Egypt & Jordan caravan 8 April !!

Re: Egypt & Jordan caravan 8 April !!

I did that tour last May. If you can't find someone...

The hotel should be able to book you a taxi for about 120 egyptian pounds to go to Saqqara, Dashur and Memphis.

There's also time to explore Cairo for a couple of days after the Nile and before heading out the the Sinai.

Re: Egypt & Jordan caravan 8 April !!

Hi Ballu,,

Thanks for the info!

Was the Santana hotel your meeting point hotel when you did the tour? I just wondered as I've looked it up on the net and am reading mixed reviews about it??!

Also do you have any suggestions on other things to see/do/eat!!! round Cairo - I know there are tons but if you had any recommendations it'd be much appreciated!!!

Re: Egypt & Jordan caravan 8 April !!

I've stayed at both the Santana ( Traveller) and its rear neighbor the Indiana ( Adventurer). I assumed you've been checking up on TripAdvisor. For me the Indiana is the superior hotel.The negative reviews of the Santana are overdone. Its not that bad. There is a much better atmosphere though about the Indiana from the desk staff down. A return visit to the museum is worthwile ( easily accessed on the Metro), go to the Citidel ( by cab) and Coptic Cairo ( by Metro).

Re: Egypt & Jordan caravan 8 April !!

Hi Anne,

The Santana is fine, as is the Indiana, and I agree that there's a nice atmosphere in the Indiana, despite this being the 'lower' standard of the two hotels.

I wouldn't believe everything that you read online (E.g. tripadvisor) about hotels as I have been to a few hotels that I read about online and I found the reviews way off the mark and over the top. That's just personal experience and I guess expectation levels play a part but I have to question the merit of some of these review sites and have heard stories of competitors writing bad review about each other whilst posing as tourists...

Regards,
Brendan

Re: Egypt & Jordan caravan 8 April !!

I found The Santana to be a good hotel. Nothing great, but it's clean and in a good location which is good for a budget. If your AC doesn't work, jut let your guide know and they'll get it taken care of for you...sometimes I wonder of those bad reviews come from people who are expecting Hilton accomodations from a budget hotel.

There is a restaurant in the hotel, but I didn't eat there. There's internet nearby, a grocery store, plus lots of little places to grab lunch. Once you meet with your guide he/she will give suggestions for restaurants and you'll have the option of going out to eat with your group. I think it's the radisson hotel where we did most/all of our banking. From the hotel head to the main street by the Nile, go right...then it's a few block up on the big roundabout.

Our first free day, a bunch of us did Saqqara/Dashur/Memphis. The second day we took a cab to the citadel, then walked from there to the Khan el-kalili bazaar (there was a route in someone's lonely planet guide). After that we hopped on the metro and went to coptic cairo.

Maybe if I had another day, I would have looked into taking a train to Alexandria for a daytrip...

The only other advice I can think to give you, there are a lot of hotels in the area...which means there are a lot of guys willing to "show you around" the area, then usher you into their brother's/cousin's/uncle's shop where you will feel pressured to buy paintings/perfumes/scarves etc. Just say "no thanks" and don't stop walking if you want to go out and explore alone.

Other than the above hassle, Cairo is very safe to walk around in.

Re: Egypt & Jordan caravan 8 April !!

I couldn't have said it better myself

Regards,
Brendan