hotels articles

You may be considering a villa holiday in Paphos, Cyprus, in the company of teenagers. School’s out for summer and let’s be honest; did we want to traipse round historical ruins or visit monasteries and old churches on our holidays? Let me ask you - Would you feel happy if your partner suggested you spend two weeks learning the intricate details of their precious hobby, like golf, cooking or candle-making? This isn’t a school field trip! This is their holiday too, so opt for a balance. A family holiday can be one to remember with a little planning before hand. Let the teenagers in the family have a choice and this will fuel their excitement for the family trip once they realize there will be some brilliant extra curricular activities to look forward to.

I found some group activities that would appeal to all the family without breaking the budget but as we are aware teens are notorious for spending their own money and then some more, so explaining about the exchange rate may be your first step. Planning activities that everyone can look forward to and agreeing on budgets beforehand can save an awful lot of arguing and misery at the very point when the whole family should be having some fun.

QUAD BIKES SAFARI
Now this is definitely for the teenagers and Mum and Dad. Experience the adrenalin rush and thrill of driving across some of the wildest countryside in Paphos on your own quad bike. Start at 10am, drive to Adonis Baths for a welcome swim, have some lunch along the way. This is a trip for the adventurous only. All off road and all ages welcome.

HORSE RIDING AT GEORGE RANCH
Choose from a wide range of horses and ponies, catering for all levels of experience. Absolute beginners are welcome as well as experienced riders. Rides take you from St George, through the forest of Pegeia or along the coast to the beach. This activity provides a fabulous way to see the scenery and enjoy some family fun. Riders are fully insured and riding hats are available.

SCUBA DIVING
Always exciting for the teenagers and maybe Mum & Dad are also eager to give it a go. Why not try a Discover Scuba Diving course to find out what it is all about. This mini course takes about 4 hours and consists of some theory, basic skill requirements in the pool and your first experience of diving in the sea. Take warning with this activity that excitement levels are high and if enjoyed, everyone will be clambering to take the next step - purse strings may be severely stretched.

ITHAKI MINI GOLF COURSE
Great family fun for everyone here on the American designed 18 hole mini golf course. Something to challenge everyone and girls, if the boys are still arguing over who had the best shot and who cheated, send them off to play on the bumper cars next door to blow off steam while you sit in the garden and enjoy a cool drink.

ON THE WATER
There are many boat trips available in Paphos offering a choice of activities. Take a coastline sail where the boats will anchor in Coral Bay for you to enjoy a swim and have lunch. Hire a speedboat at the harbour and have some family fun out in the bay. For something really new, take an exhilarating ride on a Tiger Boat - hold tight and expect to come back wet.

When it comes to taking a vacation and staying in a privately owned vacation rental property you need to know what you are paying for. Cheaper does not always mean you are getting a great deal with safe and secure accommodations. The three questions I continually get from my inquiries are:
Is the rental unit in a safe and secure place?
Is the rental unit clean?
Are the units and appliances in good condition?

The last inquiry stated that they had some bad experiences on two separate occasions with vacation rental they had stayed at. I asked them about how much they had paid for the units and in both instances they were charge very little for the accommodations. They are now doing their homework and where inquiring and asking the right questions now.

When you are looking for a vacation rental the last thing you should be looking for is a cheaply priced rental. First look for a vacation rental that has spent the money to market themselves, this usually means they have also spent the money on the rental unit. A nice website with pictures of the units and information about the amenities in the unit, the area and about the owners is always a good choice.

Make sure you see lots of pictures of the unit both inside and out, pictures of each of the rooms and the bathrooms are a must. Ask what the amenities are, if they have a website they should all be listed. You can ask about how often the unit is cleaned and about their maintenance schedule. Never rent from someone that only has one picture of the rental unit, this just means they made sure that room was cleaned and prepared for the photo; you need to view all the rooms and know what you are getting for your money.

Always look for owners that take the time to call and speak to you, this usually means they want to know who you are and who it is that wants to stay in their vacation home. A concerned owner who calls and asked you questions is one that cares for his property and who he rents to. They are qualifying you for the rental and at the same time you should be asking them questions you may have about the unit, the area and the process.

Make sure they have a contract with rules and regulations clearly written so that you understand them. Check and make sure you read and understand their refund and damage policy for missing or lost items in the unit. Absentee owners should have a management person who will greet and give you a walk through of the unit and provide you with a phone number you can reach them at. You should look for vacation rental units that prohibit smoking in the units and do not allow pets. Both of these are for health reasons that you should be concerned with.

Once you do find a great vacation rental owner who has a clean, safe and secure unit with all the amenities and shows that they take care of the place. Give them a call once you return home and let them know you enjoyed staying in their place. Give them a testimonial as your appreciation. If you plan on visiting the same area again next year speak to them about holding that week or two and make arrangements now, chances are you can negotiate the same price and avoid any price increases.

The best reward a property owner can receive is your recommendation, so refer your family, friends and co-workers that you know and trust will be good renters and take care of the place the same way you did. Owners have found that referrals from guest who took care of the units are their best referrals.

Like anything else in life doing your homework, asking the right questions is your best bet to getting the best deal for your money and most imprortant, a safe and secure place to spend your vacation both for you and your family.

Albert Rios has worked in the financial arena for over thirty years, now retired he manages a few vacation rental properties in Dorado Puerto Rico, Villas de Costa Mar, his little piece of paradise as he calls it.

There are literally hundreds of Vacation Rentals by Owner sites and it seems new ones are appearing every week. On the face of it, it may seem like making money from a ”vacation rentals by owner” site is easy: all you have to do is get 1,000 owners to sign up, each paying $100 per year, and you can generate an annual income of $100k with almost no running costs, right?

Well, it’s not that simple. For a start, getting vacation rentals owners to pay for a listing on your site is not that easy, and secondly, if you expect to keep them, you will need to generate enquiries and bookings, which only come as a result of spending money, time and effort marketing your “vacation rental by owner” site.

Compare Owner Holiday Rentals (http://www.compareownerholidayrentals.com) recently decided to take an analytical look at the business of running a “Vacation Rental by Owner” site.

Some of you may be familiar with Michael Porter’s famous framework for analysing the attractiveness of an industry: based upon Porter’s model, you can predict how profitable a particular industry is likely to be in the long term. We have used this model to analyse the attractiveness of the business of running a “vacation rentals by owner” site.

Porter’s model says that there are 5 factors which influence the level of competitive rivalry, and hence the relative profitability, of an industry. These are:

1. The threat of entry by new competitors.
2. The intensity of rivalry among existing competitors.
3. Pressure from substitute products.
4. The bargaining power of buyers.
5. The bargaining power of suppliers.

These factors can either have a positive or negative effect on the long term profitability of an industry. Let’s take each of these in turn and see how they can be applied to the business of running a “Vacation Rentals by Owner” site.

1. The Threat of Entry by New Competitors: As already indicated, there are new competitors entering the “vacation rentals by owner” business on an almost weekly basis. The main reason for this is that the “barriers to entry” are so low: anyone with some IT skills can quickly build and publish a site, with the only cost being their time and some hosting charges. These low “barriers to entry” and the presence of so many new competitors are a negative for the profitability of the industry.

2. The Intensity of Rivalry among Existing Competitors: Free trials, free listings, reduced prices: all of these are indications of the increasing level of rivalry among the existing sites. Many of the new “vacation rental by owner” sites offer the first 6 or 12 months free of charge. Although some of the established “vacation rental by owner” sites have tried to hold the line on pricing and special offers, the indications are that they are finding it hard to hold their market share. Again, the level of rivalry is a negative for the industry profitability.

3. Pressure from Substitute Products: By “substitute “products, we will restrict ourselves to other ways that vacation rentals owners can choose to market their properties. Hence, this includes newspaper / magazine advertising (a medium in declining usage), using rentals agencies (still highly used, particularly in Europe) and marketing via the Owner’s own website (which seems to be increasing, particularly with the advent of Google Ads). All the evidence suggests that more owners are using the internet for advertising their vacations rentals; even the rental agencies now heavily use “Vacation Rentals by Owner” sites for marketing their properties. Also, although there are exceptions, using the commercial “Vacation Rentals by Owner” sites is very much more effective than using a personal site. Hence, the pressure from substitutes is relatively low, the industry is growing and this is a positive for the industry profitability.

4. The Bargaining Power of Buyers: Largely because there are so many options, including free trials and special offers, buyers (owners) have a lot of power when deciding where to list their properties. Also, the cost of switching to a different “vacation rental by owner” site is relatively low. Most owner’s review their advertising on an annual basis, based upon the results (enquiries, bookings) that they have received. “Vacation rental by Owner” sites that fail to produce results are not able to persuade owners to renew. Many new sites that start off by offering free trials fail to turn these into paying customers because they have not been able to attract renters in sufficient numbers to generate rental bookings. Hence, the bargaining power of buyers (owners) is a negative for the industry profitability.

5. The Bargaining Power of Suppliers : In the context of running a “Vacation Rentals by Owner” site, the main services that site owners buy are “hosting” ( which is cheap and plentiful) and marketing/ advertising ( which is plentiful, but not that cheap). Since hosting is relatively unimportant, let’s focus on marketing/ advertising. As more and more “vacation rental by owner” sites come online, getting good results on search engines such as Google is getting harder and harder. Hence, “Vacation Rentals by Owner” sites are experiencing the need to invest more in targeted marketing and advertising in order to attract renters to their sites. This eats into margins and is affecting the profitability of the business. Hence, although previously neutral, the bargaining power of suppliers is increasingly a negative for the industry profitability.
So, with 4 out of 5 factors being negative, does that mean that this industry is so unattractive that it is impossible to make money running a “Vacation Rentals by Owner” site?

Not necessarily, although undoubtedly it is getting tougher. In particular, smaller “me-too” vacation rentals by owner sites are unlikely to be able to be profitable enough to stay around for the long term, although new ones will probably continue to enter the market, start off by offering extended free trials, stay in the market for a couple of years and then fold.

However, there are probably two ways you can build and maintain a profitable business in this industry.

Firstly, some large “vacation rental by owner” sites will achieve sufficient scale (possibly through acquisition) to use their size to generate competitive advantage. These sites will have the critical mass of owners and visitors to be economically viable. As evidenced by the recent acquisitions that the WVR Group have made, it’s likely that some of the better smaller “vacation rental by owner” sites will get absorbed into such larger entities. Currently, VRBO and the WVR Group, (which owns a1vacations, Greatrentals, Cyberrentals and Holiday-Rentals amongst others) are the two 800 pound gorillas in the industry. Expect further consolidation to happen in the coming years.

However, it is also possible for a smaller “vacation rental by owner” site to be successful. To do this, it will need to carve out a profitable niche, possibly focusing on a particular geography or demographic to build competitive advantage. By focusing marketing efforts on a targeted group, these smaller sites will be able to attract vacation rental owners and renters. Hence, expect to see an increase in the number of specialist sites ( e.g. Petfriendlytravel focusing on renters with pets), possibly offering add-on services that differentiate them from the larger “vacation rental by owner” sites. Indeed, many small regional sites offer full vacation rental management services, from booking through handling changeover, as an alternative to the model which relies upon the owner to manage everything themselves.

Conclusions:

It is inevitable that the business of running a “vacation rental by owner“ web site will change in the coming years. Although the overall market will grow as people continue to move away from traditional package holidays and embrace holidays using vacation rentals, it is likely that “vacation rentals by owner” sites will split into two camps: the large sites with the critical mass to cost-effectively market thousands of properties, and the smaller, niche sites, that offer some unique differentiating factor to be attractive to a more targeted group of owners and renters.

Kevin Graham is the founder of Compare Owner Holiday Rentals (COHR). COHR provides a guide to choosing the best vacation rental sites. For further details, please see Compare Owner Holiday Rentals .

Are you looking for a vacation rental with a real difference? Are you tired of the banal and normal? Why not literally turn the clock back in time and stay in a real Irish thatched cottage. Experience a slower pace of life on the North West coast of Ireland in County Donegal.

Located right on the Atlantic Ocean, Cruit Island is defiantly a destination with a difference. Joined from the mainland by a bridge this small secluded location offers an abundance of outdoor activities for the more adventurous traveller. Experience how Robinson Crusoe felt whilst walking on the numerous deserted beaches in the area, marvel at the rugged beauty of the Atlantic Ocean or enjoy a round of golf at one of Ireland’s most beautiful courses. Listen to the call of the Cuckoo, now almost extinct in Ireland or pick some rare wildflowers. Try your hand at fishing-the area boasts numerous species including Cod, Pollack, Tope, Mackerel, Gurnard, Conger Eel, Wrasse and Ling. Sample some of the areas fine locally produced cuisine or join the locals for a few pints of Guinness.

In the evening return home to sit at a blazing turf fire, relax with family and friends playing cards or board games as there are no phones or televisions in the cottages. Take life at a slower pace and re-invigorate your mind and body. Listen to the soothing sound of the Ocean as it crashes over the rocks less than 100 meters from where you sit.

Daily flights operate between Dublin and Donegal International Airport at Carrickfinn where car rental can also be arranged. Cruit Island is located less than 10 miles from the Airport or is a 5 hour drive from Dublin or Shannon.

Most ski resorts have websites. Start the planning process by accessing these websites to determine where you and your family might want to go for your family ski vacation. There are many different things to look for when choosing a resort. The absolute most Important thing to look for is a ski school if someone in your family will need instruction. While most resorts do have ski schools, some don’t. Don’t make the mistake of choosing a destination where one or more of your family members won’t have fun, simply because they don’t know how to ski.

Next, take a look at the slopes, lifts, and trails. You want to make sure that the resort has something to offer everyone in your family. If the resort only caters to beginners, an expert skier will become quickly bored. If you have a snowboarder in your group, and there is no snowboarding park or terrain, that snowboarder will not be happy. There are resorts that serve all winter sports – so make sure that your families interests are covered.

Lodging is the next thing to look at. You want to be comfortable, so where you will sleep at night matters a great deal. In most cases, there is a hotel right at the base of the slopes – but this isn’t necessarily the best or most affordable place to stay. Find out what your lodging options are for the area, and choose the one that is right for your family and your budget. If you will be staying farther away from the slopes, make sure that there is transportation to and from the slopes each day!

Your family will have many more interests that you will need to search for before deciding on a particular destination and resort. Some of those interests may be dog sledding, sleigh rides, snowmobiling, snowshoeing or horseback riding. Resorts do offer these activities, but some don’t – so be sure to ask about the winter activities, as well as the planned events during the time that you will be at the resort. This will help you plan a ski vacation that your family will enjoy and remember for the rest of their lives.

Are you considering a vacation rental either to rent out or vacation in? A few considerations looked at from both perspectives can make for lots of happy campers and campees.

From the perspective of the rental owner, the more comfort and convenience your property offers, the happier everyone will be. Your guest vacationers will appreciate your attention to detail and you will avoid the hassles of disgruntled guests.

For instance –

• Make sure there are no leaks in all plumbing areas.
• Check all electrical appliances regularly for perfect working order.
• Cleanliness is of utmost importance! Clean kitchens, bathrooms, windows, floors are all very appealing – dirty is depressing!
• Take the time to air out cooking and stale odors after each occupancy.
• Request no smoking inside the home but have an outside area provided with ashtrays where smokers can sit comfortably while keeping cigarette butts out of the garden.
• Keep a list handy of your preferred plumbers, electricians, etc. in case of an emergency so that problems can be resolved as quickly and as expertly as possible.
• If possible, provide linens – the less your guests have to lug around the better.
• A house with a nice curb appeal and/or outside garden is always a plus!
• Leave all personal items stored away for easy access when you and/your family use the property. So your guests can feel at home, remove all family photographs from the walls and bedroom dressers.v
• Compile a Frequently Asked Question booklet and leave it in an obvious place for your guests. Make sure it includes how to turn on and off the water supply in case of a leak, how to turn off electricity and/or location of circuit breaker box. Include anything that will protect your property and keep it in safe hands.

As for the renter –

• Of course, the kinder you are to someone else’s property the kinder they will be to you, welcoming your return year after year.
• Report any problems on the site that may be interfering with a relaxing stay or that could damage the property in any way.
• Leaving the place as neat as possible always make a nice difference for the clean-up crew.
• If this is the first time you will be booking a vacation rental property online, read the vacation rentals checklist for renters available at PinkPavilions.com, which contains helpful information on how to handle your booking, payments, cancellation policy, etc.
• And finally, your job is to have the best vacation you can – so just get on with it!

There are hundreds of locations around the world that are simply excellent locations to enjoy. You will see that many of them are listed here. Others, like the favorite one that you have may not be. There are many unique ways that you too can enjoy the waters the world has to offer.

Consider Manitoba, Canada

The area is known as Land of Lakes that have served to produce many trophy fish. Both still and fly fishing pros love the location. In Manitoba, you’ll catch some of the best northern pike and they will give you a good fight too. They strike hard and fast on the Daredevil lure. You can use flies with a good amount of success. You’ll also find brook and brown trout, rainbow as well as perch and pickerel. Go in the spring or the fall for the best fishing vacation here.

Good Old Long Island, New York

Here, you’ll find Montauk Point. Some of the world’s top naturalists have come to the conclusion that this is the place to find the most fish in the world. The point is a glacial cliff and you’ll find tuna, cod, mackerel, marlin, striped bass and white shark here. It also features the oldest lighthouse in the states. An inside tip is to cast from the rocks below the lighthouse and you’ll get some of the best fishing out there. Although spring and fall are the best times to go, you can come during the summer too.

Wyoming, USA

If you are looking to catch trophy trout in the US, a vacation to Yellowstone National Park is a must. Slough Creek is full of trophy trout, as are other streams within the Park’s boundaries, and they are all stocked regularly. Streams and rivers outside of the Park also offer great fishing opportunities, as do the waters of nearby Idaho and Montana. Wyoming is home to 62 native species, including Arctic grayling, burbot, channel catfish, shiners, chub, several trout species, suckers, goldeneye, mountain whitefish, shovelnose sturgeon, and a wide variety of smaller fish.

The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys offer a wide range of fishing opportunities. People come all year round to catch them. In fact, Hemingway himself fished here. The waters are still as excellent as they were then too. You’ll find tarpin and bonefish in the Marquesas Islands. You’ll find blue marlin, King mackerel, sailfish, yellowfin, shark snapper, and a wide range of others here too.

Head To Hampshire, England

Head just outside of London to get some of the best fly fishing opportunities. Here you’ll find trout and Atlantic salmon. Check out the Itchen and Test rivers too although they are on a private island and you’ll need to pay to get in, they are excellent opportunities nonetheless. You’ll find trout fisheries here, too.

Try Missouri, USA

Go to the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Here, you can catch bass under the limestone bluffs. You’ll find that the river itself has over two hundred different species including bass, channel catfish, sunfish, bullheads, muskellunge, walleye, shad, perch and trout. You’ll find more fish here than anywhere in the US.

Here are some tips for you.

Don’t take with you all of your equipment unless you really want to. You’ll find guide services will provide you with everything that you need.

They can also provide the necessary fishing licenses for you too. Get your information from here too. Make sure if you plan to go out of country that you are allowed to export and import the fish, though.

You can always ask other anglers where they like to fish. Some of the best locations for fishing are in those small, hideouts that are closely guarded secrets!

Planning a trip has become increasing difficult as there are so many options to choose from. After finding a hotel that suits all your needs you need to ascertain whether you are getting a good rate. When you ask a travel agent or refer to a brochure for rates what you get is the generally quoted rate for room. But if you are wise you can get a better deal and save a lot of money.

1. Surf the net and see what online travel sites like Expedia, Hotels.com, or Travelocity are offering. Or you could browse the hotel web site to find a good deal. Many sites list special offers as well as discounts.

2. Use a search tool to like BookingBuddy.com or Travel Axe to compare various offers and rates.

3. Look for what is known as “lowest rate guarantee” these are mainly on offer online but are subject to advance booking and very harsh cancellation policies. Even if the price offered online is attractive do call the hotel up and see if they are willing to better the rate.

4. Opaque-pricing travel sites like Hotwire or priceline do offer good rates for good hotels. The only downside is you cannot specify a hotel. All you can do is indicate where you want accommodation. The reservation needs to be made online and is non refundable and one cannot change plans or cancel.

5. Consider purchasing an Entertainment book discount for between US$22 to 45. Becoming a member entitles you to discounts of 50% on the rack rate of member hotels. But these discounts are only available when the occupancy rate of the hotel is less than 80%. Check out the great options at: http://www.entertainment.com/discount/home.shtml.

6. Ask about weekend rates. Often hotels that cater to business travelers have great rates on what they consider off season, weekends.

7. If you plan your trip well in advance you could get a discount of 50% or more during off season.

8. Some hotels have special rates for members of AAA, American Automobile Association and other professional bodies or clubs. Call the hotel of your choice and ask them if they do have such schemes.

9. If you are traveling in a group ask about group rates or family rates. Most hotels have different options for multiple bookings. Some even offer a day or two additional stay at no extra cost.

10. When you leave the airport or railway station or just drive in to a town stop at a gas station and find out if they have hotel coupon booklets. These many a time have great offers for visitors.

To get the best deal you need to be thorough as well as flexible. Just as you spend time sourcing air tickets at bargain prices you can do the same for hotel bookings. Read all travel offers carefully, set aside any discount booklets your bank or credit card company sends you for use when you travel. If you are smart you will save quite a lot.

Does Mayan culture pique your interest? Do you want to see a live volcano? Does visiting a place called the Land of Eternal Spring interest you? If so, go to Guatemala!

Nestled in Central America, Guatemala is a land with an ancient history and an intriguing present. Long ruled by the Mayans, this people group suddenly died off well before the Spaniards conquered the land. Still, you see the “Mayan look” in the faces of many of the people.

Bright colors adorn much of the clothing, and villages are occupied by people who are hardworking and friendly. Because Catholicism is so strong, expect to see a huge cathedral in many of the larger towns.

Guatemala City is a modern, loud, noisy, and smelly place. Still, it is the seat of government for the nation and the place many tourists start their vacation. Tikal and other resorts are nearby and the one active volcano in the country is near Antigua, the ancient capitol of this Central American destination.

Why is it called the Land of the Eternal Spring? Well, this applies mostly to Guatemala City as its elevation of 4700 feet keeps it cool enough year round. Even in summer evenings you will reach for a sweater or jacket to ward off the chilly air. Contrast that with the coastal areas where year round heat and humidity is commonplace.

If you make a decision to spend your vacation in Egypt, usually you have a choice of two sea resorts – Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh. They both are very popular, but Hurghada is situated in African continent while Sharm El Sheikh lies on Sinai peninsula.
About 30 years ago Hurghada was just a simple fishing village. But now, with it’s a resort with crystal clear water, untouched reefs. It has become one of the best Egyptian tourist destinations. A significant part of its fame Hurghada gained as one of the best diving centres of the world. Like all oriental cities Hurghada make living out of trade, so if when you walk along the city, be ready to beat off the pressing offers of the sellers, deserving to make you buy their souvenirs. There are some more entertainments except shopping and diving in Hurghada. You can make a jeep trip to a desert, visit Bedouin’s village there; you can see corals and some natural preserves. Hurghada is also has aqua-park. Fishing is one of the popular tourist’s activities in Hurghada too. Today, Hurghada is known as a party town, particularly among Europeans. Locals and others will tell you that life begins at night in Hurghada, with the many, many clubs.
The best time to visit Hurghada is October-November. In winter there are strong winds and it becomes dark very early.
When you are in Hurghada don’t miss the chance to see one of the most outstanding monuments of Egypt history – Luxor and the Valley of the King. Pharaoh’s tombs and ancient temples are worth visiting.
Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the most accessible and developed tourist resort communities on the Sinai peninsula. All around are Bedouins, colorful tents, mountains and sea. Na’ama Beach is one of the center of the tourist activities. Located just north of Sharm, this area is developing into a resort town of its own. For those who like shopping, the Sharm El-Sheikh mall provides shops with both foreign and local products, including jewelry, leather goods, clothing, pottery and books. Nobody leaves Sharm el-Sheikh without several useless but very pleasant souvenirs. Like Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh is famous for diving too, but it has more diversity in corals.
Those, who choose Sharm el-Sheikh also has opportunity to watch the attraction of Sinai peninsula - The Monastery of St Catherine, Mount Sinai (or Mountain of Moses), Pharaoh’s Island and Salah El Din Citadel, Nabq National Park, Ras Abu Galum National Park and so-called ‘Coloured Canyon’.
The last but not the least of the Egypt must-sees is Cairo with its pyramids. From either Hurghada or Sharm El-Sheikh it will be a long trip, but you will never regret it!
When you going to Egypt, be aware that 3-star hotels in Egypt have nothing to do with 3-star hotels in Europe. So, it’s better to choose 4 or 5 star hotel. Probably it saves you from many inconveniences. Often, the large hotels have zoos, playgrounds, discos, bars, a number of pools and even small theaters. So, may be you will to want to leave your hotel.
Anyway, a trip to Egypt promises to be exotic and interesting expierence.