Egypt whos been advice needed.

Dugganator

Dugganator

Dugganator

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Joined
7 May 2006
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1,965
Hello and Merry xmas all.

Right I've been looking at holidays in Egypt now finding a holiday seems easy and the prices are good. But my question for the overclocker travellers that made have been to Egypt is how much should you take. I'm looking at all inclusive holidays but more interested in how much general cost of a meal, going to attractions etc. I've been looking on the net and found lots of information but would prefer to hear from people that have been there first hand.

Also where is the best place to stay in Egypt? I mean they all look the same to me so would be interested to hear of good places and what you found it out like over there. (looking at either 7or14 days so maybe a daily spending amount would be easier)

Any other general advice on do's and dont's would be helpful.

Cheers
 
What exactly are you looking for on your holiday? Are you doing Egypt properly or just going for a relaxing holiday?

Check any resorts/places to stay on tripadvisor. Good site.
 
Duggan said:
Hello and Merry xmas all.

Right I've been looking at holidays in Egypt now finding a holiday seems easy and the prices are good. But my question for the overclocker travellers that made have been to Egypt is how much should you take. I'm looking at all inclusive holidays but more interested in how much general cost of a meal, going to attractions etc. I've been looking on the net and found lots of information but would prefer to hear from people that have been there first hand.

Also where is the best place to stay in Egypt? I mean they all look the same to me so would be interested to hear of good places and what you found it out like over there. (looking at either 7or14 days so maybe a daily spending amount would be easier)

Any other general advice on do's and dont's would be helpful.

Cheers
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Go to Egypt to go diving. Otherwise I would avoid. Cairo is a horrible city and I would advise only to go there for a day trip. The locals are not particuarly friendly in Sharm. Nothing is cheap as the locals raise the prices similar to over here.

However, at night Sharm lights up and becomes a more exciting place. I would say a 7 day diving holiday would result in time well spent.

Otherwise in all honesty it might be best to look elsewhere. I don't think I would go back unless it was for diving.

When my brother took his girlfriend to Egypt, the locals sent a child with a camera to take pictures of her around the pool. The camara was promptly smashed.
 
Cheers Gilly.

To be honest a bit of both I think if we end up going for 14days which is looking more likey. So we would be looking at one day out 2days lazying and burning by the pool.
 
Seeing Egypt's history > diving.

Duggan said:
Cheers Gilly.

To be honest a bit of both I think if we end up going for 14days which is looking more likey. So we would be looking at one day out 2days lazying and burning by the pool.
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You're gonna struggle with that, it's a bloody big place!

The Egyptian Antiquities museum in Cairo is amazing. If you're going to Cairo you need to take in Giza.

I preferred the stuff lower down though. Hatshepsut's Temple, the Collossi of Memnon, The Temple of Horus at Edfu...

Unfortunately you will struggle to find a pool anywhere if you're seeing the proper stuff.
 
Gilly said:
Seeing Egypt's history > diving.
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I would agree but the experience was tainted very badly by Cairo itself (a polluted sprawling slum) and the locals. I can only speak for Cairo.

The pyramids were unbelievable, as was the Cairo national museum.
 
Ahh ok Gilly so not the kind of resting holiday if you want to see everything. Well I want to see the pyramids for sure and diving sounds fun not sure if you can fit it all in from the sounds of it diving might take a few days.

Any idea on daily costs of stuff?
 
You'd probably be looking at Sharm for diving/pool holiday. It's not really feasible to go there and Luxor and the rest. The distances are too much.
 
Have been looking to do a very similar thing with the better half, we like to go away for a couple of weeks and finish with 3-4 days on the beach. Looks like this might not be possible with Egypt though as like Gilly says there is far to much to see and it's far to spread out.
 
For diving, Dahab is great and it's also less tacky than Sharm.

Away from the coastal areas, Aswan is fantastic. Incredibly atmospheric, especially at sunset and it's close for a visit to Abu Simbal which is worth it as much for the location than the temple. Luxor itself isn't a great town but it's perfect for Karnak and the valley of the kings.

I loved Cairo. It is busy and dirty but very alive. Oddly enough, I wasn't that impressed with the Pyramids and the Sphynx is a big let down.

One thing you might want to try is to hire a taxi (cheap) to take you to the less visited sites around Cairo such as the step pyramid (can't remember names of places as aages ago). The Rough guide will provide you with any info you need.
 
The stepped pyramid is at Saqqara (?) and was built by Imhotep. People will have heard of him through The Mummy.
 
Did Cairo (it is a filthy place but the museum is cool - get a proper guide).
Flew to Luxor and then down the nile to Aswan - there are hotels with pools - Winter Palce and Old Cataract but are pricey.
Fly to Abbu Simbal to see the temple - it's pretty amazing - by coach it's a 12 hour round trip I seem to remember people telling me and only 45 mins on the plane.
It was my honeymoon so overall was pricey but amazing.
 
Nitefly said:
Otherwise in all honesty it might be best to look elsewhere. I don't think I would go back unless it was for diving.
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I thought it was bit of a dump and when I go back for diving will book a liveaboard ,no point in going to land IMO !

taxi's are very cheap though as long as you know that ,can be like 50p for a short run ,you can even haggle on MacDonald's :D
 
Gilly said:
The stepped pyramid is at Saqqara (?) and was built by Imhotep. People will have heard of him through The Mummy.
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That reminds me, I did enjoy the beer over their. Sakkara Gold I think it was. Although given the weather pretty much any beer would have been a good one. :)
 
I passed thru Egypt in September this year on my way to Israel/Jordan. I stayed in a great beach town/village called Dahab on up near the Israeli border. It was a great place to relax, and VERY cheap.

If your looking for that all inclusive holiday, then go to sharm. Sharm is great if you wanna just relax by the pool, and eat good food for 2 weeks. I've done that twice now, first time in Naama Bay, and second time in a place called Taba Hights.

I would highly recommend doing some diving. This is pretty expensive (Diving in Dahab is half the price), but absolutely worth it.

And despite the negative comments about Cairo (Yes it is a **** hole), you MUST go to Giza, and the museum is an amazing place. Dont be scared to cough up a few extra pennies to see the mummies. It's well worth it imo.

Someone above mentioned the prices were inflated, well they are if your an idiot (no offence) and pay them! Simply laugh at their initial price and barter the price down untill its beyond cheap. Some of these guys must use 10000000000% mark up because stupid tourists pay what ever is asked.
 
Gilbretto said:
Someone above mentioned the prices were inflated, well they are if your an idiot (no offence) and pay them! Simply laugh at their initial price and barter the price down untill its beyond cheap. Some of these guys must use 10000000000% mark up because stupid tourists pay what ever is asked.
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We did haggle. Although sadly there are circumstances where you are forced to pay a ridiculous fee, such as a taxi from the airport. It was £20 or we were not going anywhere.

I once tried haggling for a reasonable price and I was spat at.

I was given a cloth to wear during a camel ride, afterwards the man aggressively demanded money for it when he had not previously asked for. I genuinely has no money. Again, I was spat at.

As you can tell, I do not think very much of Egyptions...
 
I went to Egypt and I loved it. I stayed in Taba and the snorkelling was amazing.

Went to Cairo for the day but had the runs (during the 6 hours coach journey there as well, with a broken toilet). The city was dirty, the people were scum, but it was an amazing experience, with or without severe diarrhoea.
 
Supposedly then main reason for Egyptian Tummy is the filthy bank notes. So remember to wash your hands before touching your mouth or eating food - so the guide told us :)
 
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