#CatchGinEgypt - Part III: Luxor, Egypt
Luxor was the last city I visited during my time in Egypt. At this point of my vacation, I was pretty exhausted, and my mood wasn't the best, because of the election of #HeWhoMustntBeNamed. So, I used this city to relax, and wind down before it was time to head back to the United States. I did, however, leave the hotel for a couple small excursions, and to eat.
I spent the majority of my time in Luxor relaxing at the hotel, poolside, watching the sun set over the Nile River
I stayed at the Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa for free, using my Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and because I am a Gold HHonors member, the experience and customer service were beyond what I was ready for. I really felt pampered and treated like a king. Every time I opened the door to my room, I saw a gift of some sort waiting for me.
Every time I opened the door to my room, there was another gift from the hotel staff waiting for me
The pool area of the Hilton Luxor Resort and Spa is right next to the Nile River, with a view of the West Bank.
Sitting in the infinity pool watching the sunset over the Nile.
So what did I do while in Luxor?
Waiting to board my hot air balloon and watch the sunrise over the Valley of the Kings
I used Nefertiti Hotel Tours to book a one day customized tour of Luxor, as well as a sunrise Hot Air Balloon ride. Though I was tired from my visits to Cairo and Aswan, I couldn't just sit in Luxor and decline to see something. I started off the day at 4:30 AM (I know...sheesh), and they picked me up to head to the Nile River, in order to sail across to the West Bank. Again, I don't think there's a need to book a Nile cruise, because while you are in Egypt, it is inevitable that you will be on the Nile River quite often.
The hot air balloon ride lasted for about 40 minutes, and it was awesome to see the sun rise while flying over the Valley of the Kings. There was a girl on my balloon ride who was afraid of heights, apparently, and kept telling our conductor not to go too high. I looked at the conductor like, "Dammit, go as high as you're supposed to. She coulda kept her azz on the ground." He winked at me and kept it pushing. This was definitely something I'd do again. I just gotta choose another scenic location.
We got in the air just in time for the sunrise.
After the ride, we sailed back across the Nile, and I had time to go back to my hotel, take a nap, and change before my tour guide came to pick me up for my day tour. I won't go into detail (because I'm tired), but I visited the Valley of the Kings, Madinat Habu temple, Hatshpsut Temple and Colossi of Memnon. I highly recommend seeing these places.
For the remaining tow days of my trip, I literally woke up and went out to the amazing pool area, and relaxed all day until I got to see the sun set over the Nile. The only time I left is when I went to eat at the El Hussien Restaurant. I ate there twice, and the food (and the cheap price) was something I still want at this very moment.
All of this cost me about $8 USD from El Hussien, which is walking distance from the Luxor Hilton Resort & Spa.
When I return to Egypt, I plan to spend more time in Luxor and Aswan, and I will add Alexandria to my itinerary. I think the order in which I visited Cairo, Aswan and Luxor was perfect.
What are some of the things you liked or didn't like about Luxor?