dutyfree

I am planning a very last minute trip to Jordan and Egypt and would greatly appreciate ANYONE's imput on hotels from their trips. There really isn't much on former Fodor threads.
Hotel needs-I want to fly into Amman,Jordan (need hotel near a convenient area and inexpensive?) Petra/Wadi Rum ,then Cairo Egypt along with Luxor,Aswan and any Nile cruise company that you were happy with. I have been trying to do this without a travel agent because they are either not going when we want to go in December ,are filled or are very expensive for a family of four.Thanks for any and all help!

thursdaysd

I'll post on my Amman hotels on the other new thread. For Petra and Wadi Rum, good luck! I got so frustrated trying to book for November (maybe still high season), that I gave up and signed on for a tour. Wadi Rum was an especial problem as I travel alone, and a 4WD and camping for one was just too expensive.

sandi

Try a company as Lady Egypt (in Cairo) who can put together an itinerary for both Jordan and Egypt to fit your needs and your dates. They can advise hotels in each area from which to choose that meets your budget.

Regular poster here P_M has used this company as have others with good success. Lady Egypt prices should be very competitive.

Elizabeth_S

dutyfree - like sandi I think you might be better to work with somebody to plan this trip. It's a busy time of year and I found our travel planner (Ahmed) got better prices than I could on the internet.

Re hotels - what is your budget?

alan43

We recently stayed at the Petra Movenpick. I e-mailed the hotel directly and made our reservation. The hotel is right at the entrance to Petra. We had the dinner buffet once at the hotel and foundit not worth the cost. Expensive for a mediocre buffet. The other 2 dinners we ate in Wadi Musa. Try the Red Cave. The Movenpick e-mail adress is
www.movenpick-petra.com. As I stated earlier we dealt with the hotel directly and were very pleased.

sf7307

What "level" of hotels are you interested in (pure luxury, middle of the road, budget?). We stayed at Le Meridien Pyramids in Giza. It's a very nice hotel (middle of the road - 4*) but I wouldn't choose to stay in Giza again (I'd prefer downtown Cairo). In Luxor, we stayed at the Stegenbarger Nile Palace - again 4* (on the level of a typical Marriott in the US). Very nice, on the main drag (which we wanted, so we could walk at night), good fitness center, nice pool (with a good poolside restaurant). The St. George Sonesta next door is even nicer (we chose not to stay there because of construction that was going on at that time). In Aswan, we stayed at the Isis Pyramisas. The setting is beautiful, with fabulous river views. The lobby is nice. The rooms are Motel 6-like, very plain. I'd give this one a 3* plus. Very nice pool and grounds. It's across the river from town -- you take a shuttleboat that goes very frequently. Hope that helps.

dutyfree

I wrote and got a quote from Lady Egypt already just for an Egypt tour and it was VERY expensive especially when you multiply it by 4 persons. Our family does fine with 3 star hotels and most of the tours are in hotels that are ridiculously expensive.Over there I would describe our needs as middle of the road or higher budget?

I appreciate the descriptions of the hotels as I am trying to get a sense in Amman and Cairo as to what area to be located for central access to everything?Its hard from the various guidebooks to ascertain which area is doable-ie.restaurants,shopping,ease to pick up transportation,etc.

I have gotten several quotes on the tours but quite frankly I don't think that our family could do a tour for a week to 10 days. We are the type of family that would linger on the historical stuff and be upset with only a certain time limit,wouldn't get out of the bus for the "guide's favorite shop" and would not be comfortable with the prearranged dinners with everyone everynight(son is a vegetarian so its hard at times).

I picked this area as it is a place that we have all wanted to go to and the airfare was a good price. $12000 plus is really expensive for our situation so was hoping to do it on our own.Thanks everyone!

Elizabeth_S

Have you searched on Lonely Planet Thorntree's forum - maybe more budget hotel suggestions there?

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa

dutyfree

Thanks Elisabeth for the Thorntree suggestion. However, the hubs and I are in our 50's/60's so hosteling and sharing bathrooms are in our previous lives.

I quess I am looking for hotels that are NOT in the $275 to $350 range a night as I will need two room everyday. I was hoping to find hotels that are between $100-$175 tops a night.
I am willing to put the money that we would save on hotels to using guides when needed for various attractions.

Elizabeth_S

dutyfree - there are more than just hostels on Thorntree - much more - suggest you have a look

sandi

You can always request lower priced hotels from Lady Egypt. But also remember, if traveling in December with the Christmas holiday, this is a busy time when even Egyptians travel. Also, if this is a private itinerary just for your family, you don't have to stop anywhere you don't wish to.

If you can't do a 1/week trip, how do you expect to visit both countries?

Assume the $3000/person is for a 10/day trip comes to $300/person/day which includes hotels, some meals, guide/vehicle, sightseeing entry fees, Nile cruise (all meals and tours), any taxes or VAT and airfare between CAI/AMM. Guess if you want to cut that price... as above, ask LE (or other offers received) for hotels a step down and see how those work with your budget.

HappyMom32

Hi dutyfree

I planned our trip to Egypt myself last December (Dec 14-29) also for family of 4 and we needed 2 rooms all the time. I found that the hotel rates in Egypt were cheaper than those in the US or Europe.

We stayed at the following hotels and were happy with the choices for the prices (but we are not picky people):

Cairo - Le Meridien Pyramids (I like to return after a long day and see the Pyramids from my room, really felt like being in Egypt. Location is convenient for seeing the Giza Pyramids and Saqqara but not for downtown Cairo).

Le Meridien Heliopolis - close to airport and closer to down town.
Rates for these hotels are all in the range of 120-140 US. You can check on spg.com

Luxor - Sheraton Luxor- nice quiet location with great view of the Nile. Hotel has been renovated so the rate is a bit higher in the 200 US range for x-mas. However, they are classified as category 1 right now from SPG which costs about 2000-3000 pts/night. You can buy 1000 pts for 35US$, so it will work out in the 120US if you join the program.

Aswan- after splurging at sheraton hotels, we decided to stay at a simple hotel called Nile hotel across the street from the corniche for onl 50 US/night. The hotel is basic but clean and adequate.

Sharm El Sheikh - Sheraton Sharm , again very nice for <120 US (breakfast not included). I know that Petra can be done as a short trip from Sharm.

For 4 people, you are absolutely right that everything is multiplied by 4 times and it is very expensive if you have to pay the rate/head. So for me, every expense was weighed carefully to keep within our budget. I enjoyed the process though.

this is the link to our trip report if you are interested, hopefully our itinerary is of some use to you.

Have a great time in Egypt.

http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...amily-trip.cfm

dutyfree

Thank you so much HappyMOM-I had read your trip report but missed a couple of the hotels and their prices so really really appreciate you resending them my way.

dutyfree

Forgot to ask-is it better to be near Pyramids in Giza or closer to downtown area?

ympepe

It is better to be downtown Cairo. Hyatt right on the Nile was lovely. Old Cateract hotel in Aswan fab. Was King Farouk's former palace and the room was huge and atmosphere sumptuous. Area around Giza is not pleasant.

scotsgirl

hi dutyfree, try egypt quality tours, anyone i have recommended them to have found their prices quite reasonable, and their quality of hotels etc and cruise boats are just right. One of my friends got a 5* Deluxe hotel and 5* Deluxe cruise boat but my other friend wanted 3* Hotel and 5* Cruise and they gave her prices for both so she could see the comparison and choose which one was in her budget. Im not sure what they will price it at but its worth asking. they are on www.egypt-quality-tours.com

And I will say, their customer service is very good, so it's worth asking anyway. Oh and they do private tours so you wont have to get off that bus, cos you will have a private car and a private egyptologist just for the four of you.

Scotsgirl

Toniagogo

In Luxor, I like staying at the following two hotels: the (Swiss chain) Mövenpick Jolie Ville‎ and the Sheraton. They are both on the Nile, yet secluded from the hubbub of the Corniche hotel strip. In fact, the Mövenpick is on Crocodile Island, and has added a water park in the past four years. Both are older, well-kept properties that are affordable without sacrificing any of the familiar Western comforts.
In Cairo, I like the Nile Hilton for its location--front door to the Nile, back door to the Egyptian Museum--and for its slow-paced retro feel. It's not nearly as expensive as other Nile-front hotels in the same class. Another clean, affordable Cairo choice is (European chain) Golden Tulip Flamenco, in the island-neighborhood of Zamalek, where many foreign embassies and a fair share of Cairo's best restaurants are located. Finally, if you can splurge for just one night, you'll never regret your stay (in Giza) at the Mena House Oberoi, a former palace at the very foot of the Pyramids.

sf7307

dutyfree, please email me at dmlove51 at hotmail dot com (that's my "public" email address. I'll share some pricing information with you (we also had two rooms every night, and each was a triple (no way was I paying for THREE rooms!)

Bert867

In Petra, we stayed at the Crowne Plaza. It was not as good as Movenpick, but that was more expensive. The view from the CR was excellent. Both were near the visitors center.

sf7307

Dutyfree, you've got mail!