Luxor, Egypt - For a truly relaxing holiday

No, I am not going to tell you about the Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings, and the Queens or Luxor Temple. I am going to tell you about the magic of the Nile riverbanks at 3 in the morning.

If you have important life decisions to make (whether business or personal), you want to be totally relaxed, with minimal disruption and the right ambience to reach those decisions. There is no better place for that than the riverbanks of the Nile in the early hours of the morning. The surface of the Nile at that time is so calm that it becomes almost a perfect mirror reflecting with near-perfect accuracy the palm trees, moon, and structures of the other side of the Nile.

The river is quiet, and the only auditory distractions are the engine noises from the huge riverboats ploughing the river every now and then and the birds of the Nile nesting and cooing at the riverbanks.

My favorite spot is a nice bench on the Crocodile Island, about 5km south of Luxor (the island is the location of the Jollie Ville Movenpick Hotel) and a well-known bird sanctuary and balanced ecosystem. In near-perfect relaxing conditions, with the pleasant night breeze and the majestic presence of the Nile, your ability to reach decisions and solutions to problems multiplies.

Quick Tips:

Yes, you should not miss the Karnak Temple (especially the light and sound show, which is probably one of the best of its kind). Karkak is worth visiting, both during daylight hours to appreciate the greatness of the ancient Egyptian engineers and sculptors and at night for the show. Then you have the Luxor Temple in the heart of Luxor. Do not miss the small but impressive and informative Luxor museum. Make sure you take a felluca ride to and from the Banana Island (do not forget your camera and a good book - the journey can be VERY slow).

And, as for me personally, my best leisure time in Luxor was letting my other half stroll in the souk, shopping, while I found a nice seat and table in one of the many cafeterias on the east bank of Luxor and spent the next few hours reading my book, smoking sheesha (incidentally, I do not smoke cigarettes), and watching the riverboats going up and down the Nile, soaking in the sunshine at the same time

Best Way To Get Around:

You may try the caleche (the horse-drawn carts) if you wish, but I cannot bother with the bartering process. Taxis are a good and inexpensive way to get around. If you get the taxi price list from the reception of the Movenpick hotel (which are more than generous for the taxi drivers), you have a very good yardstick for your negotiations.

Then you have the fellucas (the small sailing boats that go up and down the Nile), but if time or speed is an issue, you better give them a miss.

This is a five-star hotel. More appropriately, it is a cluster of bungalows that are arranged to form round structures (like the petals of a daisy) and the whole complex is built on Crocodile Island, which is a bird ecosystem in itself.

The hotel owns and runs plots of farmed land that supply the chef with fresh vegetables. There is a zoo on-site and plenty of space for walking or jogging around the island.

If your holiday is booked via a British tour operator, the Movenpick will cost you a fraction of the cost than if you do an independent booking.

The hotel's cuisine is also five-star, and the Movenpick chain is famous for its ice cream (and what a variety of flavours - yummy).

Crocodile Island is found about 5km south of the heart of Luxor, but the hotel has a regular bus and motorboat service. Besides, there is always a taxi to take you to town for the fixed price of 10 Egyptian pounds (less than 1.5€).

The surroundings are perfect for a relaxing holiday, where you place your reclining chair on the perfectly trimmed lawn, get a good book, and absorb the sunshine, with the sole disruption of bird sounds.

There is round-the-clock room service, a bank on-site, and splendid entertainment at "Fellah's Tent," where evening folkloric dance, shows, and barbeques are held.

Egypt is a beautiful country, but a bit tricky when it comes to food.

Studies have demonstrated that the main source of illness among British (and other Western) holidaymakers is food poisoning (usually salmonella). Forget Al Qaeda and terrorism. The real risk comes from invisible microscopic enemies (germs) hidden in contaminated food (through dirty hand handling, flies sitting on the food, etc.). It is paramount, therefore, to recommend clean and safe restaurants. McDonald’s in Luxor is one of them, and is situated in the beginning of the souk.

Head north about 100 yards and you enter the souk from Saria al Souk. Walk about 200 to 300m, and Lotus is on your left-hand side and is a first-floor restaurant. The building is in a corner of a crossroads and the entrance is after you turn immediately left on the vertical road (which I think is Sharia Yussef Hassan). I think the wife of the owner or one of the owners is English.

The food is tasty, unpretentious, and inexpensive, and service is friendly and fast. For few Euros or dollars, you will have a very rewarding meal. In addition, a lot of the tables have a view to the vivid atmosphere and images of the street below without the cacophony of the sounds, thanks to the insulation of the glass windows. I have dined numerous times at Lotus and never had a tummy problem. I, therefore, recommend the place without hesitation.

If I have criticism for the chef, it is that he cannot boil the pasta al dente , the proper Italian way, with some hardness on the texture. Egyptians tend to overboil the pasta until it becomes too soft. The rest of the meals were brilliant, with a special mention for the Egyptian dessert, umm ali.

Anybody who has been to Luxor will recommend sailing with a felluca. This is a large wooden boat with a single sail that you can normally rent for an hour or so (with the crew) for the cost of $2 to 3 (after hard bargaining, of course). It is used as a mode of transport as well, albeit a very slow one.

What you need, except patience and hard bargaining skills, is your camera to take some shots of life in the riverbanks of the Nile (and the enormous variety of birds - the felluca is a perfect means of transport and access if you are a bird-watcher) , a bottle of water, and a good book. Sometimes the wind dies down and you are simply stuck!!! These boats do not have an engine or oars. Yet, the felluca is a very relaxing way to spend a sunny winter afternoon.

Some people use the fellucas as miniature yachts to go longer distances (e.g. Aswan), but I sincerely think that it is too punishing to spend few days in conditions that are less than optimal. I could only manage about an hour.

The heart of any Arab town is the souk. It is the commercial centre, where all the trade takes place, and the centre of social activity. In tourist towns like Luxor, a lot of the trade is geared towards the tourist, where all the usual paraphernalia, like small Cleopatra statues, papyri , sheeshas (water pipe), spices and all sorts of other souvenirs, are sold at prices that necessitate haggling hard:

-How much is this?
-60 Egyptian pounds
-No, that’s too expensive.
-What’s your price? (for the unsuspecting Westerner, that is a bit of a shock. What he means, "What is my price?")

When your haggling fails to lower the price substantially, you turn your back to the vendor and he makes one last attempt to sell the item in dispute:

-Wait a minute. Last price, 30 Egyptian pounds.

Whatever happens, you can be certain that if a sale takes place, he definitely has a handsome profit. The remaining question is whether the price was right for you. My approach is to haggle briefly for a particular item, then keep a mental note of the lowest price achieved and try another shop (most have the same or similar merchandise) for the same item, starting with a more informed idea about the value of the item in question.

The souk usually has a few coffee shops here and there where you can have a soft drink, drink coffee, and, most importantly, light your sheesha. The Luxor souk has a few descent eateries, such as the Lotus.