Stayed for a week from the 14th october 2006. 2 adults and 5 children ages from 16 down to 3.

After reading the reviews on trip advisor we had a good idea of what to expect. The hotel lived up to all our expectations. In fact the rooms (we had 3 standard rooms) were if anything a little better. They were clean and comfortable. All are in octagonal blocks of 16 rooms, each with a small bed perfectly adequate bathroom with bath and overbath shower unit. The furnishings were simple but with adequate drawer and wardrobe space, TV, hairdryer, small patio area with chairs and sunbed. The beds were comfortable. We had 3 consecutive rooms all with different degrees of air conditioning. One was very good, the second was not so effective but fine, and the third struggled to be just about acceptable. There appears to be one A/C unit per block and it may depend where you are situated on the ring main as to how effective it is. Each room was equpped with an empty fridge, so you could stock it yourself or if you wanted they would provide a limited minibar service.

The facilities at the hotel were good for the whole family. There was a small zoo and a kids club for the youngest members. The teenagers were happy with the daily organised table tennis, volleyball, football, fishing, etc.

There are two pools one close to the central restaurant and reception area reserved exclusively for "adults". The larger infinity pool and childrens water playground is further away, but is available to everybody. The kids thorougly enjoyed this pool and it had great views across the nile to the valleys of the kings and queens over beyond the west bank. This area is well served by a snack bar with its own seating area and also frequent waiter service to the pool surrounds. There are toilets and changing / shower facilities here which are spotlessly clean and maintained to an impressivly high standard.

Other facilities at the hotel include a Gym and beauty parlour, tennis courts, a buffet restaurant, an a la carte restaurant, an arabic tea/coffee area on a dock by the river, bicycle hire, a couple of gift shops, and a used book library, an indoor bar, plenty of outdoor walking paths and jogging tracks.

If I had to level a few criticisms of the resort the first would be that the infinity pool is too cold. Although the temperatures in summer can be up in the 40's in October it was between 28 and 35 and the water was breathtakingly cold. Even after a period of immersion it never seemed particularly comfortable. It is something of a fallicy to believe that swimming pools in hot countries do not need heating to be comfortable. A shame really because otherwise it is a great pool.

The second criticism would be the price of drinks, which for Egypt wre decidely "international". However to be fair there are plenty of countries where you would expect to pay considerably more, and it didn't unduly detract from our enjoyment.

Thirdly the buffet could be a bit more varied. Each evening there was a different theme, but many of the offerings did seem very similar to the previous evening. However the restaurant manager was very attentive and indeed the staff were friendly and efficient. The desserts were excellent and varied. Soft drinks could be pricey and more expensive than in the bar or snack areas.

Finally the internet access whilst being cheap enough at around £1.50 stg for 30 minutes, was rather let down by the poor availability of only two terminals. There was often a wait for access and it really wouldn't be too difficult to provide another 2 or 3 terminals within the existing library space.

On the plus side the hotel had a great deal to recommend it. As others have already said a real oasis in the desert. The views of the Nile are spectacular from the public areas, and there is plenty of space. Around the pools there are lots of comfortable sunbeds and plenty of shade from umbrellas and trees.

Children are well catered for and are made to feel welcome by the staff and particularly the entertainment staff. The hotel runs a policy of not allowing sunbeds to be reserved and it seems to be generally observed. There are set aside quiet areas for those who don't want to be disturbed by children. Equally there are plenty of areas for children to enjoy themselves without any restriction such is the size and layout of the resort. The restaurant managers also have a practical approach to pricing childrens meals in the evenings. We were usually charged 4 adult meals for 7 of us which seemed fair, Room service and the lunchtime snack bars also had childrens menus at very reasonable prices.

We enjoyed our stay at this hotel, and it also got a two thumbs up rating from all of our 5 children . Our 3 year old is really missing his daily camel ride and visits to the kids club.

We went for a week to Movenpick in the middle of June with my wife, 1 year old daughter, and my sister.

Location:

The location of the hotel was excellent. It is on its own island in the river Nile and about 10 – 15 mins from Luxor center.

Rooms:

The rooms (chalets) were a bit dated but clean. There was a TV and Fridge and an ironing board but there was no iron and you had to get this from reception. The location of the rooms was excellent though.


Hotel grounds and Staff:

The staff were really friendly and the hotel grounds were excellent.

It was my daughter’s 1st birthday there and they sent us a cake.

The swimming pools were really good and safe, the infinity pool, which is near the bank of the river Nile is amazing. Whilst swimming it appears as though the swimming pool and river Nile are joined. There is also a small zoo and a childrens club.

Food and drinks:

Breakfast was okay, same stuff every day and no bacon or pork sausages (because it is a Muslim country). Staff were really good though.

Room service was good but expect to wait over an hour during peak times.

The lager in the bar was reasonably price (about the same you would pay in the UK).

The food at the hotel was okay but the a la carte restuarant was expensive for what you paid for (works out to about £15 per person). The food available in the other restuarants in the hotel was reasonably priced.

You are better off getting a taxi in the evening to Luxor and going to the other hotels to eat. There is also a Pizzahut near by who also deliver.

Just ask the reception to call a taxi for you. (Some of these taxi drivers have waited all day, even over night, for a fare). You can ask them to wait for you whilst you eat and then take you back to the hotel. Make sure you agree a price before you get in.

In general the taxi drivers that pick you up from the hotel are all okay and won’t rip you off as they are scared that you may complain about them to the hotel staff who subsequently may not let them wait for a fare in the grounds.

Try El –Husseins restuarant in Karnak.

Tours and site seeing

Don’t go on the tours organised by Thomson. You are better off getting a taxi to the places of interest e.g. Luxor temple, Karnak temple, Valley of the Kings.

A trip to Luxor and Karnak temple with Thomson is about £30 per person. You can visit these 2 places in a taxi for about £10 return trip and then expect to pay another £10 for a guide.You get a fixed price list to all major sites from the reception.

Don’t bother with the mummification museum it is not worth visiting. Luxor Museum is excellent though.

We went on a balloon trip which is worth doing. It works out to about £75 per a person and lasts about 45 mins. You have to get up well early (bus picks you up at about 5am) so that you can catch the sun rise during the flight.

Luxor itself:

This was one of the worst parts of the holiday. You get hassled like crazy, especially by the horse and carriage people! It may have been because we went off season so there weren’t many tourist around but they just wouldn’t leave you alone and even follow you for a good few minutes. (On the plus side of going off season though is that you don't get the crowds).

If you do decide to go on a horse and carriage make sure you agree a price and make it clear the price is in Egyptian pound and not UK pounds!

If you want to buy souvenirs, the bazaars are okay but I don’t recommend going there if you have young children. When we went, they were doing the roads up and it was a nightmare trying to push a pushchair.

I recommend you do your souvenir shopping in a shop opposite the mummification museum. No hassle and a fixed price. Don’t go into the shops the taxi drivers may take you to or don’t go in the big shops, they will hassle you like crazy.

Good points:

Excellent hotel grounds and location.
Friendly staff that don't keep asking for tips
Excellent and safe swimming pools

Bad points:

Luxor it self, you get hassled like crazy, even when just walking down the road.

Just arrived back from a fantastic week at the Movenpick.

A late booking with Thomson via the web with massive 64% saving off the brochure price. As avid Trip Advisor members we thoroughly research our hotels and we were NOT dissapointed with what we read as Luxors No 2 hotel behind the Senesta St George. In fact we would go as far as saying the location (outside the city) and the fab grounds and single storey bedroom blocks are much better.

Hotel shared facilities are excellent. Nice lobby, shop (cheap fixed prices with no barter), library with facility to book trips independently (though there is better in Luxor and will comment later). 2 excellent restraunts with additional facility for snacks around the pool and overlooking the Nile. Small zoo which is an exaggeration (one croc, 2 pelicans, a few monkeys, sheep and camel) but nevertheless a good added attraction for any kids.

There are 2 pools a smaller adults onle pool and a very large infinty pool which is as good as any we have used throughout the world with the impression you are swimming in the Nile but without the mirky waters (music underwater too). When we went the hotel was busy but never crowded and there was never more than a handful of swimmers and plenty of very comfortable sun loungers (which you cannot reserve).

All accomodation is on the ground floor and spread throughout the extensive grounds. Dont worry abour reports that the heat is too bad making walking between blocks unbearable - we found this not to be true and temperatures ranged from 90-100deg F.

Our bedroom, as we found all the resort, was very clean, though basic. Not what we expect from 5 star BUT better than what we expected for Egypt. Being Very Critical bedroom/bathroom need refurbishment as rest of hotel IS 5 star. 2 chairs, table and sun lounger on every patio. We were sitting out one afternoon when the camel and its minder walked by, I asked to take photo and he pleasantly offered my wife a short trip round site. No Hassel and he was more than happy with 5LE (50p).

There is no pressure at all within the hotel to tip which is a welcoming change for Egypt. As normal if you feel a tip is warranted then tip which is greatly appreciated.

TRIPS - we went to the Thomson welcome party which we were bussed into Luxor to the Le -Meridien. We had no intention of booking trips with Thomson as previous trip advisor comments said they were expensive. As recommended we went to Jolleys adjacent to the Old Winter Palace and booked 4 trips. Although these cost us £335 a couple we saved £149 against Thomson and got great personal service from Mr Jolley (Ahmed) himself.

1. Valley of the Kings is a must - took all morning in the heat but we were not affected unduly. Good mini bus a/c transfer and excellent english speaking guide. Went onto valley of the workers rather than valley of Queens which was good advice from guide and then to alabaster factory (not too much pressure to buy - we didnt and still got a free drink)

2. Karnak Temple evening light show - good and all reports advised that this was a must. We were dissapointed the attraction could have been made better with a bit of thought. Nevertheless this part was only £10.

3. Day cruise on the Nile on MV LOTUS, to temple of DEDRA. Fantastic all day trip. Leisurely cruise out seeing Egypt local countryside/towns enroute (4hrs) and then short coach ride to temple which was very impressive - its complete!!!. Lunch on board which was of a high standard and then a 5 hr cruise home. Fab - plunge pool on board bar and small shop - fixed prices.

4. All day to Cairo flying out from Luxor. We saw the pyramids, sphynx and local bazzar, included buffet style lunch. A must, again great guides.

OUR OVERALL THOUGHTS
- Cairo itself is a dump with crazy traffic problems (Bangkok is a walk in the park compared to this place)
- Luxor itself is dirty and you get PESTERED every second to ride or give baksheesh. Personally after booking your trips at Jollys and seeing the Luxor Temple (which we did privately) I wouldnt venture into Luxor. Stay at the Movenpic - believe me you will have a great time.
- Hotel was a very pleasant suprise and all food we had was excellent.
- Remember to take your hand sanitiser which is a must to use at all times, especially after handling the money. All Egypt money is paper and is tatty and VERY dirty.
- A holiday of a lifetrime and we will return, staying at the Movenpick and using Jolleys.

Movenpick hotel provides a great escape, but sad that the furnisings have seen better days. In reception the chairs/settees have lost their comfort, and the rooms are very "tired". Food is good, but becomes repetative, and like many resorts lacks vegetables. A £2.50 bottle of wine costs £15!!. Entertainment is a little light, and does not always happen in the designated place or on time. If you hire a hotel Feluca, you can't guarentee that they will be there for you.