Getting to the hotel
Package holidays
Most package holidays include a free transfer
from the airport to the hotel.
If you have booked a package holiday
very late or if you have booked your flight and hotel separately,
you will probably have to pay for the transfer.
The cost through an airline or package holiday company is typically a
total of £15
per person, return (airport to hotel and hotel to airport).
Hotel agency
If you book accommodation through a hotel agency you will normally be able to arrange a transfer at the same time. This will generally be provided by Medhotels.
The cost is about £3
per person each way (£6 return).
The Medhotels service is similar to the one offered by the British package companies. You travel on a bus and people are dropped off at a series of hotels. The bus is usually a bit older than the ones used by the British companies and you are sometimes kept waiting a long time. We have heard of people arriving on one plane having to wait for passengers on the next plane before Medhotels filled their bus and left the airport for the hotel. It is the cheapest way to transfer if you are on your own, but if there are two or more of you a taxi or tour agency transfer is cheaper and more convenient.
Local Tour Agents
Most of the Luxor tour agencies will pick you up from the airport and take you to a hotel for about LE50 for up to 3 people, LE80 or so for up to 6 people and a little more for larger groups. They will meet you at the exit of the terminal building holding a board with your name. They will escort you to their car, which will be air conditioned and comfortable. They have mini busses for larger groups.
You have to pre-arrange the pick-up but as long as you are happy to do that, this is the best way to transfer to your hotel. You can arrange with the same or another tour agency to take you back to the airport. There is a list of tour agencies in the sights section. Look at the phoning page to check on ways to make a cheap call to Egypt from Britain to arrange the pick-up.
You can also make the arrangement by email, but some companies, especially those with head offices in other cities, are not very good at responding to emails. We have found Mona Liza Tours to be reliable. Their email address is info@monalizatours.com.
|
Private Taxi Agency
You can also book a taxi in advance through
Holiday
Taxis.
It will be more expensive, but less hassle, than finding your own
taxi at the airport. It will also probably be more expensive than
a paid transfer through the travel company unless there are three
or more in your group and more expensive than prearranging a transfer through a tour agency.
Airport Taxi
If you do not have a transfer as
part of the package, and have not prearrranged a transfer, you can get a taxi at the airport. To get to
the taxis, leave the airport building and keep going in the
same direction, straight ahead, past the package holiday coaches.
The taxis are mostly Peugeot 504s, painted blue and white but there are an increasing number of similarly painted Asian saloon cars which ar more modern and more comfortable if there are just two or three of you.
Taxis are easy to find (a driver or 'agent' will probably find you). You
must agree a price before you get in. The price is for the whole vehicle, not per person and do not pay extra for luggage. Agreeing a price used to be much more hassle because taxi drives would try to overcharge, often starting at LE100. There is now a notice at the airport which announces the 'proper' price, which is
LE25 for most hotels in the central part of Luxor, LE30 for the slightly out-of-town ones, such as the Sheraton and Hilton or LE35 for the ones that are further out, such as the Jolie Ville and the Sofitel Karnak.
But remember, this fare is only around £2.20 - £3.20 at today's exchange rates and it may well be the driver's only job of the day. A generous tip will be reasonable.
During the journey to the hotel the driver will probably try to sell you trips for the rest of your stay. Take his card by all means, but unless you are an old-timer and know the going rates, it is best to check the agents in Luxor before agreeing to anything.
Summary
A package tour transfer is free if you book far enough ahead. It is a comfortably familiar option, but expensive, if you book close to the date of travel or if you are flight-only.
A hotel agency transfer through Medhotels has nothing to recommend it unless you are on your own, want the cheapest and can't be bothered to haggle with a taxi driver.
A taxi is cheap and you get straight to your destination, but you may have to put up with some hassle getting to the taxi.
A tour agency transfer is not much more than a taxi, less hassle, more comfortable and recommended.
The journey to the hotel will take about 15 minutes.
|
