Nile Palace Steigenberger Hotel

Second year here and it just got better, for two weeks all eleven of us had a brilliant time cant't wait to come back. The hotel staff were very friendly, helpful and sociable from the reception staff, cleaning staff waiting on staff, pool and pool staff brilliant and lots of fun. The view from the pool across the Nile brilliant. The hotel was clean and rooms were spacious clean and well equipped. Breakfast food was excellent freshly cooked eggs to your liking. Lots of places to visit and do. Abu Simbil, Karnack and Luxor temples, balloon rides, Hurgada submarine and water park, Valley of the Kings, pyramids and much more to numerous to mention. Outside the hotel you do get hassled just say no politley and ignore them. Resturants in the hotel were great we enjoyed the Itallian the best. All outside resturants are brilliant with warm welcoming friendly staff especially the Puddle Duck. Luxor is the place to stay and visit. Our rep at the hotel Mohamed was great and helpful he arranged it that my son could propose to his girlfriend in a hot air balloon. nothing was any trouble for him. That is what we call a holiday roll on 2012.

Fab hotel with all the facilities that you would expect - good pool, plenty of choice of good food in various restaurants, nice rooms, good view of Nile.

2 readers found this review helpful

I really enjoyed my stay here to the full potential! Every one in the hotel was friendly, kind, great sence of humour, inviting and the best they could be :)
The facilities in the hotel are all up to scratch and the food in the Nubian resteraunt was amazing...
The pool staff were all friendly and also were the waiters at the bars both by the pool and in the court yard.
The view from the hotel was breath taking and peaceful.
Staying here has encouraged me to learn the Egyptian language.

4 readers found this review helpful

My friend and i stayed at nile palace for a weeks holiday.. and it was brilliant.
the hotel was clean, comfortable and the staff couldn't do enough for us. They even provided us with an iron and ironing board when we asked for one.
the food is expensive inside the hotel but outside the hotel it was very reasonable.
just for a laugh we went to the chinese restaurant next to the hotel.. i was very pleasantly surprised with the food and the owner was a very nice man.
the people are very friendly sometimes a bot more than you want them to be.
overall had a great holiday, nile palace was excellent. would recommend nile palace highly to everyone.

1 reader found this review helpful

I was left feeling very disappointed with all aspects of this hotel, particularly the way I was treated by the staff who were both miserable and rude. As a young woman, with respect for all cultures and beliefs, I myself felt as if I was being judged and frowned upon and was made to feel like an idiot when I asked the hotel staff for help and when making general enquiries. My advice to anyone staying at the Steinenberger or any hotel within the centre of Luxor is that you do your own independent research before embarking on your travels here.
The food unfortunately was not good... there were no 'healthy' options at all, and in the hot climates of 30 degs plus the last thing I wanted was yet another toasted sandwich/burger..smothered with melted cheese with a side helping of greasy chips...but that was all that seemed to be on offer..and at ridiculously high prices...the resturants at the hotel were all too expensive and the food in all..was frankly disgusting. Another thing something to watch out for.. is being overcharged both for food and drink..I was often overcharged for the odd beverage that I ordered..but when I queried this..it conveniently seemed like the staff did not understand a word I said.
The entertainment, not that I wanted it..was a joke and an embarrassment..if you want strobe lighting and dancing gorillas then the Steinenberger's the place to be.
Essentially, nothing is free, even simple use of the hotel's amenities were unfairly overpriced.
The hotel itself was clean and comfortable..but I'm afraid that's the only positive thing I can say.
I will not be going back to this hotel.

3 readers found this review helpful

Let me start with the good: Weather = Faultless (although this bares no reflection on the hotel).
I'm afraid that's it - other than the odd member of staff being helpful whom were the cleaners. All other staff above were utterly rude, unhelpful and discourteous.
The Food was the worst I have experienced on any holiday - thankfully we didn't fall ill but the bland, plastic, tastless stuff they serve and overcharge for was often inedible. I'm sure there is fresh local produce in Luxor but it's certainly not served to the tourists. Steigenberger restaurants, and evey eatery we visited in Luxor seemed to think that tourists just want steak, omelette, chips and breaded chicken, all covered in processed cheese. The only meal I enjoyed was a traditional Egyptian tajine at the Old Winter Palace which was fresh and tasty, surprisingly the prices in the Old Winter Palace (most expensive hotel in egypt!) were cheaper than the Steigenberger. How could this be??? Drinks in the Steigenberger would be charged differently from day to day which was confusing. I couldn't see why the price would change from one day to another leaving me feeling constantly ripped off. It's just such a shame the egyptians think tourists want the same bland stuff all the time. Food is important to me on holiday and if it is for you avoid at all costs!!!
The pool was utterly disgusting, this may be because we visited in Nov which is late in the season resulting in a dirtier pool than at the beginning of the holiday season. The water was full of bits of bits of dead skin and all kinds of unpleasentries. After dangling my feet in the pool I realised I certainly wasn't going to put my head under no matter how much chlorine is put in. I wonder if this pool has ever been drained and cleaned properly. At night the lights showed just how murky the water was.
The staff were constantly rude to my girlfriend and I. we are 29 and felt we were treated very differently to those of a higher age. It seems if you're a young unmarried couple who enjoy a glass of wine with your meal you will not be made welcome here but they're more than happy to take your money - double standards.
We were supposed to be in a nile view room but were told they 'overbooked' and 'upgraded' us to a Junior suite city view room. "A present from me to you" the member of staff said. This isn't exactly an upgrade as they're the same price. However, as the room was at the top of the building the street noise wasn't a particular bother and I just couldn't do with an argument at the beginning of my holiday. The room was spacious and cleaned everyday without fail. The balcony was unusable as it was filthy, probably because of being city side.
All in all I was utterly disappointed with the way we were treated and will certainly not be going back. The best tip I can give is to save up to stay in the Old Winter Palace. When I pay good money to go on holiday I expect to be treated courteously atleast, I expect the pool to be useable and the food to be edible. Not a lot to ask for really.

15 readers found this review helpful

I have just returned from a wonderful two week stay in this hotel with my girlfriend. I can honestly say it is one of the best hotels that we have ever had the privilege to stay in. It was our first visit to Luxor and we were definitely not disappointed. I have included a few tips that helped us have the best holiday below, I hope they help.
MR FISH.. (AKA Sayed, Hamdy etc..)
Mr Fish is a local taxi driver who is located to the immediate right to the hotel. We had been given his details from a review on this site, we were definitely not disappointed and he helped make our holiday. He helped us arrange our trips at more than 50% off the Thomson prices. We ended up saving a fortune. He also helped us avoid the major problem of hassling outside the hotel, as soon as you told them you were with ‘MR FISH’ they would leave you alone and then never bother you for the rest of the holiday. I would definitely recommend Sayed and his brothers, they are a great bunch of guys and extremely friendly. If you need there number or email address before arriving, then drop me an email.
Hotel Prices:
The hotel's food prices are similar to back home and expensive for the region. However, there prices for drinks are extremly overpriced and you can get the drinks up to 50% cheaper outside the hotel. i.e Vodka and diet coke 70le (£7) in the hotel and only 30le (£3) outside. Beer was 28le (£2.80), you could get it for £1 at murphys bar or the kings head.
Top tip:
During the day inside the hotel buying drinks can eat away at your spending money. There is a small shop to the right hand side when you leave the hotel, (not the right when you enter) here you can get 2 litres of water and 4 cans of drinks for £2.. so a big difference to paying £10 inside the hotel for the same.
Excursions:
Thompsons and other travel agents tend to over charge for their excursions. However, they all use the exact same local travel agents TRAVCO.. if you speak to Mr Fish he can arrange to book the exact same trip for over 50% less.. i.e popular ballon ride.. Thompsons cost £95 per person.. Mr Fish got the same trip for the 2 of us for £90.. same company, the reason we new this is we went on the trip with a couple from our hotel, who booked through thomsons.
TOP TIP:
when going on a guided tour, when visiting papryus and alabastar factories, you will pay 50% more, due to the guide getting 50% commission on whatever you purchase. However, if you go back with Mr Fish the prices will come down by 50%.. so again a big saving.
Hassle:
The hassle begins as soon as you step out of the hotel and even after reading all the reviews, i wasn't prepared!! The first day, we got only two mins from the hotel and turned around!! However, after we met up with Mr Fish he was on hand to help us avoid it. Then from then on.. we just mentioned our friend name and we avoided most of it outside the hotel. Then if you are on any tours etc with Mr Fish he will help you avoid there as well.
Top tip:
Speak to Mr Fish

Fabulous hotel, very elegant and tasteful, lovely staff. The view from our room was fantastic, over to the Valley of the kings. We were booked into the Sonesta St.George but the day we left Archers, our holiday company, wrote to say they had movd us out because of building work. We are very glad they did, the Sonesta was a bit too Las Vegas for us. Try and get a room with a Nile view if you can, even the Side Nile View rooms are great. We will definitely go again.

our first time to egypt and it wont be our last, a great hotel the food was great and the staff were great, i cant fault anything.we went in june and found it a bit too hot but that was our own fault.another pool was being built when we were there but even that wasant a problem.you do get hassled outside the hotel but they are very nice people.

lovely fantastic hotel staff friendly upgraded to nile view in 2006 large balcony 2007 had a courtyard room did miss the view of the nile. will be returning in march this year.and hoping the standards are still the same. my family are going for the first time. i am hoping we will get lovely rooms. look forward to having breakfast outside having such a lovely view of the nile. food is good in the restaurants