We should have stayed in this hotel for 4 nigths in january 2008. Unfortunately we had to cancel our trip and hotel reservations because of illness.

Therefore we didn't actually stay at the hotel, but we experienced some problems with our cancellation, that left us frustrated.

We booked the hotel on a hostel website and they sent us contact information (phonenumber and e-mail address). (The Lotus hotel does not have its own website.)

It is normal, that when the booking is confirmed and payed on the hostel website, all communication between you and the hotel is directly (via phone or email) The hostel booking agent has no responsibility whatsoever.

Ten days before we should have arrived, we cancelled our reservation by sending an email (actually several polite emails) to the hotel. We did not get any replies on our about 10 mails in all. We also tried to contact Lotus by phone several times, but there were problems with the line. The case is, that if you do not cancel your reservation in time, you will be charged for the first night. So - of course - we wanted a reply from Lotus.

To check if there were computer related problems in our chain of unanswered cancellation emaiIs, we sent an email (in the middle of it all) with a booking request from another email address of ours. There were almost instant reply from Lotus hotel. We sent another email from our second mail address to answer the Lotus-email. Again there was instant reply from Lotus!?? We later sent at cancellation email from this our second email address - and strange enough - again no answer.

Obviously it was not technical problems that prevented them from repying. But what was it then!?

Good question - we blocked our visa card and got a new one.

In the near future we go to Egypt and will of course not book a room at The Lotus Hotel in Luxor. Maybe Lotus it is a fine hotel but their strange silent way of communication surely prevented us from finding out.

Well - it is not nice to have to cancel your vacation, but it's a possibility you have to consider, when you plan. Exept for this little all-in-all harmless Lotus-story everything went perfect for us, and we had problemfree communication with everyone else and all our money back. But in the future we will be very carefull, if we decide use a booking agent with no responsibility again.

Overall, the Lotus is a pretty average hotel.

The room was spacious, with a great Nile view. Although it had a TV, it didn't have a hair dryer or tea & coffee making facilities which I would expect from a three star hotel.

Unfortunately the hotel is built around a central, covered atrium which goes all the way to the top floor. Coupled with the fact that all the floors are tiled, makes this an extremely noisy hotel.

The staff are ok. As you'll quickly learn, in Egypt friendliness and efficiency come with a price tag attached - baksheesh - so if you tip the staff enough, they'll smile and be helpful. If you don't tip them,
service is minimal and grudging. The chamber maid had a thing for making fantastic sculptures out of towels (her finest work was a large
towel crocodile eating a bottle of sunscreen ). Although this was hugely entertaining, this did mean that the floor was left un mopped.
On reflection, I'd have preferred a clean floor.

Breakfast...Mmm...Well, it's edible and fills a gap...For what it's worth, they will, however, pack you a breakfast box for early starts.

Odessy Travel, who advertise trips in the hotel lobby and are responsible for airport transfers, are slightly expensive but Ahmed, the main tour rep is a good, friendly man who seems genuinely concerned that you have a good time in Egypt. He'll give you his mobile number and is available at all times for advice on everything from how to handle the hassle that all tourists in Luxor face, to what
to do if you're ripped off in shops. Without him, our trip really wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

It's hard to find good food that's been hygienically prepared in Luxor but I thoroughly recommend the New Sunrise restaurant opposite the hotel. The proprietor is a decent, friendly man who loves a good chat. The food is simple but delicious and they'll prepare off menu stuff for you. Highly recommended.

Overall, I'd say, by all means stay here - just don't expect too much.

The hotel was just awesome - huge rooms, a grand lobby, a great view of the Nile, efficient receptionists, friendly housekeeping (they made a crocodile out of towels), free pick-up from the train station. The breakfast was lousy.... but everything else more than makes up for it.

We stayed at the Lotus Hotel and we were impressed with the room, and the view of the Nile from our room. The rooms were clean, and the quality of the fittings were what you'd expect of a good 3 star (European rated) hotel. Outside, there was a lovely heated pool which overlooked the Nile and plenty of outdoor seating for everyone. Staff spoke good English and there were no issues with communication.

The only thing was the sound insulation wasn't great - there was a large group check-in late one night and it was very noisy as the noise travelled up to our rooms from the lobby area.

Location was reasonable - it was a 15-20 min walk to the Luxor Temple, and there were plenty of shops and restaurants near the hotel.