Optima Hotels and Resorts

	Passport / Visa Passport is required to get into Egypt with entry visa. ( tourist visa for a period of one month delivered easily by Egyptian consulates abroad) .
	Currency The Egyptian pound (L.E.) is divided into 100 piastres (pt). Prices are written in various ways: L.E. 1.50, L.E. 1.500 and 150 pt all represent one and a half pounds. Banknotes are issued in denominations from 50 piastres to 100 pounds. Coins from 5 to 25 piastres. Foreign currency can be exchanged only at a bank or other authorized financial establishment. It is forbidden to pay for purchases in foreign currency.
	Public Holidays Secular holidays are fixed; religious holidays wander around the year according to the Islamic lunar calendar. Secular holidays: January 1 (banks only), April 25 (Sinai Day), May 1 (Labour Day), July 23 (Revolution Day) and October 6 (Armed Forces Day). Of the religious holidays, all as moveable as Christian Easter, the most important is the fasting month of Ramadan. The Islamic day starts at sundown, so that a religious holiday marked for a particular date in the standard calendar in fact begins on the previous evening.
	Climate Actually, most hotels, tourist coaches and cruising boats provide good air conditioning, but for outdoor sightseeing choose your season carefully. Though summer is a sizzler—up around 32°C (90°F)—Egypt’s predominantly dry heat makes it easier to bear. Cairo is more humid than Luxor and Aswan. The most comfortable time for Tourists to go is from October (around 24°C (75°F)) till May , The popular winter holidays from December to February alternate between balmy and cool, averaging 17°C (60°F). The only rain you are likely to run into then is on the Mediterranean coast. And the one place it is always downright cold is before dawn in the desert.
	Language English is the most commonly spoken language after Arabic
	Electricity Count on 220-volt, 50-cycle AC with European-style sockets for two round pins.
	Banks Open from 8.30 a.m. to 13.30 Sunday to Thursday. Banks are closed on Fridays and Saturdays except in tourist locations such as bank’s counters in hotels.
	Credit Cards Shops and restaurants accept credit cards and often prefer them to cash, it’s hard to cash money with a credit card.
	Telephone Hotel telephone and fax services are improving fast, but be patient.
	Transport In the capital, take a taxi, as the bus is just too hectic. Do not be surprised if you are sometimes expected to share your taxi with a stranger. Be sure to agree on a price before you set out.
	Clothing Clothing should be light—cottons are less sticky than synthetics. Add a sweater for cool evening. Good walking shoes are vital and easy-to-kick-off sandals for visiting Muslim homes or mosques.
	Customs Allowance / Duty Free Customs controls are minimal at point of entry, with an official import allowance of 200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 200g of tobacco and 1 litre of wine or spirits. No limit on amounts of foreign currency.
	Bags Pack very little. Remember you carry your own bags between hotel, bus and cruise boat. If you need prescribed medicines, take your own, as Egyptian equivalents may be hard to find. Include insect-repellent and a pocket torch (flashlight)—invaluable for the tombs, temples and desert nights.
	Health Health facilities, hygiene and disease risk vary worldwide. You should take health advice about your specific needs as early as possible through either your general practitioner or a specialist clinic. In the hot months, sunburn, sunstroke and dehydration are constant dangers. Wear a hat and wear protective creams. Keep insect repellent handy. The waters of the Nile are infested with the deadly bilharzia parasite. Do not drink unpurified Nile water, don’t swim in the Nile or walk barefoot near it.
	Media Egypt is a good place to forget the affairs of the world, English spoken in the touristic aereas and hotels, foreign papers or Egypt’s government-run English-(or French-) language dailies. Television in major hotels gets CNN; BBC World Service and French, German and Italian stations by satellite.
	Photography Film for video or still-camera is readily available in Egypt but expensive. If you buy supplies in advance, choose film-speed for the dazzling desert light. Most museums charge a fee for photography, more expensive for video, and it’s often forbidden altogether inside ancient tombs. Photography is also forbidden around airports, bridges and government offices.
	Safety Egyptians are fundamentally honest. Merchants in the bazaar are not seeking to cheat you, just trying like businessmen anywhere to get the best bargain and keep the customer happy. Pickpockets are much commoner in Europe than in the crowded streets of Egypt. Without undue paranoia, don’t tempt the few that do exist anywhere with an open handbag or a wallet in the hip pocket. Leave your valuables in the hotel safe. Lock your luggage before leaving it with porters at the station or airport.
	Tipping For waiters and hotel staff, 10–12% will be automatically added to your bill, and it is customary to add another 5%. Taxi drivers should receive 10%. Have some small notes handy for caretakers at mosques and temples or beach attendants
	Water Bottled mineral water is recommended.
	Web, Post and Press There are cybercafés in the main cities, including Cairo, Alexandria, Dahab and Luxor. Tourists can also access the internet in hotels. The main ISPs are the national PTO, SOTELGUI, although there are two private ISPs BINTTA/MiriNet and ETI-Bull. The postal system is efficient for international mail. Airmail to western europ takes about five days. There are Poste Restante facilities at the Central Post Office; a small fee is charges when mail is charged when mail is collected. All post offices are open daily 0900-1400 except Friday, and the Central Post Office in Cairo is open 24 hours. The most influential Egyptian daily is Al-Ahram; others include Al-Akhabar and several weekly and periodical publications. Two daily newspapers - Journal d'Egypte and Le Progrès Egyptien - are published in French. The English-language daily newspaper is the Egyptian Gazette. The Middles East Observer is the main weekly English-language business paper BBC MHZ 17.38 15.42 11.86 9.630 Voice of America MHZ 17.82 15.16 9.760 6.160