Egypt Escapes Avis 

I’ve just booked a holiday to take at the end of January. As we are two couples we changed our dates, airports, etc. several times, however Susan Wilson was so patient and helpful on every occasion I spoke to her. Thank you so much Susan, I wouldn’t hesitate to book another holiday from you. Have a lovely Christmas.

Recently I booked a family holiday through Egypt Escapes. My booking was handled by Serah Peters who had shown thorough understanding of the resort, had been extreemly patient,responsible and dedicated throughout and beyond.
I will not hesitate in calling her first for any future bookings. Thank you agian Serah

We booked a 7 night Nile cruise, then onto Cairo for 2 nights. Onward to Jordan for the Dead Sea (2 nights) and Aqaba (4 nights for Petra and Wadi Rum). Serah talked us through all the stages of our booking and reassured us that all eventualities were covered. There was a minor glitch with travel and accommodation vouchers which was promptly dealt with. There was so much potential for problems but everything worked seamlessly, flights, transfers and hotels all as promised.
The nile cruise would have been better if it were 4 or 5 days instead of 7, and the hotel in Giza was very basic but boasted a 12 out of 10 view of the Pyramids. The Jordan leg of our tour was fantastic, the Dead Sea resort was fabulous and Petra jaw dropping. We did have a problem with our flights home as our luggage allowance hadn't been booking and we had to pay excess fees to get our cases home. However, we contacted EE once we were home and, very much to their credit, they reimbursed us sith a nice apology within 48 hours of us reporting the issue. All in all a very positive experience and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Egypt Escapes to friends and family.

Looking at the 1 and two star reviews, lots of them have come from people who clearly hadn't done any research and the negative stuff caught them by surprise. Spend half an hour on you tube before contacting Egypt Escapes and you'll be better placed to arrange the holiday you want.

EE were great. Offered me loads of options (see research) and answered the many, many questions i emailed in, usually within half an hour. Everything went smoothly in both directions and we had a great holiday. If i was going back, i'd use them again.

Temples are better at night. Buy the full sightseeing package up front, but maybe don't bother with Aswan high dam. It's rubbish.you expect something with a steep front like the hoover dam, but what you get is a mound next to a big lake and some blurry pictures on a notice board.

Here's my tuppence on the things you need to know before you make decisions

Cairo is an absolute dive. Get in, see the pyramids, get out.
The Barcelo Cairo upsells itself a lot. It's nowhere near the pyramids (4k 30 mins drive), the avenue outside is a building site and it's not in a good area to western eyes. we didn't leave the hotel without a guide.

If you fly to Hurgada, it's a 4-5 hour bus ride each way. We flew to Luxor from Cairo but the return might be at stupid o clock

you need a visa. Don't get it on line as there are scammers and the real site is complicated. There are booths at the airport. Hand over 25 dollars and take the sticker to passport control. Dead easy

Unless you're in a group, transfers and a trip to the pyramids will be in an unmarked private car. If you're a nervous passenger, Egypt is not for you. The roads look like carnage although everyone knows the rules and plays by them and at no time did we actually feel unsafe despite zooming past other vehicles at 80kph with millimetres to spare on the wrong side of the road with no lights on. I kid you not. It's crazy but strangely exciting.

Research your boat. We were on the Royal Viking. It's got a lot of dark wood panelling and it's getting tired, as are the bathrooms. But we slept in the room and spent lots of time on the sundeck. Food was fine, staff were ok. Juliet balconies.

Toilet paper goes in the bin, not the loo. You get used to it. If you might not, don't go. There are toilets at all tourist sites although you need money.

Take hand sanitiser and immodium. Don't eat the salad or drink anything with ice cubes, even in the hotel.

Do not go all inclusive. Drinks are cheap and you'd have to pickle your liver to recoup your money.

The boat smells of diesel. All the boats. You get used to it. These things belch a black cloud out of the back and they never turn their engines off. I think it was worse on the upper cabin floor.

Don't get a boat with a seating area balcony. The boats all moor next to each other, sometimes 6 boats in a stack, so you'll be 2 feet from the next boat. And it reduces your cabin size. Go for a boat with juliet balconies. I'd recommend seeing if you can get a cabin on the starboard side to have the best chance of having an actual view while in port.

Cruising the nile is lovely, watching Egypt go by from the sun deck, with a drink. But that's only sporadic and you spend a lot of time in port and doing trips.

It gets dark at 4.30 in November and when it gets dark, it gets chilly. Take warm jumpers if you want to stay on the deck

You will be hassled by tat merchants every time you leave the boat. They can be aggressive although not as bad as some of the reviews make out. Don't engage and don't make eye contact. Stick close to your guide and it will be fine.

Guards with machine guns. Ignore them, they're there for your safety. Do not take a photo.

Tip everyone. Take plenty of small notes. Dollars are best, as all dollars are paper which is better than coins as they can't change coins in E currency at a bank.
You can get Egyptian pounds from an atm, and there are plenty, but we just handed out dollars. Any PAPER currency will do. We didn't bother with E currency

Hope that all helps. We had a great trip, hope you do too.

Serah and Egypt Escapes were absolutely fantastic! Serah was able to tailor my trip to exactly what I wanted and within my budget. She was highly professional, friendly and reliable. This is a holiday of a lifetime for me and Serah and Egypt Escapes have made it happen. Thank you!

Professional, friendly and patient, Serah was superb.

Very efficient and excellent service. Our advisor Susan Wilson had a friendly manner and was very knowledgeable and helpful. Susan was able to answer all my questions and I didn’t feel pressured into booking.

The gentleman I booked listend very carefully to my request and booked exactly the holiday that I wanted well done

Advertise a cruise for £599. Then get a quote of £1800

Booking through Egypt Escapes was a pleasure.
Serah Peters was extremely courteous and professional in dealing with our holiday booking.
we had plenty of time to discuss the holiday and make our own decision without feel pressured.

A fantastic time away - we both thoroughly enjoyed the stay in Jasmine Palace and the cruise was out of this world - our guide was amazing and the staff looking after us on MS Emilio were great - all so friendly and helpful - a massive thanks to all for helping us make some truly great memories

I spoke to a lovely lady sarah peters. and i found that nothing was too much trouble for her.
The nile cruise that sarah made me aware of went from gatwick and manchester,i informed sarah that gatwick was too much trouble and manchester was perfect however the price did not suit me.
Sarah, still tried for me and in the end came up trumps with the holiday that i have now booked, from manchester.
So ,sarah never gave up and i am so glad she didnt.

I have been meaning to visit Egypt for sometime and finally phoned Egypt Escapes. Susan Wilson could not have been more helpful. She emailed me back after we spoke with a fully costed two week holiday with Nile cruise within half an hour. Phoning her back to book was my pleasure. Thank you Susan, just need to pack my bags now!

From my initial enquiry through to the landing back at Birmingham airport the whole experience has been fantastic. Reeha Peters customised the package exactly to the detail that I want. Private transfers, Nile cruise cabin with patio windows and Juliet balcony, sea view room at the Jasmine Palace.....everything was perfect. The Jasmine Palace is a very large but beautiful hotel with a range of choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The main restaurant had such friendly staff and an amazing array of food and two well manned fresh cooking stations eggs and omelettes in the morning and dishes such as stir fry or pan cooked pasta in the evenings. Fantastic chefs outside continuously BBQing in the evening. The Nile cruise on MS Emilio was fantastic our guide was well revered in the guide community and taught many of the other guides history at school...service on the boat was amazing and drinks prices very good. You have to be a heavy drinker to make the All Inclusive drinks package work for you!

All in all a most memorable holiday, and would not hesitate to contact Egypt Escapes should we head that way again.

Reeha was very helpful , giving new quotes as I changed my mind .

From the first time i spoke to Susan Wilson she could not of been more helpful, every time i requested any further information regarding our Nile cruise she replied in a matter of no time, All the paper work was sent as promised, and advise given to me regarding the holiday which i have found very helpful. Will have no problem in using this company again if needed.

Reeha was a lovely lady . very helpful, made the booking process very easy

Very good booking process,I wanted a Nile Cruise and stay but I was fussy about the hotel I wanted and had tried other companies with no success but Susan managed to put together a package that suited my needs.I have contacted admin since and had immediate and helpful responses.So thank you Susan and Egypt Escapes.

Reeha peters the booking lady was excellent in explaining , polite and helpful .
She made the whole process easy and gave us a good pricing too.
Pleased all could be done on a weekend evening too

Phone was answered promptly and Reeha and later Serah were able to efficiently customise the requests I made into a good package. They gave me a detailed explanation of the various elements and negotiated a small reduction in price.
As long as the package delivers what they claim, I shall be back to book further holidays.