We had booked the Pavillion which is in the grounds of The Winter Palace, but were upgraded to The Winter Palace. There is something very special about this hotel in an excellent central location. It was built in 1886 and todate it still feels very grand as you walk up the stairway to the front of the hotel. The Royal Suite and Lord Carnarvon Suite were just a few doors away from our room at the front of the hotel.The staff were very helpful and courteous. There are beautiful gardens and swimming pool to the rear of the hotel (these facilities are shared with the Pavillion). There are 2 restaurants, one of which you guys have to wear collar/tie. The breakfast was brilliant, so much choice. We had afternoon tea one day and this was well worth the £15 approx., each we paid. Plenty of tea to drink, sandwichs, cakes and scones. I have stayed in Luxor many times and the only thing you wont change is the hassle you get once you step outside the hotel, although I expected worse this time and to be honest I didn't think it was any worse than previous. Even if you don't stay at the hotel, a visit to see the gardens and sit and have lunch/drink round the pool is well worth it, it is so peaceful, so different to the chaos at the front, although we had a room overlooking The Nile at the front of the hotel and you soon get used to the noise and accept it as everyday life in Luxor. A wonderful place to visit and a wonderful hotel. Take a visit - you won't regret it!

We spent 11 days here and loved every one of them. The staff were attentive, the facilities excellent and the location, perfect. It had the added pleasure of being an older hotel, with grand rooms and a strong sense of its history. We used as many of its facilities as we could, and we really appreciated the humour and the dedication of all of the staff.

We had booked to stay at the Pavillion which is in the grounds of this hotel, and would have been perfectly happy with that as you get to use the main hotel facilities too, but were upgraded to the Winter Palace old building. What an amazing experience! This is the hotel where Agatha Christie and Noel Coward, etc. stayed, and has really retained it's colonial charm. Our Nile view was something to behold. We felt like royalty! The only thing I would say is that if you're susceptible to noise, a garden view room might be better as the constant car horns were noisy around the front. The garden is simply beautiful, a real haven in the middle of the chaos that is Luxor! We went to the bar and Victorian lounge every evening and soaked up the ambience. The room service and breakfast was also very good. The staff were attentive and very concerned as my husband had a cold when we arrived, and arranged for us to have a kettle in our room. Loved it, and would definitely stay again.

We stayed at the Sofitel Karnak, because of its location, but decided to take afternoon tea at its sister hotel, and arranged to meet some friends who happened to be in Luxor at the same time. The foyer was imposing and the numerous staff on duty were both friendly and helpful. Before tea we took a short walk in the gardens at the rear of the hotel. The formal gardens were excellently maintained, beautifully coordinated and very peaceful, a most pleasant spot and quite unexpected as the hotel is situated in a very busy part of Luxor.
The lounge area where the afternoon tea was served was quite plush with deep lounge suites, highly polished tables and dimly lit lamps, all in all a room with plenty of atmosphere.
The maitre d’ and waiter brought over the menu for the tea and listed the varieties of tea that were available. The tea was brought in two large cast metal teapots and the food was brought out on two 3-tier trays. The top tray contained scones , pots of jam and clotted cream, the second tier contained four or five different small open sandwiches or rolls each and the bottom tier had small exquisite cakes and puddings. The food was delicately and beautifully presented and was very tasty too. The tea was replenished upon request, without question, and we were there for two hours in total.
Although at first sight the quantity did not look huge, it was certainly filling. I only had a bowl of soup for supper when we returned to our hotel, but my husband was more hungry than me and ate a more substantial meal.
The cost of the excellent afternoon tea was only fifteen pounds sterling per person, which is very good when compared to a hotel of equal quality in London.
A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.