Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Nour El Nil, Nile Cruise, Egypt


It seems odd to me that after months of gushing about hotels around the world, this will be my first Egypt post.  Egypt has played a very important role in my life.  Between the ages of 19 and 25, I lived in Cairo for over 3 years and have traveled back many times since.  It is a place that not only shaped me intellectually - I learned Arabic there and acquired a particular worldview - but I often feel it is where I grew up.  Needless to say, it's a place that is hard for me to discuss in touristic terms.

That said, the touristic options in Egypt are impressive and the hotel choices have dramatically improved over the past 10 years. I took an incredibly kitschy (but fun) Nile Cruise nearly 10 years ago and would have so preferred to float up the Nile in this stylish boat.  The folks at Nour El Nil have reintroduced the usages of traditional dahabiyas (sails, no motors) for cruising from Aswan to Luxor and as far as I'm concerned, they have completely changed the game.          











6 comments:

  1. Wow, what a dream! And what an incredible life changing experience! Really love the next to last bedroom photo.
    xo Joanna

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  2. Wow, looks amazing! Would love to do this! Miss you Gandin! Hope all is well :) xxx nada

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  3. Hi Nada! Isn't this place insane? I sort of couldn't believe it was the Egypt I know when I saw it.

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  4. i can not believe this thing. it's beautiful, and 5000 time more stylish than the cruise we went on. i bet the toilets don't lock you in either!! (however: i bet it doesn't come with cute canadian computer dorks to play cards with either..) i think it would be super telling to compare and contrast this with pictures from our cruise -- alas, ours was pre-digital-camera...

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  5. Hi Rachel,

    I help run Nour El Nil and I just wanted to stop by and say thank you for writing a post about us--what kind words. We would love to have you cruise the Nile with us one day. Let us know next time you're in Egypt!

    -Miguel (of Nour El Nil)

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  6. OMG I love it. Do you think they do a galabiyya party and whirling dervish show?

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