Sonesta St. George Hotel Luxor

When we first turned up there was no Bellboys to help us with our luggage and check-in was fast but very starchy,these were the only slight negatives. The hotel is one of the best i've ever stayed in,the rooms are great but the jacuzzi isn't up to much and its a must to have a full nile view forget the side view.All thbe staff are excellent in the bars and restaurants especially Milad in the pool bar (well worth a big tip).Take the hotel felluca for a 1 hour sunset trip on the nile(£2 per adult the same as on the corniche). You can get cheaper hotels but trust me i've been to Luxor many times and this hotel is the best........Spend the extra and have a bit of luxury. Forget booking trips with your rep,go down the Old winter palace and book your trips with the travel agents next door,personal favourite Jolleys (Balloon trip only £42.50 half the price than your reps)

We have just returned from two weeks at the Sonesta. We had fantastic time at the hotel and throughally enjoyed Luxor as a destination. The hotel is very well presented, staff are always helpful, it is cleaned constantly and with a large pool area opening out onto the Nile, the views are idyllic. Each room simply decorated, very clean and most rooms have a side Nile view, which is great. There are some rooms which face the street and some which face directly onto the Nile, but most rooms have a side Nile view. The restaurants: Serapis. We only ever had breakfast in this restaurant, however the choice was good and the service excellent. Beban. Dined here for lunch. It was OK, nothing special. Miyako. This is the Japanese restaurant, which of all the restaurants we tried, was by far the best. My only criticism of this restaurant was the speed at which we were served. But the service was fantastic. Lotus: This is a small cafe, located on the concourse. Service here was mixed however, the quality of the food was high. Nobles Bar: This bar has fantastic views out over the Nile. The service is excellent and the drinks range good. No beer on taps! However, it is expensive, and on the opposite side of the street there is a nice little bar called 'Kings Head' which is a fraction of the price. Jebs: I cannot put into words how good the poolside service was. Attendants make sure that you are always in sun or shade, depending what you want and if you would like to be served drinks or food, they are extremely attentive to your needs. Shops. There are a few shops on the concourse selling Papyrus, Leather, Jewellery and general items. They were great and had most of the bits and pieces we had forgotten to pack. Bad things about the hotel. They have an Egyptian Evening on Saturday nights. A cruise down the Nile, with food and drinks. You will not hear about it once, or twice for that matter. You will hear about it at every meal you have, every drink you order... We were quite keen to go when we heard about it the first time. But by the tenth time we started becoming short with the serving staff. And we didn’t go! No mini bar service. And in the heat of Luxor having refrigeration is a major issue, as temperatures when we left were in excess of fifty degrees ! ! ! Location: On leaving the hotel you will be harassed by countless taxi and carriage drivers. If you politely decline their advances, generally they will walk away. A few demand that you listen to their prices. Initially we found this difficult, but after a few days, you learn to deal with them. Generally. Luxor is a wonderful place to visit if you want a holiday of sun, monuments and great service. The sonesta is a very good hotel. Not a five star hotel in British terms, but a very good 4 star hotel at that. If you decide to go, I am sure you'll have a good time.

Absolutely georgous hotel. Finely appointed rooms, lobby, halls. Japanese restaurant was OK. Sushi was good, but I'm spoiled in California. So much of what they attempted with the Japanese cuisine was amusing. Tasty nonetheless. There are lots of Brits in the hotel, so consider it an added travel bonus to your Egyptian adventure. The shops were nice and fairly reasonable. You CAN bargain in them. I'd stay here again for sure.

Stayed at this hotel for one week in May. This was our third trip to Luxor at our third different hotel - this was the best hotel that we had stayed in for customer service and cleanliness. As meantioned by others this is not a five star hotel compared to other five star hotels I have stayed in around the world, it seems to be the case for most hotels I have stayed in in Egypt - the star rating is usually too high. However, the whole hotel was very clean, the rooms were nice but average, we had a side view of the nile and street which was fine with us. The bed was changed daily and towels changed twice a day. General service in the hotel was great, all staff made us feel welcome and were always smiling. The only complaint was on our first two days in the hotel we were pestered at breakfast and round the pool to join in the the Staurday nigth Egyptian night operated by the hotel. Buffet breakfast was great - so much choice. We ate in several resturants - the Japenese was good with good service but fairly expensive compared to other resturants in town. Beben was really nice - great food. Nobels bar - good service, with nightly live music - not so great but worth watching for comedy vaule!! Generally the drinks in the hotel were expensive - more than you would pay in the UK, however we visited several bars outside of the hotel were the food and rink was much cheaper. The pool was great - really cold but I liked that as it was getting very hot during the day and the pool really did cool you down! Pool area really clean and the pool guys work so hard running around making sure everyone is ok and in the shade if needed. I have rated this hotel excellent as by far the nicest hotel in Luxor that we have stayed in and I would definatly recommend.

I would say the hotel is one of the best in Luxor but would agree with one of the reviews High 3, low 4 not a 5 star after staying in other hotels across the world on our travels. Room Tidy and clean, good choice of restaurants, Reception - Very cold staff, a few issues but the women could never help you and always when you asked a question one of the male staff would have to deal with any queries, lets the hotel down. Pool okay, cold. The service around the pool is good but when you ask for drink, be prepared to wait as they do not have any fridges around the pool and the waiter will have to go into the main holiday, frustrating after a while. Couple of tips for your trip to luxor, there is two places outside the hotel to 5 seconds away, go out of the hotel to the right, cross the road and first left to murphys bar and snobs was the second left, food is lovely, very reasonable and they do proper home made chips. Also for any sports fans, murphys has sky.

We stayed at the Sonesta at the end of April, and read alot of reviews on this hotel prior to booking. Having travelled a great deal over the years, and stayed in many a hotel,most 4 or 5* I thought it worth leaving some feedback. Firstly, forget 5*. It simply isn't. Compared to others, it is a low 4 or very high 3. Service varied greatly from Restaurant to Restaurant. Pool restaurant we found to be very poor service, not attentative, I always had to call them over, and only once in a week did I leave them a tip. Food was ok. Nothing special, but easily edible. Pool staff very good. Nothing was too much. Swimming pool - Always saw it being cleaned every morning, a little cold, but more than adequate for the size of hotel. Very clean and tidy as was the paving around it. French restaurant - service impeccable. Very attentative without intruding. Again, nothing was too much, and food was very nice. Japanese restaurant. Good food, a little pricier, but still quite cheap. Service good English Bar - Service good, prices as expected, but really needs a balcony as it gets the sun most of the day and was very hot in there! Room Service - Excellent. Limited choice, very cheap, very polite and again, very helpful Main Restaurant - You could tell who the managers were. In general polite but the high chair we had rarely got cleaned (still had the previous Jam our daughter spilled on it from the previous breakfast!!) Food was fine if a little limited. Still very cheap (£4.50 per head!) If you have a baby they won't leave you alone, this can get quite irritating after half an hour! Laundry service stupidly cheap. At about 70p for a shirt to be cleaned and ironed.We didn't bring back much washing. Very good service and prompt Housekeeping - Extremely efficient and always ensuring we had enough towels etc.... Very good. Rooms a little small, but fairly clean and tidy. Yes there is a main road next to it, but we found that the double glazing coped easily with noise. Add to this it was fun watching the tourists being touted and the insane drivers reversing up a one way! Adds to the entertainment. Our room was half way along between the road on Nile. Thus we had a pretty good view of both. I found the swimming pool next door created most of the noise. Aircon very good and up to the job. Only annoying thing is twin beds are pretty much the standard. Bathrooms could be cleaner, but I have seen much worse in better hotels. Well eqipped, good shower and some basic toiletries. Reception - Clean and tidy. Staff a little impersonal on the desk, bus boys very good (well they are angling for tips after all!) Big chandeliar as everyone mentions but this doesn't make a great hotel! Overall, quite nice though. In general, the hotel is fine. I wouldn't rave about it as much as others on here, but just don't expect a true 5*. Service in general is good, cleanliness fine, food ok. Location I thought was great. Very easy to get anywhere in Luxor with a short ride (then again it isn't a big city) I would certainly go back there for what we paid (which was no where near the published rate) and probably will do at the end of this year. Anyone who books the Sonesta wouldn't feel hard done by. I doubt........

I'm just back from Luxor. I'd read a few mixed reviews before I went but I have to say I absolutely loved both Luxor and the Sonesta Hotel. Be prepared as from the minute you arrive, almost every person you encounter will be looking for money, regardless of whether they're getting paid to do the job, particularly at the airport. From our busload alone, I know a number of people got caught for €5 (per bag!) just to lift their bags from beside the bus into the luggage compartment, so beware - they prey on your jetlag and disorientation. The Sonesta Hotel is not a stuffy 5* as one might expect, it has an extremely welcoming, relaxed atmosphere, yet everything appears to run like clockwork in the backround to ensure you have the best service and facilities. I have to say the service was the best I've ever experienced - no attitude problems like I've witnessed from staff in dozens of establishments here in Ireland - it was so refreshing by comparison. The bedroom could have been bigger but almost all rooms have some sort of Nile view and we spent minimal time in the room itself anyway so it wasn't an issue for me. The pool facilities, as most reviews have said, are excellent - extremely comfortable, clean sunbeds, lovely large towels, loads of umberellas which are raised or moved effortlessly by the staff as required, and a large variety of food, drinks, cocktails and ice-cream available to order throughout the day. AND the staff don't expect tips like everyone else outside of the hotel appears to. Luxor itself has lots to offer in terms of trips and many of these are done early in the morning (e.g. pickup at 5.15am!) to avoid the midday sun, which is a great idea, and you're back at your hotel by lunchtime so you still have most of the day to relax or explore. I didn't use the taxis but took a felucca ride from the back of the Sonesta over to the Movenpick for some of their own delicious ice-cream and also a carriage ride as far as the Karnak Temple, both very cheaply, but just ensure to fix the price and in LE (Egyptian Pounds) before you get in. They'll try to 'extend' your trip with extras and work the price up to £30 in the process but don't let them talk you into going anywhere you don't want to, be nice but firm and they'll give up eventually. A sense of humour will be needed, though, as they'll try absolutely any angle to extract your money from you. Haggling can be fun, once you get the hang of it - they usually won't let you walk away and miss the sale. The alabaster factory you may stop at on the West Bank tour does some serious sales pitching so be prepared for the 'show' and make sure they wrap the item you actually selected - my acquisition doesn't look quite as perfect as the one I thought I bought! Overall, I plan to return to Luxor again and I will most definitely be staying at the Sonesta Hotel when I do!

We were a little worried after reading some other reviews. I thought that the hotel was clean, pleasent, the staff curtious and helpful. The room looked over the Nile from the side, balcony had chairs and room was cleaned and tidied every day. Breakfast was freshly prepared and offered a good choice. The reception was a little dated but this added to the atmosphere. hotel has shops, bank, books etc. there is an English type pub there which is OK but indoors with no outdoor seating. Spent most late afternoons sitting on the hotel pontoon watching the sunset over the Nile. Food around pool excellent and of good size, quality and choice. Pool facilities good and staff helpful - moving parasols, providing ice buckets for water etc. Air conditioning worked in room and hotel and in 32 degrees you need it. It is walking distance from the cruise boat dock, on the Corniche - about 20 minutes. You do get some hassle from the local taxi drivers and Caleache drivers but you get used to it and they do add to the atmosphere and offer a cheap service. An ideal base for touring Luxor and Karnak. I would stay there again if I went back to Luxor.

We were not disappointed, although there is always room for improvement, we thought the carpets in the bedroom were ready for replacing. Our stay was idyllic we loved the lobby with the chandelier and leisurely breakfasts on the outside patio. The pool area was never overcrowded and the pool 'boys' managed to manipulate the umbrellas to give sun or shade whichever was your choice. We ate in several of the restaurants and enjoyed all of our meals. Everyone gave excellent service and if we return to Luxor we will definitely be going back to the Sonesta St George Hotel.

I just returned from a 2 night stay from Sonesta (March 2006). I had carefully chosen the Sonesta after reading rave reviews here on Tripadvisor. And I must confess that as soon as I stepped inside its lobby, I knew I had made a mistake. Lobby - Its decor was dated and everything was tired looking. The hotel probably hasn't seen a renovation in the last 20 years. If you are expecting a Sheraton/Le Meridien level hotel, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. If you are expecting a Mandarin Oriental/Four Seasons level hotel, YOU WILL BE DEVASTATED. Rooms - Only a handful rooms have direct Nile view, and most of the rest all have side Nile view (plus balcony). Like its lobby, the rooms are tired looking and furnished with mass-production commercial quality furnitures. Our carpet used to be a dark maroon color (poor choice for rug color in my opinion), and now turned dark pink from age. The curtains were dusty (e.g., when I drew the curtains in the morning, they felt starchy from dust). The bathroom was outfitted with non-brand name toiletries. Other than the curtains, our room was clean. Figuring out how the in-room safes work was more difficult than dismantling a bomb (we ended up carrying our valuable documents whenever we went). There are no internet connection in the rooms (though 1 computer station is available in the business center, more on that later). Services - Apparently, the hotel had "lost" our reservation. (Two of the 3 receptionists we dealt with did not speack English.) The lead receptionist asked me to produce a document/proof of my reservation. I explained to him that I had made the reservation from my hotel in Cairo (Four Seasons - Excellent, BTW) and did not have any printing capabilities, but would be able to produce confirmation emails if I could use a computer. He then directed me to Sonesta's business center to print out my confirmation email. The business center lady insisted on charging me 8 Egyptian Pounds and 2.5 Egyptian Pounds per page to print out my hotel reservation. Even after I produced my reservation confirmation, the lead receptionist asked me to wait until the Reservation Manager comes in before they could assign me a room. Price - We booked via Lastminute and paid 61 British Pounds for 2 nights, which works out to approximately $50/night. At the time of our booking, Expedia was offering Soneta at $120/night. Please do your homework prior to booking! Where Should You Stay Instead? There is a Le Meridien next door to the Sonesta. I would recommend staying at Le Meridien instead (much more beautiful, cleaner, bigger, just an overall far better hotel). We liked the Meridien so much that we ate dinner there on BOTH nights. We've also heard good things about the Sheraton. During our stay in Luxor, we've had the opporunity to visit the Old Winter Palace next to the Luxor Temple. It was simply gorgeous in a splendidly antiquated way, reminded me of the great Eden Hotel in Rome. If I were to return to Luxor again, I would stay at the Old Winter Palace (not to be confused with the New Winter Palace). Bottom-line: It was an okay hotel for only $50/night. I do not understand how Sonesta ranks so favorably among Tripadvisors. My experience with the Sonesta will serve as a reminder to take all reviews with a grain of salt, knowing that now all reviewers have had the same experience/expectations. Have a great trip everyone! Be careful of the locals!