Has anyone been to Egypt?

moonrakerz

It's best to buy bottled fizzy drinks, then you know the bottle hasn't been filled up from the nearest ditch !

TravellingAbuela

We had a week's Nile Cruise and a week in Luxor. I had no problem at all but hubby succumbed to the dreaded tummy on the cruise, as did a lot of other people. Yet we both seemed to eat the same things. Maybe it was the beer! Glad I stuck to my iceless G & T!!

poe.tuesday

I have been 6 times, the first time I was ill, since then I have not been ill but I drink plently of water, add salt to my food and still eat what the hell I like

glenderg

Lived & worked in Cairo for about 3 years many years ago,drank lots of Stella & even local water. I was told a little sip each day helped to build up an immunity. Never had the runs, been drunk once or ? though.
Have a good time it's a fantastic place. :beer:

Mark7799

Don't worry too much about it - you'll get lots of scare stories which will make you think the place is a rat-infested hell hole. If it's so bad, how come all the Egyptians cope?:p

We've been twice. Yes, we had dodgy stomachs but it was discomfort, nothing more, for about 48 hours. The cure was a local remedy called (I think) Antinels which cost about E£20 for a week supply and were available from local chemists.

owtfornowt_2

OH and I have been twice and neither of us have had any problems with dodgy tummy's. As other posters have said you can get stuff out there if you do get unwell. Remember to squirt you hands with cleansing gel after you handle the money as this can be rather dirty and most likely causes alot of people's problems.

mutley_muppet

I've been 4 times and never had any problems. I always eat salads, but use anti-bacterial gel after handling money & before eating.
I also avoid ice cold dinks and pace myself in the heat.
Have fun, the snorkelings fab in Sharm!
MM x

bensgranddad

The medication mentioned by Mark7799 is very effective, but Antinal is a very strong antibiotic that would only be available by prescription in the UK, so take care before self-prescribing! The pharmacies in Egypt are well stocked and staffed by knowledgeable well-qualified people who can usually recommend an appropriate remedy.
There is a good section on Egypt tummy problems here:
http://www.luxortraveltips.com/essentials/health.htm

herecomesthesun

Hi I have been many times - went in June and again July and just got back and again no probs at all. We never keep the air con at night and dont put it on straight away when we come into a room from the heat outside.

herecomesthesun

I have copied and pasted a reply I posted elsewhere

Hi those resorts are quiet. Cant help with the costs but to give you an idea of costs in Sharm. Most hotels charge between 25le /30 le (£2.5/3 ) for a bottle of beer. These are big bottles wth more or less a pint in. The lager is normally Sakara and Stella local. The restaurants in resort and some bars are a lot cheaper. International spirits are very dear - Smirnoff, Teachers etc in hotels about £5 for s sinlge shot. Local ones are drinkable at around £2 a shot. Coke and large bottles of water in hotels about £1.20, around 80p in restaurants and about 30p in supermarkets. Pizza Hut, Mc D, Hard Rock, TGI Fridays, Burgerking are cheaper than in the UK. Restaurants sell everyhing. In Sharm you will find Lebanese, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Egyptian, Italian, English etc etc. You can get a greek sald for less than a £1 and a pizza for £2. A good fillet steak with peppercorn sauce pots or fries and fresh veg is less than £6. Spag bog is less than £2 - NB hotels will be dearer.
The most expensive and best meal we have with drinks costs around £25 a head. But you can easily have a main meal and a beer for less than a tenner and quite often less than £5 depending on where and what you eat. Some places have happy hour - buy on get one free - some are 6 til 9, 8 til 10 etc.
The hotel reps will try and sell you trips at the welcome meeting and these are alot dearer than shopping around in resort. Sunnfun are cheap - paid £15 each for Tiran Island. They have a website which shows trips and prices etc. It is very easy to book a flight to Cairo or Luxor yourself with Egyptair. The prices are normally cheaper if you pick Egypt as the country as you enter the site and muck about with the dates and times as the prices vary. I normally can get a return flight to either for around £35 each. You can then organise a guide and driver - ours was $20 each for the whole day.
Ref booking the holiday the price normally goes up the longer you leave it but you can still get some last minute bargains if there are just 1 or 2 of you.
July / Aug will be very hot. Plugs are European 2 round pin. You do need a visa which costs $15 each and is available at the airport but in Sharm this is not required if you are not leaving the Sinai region. Always agree a price with the taxi drivers as they will try and rip you off so whereever you choose research what prices you can expect to pay. In Sharm there are boards that tell you the government prices but most will try and charge 3 times this amount. Haggle for everything. If you are a smoker dont buy them from small shops or street vendors as they will be fake. go to the large supermarkets or Baccrus ( green and white sign ) and they also sell alcohol. L n M are just 55le for 200 - £5.50. At the airport B n H and Marlboro are £10 for 200. If you get the dreaded bad tummy get Antinal from the pharmacy and dont pay more than 10le for a pack.
Hope this helps