A relative bargain compared to, say, Great Britain or Italy, Egypt is attracting ever more budget-minded and midmarket visitors, but that doesn't mean the destination is no longer a good fit for luxury travelers.
High-end tour operator Altour has unveiled a Suite Grandeur on the Nile package to Egypt with plush extras such as four nights in a suite on the yacht Alexander the Great, guided by an Egyptologist.
"[Egypt] ... offers some really top hotels that make a stay there comparable to any luxury destination, especially in Cairo and at Sharm al-Sheikh," said Terry McCabe, Altour's national leisure director.
The most requested activities by McCabe's high-end clients include the antiquities on display at the Egyptian Antiquities Museum in Cairo, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut, Abu Simbel and the Pyramids at Giza.
However, "the entire country is pretty much an open-air museum," she noted.
Smooth sailing for Egypt
Acknowledging a renewed interest in travel to Egypt in the past few years,
McCabe noted the popularity of deluxe Nile cruising, "a great way to see the country ... much as it was in ancient times."
In addition to the yacht component, the eight-night Suite Grandeur on the Nile package features four nights at the Four Seasons Hotel in Cairo; most meals; lunch at Le Meridien Pyramids; an air tour to Abu Simbel; the famous sound-and-light show and a camel ride at the pyramids; and a visit to King Tut's Tomb in Luxor.
The package also includes all internal flights within Egypt. Participants receive their visas upon arrival in the country as well as airport and hotel transfers by private car. This vacation is priced at $3,595 per person, land only.
Altour also offers two more traditional, deluxe-level packages to Egypt: the nine-night Egyptian Elegance and the seven-night Priceless Egypt.
For more, call (800) 425-8687 or visit www.altourleisure.com.
To contact reporter Felicity Long, send e-mail to [email protected].