War Jitters? Relax in Egypt

By Lee Smith/Cairo

With the Middle East on the brink of war, it's an excellent time to visit the monuments and bazaars of Egypt. I'm not kidding. On a recent tour, I found the natives friendly and the culture more fascinating than ever. And with Americans shunning the place, it's perfect for adventurous travelers who hate crowds and love luxury at bargain prices.

Apprehensive Americans have avoided Egypt since terrorists gunned down 58 foreign tourists outside Luxor in 1997. And the 9/11 attacks contributed to an additional 34% decline in U.S. visitors, to 117,396 in 2002. But since 1997, Egypt hasn't seen a terrorist attack on foreigners, who it can be argued have been safer there than in New York City. European tourists have begun to return to Egypt, but they don't use luxury hotels and river tours to the extent that Americans do. "And when Americans dine," says Atef Goubran, an executive with Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, "they drink wine and cognac."

The classic short tour of Egypt includes three or four days in Cairo and four days on the Nile. Here's how to do the tour in the very best style at moderate expense:

CAIRO. The Mena House Oberoi (oberoi hotels.com is one of the world's exceptional resorts, built in 1869 as a royal lodge for a khedive. The interior is a spectacular blend of Moorish, Ottoman and Coptic design. Most striking is the site--half a mile from the Great Pyramid of Cheops.

Not long ago, travelers waited in vain for a room with a pyramid view. These days such rooms are available on short notice at $240 a night for a double room with 12-ft. ceilings. The walls are covered with teak carved in arabesque patterns and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. From a small private balcony, you can view Cheops' burial place.

At dawn the staff leads guests on horseback to the pyramids and Sphinx. Before the sun gets too high, you can play tennis on real clay courts and then spend the afternoon poolside in a courtyard framed by palms and with a pyramid view. Chateaubriand for two ($29) is served in the ornate Al Rubayatt restaurant. And a fine place to end the evening is the Mamluk Bar, which buzzes with a crowd of international characters who seem to have walked off the set of Casablanca.

THE NILE. Although several companies ply the river with opulent cruise ships, one firm, Abercrombie & Kent, is heavily dependent on U.S. visitors. Before 9/11 so many Americans begged to get aboard that it was difficult to book passage without buying a package, which includes a stay at a decent Cairo hotel but not the Mena House. These days, for as little as $1,845--half the price of the package tour--you can book a four-day trip from Luxor to Aswan, or vice versa, on A&K's stately Sun Boat IV (800-323-7308). Flights from Cairo to Aswan or Luxor are only $290 round trip.

On a recent cruise we were among only 28 passengers and had the run of the spacious, five-deck ship, built to carry as many as 85 passengers. A&K nonetheless kept a full staff of 60 on board, and the service and food were outstanding. The Sun Boat transported us peacefully upriver to docks from which we could travel easily to ancient monuments, including the majestic columns and obelisks of Karnak and the richly painted tombs of kings and queens burrowed into the desert. While waiting for the next monument to show up, we stretched out on the Sun Boat's deck, admiring the groves of date palms passing by, and exchanged salutes with farmers and fishermen. Any antipathy between Arabs and Americans seemed far away.