Luxor Educational with Nile Cruise 22-27 Sep 14 - Cyplon Holidays

Cyplon Holidays - Luxor Educational Itinerary September 2014

Monday 22 September
Flight MS762 Heathrow to Luxor Airport – Egyptair flight was a good one with good leg room and food was reasonable for airline food.  However, it is important to know that they are a dry airline so no alcohol can be purchased on board. Visa must be purchased on arrival at a cost of £15 at kiosk or £25 through the agents hovering at the airports to sell you a visa to avoid queues.   There are several young men offering to help with your luggage - these are porters and will always expect a tip.  Our flight arrived at 00.30 hours on the direct flight from London.  There is a 2 hour time difference between Egypt and England with the exception of October when it is just 1 hour.

We then Checked in to Ra 2 Nile Cruise for 2 nights.  This is a traditional ship which is starting refurbishment after 18 months not operating due to the unrest in Egypt.  It is classed as a 5 star ship but the standards do differ from the ocean liner ratings and not quite as luxurious. However the beds were comfortable and  the airconditioning was very efficient. The food was good, served as buffet style for the 2 days we were on board; on one day we had a tasty barbecue up on deck.  The staff were all very friendly and helpful and made the trip an enjoyable one.  The ship offers 4 nts and 7 nt cruises and can be offered as full board or all inclusive through Cyplon Holidays. It is also possible to combine a cruise with a stay in Luxor or one of the Red Sea Resorts or Cairo. 
This is one of the best cruise ships on the Nile but definitely the best value when compared with other ships sailing on the Nile and the all inclusive option is great value with several excursions as well as selected drinks included.  A glass of wine cost from £3.50 but it would be best to take  a slightly better wine or a Cava type which was much nicer.

A Light Dinner was provided on Arrival comprising a selection of sandwiches/rolls.
Smoking is permitted on board throughout but there are doors which can be opened to allow flow of fresh air where needed or there are nice open air seating areas.  The RA 2 are also offering 50 percent off cruise for the departure up to 24th October.

There is a small plunge pool which was very welcome with land temperatures up to 44c

There are 2 jacuzzis which can be enjoyed on deck also

Dining/relaxing area upstairs on deck

Helipads for those with large toys!

Area in front of restaurant

Typical cabin with juliet balconies

Typical cabin with bath and shower above

Lounge/bar area

Reception area

Main Dining area

 

Tuesday 23 September

Overnight sailing from Luxor to Denderah arriving approximately 7am

Breakfast on board which is a buffet style with an area where they will cook you eggs or omelettes.  Some items not displayed can be ordered like fresh orange juice.

We set of for an early morning visit to Denderah Temple - this was an interesting Temple dating back to more thatn 2000BC with the first ever recorded Zodiac and the only temple in Egypt to portray  Queen Cleopatra with her son Caesarion

There were less salesmen trying to sell Scarves and souvenirs at this temple at the end of our tour and the prices were a little higher here than they seemed to be in Luxor temples.  However, you can barter but if you have difficulty with this you can always ask your tour guide to help as it can be quite daunting.  I bought a nice scarf for £5 but there were cheaper ones available. 

Buffet Lunch on board was a tasty barbecue on top deck.

                                         

Afternoon sail back to Luxor arriving approximately 7pm
This was a very relaxing experience with great scenery along the Nile and we were greeted from time to time by locals lining up along the Nile to wave and call out to us as we passed.  Tourism is so important to them and the sign of cruise ships sailing along the Nile again is a very positive and exciting sign for them.

                                         

Buffet Dinner on board

Wednesday 24 September

Breakfast on board

We left for our morning visit to Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple. Here our guide brought alive the history of ancient Egyptian Pharoas and queens depicted in hieroglyphics on these incredible temples.  The tour guide explained the stories of the Egyptian gods and it was a very cultural experience.

We first of all visited Karnak Temple or Temples - the largest group of temples - they also offer a sound and light show here

Luxor Temple

 

                Lunch on Ra 2

We then Checked out of the Ra 2 and transferred to Maritim Jolie Ville Kings Island for 3 nights
Set in acres of its own private island, this was a very nice relaxing spot away from the hustle and bustle of Luxor.  I would happily spend a holiday here either as a single centre or combination with a Nile Cruise.
The rooms were a good size and the air conditioning excellent.  Food was very good with buffet style with a wide choice of foods at breakfast and evening meal.  There were a few power cuts here but not for very long durations at a time and it did not cause too much of a problem.
Bar drinks were quite costly with a small glass of wine at £6.50 per glass but more cost effective to buy a bottle at £22 approx. the rate of exchange was 10 egyptian pounds to £1.  Beer was approx. £6 for a glass/bottle.  It had a very good gym that I used a couple of times and a good spa. They just happened to have an offer of £24 for an hours aromatherapy massage that I could not say 'no' to and a very enjoyable experience it was too! Lead in prices from £469 per person B&B for a superior deluxe room plus an optional extra reduced rate for the hot air balloon.

Rooms were in groups of about 10 in the round/bungalow style with pleasant outdoor seating area

It has several restaurants with a very nice breakfast area with seating directly overlooking the Nile

It was set on its own private island with bridge to the mainland and acres of well kept grounds

 

 

1830   Pick up at reception for Orientation and Dinner at the Emilio Hotel - this good 3 star hotel was very centrally situated in Luxor.  The air conditioning was less efficient here but the food was good buffet and the staff were very friendly and helpful.  The local entertainment included musicians and belly dancers and dancing pantomine horses.  The staff could not do enough for you and very willing to please.

 

They did suffer a few power cuts during our meal but of short duration

Traditional dancing includes spinning dancers, an act I have never seen before

 

Thursday 25 September  
We left the hotel at 5.20 am for our sunrise balloon trip.  This was an amazing experience and a great way to see the Nile and the valley of the Kings from the air.  This was approximately an hours trip with Hod Hod Soliman and great care was taken throughout with a totally smooth landing.   The price for this trip is approximately £75 and well worth it. I would definitely recommend this and in particular Hod Hod Soliman.

 

 

 

Tomb of the Kings

           

Breakfast in Maritim Kings Island

1145   We were Picked up at reception for afternoon orientation of 4star Steigenberger Hotel, this hotel was central Luxor with great views over the Nile and short walk to shops and bazaars sold generally on half board basis

 

1330   Orientation of Sonesta St George and buffet Lunch which we had quite late and was a little disappointing but maybe best to eat early here.

 

1745   Pick up at reception for orientation and Dinner at Sofitel Karnak Luxor - this is the only hotel I am aware that offers all inclusive in Luxor but it is situated on the West bank so a drive out of Luxor. They do however offer a shuttle bus into Luxor or you can travel across by boat to Luxor centre.  We enjoyed a good buffet dinner here and the wine was approx. £5.50 per glass. This seems to be a good choice for families with more activities, and have good facilities including squash, gym, sauna (not offered by other hotels) and a good spa

 

 

 

 

Friday 26 September

Breakfast in Maritim Kings Island

0900   Temperatures all trip have been 35-44c and today was 44c so we decided to spend the day relaxing so enjoyed time in the infinity pool (one of several but our favourite) here we got teams together to play water polo which was great fun. There is also tennis here and a good choice of activities in general subject to numbers. 

 

Our favourite infinity pool overlooking the Nile

 

There was an offer on massage as mentioned which several of us took advantage of and we decided to see the sunset on the Nile on a feluga which was also a lovely experience.  This is a small sailboat which is towed one way and you sail back.  This cost just £3.50 per person and afternoon tea included would be £6.50 but notice needs to be given for them to arrange this.

 

                                         

 

                  Dinner provided by Sofitel but we were unable to view the hotel.

Saturday 27 September

            Breakfast in Maritim Kings Island

0930   MS362 LXR-(CAI)-LHR Group Depart to UK – Pick up at reception. We had a good flight to Cairo and able to see the pyramids at Giza en routethrough the aeroplane  and spent 3 hours in the private lounge at Cairo where nice snacks and soft drinks were included.  Lounges range from £16-25 per person and a nice way to while away a few hours with free wifi generally (alcoholic drinks and hot meals included at Heathrow airport)

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Egypt.  At no time at all did I feel unsafe.  However, it would always be best to take advantage of a local tour guide who can give you lots of local information and take you directly to the sights of interest - this can be arranged through your tour operators such as Cyplon Holidays. The people were all very friendly and helpful and are very pleased to see tourists travelling again to Egypt. 

Thank you for all our sponsors Egyptair for the flights, Fadi from RA 2 for the cruise,  the hotels for the accommodation and meals provided and Cyplon for the representation and arranging it all for us.  Cyplon can tailor make your itinerary to Egypt and book cruise or single stay in Luxor, Red Sea resorts or Cairo. I would certainly like to spend a full week cruising and staying in Luxor again and look forward to returning  there soon.

For more information and full album 'like' us at Emsworthtravel facebook or contact sue at Emsworth travel on 01243377211 or travel@emsworthtravel.co.uk

                             

MS Ryndam, Holland America Line Cruise Ship visit and lunch 19 July 2014

After an early departure, I met the Holland America Team at 9.30 am at Dover and boarded the 5 star MS Ryndam which is a mid-size ship taking 1260 guests, 719 feet long and just under 56,000 gross tons.

We were given ship plans and advised which cabins were available to view and allowed to discover the ship at our own pace for the next couple of hours before lunch. The following are an idea of a few cabins viewed.  The cabin/staterooms we were able to visit were 001 Pinnacle Suite/Deck 10, 004 Neptune Suite/Deck 10, 122 Signature Suite Deck 9, 382 Deck 6/Oceanview Stateroom, 397 Deck 6/Inside stateroom, 390 Deck 6 Large Disabled cabin, 653 Iinside stateroom deck 5, 548 Inside stateroom - there were a few others I took pictures of too

Neptune suite cabin 004

Balcony for Neptune suite

Ocean view cabin

Typical shower room but some cabins had baths with shower over

Inside cabin no 653

The ship hs 2 outdoor pools (one with sliding roof, 4 restaurants, spa and salon fitness centre, movie theatre, shops, internet cafe, library, casino, suite lounge, tennis and basketball courts. The following are a selection of pictures taken on tour

There is also a reasonable sized childrens area with rooms behind the courts

The food was very good and the following was my choice but usually they offer many choices of food.

My starter was scallops

My main was a beautiful cod fillet

 

Holland America Line Ships have had many awards and they fit in the cruise market between top end luxury and mass market ships offering mid size ships.  I enjoyed my visit on the MS Ryndam and would not hesitate to recommend them for those looking for luxury with good food on a smaller style of upmarket ships. See/like our facebook EmsworthTravel for the full album or call Sue on 01243377211 email travel@emsworthtravel.co.uk

Advantage Conference in Dubai 13-18 May 2014

I chose to fly on the overnight flight with the view to sleeping on the plane, my first trip on an A380 with Emirates and giving me an extra full day to explore Dubai.  The flight arrived at 06.00 am 14 June but unfortunately it was a misty day and there was not much to see though temperatures were in the mid 30s c and remained that way throughout the trip.  The flight was very quiet and there was a configuration of 3-4-3 so several of the middle seats were available. I chose to watch  "12 years a slave" which was one film I had been meaning to watch and then settled down to sleep. However, my plans did not work out as I was unable to sleep and arrived in Dubai very tired.

My room at Radisson Royal Hotel

As it was misty I decided to catch up on my sleep in the comfortable room at the 5 star Radisson Royal Hotel on the main road into Dubai. 

The hotel was positioned just 15 minutes drive from the Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa and I booked a trip up the tower for the 15th  Junewhich was the only vacant slot that I could book.  It is therefore better to prebook in case of busy periods to avoid disappointment to make the saving, ticket price I paid at the hotel was approximately £25.  They do have a fasttrack system but this was nearer to £60 that was available and offered to other agents.  You can also chose to combine it with a city tour which can include the malls and Burj Khalifa (with or without meal) and take you to the palm and the main sights of the city.  Alternative tours also available.

The tallest building in the world the Burj Khalifa - viewing platform at 124th floor

 View from 124th floor terrace area with top open to the sky and glass area (some open)

Aquarium visible from the mall

Other trips that were recommended were desert safari, which I did not have time to do and waterparks such as the Atlantis the Palm waterpark which was the largest and we were able to spend a couple of hours visiting which was great fun.  There was also an aquarium here a little smaller than that at Dubai Mall but worth a visit.

The famous Burj al Arab with nightly rates of approx £2800. You can also have a meal here for about £300 plus for 2 and afternoon tea is another more reasonable option.

 

Dubai is principally a city but if you was to combine with a beach holiday, we did visit a few hotels on the Palm and this would be a great choice of combination beach with city on your doorstep.  Taxis were very cheap as apparently it costs under £10 to fill a tank over there with the petrol so cheap, so typically it is metered but works on time and distance.  It cost 10 dirham to Dubai Mall which was 15 minutes and back was 17 dirham.  The exchange rate is approximately 6 to the pound.  It is important to get the Dubai Taxis which are cream with red, blue or yellow roofs as these are by far the cheapest as I discovered when the hotel hailed a different one and it ended up being approximately 3 times the price I was expecting (45 dirhams from the Fairmont, the Palm to Burj Khalifa which was still only about 15 minutes drive)

The Dubai Mall itself is worth a visit with a large Aquarium area in the centre of the Mall which you can also enjoy in glass bottom boat or even scuba dive with the fish and a separate underwater zoo.  There is also an impressive waterfall inside and dancing water fountain display outside in front on the Burj Khalifa where this play music as the water dances about  every half an hour in the evenings.

 

Underwater zoo at the Dubai Mall

The Hotel Atlantis, The Palm was very extensive and very nice but it very much appeals to families and therefore there will be a large number of families with all that entails.  One complaint was off children running around and climbing on tables at meal times.  There are several options for meals so I cannot personally say that we experienced this problem. We had a meal hosted when we arrived which was held close to the lovely beach area and this was very enjoyable and a lovely location.  We also enjoyed the waterpark which as stated was part of the extensive grounds.

The Atlantis Huge Complex

Zoomed in view of Burj al Arab from Atlantis the Palm

Traffic at peak times is very congested so it is best to chose the times you wish to travel or make allowance for queues.  We did spot a open top tour bus so this hop on/hop off option may be a good way to get around. There is plenty to do in Dubai and I regret not staying longer but travelling on my own was not quite sure what to expect.

There is a second palm on the other side of Dubai but I did not have time to explore this area, the Marina or Jumeirah Beach. There is also the largest indoor ski area in a separate area which is worth a visit but I did not get time to visit myself.

I was not sure what to expect of Dubai but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It felt much safer that I expected to feel and you do not need to cover up completely as I thought I might have to, but they do prefer you to cover up more in the malls and not have too much exposed flesh.  It is worth pointing out that there is only alcohol available in the hotels but anyone can access most hotels and eat in their restaurants, where alcohol will be available.  I am a person who enjoys a glass of wine or two so felt this did not pose a significant problem in general.

The other point to make is they do not permit any form of physical contact such as hugging or kissing in public places or you could risk being arrested.
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There are a lot of very good offers available at the moment and it is definitely worth a visit.   For full album - 'like' our business facebook page.

 For more information, call Sue, Gill or Deb on 01243377211 or email travel@emsworthtravel.co.uk