and also pleasantly surprised by the food, both the quality and variety on offer.
Alcohol is expensive! Egyptian beer & wine is reasonably priced, but any imported alcohol is subject to exorbitant taxes making it very expensive. We did find local beers (Sakkara Gold & Stella) and a wine (Chateau de Granville) that were quite good so we stuck with those 😉
June – August is low season for a reason… it is HOT! We visited in mid-May and it was 116 F one day in Aswan.
The Mohamed Ali Mosque, Me at the Pyramids of Giza, and the colorful Nubian village in Aswan.
Nile River cruises truly are more hotel than cruise, meaning you spend a night in Luxor and a night in Aswan on the 4-night itinerary, and on the 3-night itinerary from Aswan to Luxor you actually overnight in Aswan on day one and then spend two nights in Luxor.
If you are doing a river cruise starting in Luxor, I would recommend adding one night at a hotel in the city prior to embarkation. There is a lot to see & do in/around the city and if you only have one night (on board) I can be a bit rushed – the tombs in the Valley of the Kings was probably my favorite tour of the entire trip.
In Luxor the top property is the Sofitel Winter Palace; we also saw the Steigenberger Nile Palace which is another good option (if booking this hotel sell Executive Room with Nile view as your lead in category).
You may want to consider adding a night in Aswan as well (pre or post cruise). The main reason for this would be a visit to Abu Simbel (which I did not do), or you can spend more time on the river on smaller sail boats and/or visit the colorful Nubian village on the west bank of the Nile. We stayed at the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract and I couldn’t recommend it more. Spectacular property!
Now, on to the main reason I visited Egypt – Historia, the Boutique Hotel Nile Cruise.
As this was my first trip to Egypt I don’t have anything to compare Historia to, but I’ve been on some of the top boats in Halong Bay, I’ve traveled on world class trains like Rovos Rail and Belmond’s E&O Orient Express, and the experience on Historia is as good, if not better than each of those. It truly is world-class and worth the trip alone…
I spoke with a lot of industry colleagues here in the States prior to my trip, and also industry folks on the ground in Egypt and here are some of my key takeaways and USPs for Historia.
The 36 Luxury Cabins are 22 sq. m. (~ 225 sq. ft.) and the décor is minimalist so the furniture doesn’t crowd your space – feels larger than it is. The Suites range from 33-46 sq. m!
The windows slide all the way open (which I was not expecting). None of the rooms have balconies but I loved being able to open the huge panoramic windows.
Great Sun Deck (The Slolaria) with a nice pool, which is heated in winter.
The evening entertainment (3 of the 4 nights there was something) was excellent! It was great local entertainment that was interesting and engaging and did not drag on for too long.
There is a decent gym and a nice spa with 2 treatment rooms (a couples room & a single).
The three HUGE things that make Historia a premier experience are:
In addition to having private dock space in Luxor and Aswan they plan their sailing schedule to avoid crowds at the major sights that most of the boats visit.
All guests do private touring! Tours are not included in the rate so you can book the sightseeing with your preferred DMC / Tour Operator, or you can book directly with Historia and all touring is done on a private basis. No buses, no groups!
The food on board is superb! We enjoyed three 7-course plated meals while on board, that were on par with a fine dining experience in a top restaurant in the USA. The meals that were buffet style offered an incredible selection of salads, mains, and desserts and featured a station with a selection of dishes that were cooked to order.
I now understand the magic of Egypt and already can’t wait to get back…