Luxor4u

Some of our more regular, vociferous, members have gone very quiet recently. I hope that they are keeping well and not succumbed to the dreaded virus.

Actually, I hope that all our members are keeping well and have not succumbed to the dreaded virus.

It has also been good to see that others have been a little more active in joining in the forums.

Wishing all members good health, and hoping that the present pandemic is not affecting your life too badly (although I know that none of us will not have been affected one way or another).

All good here in Brum. Still undecided about my annual vacation to Luxor in August particularly as the Europeans seem to be Opening up a little. Time will tell.

We should have been in Luxor last week. Obviously that got cancelled. We've already decided to scrub holidays for this year, especially as no-one knows yet how this pandemic is going to go in the long term. We're still trying to get our refund from Egyptair, which at the moment is like trying to get blood out of a stone! They won't refund until they are fully operational again, so it's anybody's guess how long that's going to take.

jcoote, I think refunds from airlines is going to be a slow process, no matter which airline and not just Egyptair specific.

I've been looking into my options with Turkish Airlines as I have a long haul flight via Istanbul booked for later in the year. We are changing our holiday dates and that my mean we also want to cancel our flights. It looks as though it will be easy to change our dates with Turkish Airline, but if we want to cancel our flight we can either take the refund in Miles Points (I never manage to save enough points with any airline/group and end up wasting them anyway), or vouchers which does at least have a bonus percentage added, or if we want our money back we have to wait until flights re-commence and there is no known date for that at this time.

Hearing from others, this seems to be very standard with the airlines they have flights with too.

Sadly, it's always the way - we pay up by a certain date or get penalised. Try to get your money back and it's a long drawn out process with, in effect, another penalty (loss of use of own cash).

HEPZIBAH. I have been watching quite a few forums and social media platforms, and yes, for most of us it's going to be a hard slog to get our money back, which they have had from us since August last year. The irritating thing with Egyptair for us, is the fact that they cancelled our flights, but are acting in total disregard for EU regulations. if it wasn't for that, I think it would be easier to exercise more patience, especially since at least in our case, it's just the flights we are having trouble with, and not hotels, travel agents etc..

crewmeal wrote: Fri May 22, 2020 9:20 am All good here in Brum. Still undecided about my annual vacation to Luxor in August particularly as the Europeans seem to be Opening up a little. Time will tell.

Not sure how you intend to arrive there crewmeal, or whether your travel plans remain the same to Egypt, but with immediate effect and until 31st October if you arrive by charter flight, there will be NO charge for your tourist visa. Further to this there will be NO landing charge for any charter plane throughout that same period, which I imagine would be around $25 per person. However, I doubt that any charter company will pass on the saving to its customers.

From what I am seeing, there seem to be changes and updates almost every day to world travel, and especially travel by charter.

Quote: "Some of our more regular, vociferous, members have gone very quiet recently..
I disagree...
Now I reckon you should check on slow-travel, containerships from three UK ports
leave now arrive mid august....sounds fun to me...

Who2 wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 2:25 pm Quote: "Some of our more regular, vociferous, members have gone very quiet recently..
I disagree...
Now I reckon you should check on slow-travel, containerships from three UK ports
leave now arrive mid august....sounds fun to me...

Why would I want to check on travelling by a container-ship?
Where would I be likely to arrive in mid August?
Would it really be fun? Not everything that sounds fun, is fun.

HEPZIBAH wrote: Thu May 21, 2020 11:23 am Some of our more regular, vociferous, members have gone very quiet recently.

.,,...........and you seriously have no idea why,........really ?

I'm supposed to arrive in early August flying Egyptair. The big but is what to do in Luxor for a month if no boats are sailing or there is a curfew in operation. I don't want to twiddle my thumbs stuck in a hotel with nothing to do.

crewmeal wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 11:08 am I'm supposed to arrive in early August flying Egyptair. The big but is what to do in Luxor for a month if no boats are sailing or there is a curfew in operation. I don't want to twiddle my thumbs stuck in a hotel with nothing to do.

If I were you I’d be more worried that I might be flying against UK government/FCO advice...which might invalidate any insurance.

Even if the current “essential only” travel warning is lifted, Heaven knows in what state of readiness the Luxor hotels will be be by early August. Where are you staying?

newcastle wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:24 pm ...Heaven knows in what state of readiness the Luxor hotels will be be by early August. Where are you staying?

There have been lists of Egyptian hotels posted on Facebook when they have been awarded their 'we've passed our Covid-19 health and safety' examination and can now open. (Sorry, I can't remember what the actual thing is called. Most of the hotels have been on the Red Sea, Cairo, or Alexandra. I've only seen one listed for Luxor - and it was the Emilio.
Much as I've had many happy stays at the Emilio, unless they have invested in updating/refurbishing the inside over the last 5 years, I can't imagine it has much, other than location and roof top views, to attract any new visitors to it.

crewmeal wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 11:08 am I'm supposed to arrive in early August flying Egyptair. The big but is what to do in Luxor for a month if no boats are sailing or there is a curfew in operation. I don't want to twiddle my thumbs stuck in a hotel with nothing to do.

Well you could always pop round me 'old adobe hacienda and clean up 4 months worth of sand !....

HEPZIBAH wrote: Thu May 21, 2020 11:23 amWishing all members good health, and hoping that the present pandemic is not affecting your life too badly (although I know that none of us will not have been affected one way or another).

Wishing the best for you, Hepzibah.


I guess that I have been lucky again.

I had a ticket to Copenhagen in March because I did not have room for a visa plus reentry, so needed a new passport and only meant to stay away from Egypt for three weeks! I had not yet bought my ticket back to Luxor where I wanted to enjoy the moulid in April and stay until Copenhagen Jazz Festival in July. Everything in north and south was cancelled, the Danish passport office closed and if it is true that you now get a visa in the form of a card rather than a stamp, I can squeeze in a few entry stickers and keep my current passport which will expire in three years.

I try to get the most out of staying here under the circumstances, I love my country and the city, but long to wake up in my Heartland, which is Luxor, and though I am in no hurry to visit, I miss Cairo every day.

I must have had this flat for about eighteen years or so, I have been here for nearly three months, but before Corona, I hardly ever stayed here for more than a week at a time; I have usually run off to other places and spend as much time in Egypt as I can. I enjoy rediscovering my own city now that it is easier to get around, but the first couple of months it was really boring and I would be online for hours every day, video chatting with friends in Luxor. They have shown me an empty city, a Winter Palace with all the shutters closed, shared the sunset on the mighty river, trying to convince me that, unlike the rest of Egypt, Luxor is now safe, clean and free of any virus, of course.

My Egyptian friends are sure that the airport will be open any day and that I shall be the first one to arrive, but as desperate as I am to smell The Nile, I focus on feeling my roots again, now that I am stuck here in the city which will always be my base.

Luxor is not safe and free from virus.
No where is free from virus.
I am glad your enjoying life Bennu I was only thinking of you the other day and wondering what you were up to. Very hot here and life goes on very much as normal. Not many wearing masks and no social distancing.

carrie wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 8:45 pm Luxor is not safe and free from virus.
No where is free from virus.
I am glad your enjoying life Bennu I was only thinking of you the other day and wondering what you were up to. Very hot here and life goes on very much as normal. Not many wearing masks and no social distancing.

Which might explain why so few hotels in Luxor have been granted Health Certificates. Although the press articles are a bit confusing, I get the impression that Luxor is not included in the areas being re-opened - with any enthusiasm - to tourism.

For example, I’m not sure whether it’s anticipated there will be a resumption of charter flights to Luxor any time soon.....unlike Sinai and the Red Sea.

Mosques remain closed too, despite the font of all knowledge saying they were due to open last week.
Yet hey ho! We soldier on.
A friend has just returned from Aswan, he stayed on the east bank well away from the touristic areas, he told me that there was not much mask wearing or social distancing going on there either.
Everyone getting on the train though had to wear a mask, I suppose that's a little help.

HEPZIBAH wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 2:29 pm

newcastle wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:24 pm ...Heaven knows in what state of readiness the Luxor hotels will be be by early August. Where are you staying?

There have been lists of Egyptian hotels posted on Facebook when they have been awarded their 'we've passed our Covid-19 health and safety' examination and can now open. (Sorry, I can't remember what the actual thing is called. Most of the hotels have been on the Red Sea, Cairo, or Alexandra. I've only seen one listed for Luxor - and it was the Emilio.
Much as I've had many happy stays at the Emilio, unless they have invested in updating/refurbishing the inside over the last 5 years, I can't imagine it has much, other than location and roof top views, to attract any new visitors to it.

The list is expanding!

The Windsor has now joined the Emilio as the two certified hotels in Luxor

Gezira Garden is open now - they have shared a photo of their certificate on Facebook.

As soon as the feast ended here in karnak, so did the wearing of face masks, although bus passengers still don them. As for certain hotels meeting the criteria that allows them to operate under strict rules, this is Egypt, so would not trust them to clean the tables to a satisfactory standard, let alone the whole hotel. Travelers to Egypt making a come back soon? Highly unlightly in my opinion, the whole planet is in economical meltdown, millions more on unemployment benefits, hundreds of thousands have lost their bushiness and homes. Taking a well deserved holiday after this has come to a final end would, I think, put a holiday right at the bottom of the list of things needed.