Saint Joseph Hotel

hotel was spotless ..maid service very good.but as for the place itself....the streets were filthy...the locals hound you and try to rob you..they walk about with guns...there are dead dogs in the street.the travel agents don t tell you these things

5 readers found this review helpful

If you are after a basic but clean, value for money hotel, with friendly helpful staff, serving great food - this is for you! It's 10 minutes walk from Luxor temple and the local tour operators (we recommend Thomas Cook)and is therefore ideal if you want to explore the local historic sites. Be aware that it on a busy road and can be quite noisy at times. There is a rooftop swimming pool and bar where you can get very tasty snacks while getting an excellent view of the Nile. The Nile view from the rooms can be restricted - depending on which floor you are on. We were on the second floor and only had a limited view. However, we had a much more entertaining view - a minor road junction outside the hotel! There must be some rules of the road - but not many, from what we saw! We found it made fascinating watching! The restaurant cannot be praised enough - the food is great, there is plenty of choice, and the service is friendly. When we mentioned that we were going on an early flight to visit Cairo, they provided two breakfast boxes with enough food for four! We were delayed on the return flight and walked in to the restaurant just as they were closing. We felt somewhat awkward, but they delayed closing just for us - they even sent coffee up to our room, when we had finished the meal!
So why is this only a 3 star hotel? The hotel is tired - it's in need of upgrading! The rooms have air con, large fridge, TV, etc - but they are (I guess) twenty/thirty years old. We were out every day visiting temples, tombs etc. - also shopping (they love the British - apparently, the French and Germans don't part with their euros!)We would thoroughly recommend this hotel as a base for exploring Luxor and the surrounding area.

Cheap & cheerful! Whilst only a 2 star hotel it is handily placed for the centre of Luxor. We thought the breakfast was ample but basic (pop across the road to the Sonnesta St George for a great range of food, it is a 5 star but the prices are reasonable and you sit in fantastic Air Conditioned surroundings!) All of the hotels allow Non Residents in to eat or drink, but be prepared to go through a body scanner and have your bag searched on entry, this is standard. We had no problem or trouble whilst we were there and felt safe wherever we went.
You can be bothered by sellers offering taxi's etc along the main road into Luxor, the best thing is to be FIRM but POLITE and NEVER say maybe tomorrow, they will remember you and you will be expected to honour what they see as a promise the next day! Don't let this put you off, the people are fantasically friendly but VERY poor. You can always avoid the main road by turning right as you leave the St Josephs, go the the bottom of the road and turn left, this will take you into the centre without the bother.
DO NOT attempt to drink the water, always buy bottled from a shop, we first bought a small bottle to taste and then stocked up with 5 Litre bottles to refill the smaller bottles. Some of the bottled water has a high mineral content and may taste unpleasant to us. There is a great little 'corner shop' about 50 yds from St Josephs, turn right out of the hotel.
There is so much to see in Luxor a good guide book does help. We tried a balloon flight over the Valley of the Kings, excellent value compared to UK. But don't be afraid to mix in and try the 'local' market (at the rear of Luxor Temple, across the square and through the arch) it is chaotic but great fun! Make sure you haggle, haggle, haggle, try to aim to pay about a third of the first price they offer eventually, they may accuse you of starving their children but it is all done in fun!

1 reader found this review helpful

I’m an Irish journalism student, my girlfriend and myself decided to go to Luxor this year for many reasons, mainly just out of curiosity as either of us has ever left Europe. I can only describe Luxor as 'a place you must see before you die.' Everybody wants their own unique holiday and each individual has different preferences when looking for a holiday, but from my experience Luxor has just about everything you could want (except rain), and the St. Joseph hotel seemed to suit a wide variety of tourists regardless of age, nationality or family status.
I thought id quickly summarise my holiday for any other tourists travelling via Budget Travel. The most important item that springs to mind is never book a trip with them (Budget Travel) once you are over there!
Literally five minutes walk from the hotel is a place called Moon River who do all the excursions Budget Travel offer, plus a few more for a far cheaper price and if you're in a large group you get a further discount. Also, after 2 weeks in Luxor, the best deal I found for visiting Cairo/Pyramids/Cairo Museum was in a place called Cheepos near the Winter Palace hotel (well known by all taxi drivers) and they fly you over from Luxor airport, flightime roughly 45-55 mins.
Yes! There is an Irish bar over there called Murphy’s!! It’s close to Moon River and does have a late night dance floor/DJ starting at around 22.30 or 23.00. During the rest of the day it mainly serves as a restaurant with decent food but a word of warning, be prepared to depart with large sums of cash when you stay for the late night disco (cocktails etc...)
The St. Joseph hotel was one of the best resorts I've ever stayed in, ok so the pool isn't massive and it has a three star rating, but you are treated like royalty by the staff regardless of your financial status, and its other facilities are hard to fault.
The late night bar, the restaurant downstairs and the snack bar on the roof are dirt cheap (compared with Irish prices!) and the service is amazing.
The only downside I can think of would be for anybody looking for a very quiet, tranquil holiday away from noisy cities. Luxor is pretty noisy even at night. The Egyptians really like their car horns and shouting across the streets at each other!
The sheer beauty and unique culture, both modern and ancient, of this country is amazing and the booze is cheap too! (Just don’t drink the Guinness, its horrible everywhere in Luxor!)

This hotel is excellent. The staff are very helpful and always go out their way to be friendly.
The room for 3 that we had overlooked the Nile and the Valley of the Kings. It was very clean and had everything we needed.
The constant beeping of traffic can get a bit much sometimes and we became convinced that Egyptian cars have the horn connected to the brake pedal.
The constant hassle from people outside the hotel is sometimes annoying but just say no, and then ignore them.
Breakfast in the hotel is ok, the chef will cook you eggs however you want them. I could have lived on the fresh baked bread, its very good. The meal deal in the main restaurant is brilliant, and the meal portions are generous.
The rooftop snack bar is cheap and very good too.
Around and about everything is really cheap and there is so much to see a week is not nearly long enough. We managed to see most things we wanted to including a full day trip to see the pyramids and Cairo...Exhausting but well worth it.
We met people in the hotel that were back for the 9th year running so that in it must be a recommendation.

1 reader found this review helpful

I got an absolute bargain to stay here for two weeks for £204 per person B n B. I took my 80 year old uncle on his last holiday. Like the other reviewer I was on the 4th floor namely room 405. Saying this, the Thomson reps were no where to be seen apart from the rip off excursions that following morning and the day of return.
The hotel meal deal is excellent value for money apart from there over use of salt which for me is fine as I’m a Scotsman, we love salt. There are plenty of very good restaurants near by and a Guinness pub with no Guinness or Kilkenny even though they advertise it.
The hotel staff are excellent friendly and assist when and where they can, for this quite old facility it cannot be faulted.
Horizon Balloons do a great deal £45 each or £36 if you really push for price if you go when I did then you will have amazing sun rises. But avoid Moonriver Travel at all costs they rip you off. That was my only bad experience of Egypt in the 15 years of me going there. Karnack Travel were faultless and fully registered with the Egyptian authorities.
Internet cafes plenty of fresh fruit and alfalfa shops just at the top of the road form the hotel entrance exit. Bottled water 1.5 litres should cost no more than 2 1/2 Egyptian outside the hotel. Alcohol is available at select outlets.
Plenty of bazaars and rubbish to buy, take the local taxi those minibuses there only 25 which is 2 1/2 p avoid the Kalesh like the plague they try to take you to family owned shops where they get half or more of what you spend.
During the two week stay I was in Giza for the pyramids, Citadel etc, Hurghada at the red sea for diving and Edfu, Aswan and Abu Simbel for the temples on a river cruise.
The Karnak temple light show is one not to be missed but its better seen by day to get the full impact.
I normally on arrival in Egypt go to Sharm or Alexandria but as this was a last request holiday I mainly went for Luxor as a central base.
The Valley of the Kings, Queens and workers should blow your mind so plan all you wish to do in advance and make sure you get all you want in.

1 reader found this review helpful

I have recently returned from a week in Luxor and having relied on the information on this website, felt I should add to it to hopefully help others. .
My friend and I wanted a reasonable yet different from the typical beach holiday and that is certainly what we got. At first glance and compared to the 5* hotels across the road, the hotel is slightly old fashioned and small, however - I cannot stress enough how friendly the staff were, how clean the rooms were and being on the 4th floor overlooking the main road - waking up to a view of the Nile each morning and the sunset over the Nile early evening was amazing! We booked on a bed and breakfast basis as we wanted to go out to other places in the evening to eat, but we did eat in the roof snack bar most days for lunch and the prices are very reasonable and the food of a good standard.
The hotel is located very centrally and ideal for walking to the museum and temple, bars and restaurants. The view from our balcony and moreso the roof over the Nile and towards the Valley of the Kings is just something you cannot explain.
As two girls we did suffer from alot of hassle from the taxi and kalesh drivers, we never once felt unsafe but after a week it does start to grate. Most places are reachable on foot and I would recommend walking just to take in the views etc. A firm no in most cases was enough, but many follow you down the street trying to get you to take a ride, visit their shop etc and this was the one downside. Unless you want to take them up on the offer, do not engage in a conversation at all - no, no thank you and finally ignoring them is the best bet!
A trip to Gisa is a must - we flew and took a day tour taking in the pyramids, Cairo museum, citadel and Sphinx - this meant although a very long day at least no 10 hour overnight train journeys. This was the highlight of our week and a must see. The Luxor temple is amazing also, we visited at dusk and it’s also something you cannot explain unless you are there. I would recommend the Egyptian night cruise on the Nile also, organised by the St George Sonestra hotel (directly across road), it’s an evening cruise with entertainment/food/drink and sunset over the Nile for approx £25 per person.
All in all, St Josephs is a budget hotel, but rooms are a good size, clean, food good and reasonably priced. The roof top is great with a good size pool, bar and sun loungers. Staff were very helpful and the resort for a first trip to Egypt was perfect.
I will go back again one day, just maybe not in July - daytime temps are often unbearable!!

The leg room on the new Thomson 757 is extremely poor, luckily the flight was half empty and my husband and I had 3 seats between the 2 of us which made the 5 hour flight bearable. The in-flight meal was better than many chartered flight meals I have had in the past but not as good as scheduled airlines (Thai, EVA).
The hotel was small and very friendly, just across the road from the Nile and in the city area. The staff could not do enough for you. A half board option was offered for the price of £24 for 6 x 4 course meals. The standard of these meals was excellent, as was the value for money. The hotel has a swimming pool on the roof which has excellent views of the Nile, a bar and a snack bar along with sun terrace with free sunbeds, tables and chairs.
It is a superb place to watch the sunset over the Nile.
The hotel is only a short walk from many bars and restaurants and we found all of the locals very friendly. I felt totally safe the whole time and would not have any qualms about visiting Luxor on my own (I couldn’t say this about Playa de la Americas - I was afraid to leave the hotel when I went there alone).
The only down side is the persistence of the Callesh (carriage) drivers and the Felucca (boat) owners who will not take no for an answer.
The antiquities in the area are superb, I can fully recommend the sound and vision show at Karnak Temple and the valley of the Kings/Queens.
All in all an excellent holiday and I would most certainly go back to this hotel again in the future.

1 reader found this review helpful

My partner, our 7-year-old godson & myself have just returned from a wonderful holiday in the St Joseph, Luxor.
We have been to Egypt 4 times & have stayed in 4 & 5 star hotels but this hotel was rated as 3 star, so we were a little anxious as it was the 1st time little Declan had been on holiday,& we wanted it to be special. We need not have worried. The St Joseph is very nice indeed. The staff are friendly,& were welcoming in the extreme. Our 3 bedded room was spacious and spotless, with lots of hanging & storage and the little one had a proper bed instead of the put u up we had expected.
The hotel has a very nice restaurant in the lobby,& a great snack bar on the roof by the pool area, which was really cheap, with freshly cooked food & a menu which suited a youngster, with burgers, chips, as well as steaks, salads etc. The main restaurant has a very varied menu. Towels were changed every day & our bed linen was changed 3 times in our weeks stay. There are 2 lifts, safety deposit boxes & every thing you would find in a higher rated hotel anywhere.
The pool is small, but well maintained with plenty of loungers, complete with mattresses ,with no charge. Our balcony was large with high secure railings, suitable for the very young,& there was a fridge & air conditioning in the room, again at no extra charge, which was nice as many hotels do levy a charge for these facilities.
We paid just over £1000 for our week b/b (Easter prices) & the hotel does good rates for independent travellers. We would recommend this hotel highly.

2 readers found this review helpful

As a single mum with a 7 year old blonde haired blue eyed daughter I was scared stiff to go to Egypt and we stayed at the St. Josephs hotel I needn’t of worried I have been back 5 times now always to the safe St. Josephs hotel, as the hotel has everything that we need a nice and quiet clean room a clean bed, roof pool brilliant view of the Nile and the west bank, many good friends in the staff we have made over the years they will do anything to help you and nothing is to much trouble.
My daughter is a beautiful 16 year old blonde now and most of the staff have seen her grow up, and they treat her like a sister, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone a A+++++++++++++++++ hotel for service and cleanliness.