A good hotel in Luxor (Pyramisa Isis Luxor Hotel)

Member Name: depurple2

Product:	Pyramisa Isis Luxor Hotel
Date:	28/09/06 (819 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well located, 2 pools, 1 good restaurant, friendly staff

Disadvantages: Not as up market as some of the other hotels, some restaurants closed in off-season

The Pyramisa Isis is located on Khaled Ibn El Waild Street in Luxor, on the bank of the Nile. The street itself isn't very interesting, it has a few more hotels (The Sonesta St George, Le Meridien, The Sheraton, The St Joseph), and a some shops, mainly selling touristy type things like jewellery, papyrus paintings, snacks, postcards.

The hotel is large - it has 400 rooms and 55 suites. There are 3 restaurants and 2 cafes and a pool bar, as well as a few shops, again selling tourist stuff.

We went in July, which is off-season as it is so hot, and the hotel was quite empty. This was nice in a way, because the pool and restaurants were quiet, but it also meant that 1 of the restaurants (the Italian one) and one of the cafes weren't open at all. We took a package deal with Cosmos.

Hotel reception is quite big, with a large waiting area with sofas and tables. The staff speak good English, and are very helpful. There are safety deposit boxes located in a room behind reception and these are free to use. One thing to note is that if you charge any extras to your hotel bill (room service, meals, etc), the hotel like you to pay in foreign curreny rather than Egyption currency. If you want to pay in Egyption currency, you have to prove that you have changed that amount from foreign currency since you have been in Egypt.

Our room was on the 5th floor, so we used the lifts. There are stairs as well if you are feeling energetic. The room was clean and comfortable, but not particularly luxurious. It had a balcony with a view of the Nile, and good air conditioning. One downside was that instead of having a double bed, there were 2 single beds pushed together, which was a little uncomfortable. The bathroom had 2 sinks and a bath with a shower over it, and there was some shampoo and soap there when we arrived.

The "house boys" who clean the room were very good. The room was always cleaned well each day. They also folded the towels into swans and left them on the bed with flower petals on them which was sweet. They are on a low wage, so it is expected that you leave them about £20 as a tip for the week.

There are 2 pools at the Isis, and a large tropical garden with pathways to walk through it. They water it a lot so it is always green. The pools were clean and warm, and there were always sunbeds available, most with umbrellas. There is a separate sun terrace away from the pools as well. Pool towels are provided, for a tip (about 10p). You are expected to tip for EVERYTHING in Egypt - it is called baksheesh. The larger pool is shaped kind of like a kidney bean, with a bridge over the narrow bit, and has a swim up bar for drinks. The other pool is smaller and further away from the Nile.

There is a tennis court, but bizarrely it was under 2 inches of water when we went, so we didn't use it. We didn't use the spa facilities either, as the tour guide told us that those at other hotels were better, so we used those instead.

There are 2 cafes in the hotel - one by the Nile, which was closed, and one attached to the main building. It was good for snacks and drinks in the day time, and did the most fantastic ice creams. They even make their own cones fresh each day.

There are 3 restaurants in the hotel, but one of them was closed when we were there. This left the main hotel restaurant (where you would eat if you were on half board), and a Chinese restaurant called The Pink Panda.

We ate in the main restaurant once, on the first night we were there. You pay one price and then eat as much as you like from a buffet. It wasn't very good really - the food was a bit bland and not hot enough, but I was too tired to remember much about it. Breakfast was great in this restaurant though - lots of fresh pastries, cereal, a really neat toasting machine that was like a conveyer belt, fruit, juice, etc. You could also get omelettes made with whatever you wanted, and they were cooked in front of you.

The Pink Panda was a really good restaurant, typical chinese food, but done well. The exchange rate meant that an evening meal for 2 with drinks cost about £25.

The hotel is well located, with Luxor temple, lots of restaurants, the market and museums within walking distance. The Valleys of the Kings and Queens, the temple of Hapchepsut and other tombs are on the other bank of the Nile, so are a short taxi/coach ride away. The temple at Karnak is also a short taxi ride.

If I go back to Luxor, I would probably choose to stay in the Isis again. It is not the poshest of all of the hotels in Luxor, but it has the biggest pools and the most space. You are able to use spas and restaurants in other hotels whenever you want, which gives you the best of both worlds.

Summary: Stay here if you want to chill out by the pool, and have a central base for sightseeing.