Last post from the Hilton

It's a pleasure to get up and have breakfast here!!  The breakfasts are just first class, top notch, five star - however you wish to describe them!!  The Hilton breakfast was always very special, but now that the hotel has been totally revamped, breakfasts have only just got better!!

We had a lazy morning at the pool with me wandering around taking photos as usual.  I was in my element here as there's quite a variety of bird life.

Kingfisher

Nile sunbird

Kingfisher

At lunchtime we took the courtesy bus into town and the driver very kindly dropped us off at the Winter Palace Hotel.  This is where we got our first taste of the hassle outside!!  However, we just let last wash over us and we went to the reception for the Winter Palace Pavilion and confirmed our arrival there the next day.  We were allocated rooms 3010 and 3011 which I think are rooms that we've occupied in the past!  We had lunch at the pool restaurant then we nipped out the back door of the hotel where we picked up a taxi back to the Hilton.  There were two taxis standing side by side, one old and rickety with its bonnet open and one very nice shiny new one with air conditioning.  Guess what one we got?  I think you'll guess when I tell you that to get air conditioning, we had to open a window!!  Anyway, the driver was pretty good - he had to be as the traffic was horrendous, but we got through it all safely and back to the Hilton without hassle from the driver which was a refreshing change! The cost of the taxi was 30LE which appeared to be the going rate according to other people that we'd asked.  Perhaps it was too expensive, but we were happy and the driver didn't try to rip us off for more and didn't hassle us for more business, and it perhaps gave him the only fare he got for that day!!  On alighting back at the hotel, it was time for more relaxation and more photo taking!!  The views of the sunsets from here are just stunning!!

Egret looking for his supper

We tried the buffet at the hotel tonight - another great choice, especially in the desserts section!!  The staff and management here certainly know how to look after their guests.  I'd love to come back and stay here for a longer time - three nights was just not long enough!!  It was soon time to get the final packing done as we were gearing up to leave the next morning for our next hotel where we could unpack properly rather than be living out of a suitcase as we had been doing for the past three nights.

A last look at the view

The first BIG birthday!!

I had a great sleep and woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead to celebrate our friend's 70th birthday.  I had packed banners and decorations so he woke to find a birthday banner on his hotel door!  I took some down to breakfast as well where we met some of the staff that have been there for years. They made a great fuss of us and, on realising that it was our friend's birthday, a special pancake was made and all the staff came out an sang happy birthday.  What a great start to the day!!

However, as we were just popping out of the hotel to see one of the local shopkeepers that we know, my phone started buzzing at me and, when I looked to see why, I soon found out that there had been a tragic accident involving a hot air balloon that very morning.  This is a photo that I took that very morning from the hotel balcony, and I post it here in memory of all the poor souls that perished that morning.

I quickly sent messages back home to reassure people that we were all well and not involved.  As it happened, we had a felucca trip with canapes planned for later in the day rather than a balloon flight for our friend's birthday.

We eventually made it up to the jeweller's shop where we met Yousef and gave him the tea towels that he loves to get when we visit!  We bought some items as well, so he was a very happy bunny that day!!  The rest of the day was spent lounging at the hotel and exploring the grounds and generally just chilling out.  This holiday wasn't going to be hectic at all with no visits planned anywhere.

Around 3 p.m. or so, we all boarded the felucca arranged by the hotel for the sunset canape sail.  The hotel also supplied a birthday cake.

The birthday cake

The canapes

We had a wonderful leisurely sail on the Nile for the next few hours, just gently bobbing along watching the wildlife and waiting for the sun to go down.  It was all so laid back that all of us nearly fell asleep!!

Palm trees line the river

Passing Karnak Temple

Felucca captain

Sun behind rushes on river bank

After getting back to the hotel it was time for more relaxation before getting ready for dinner.  On our friends getting back to their room, this towel sculpture in the form of a cake was waiting for them, along with the decoration on the bed.

We chose to eat outside tonight again under the stars with the Theban Hills as the backdrop once more.  It's a view that you just don't tire of!!

Fillet steak with pepper sauce

I just fancied a pizza!!

 And just a couple more photos before bed!

Reflections

Quiet corner

And so to bed!!

Flight to Luxor

Breakfast at the Premier Inn starts at 5 a.m. so we were up in plenty of time to sample that, and very nice it was too with loads of choice.  However, as I'd had the worst sleep ever, I was very tired and wasn't hungry, so I didn't manage very much to eat.

We had already checked in with Easyjet on line prior to travelling, so all we needed to do was drop off the bags when we got over to the terminal building.  All of that was easy enough and we then passed through all the security checkpoints with no problems at all.  Our seats were also all booked at the time of organising our flights - we were in row 13 on the way out and also row 13 on the flight back!!  Fingers were well and truly crossed that the number 13 would be lucky!!

Because I was so tired, I think I fell asleep just after the safety briefing and when I eventually woke up I was in the air!  I reckon I slept for most of the flight, but woke up in time to take these photos, which I presume are over the Alps somewhere!!

 

On our eventual arrival at Luxor Airport it didn't seem as chaotic and it was a breeze getting through passport control.  Our driver was waiting for us coming off the flight so we all clambered aboard the minibus and off we set to the Hilton Hotel.  It was so lovely to be driving through the streets of Luxor once more.

There was a warm welcome waiting at the Hilton and we quickly checked-in and were allocated our rooms, however after meeting a lot of the old staff that we knew from our previous visits here, we were quickly reallocated the rooms that we used to always ask for when staying there (373 and 374).  What a great surprise that was! Luckily, we hadn't unpacked our cases, so the transfer to the new rooms was very easy.

I must say that arriving at the Hilton was like arriving in paradise!  What a transformation - it is just wonderful, and in the most beautiful setting.  We weren't at all sure where to eat for dinner that night, but on the night we arrived, a traditional Egyptian meal was on offer, which had been cooked on hot coals outside.  This is a photo of the fire pit and cooking dishes

So, we opted for that - dining Egyptian style under the stars with a view over to the illuminated Theban Hills, just perfect!!

After dinner we had a look around the hotel and pool area then it was off to bed and I think I was sleeping before my head hit the pillow!!

Holiday in the Planning

My husband, friends and I decided that for the boys' BIG birthdays we should have a holiday to celebrate and to try to make sure both birthdays fell within the holiday, so the hunt was on.  However, with having three elderly parents over the age of 80, we didn't want to travel too far so we decided to look at Luxor once more, but it seemed difficult to get a package to the Winter Palace Pavilion as normal.  We then started looking at doing an independent holiday to Luxor which is something we had never done before, and we soon discovered that the dates we wanted weren't available because there was some sort of conference due to take place at the Winter Palace which was going to fill the hotel.

OK, so it was then time for Plan 'B'!!  We started looking at the prices for the Hilton Hotel which is the hotel we first stayed in many years ago and way before the refurbishment was carried out.  The prices were quite high but, because we had two special birthdays to celebrate, we decided to do split the holiday between staying at both hotels and that way our friend would have his birthday the day after we arrived at the Hilton and then my husband would have his birthday the day before we were scheduled to leave at the Winter Palace Pavilion.  Now, that seemed like the perfect plan!!  We booked both hotels independently, and our flights with Easyjet from Gatwick straight into Luxor for two weeks.

Staying in Scotland though, this also entailed booking overnight hotel stays at both ends of the holiday, so we had to begin looking for an airport hotel, and that's when we found the Premier Inn right on the doorstep of Terminal Two at Gatwick Airport and, with rooms advertised at only £19.00 per night, we grabbed them with both hands!!  Us Scots like a wee bargain!!