Wheelchair Holidays : Luxor - Egypt

Luxor - Egypt

On Feb 23 we left Manchester Airport for a week's holiday in Luxor, Egypt. The Airport in Luxor was pretty basic with no facilities for drinking or eating etc. On arrival there was chaos with crowds crushing and pushing each other everywhere.

After finding our suitcases in amongst this confusion we caught a taxi to the hotel which was about a 25 min drive from the Airport. As soon as we got settled in the hotel we went to a Duty Free Shop in Luxor to buy some bottles of wine and lager which were extremely cheap compared to drink bought in the hotel. (A bottle of wine from the Duty Free Shop was the same price as a glass of wine in the hotel.)

The following day we had a trip down The Nile to Dendora. Two lovely Egyptian guys, Fawssie and Abdula, lifted me across the narrow gangplank and onto the boat (fireman fashion which was very scarey and not to be recommended as I could have EASILY fell in The Nile.) They even pushed me around the Temple at Dendora. During the rest of the week we went to Banana Island on a tiny motor boat and sampled the most delicious sweet bananas you can imagine.

Other places we visited were: The Valley of the Kings/Queens, Luxor Temple and Karnac Temple (All pretty bumpy - a strong pusher is required).

We got around mainly using taxis as they were so cheap. One absolutely brilliant Egyptian Taxi driver called Raffet befriended us and invited us into his rather spartan home next to Karnak Temple to meet his family. That was an unforgetable experience!

We drank tea with them and chatted for over an hour. Despite their obvious poverty the family seemed so content and were extremely welcoming.

The hotel 'THE LUXOR SHERATON' was so wheelchair accessible. We had the 'Disabled room' No. 126. It was very spacious and could accommodate a double bed and a single bed. There were patio doors leading out onto a nice balcony overlooking the hotel grounds and The Nile. The bathroom was large with plenty of space and over the bath was a detachable shower. The hotel was surrounded by lush, tropical gardens and plants. It had a swimming pool and a number of small shops right next door.

All the Egyptian's we met were very friendly and eager to help. This was one of the best holidays we've ever had!

Reproduced with kind permission of Belinda Sidebotham - C5

Wheelchair Holidays : Luxor - Egypt