Cruise
Cruising the Nile in Style
by Randy Mink
For three blissful days in February, our Goway Travel group basked in luxury aboard the Sonesta St. George. Sailing on one of the fanciest of the 170 overnight tourist ships that ply the Nile River in southern Egypt, we were treated like royalty amid elegant trappings reminiscent of an 18th century French palace. I doubt if the Egyptian pharaohs ever had it this good.
With a staff of 85 serving 100 or so passengers on a typical peak-season sailing—almost a 1:1 ratio—guests can expect plenty of pampering.
Exploring Upper Egypt
Our three-night northbound cruise from Aswan to Luxor included morning and afternoon excursions to temples, tombs and other archaeological sites. Toronto-based Goway Travel arranged for Ramy Sakhry, a certified Egyptologist, to accompany us ashore and interpret the wonders of antiquity that we had come to see. For passengers who are not part of a tour, the Sonesta St. George provides a complete shore program.
Americans comprise about 40 percent of the ship’s clientele, with Canadians, Australians and Japanese also well represented.
On the first morning, our Goway gang walked right from the gangway to the ruins of Kom Ombo Temple, just steps from shore. For visits to Hatshepsut, Luxor and Karnak temples and royal tombs in Valley of the Kings, we went by bus from the dock. For Edfu Temple, we boarded two-passenger horse carriages for an eye-opening 10-minute ride through the dusty streets of Edfu. The driver even let me hold the reins for part of the clip-clopping jaunt.
We were in Upper Egypt, a term that refers to the country’s southern region, as the Nile flows north from its principal source, Lake Victoria in east-central Africa, to the Mediterranean Sea. The longest river in the world at 3,470 miles, the Nile has been Egypt’s great highway from time immemorial. The country relies on the river to create fertile land in an otherwise desert landscape.
Our nine-day Goway tour of Egypt started farther north on the Nile, in Cairo, from where we flew EgyptAir to Aswan. After the cruise it was back to Cairo by air from Luxor.
My favorite moments were spent watching the world go by on the ship’s Sun Deck. Traveling along the palm-lined floodplain at a gentle speed of 13.5 mph, we saw cows grazing at water’s edge and farmers tending to fields of vegetables, wheat, sugar cane and banana trees. Some of the workers rode donkeys. Viewing the green ribbon of vegetation along either bank provided a welcome break from the history-heavy sightseeing on shore.
Some of us indulged in the hot tub or swimming pool, while others snoozed in a cabana. We enjoyed sunny days in the 70s (Fahrenheit). It almost never rains in this part of Egypt.
Dining Delights
Food on the Sonesta St. George was outstanding and plentiful. At the Egyptian Buffet the second night, a cook kept busy deep-frying falafel. The hot, crispy balls of ground chickpeas, herbs and spices never tasted so good. And this was our chance to try koushari, the national dish and a popular street food consisting of lentils, rice, pasta, chickpeas and fried onions in tomato sauce.
There were 12 different sweet treats on the dessert table, 11 bread varieties on the bread table. Among the sticky Middle Eastern pastries were baklava and konafa, a traditional Arabic dessert made with thin layers of shredded phyllo pastry, sugar-based syrup and a creamy milk pudding. For the occasion, passengers donned turbans or showed off the embroidered Egyptian dresses and blouses they bought on shore.
Under a canopy on the Sun Deck, an Indian-themed lunch smorgasbord featured beef shawarma, veal pie, fried fish and hamburgers as well as Indian dishes like potato-filled samosas, spicy green beans and chicken curry. A lunch buffet in the dining room displayed a lamb carcass from which slivers of meat were sautéed in a pan with rice, garlic and bits of liver for each guest. Breakfasts also were bountiful spreads—I counted 18 cheeses on the cheese and cold cuts table.
Two evenings we enjoyed a la carte meals. One night I started with kibbeh shami, or fried balls of spiced minced lamb with pine nuts, onions and bulgur wheat. My entree was pan-fried veal in a blue cheese sauce. Others in our Goway group chose the rice-stuffed grape leaves or chicken fatta, a bowl of roasted chicken cubes with rice and toasted bread in a velvety garlic and yogurt sauce.
Well-appointed Public Areas on the Nile Cruise Ship
After dinner in the spacious Lounge Bar, we gathered for Egyptian-style entertainment. The first night featured a Nubian music and dance troupe; the dark-skinned Nubians are an ethnic group indigenous to southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Another night it was a belly dancing show.
The smaller Panorama Lounge, with green leather armchairs, blue marble tabletops and faux-wood paneling, has a clubby feel and can be used for lectures or small-group gatherings. Accented with crystal chandeliers, Ionic columns, a florid pink-burgundy carpet and plants in oversized brass pots, it’s also a place to relax over a good book or just enjoy a drink away from the crowd.
First impressions are important, and the ornate, marble-floored lobby is certainly a dazzler, with its huge chandelier, voluminous drapery and a staircase mural invoking romantic visions of France. A replica of a golden pharaonic throne, not unlike ones discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs, graces the staircase landing on the floor above, just outside the small spa and fitness center.
Spiffy Staterooms Abound with Amenities
The Sonesta St. George’s stylish staterooms are among the largest on the Nile. My faux wood-paneled, twin-bedded room featured a French balcony, a desk, table, floor lamp and two chairs, plus a television and a refrigerator stocked with drinks. A nice touch was the welcome basket with fresh fruit, chocolates and a small bottle of Egyptian wine. On the wall behind the beds were crystal-and-brass sconces and a hand-painted scene suggesting tranquil French country life in centuries past. The bathroom, with teak vanity, floor and trim, had L’Occitane toiletries, towels embossed with hieroglyphics and a tub with Jacuzzi-like features.
The Sonesta St. George, built in 2006, continually refurbishes its facilities, replacing draperies, tablecloths and cushions well before the need arises. One of five Sonesta-branded ships on the Nile, she underwent her last major renovation in August 2023.
Seeing the splendors of ancient Egypt is a bucket-list experience, and a river-going magic carpet ride just adds to the aura of enchantment.
