Anyone been to egypt?

emma_b_4

thankyou i will get practising!!

loveabargin

Hi Emma_b

My sister has just come back from the hotel you are staying at and said it was quiet and beautiful but I am afaird there is a downside as all my family was ill with stomach cramps, sickness and diarrhoea. She said that most people she spoke to had been ill and she was very unhappy when at a bar at the hotel the waiter had just rinsed a glass another person had been drinking out of and poured her drink into it. She was not happy with the food or the waiters lack of hygiene if this could be improved she said the holiday would of been wonderful. Sorry that it is not all good news but I would want someone to hi lite the negitive too so something can be done about it. I would speak to your travel agent and tell them your concerns.

emma_b_4

hi thankyou
my mum anddad said the same about the dom rep last year, the waiters dont cleant he glasses in between and they had suggested taking our own plastic glasses to drink from. i have read that most ppl get a dodgy tummy in egypt, hopefully not just the ppl in our hotel!!! I will speak to the agent but dont think they will be able to do anything will they as we have booked and paid a deposit and to be honest the other hotels for the same price didnt look as good, and the reviews werent very good either.
what was wrong with the food?
you are right i dont just want the positives but then again i dont want lots of negatives as i have booked it now! but suppose there would never be a place that everyone would love. and i started this thread for information of all types good or bad so i know what to expect!

would love more info if she stayed at our hotel!

sphrp2

Eygpt's a wonderful place; it has not-so-great bits, but where doesnt?

Note on Giza - dont be tempted by "free" camel rides near the Great Pyramid, the guys leading the camels have been known to take you on a camel for miles, free, only to demand a huge sum to take you back. Enterprising, huh?

To echo the person who mentioned saying "La, shukran" (no, thank you), do that and keep on walking and its okay. Try not to get to stressed with the hassling - keep smiling !

My boyfriend (who HATED the hassle / banter) discovered that when they ask you where you're from, as they often do to draw you in, if you come up with somewhere obscure (he recommends Estonia) it throws them just long enough for you to walk on!

emma_b_4

hahaha that made me laugh! sounds a bit like turkey last year we went to altinkum which was a bit man made i think cos the hotels were situated at one side the bars the other, joined by a narrow lane of restaurants that you HAD to walk through as there was no other way around! one night we ran the whole length of it to escape being hassled. i dint like it but got used to it, so looks like my practice will come in useful!

Neil_Taylor

New poster here.
Went to Egypt 1989 for Superb Nile cruise and 4 nights in Cairo.
We were told on the boat that 90% of bad stomachs were caused by drinking cold drinks when you were hot. You WILL be hot in July. Start off with tea during the day and not cold beer or G+T.
Egyptian beer is fine and much cheaper than imports.
Our treatment was universally friendly and charming.
The hassle from street traders can be tiresome. Try to take it in good part. They are Very poor and we seem unbelievably rich, and so we are.
That said, the social scale in the seaside resorts may now be different, but keep smiling even if you're saying no.
We haggled down from 50 £e to 5 £e for an alabaster scarab beetle. (£10 to £10
He told us we were terrible English, taking the food form his babies@ mouths and did we want Two for Ten pounds.

Pyramids, Cairo Museum, Pyramids at Sakhara are all superb trips.

Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple also.

Its probably too far to Aswan or Abu Simbel, but they're great if you can do it.

On food, don't buy "open" food in the street, Peal your own fruit, Don't have ice in your drinks except in good hotels. Drink bottled water and break the seal yourself. Be careful of buffet food in the hotel till you've seen how long its been there since being served hot.
But do try the local dishes.

If you have an open mind you will have the holiday of your life.
But if you're a sensitive type be prepared to feel uncomfortable with the poverty you will encounter.

Neil_Taylor

Mmm that should be £10 to £1

Nile

Hello Neil Taylor


Welcome to the MSE site.:wave:

When I went on a me cruise (Nile cruise:D ), it was only at the end that we were all asked if we'd enjoyed our cups of tea. Apparently, they were made with me (Nile:D ) water.:eek:

So you might want to avoid the tea.;)

Neil_Taylor

Actually, on our boat, admittedly fairly up market, they showed us the kitchen - spotless, and the water distiller/purifier. The manager said that the water was perfectly safe, but didn't taste so good, so drink bottled.
There were fifty on the boat, and on a ten day cruise, no-one went down with the squitters (can I say that?)

They had a laundry service, but two pairs of my wife's trolleys disappeared on that. Presumeably a present for the dhobi walla's wife.

Incidentally, we were told that "our" hotel waiter slept in a corridor. If he missed getting payment for drinks, they were docked from his wages. A day's wage being less than a round of drinks.

You don't have to tip a huge amount, but remember an Egyptian Pound is buttons to you.

emma_b_4

yeh i heard every1 gets a dodgy tum in egypt too..
will it be hot hot hot in july? ooh i cant wait!