I should start off by saying that the Winter Palace is one of my favorite hotels in the world. Heck, it’s probably one of my favorite places in the world too. So, after a hiatus of more than five years, it was high time to return to Luxor.
One of the factors that influenced my decision to go was the nonstop TUI flight available from Brussels. Although it leaves at the ungodly hour of 5:45 AM, it was still far and away the most convenient way to get to Luxor. Most of the time, when you go there, unless you are already in Cairo, it requires close to an entire day of travel. A short, direct flight felt extremely easy, even given the early morning wakeup call I received at the Brussels Sheraton Airport.
The service at the Sofitel Winter Palace
We checked in at the front desk, and they escorted us to a couch in the lobby to wait while the procedure was completed. We were brought glasses of chilled karkade (hibiscus flower tea) and as we sat in the plush red seats, it occurred to me that the lobby of the Winter Palace is the only hotel lobby in the world where I would be content waiting no matter how long the check-in process took. There’s so much history in the walls, the atmosphere can’t be beat and the people watching can’t be beat. You can check out the glass cases showing off the hotel’s vintage silverware and china collection. In the corner, there’s a display about Howard Carter, the discoverer of Tutankhamun’s tomb, who announced the discovery of King Tut’s tomb from the hotel’s grand stairway. You can meander out to the balcony and admire the garden. But before too long, our passports had been returned to us, paperwork was signed, and a key to a “relaxation room” on the first floor had been given to us since our room was not yet ready. A very nice touch.
Baksheesh culture is alive and well at the Winter Palace, although it never felt like they were being actively solicited and you were never made to feel like the tip you had given was too small. Everyone was very polite and always looking to help. Of course, this is likely motivated by hoping for a tip, but giving baksheesh at the Winter Palace isn’t too uncomfortable. Also, if you’re going to Egypt, tipping is something you better be prepared for., so make sure you always have both big and small bills at your disposal.
The room at the Sofitel Winter Palace
Our real room was on the third floor (we were upgraded to a room in the deluxe category) and was much nicer than the relaxation room. The ceilings are high and elegant, the room looks out onto the Nile and if you squint just so you can see the columns of Hatshepsut’s Temple on the West Bank. The air conditioning blasted, and the bathroom was full of elegant, if dated, marble. The bed was comfortable and housekeeping was happy to bring some foam pillows to augment the way too soft ones that were the default.
There was a lovely fruit plate waiting (and I am only Accor silver) and there was always plenty of bottled water both for drinking and for the Nespresso machine, for which there were real Nespresso-branded capsules. The only downside of the room was that the window were not particularly soundproof. On the first night, three was some sort of party going on nearby and the road noise both late at night and early in the morning made it difficult to sleep.
The food and drink at the Sofitel Winter Palace
The food and beverage situation is bad. There’s no two ways about it. The food at my one of the hotels nearest and dearest to my heart is bad. And that’s a surprise for someone who is typically so food motivated and prefers to feast on bluefin tuna rather than the crappy omelettes at the Winter Palace. My suggestion would be to stick to the Egyptian cuisine rather than try any western preparations and not to go to either of the fancy dinner restaurants in the hotel. One of them even requires men to wear a jacket, something I haven’t seen at a hotel for a very, very long time. Bread is stale and tasteless, the prepared foods are bland, and even the Egyptian staples are quite underwhelming. Instead, there is a fairly decent kebab restaurant just across the street on the river, or, there is the Internet-famous McDonald’s just across from the Luxor Temple. I don’t usually advocate for eating at fast food chains abroad, but it has a view that cannot be rivaled at any other McDonald’s, and the cheapest Big Macs in the world. Anyway, you don’t come to Egypt for the food and a person can only eat so much ful medames. Breakfast is good enough, with a nice fresh fruit selection (fresh dates, anyone?) and good enough coffee, but food is the one area where the Winter Palace could stand to improve.
The common areas at the Winter Palace
You will never feel crowded during your stay at the Winter Palace. While the hotel is spacious with grand sitting rooms never in use, the outdoor gardens and pool are even bigger. Dozens of types of trees are identified with plaques, there are resident peacocks and it feels much more like a botanical garden than it does a hotel. There is an outdoor restaurant next to the pool and a swim-up bar although it was not in use during our stay. The indoor bar is an excellent place to wind down and have a drink at the end of a long day. It boasts a neat selection of historic books in the back as well.
The bottom line
The Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor has charm and history and is well located in the middle of the world’s greatest open-air museum. There is construction ongoing just down the street on a new Four Seasons hotel. I would never stay anywhere else in Luxor, but it will be interesting to see if the Winter Palace tries to up its game at all to retain its position as the best hotel in the city.