From: "Jim Winship"  ( United Kingdom )

To:  Summit Tours Egypt

Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 12:33 PM

Subject: RE: Lake Nasser Cruise During New Year

Thank you for your email.

We were extremely happy with the support and attention you gave us throughout our stay and we would have no hesitation in using you again in the future.  We will certainly recommend you to friends who may be thinking of visiting Egypt.

I hope we can use you again in the future.

Thank you again.

Kind regards

James Winship

From: "A Mehta"  -  ( UAE – India )

To: Summit Tours Egypt

Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 8:36 AM

Subject: Re: Fw: Nile Cruise program # STNC01 Starting December 29, 2006

 Mr. Emad

Thank you for your mail. We had a good time in Egypt and we thank you for
arranging the package as per our requirement.
Already we have given you contacts to our friends so they can call you when
they plan to visit Egypt.

Regds

Amish Mehta.

From : Ken Bumgarner  ( USA )

To : Summit Tours

Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2006 4:27 PM

Subject: RE: Egypt Tour 9 days 8 nights starting

 Salaam Emad!!

Yes my friend we are back safe and sound and the ladies are very happy about the trip and are already planning the next one!! 

They send greetings to you, your family and your staff and thanks for the best trip we have ever taken.  And truly Emad, I have not enjoyed a dinner party so much in years as that one with you and Rosario and Mohammed and Ashraf.   My wife wanted to take Mohammed back with us!!

 I’ve attached some photos, please spread them around!

 God be with you and your family and Ashraf and his.

 Ken Bumgarner, U.S. Consultant

From : Gerald & Sharon Moult  ( South African )

To : Summit Tours

Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2006 10:44 AM

Subject: Re: Nile Cruise Program # STNC02

Hello Emad.

Thank you for the follow-up email. We are safely back home

The tour with your company was very good and well organised, no hitches or problems. The cruise on the MS Carnival and food very good. Thank you.

The daily tours to the temples and tombs etc was well organised and
informative.

The sleeper train was ok but perhaps advise clients that breakfast and
morning coffee not good (both directions). Also train was late in both
directions about 5 hours on the return to Cairo. If this happens regularly
then catching connection flights will be a serious problem.

Please thank Ashraf your Cairo guide. He is very pleasant, helpful, friendly
and nice to deal with.

Also thank Mosas the guide with the cruise for his input.

I will certainly recommend your tour company to others.

Thanks again & best regards.

Gerald & Sharon Moult  

From: "Ann & Dean"  ( Western Australia )

To : Summit Tours

Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 10:23 AM

Subject: Re: Feed Back for Egypt Tour

Hello Emad

We have arrived home safely from Cairo.
We had a wonderful day on the cruise to Dendara. It was very relaxing
and we enjoyed the trip very much.

Thank You for looking after us and we look forward to our next trip
in the future.

Regards

Dean & Ann

From: Carlos_Botero & Ana Milena Hoyos and Family  ( Colombia )

To : Summit Tours

Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 7:02 AM

Subject: RE: Egypt Tour # STC03

 Emad:

We really enjoyed our travel. We felt very well attended and actually we
received an excelent service. All that was scheduled was done. Thank you
very much. We want to highlight the service we received from all your
personnel and specially from Emad Mohsen .

Thanks again

Carlos  & Family

From : Carol

To : Summit Tours

Date :  June 2006

Subject : Caryl Theresa Olson – Egypt

RE : Guest feed back

Just got back and had a great time. Thanks for helping make it a great trip.

From : Carol

To : Summit Tours

Date :  June 2006

Subject : Lisa Alvir – Egypt   ( USA )

RE : Guest feed back

The trip was fascinating and a unique experience for us all.  It was definitely worth every penny.  Our guides were wonderful!  We felt comfortable and they took care of everything. We especially loved Salwa  Her youthful exuberance was contagious and Mohamed 's knowledge seemed to be endless!  Rachael even took notes!

We tried to follow the tips you had provided concerning dress, tipping etc and we were treated well.  The people were friendly and helpful and so interesting to talk to. We were very pleased with all of our accommodations as well. Thank you again. I'm very happy I choose your company. 
 

From : Carol : A-Z Tours

To : Summit Tours

Date :  May 2006

Subject : Susan St. Claire – Egypt  ( USA )

RE : Guest feed back

The food was great except the Nile cruise did not have a vegetarian entree until I requested one.
* the ancient sites were great
* snorkeling and hiking were great
* the trip went well with a few glitches

The guides were ok. The best one was the woman in Alexandria. She spoke good English, she was professional, she was well-educated on the information.

The Luxor hotel was the best.

From : Carol : A-Z Tours

To : Summit Tours

Date :  May 2006

Subject : Lisa Franklin – Greece  ( USA )

RE : Guest feed back

I really enjoyed my trip. Thank you for all your hard work. My tour guide was very nice.  I stayed at Hotel Pan, which is in a wonderful central location, but the people that worked at the front desk weren't very cordial. Other than that, everything was wonderful. If I should go back to Greece, it will be to island hop. Thank you again.

From : Joseph Andrew Maderick  ( USA )

To : Summit Tours

Date : March 20, 2006

Sent: Monday, May 01, 2006 6:11 PM

Gentlemen:

    On February 10, 2006 my son Joseph and I embarked on a package provided by your company on a tour of Egypt.  I would like to take this time to report on the trip.

    Let me begin by saying that overall the trip was spectacular and immensely pleasurable.  If you will I shall proceed step by step yet shall remain brief.

    We arrived at Cairo International and were immediately taken back by seeing armed soldiers standing under the wing of the airliner.  This was to be the case everywhere we went.  Unknown to us the Egyptian Government has a large national police entity called the Tourism and Antiquities Police.  They were omni-present on our trip.  It was explained by the guides that Egypt will not allow a repeat of the murderous nonsense that occurred a few years ago and have taken more than appropriate precautions to insure complete security.  All of the tour people and even the policemen themselves with whom I spoke were adamant about ensuring safety of visitors.  Maybe this could be communicated to potential tourists, concerned about such matters.  In spite of this presence I must say that at no time, even in the dark of late night were either of us particularly concerned about any dangers.  We felt at least as secure as one might in Los Angeles or New York.

    We found the people with the exception of snotty teenaged kids pandering for a buck to be absolutely wonderful and both conciliatory and helpful in every respect.  We were treated more than respectfully by everyone we met at every location.  Almost everyone had some command of English and when they did not; someone nearby did and offered help.  

    Upon our arrival at the airport we were met by two representatives of the Egyptian Tour Company, Summit Tours.  The two young men ushered us through Customs and onto our tour bus which delivered us to our hotel, The Mena House.

To our absolute amazement the Great Pyramid of Cheops was just across the street from the hotel.  It literally provided and dreamlike backdrop for our dinner.

    The hotel itself was quite nice with every amenity.  It was very clean and well maintained.  The restraints were a bit pricey but provided excellent cuisine with excellent service.

    The following day we toured the Sphinx and Pyramids and rode a camel.

That evening we had a dinner cruise on the Nile.

    Emad, our tour representative arrived bright and early with our mini bus driver and Madleen, the licensed tour guide.  Egypt requires tour guides to be properly educated and licensed.  Off we went to the Pyramids.

    Madleen provided reasonably good service, though she was suffering from a cold.  Emad was instantly at our bid and service providing us with all of our tickets and the “other” details on Egypt and Cairo.  I highly compliment him on the excellent job of taking care of us while in his care.  We felt a bit pressed for time by Madleen at the various venues.  Please understand she did nothing wrong in any way.  

    The boat dinner was nice but did not qualify as a highlight by any means.  The dinner was ample and savory and typical of Egyptian fare.  The fact that a wedding party was seated at the next table made the experience most pleasant and is the thing that made it noteworthy.  Entertainment included set of “swirl” dancers, a disco band and female singer, and a belly dancer.  Again it was pleasant but otherwise unremarkable.

    The next day we did the Egyptian Museum, the Christian sites, the Bazaar, Saladin’s Citadel and the Mosque of Mohammed Ali.  We were very pressed in the museum and had to move briskly through the exhibits.  We were escorted to a Cotton Shop….this was a blatant hook to buy Egyptian cotton wares in which we had no interest.  We skipped the Papyrus and perfumery, as they too were traps to buy souvenirs and wares.  We insisted on lunch instead.  

    At the bazaar, which is a maze of close and narrow little streets choked with tourist shops.  My son was guided by Madeen to a place to purchase a Hookah, water pipe.  When my son presented the pipe to Emad and was told the price, Emad took my son back to the dealer who ended up giving him piles of tobacco products and a second pipe with no further charge.  Apparently the shop where he was taken had an arrangement with the guide and grossly over charged the price of the pipe.  We were later to learn that the guides generally had arrangements with certain shops where they receive significant commissions for bringing in their unwary tourists.    My son and I are of the opinion that such behavior in view of the tour prices and such is really uncalled for and that the tour companies might be well advised to tell the tour participants to beware of such tactics.  As a rule we found that a number somewhat less than half of the original asking price was usually fair.

    So in spite of the renegotiated deal on the water pipe my son came away feeling cheated.  However, in all fairness this was the worst of it.   And Emad the tour representative was mortified and apologetic.  We made no issue of it with the guide.

    Emad got us to our sleeper train and saw us off to Aswan.  Our blessings go to our driver whose name escapes me.  But he surely has an angel watching over him and he is blessed with the patience of Job as the traffic in Cairo is phenomenally bad and disorganized.  We actually were hit twice during our stay.  As it was everyone was non-plussed and ignored the little bumps as meaningless.  Typically there are three lanes painted on the pavement and traffic occupies six or seven lanes of cars all moving in rhythm like the muscles of a snake.  A car simply joins the movement then leaves the movement as it crawls along interminably slowly.  With all that we saw no significant accidents.  Amazing !  Don’t even think about driving yourself.

    We arrived in Aswan and were swept away by Eslam Elewy of Aswan.  This guide remained with us for the next four days and more or less took care of the tour representative duties when Mr. Maghraby the Luxor manager was not present.  At no time were we actually left alone.  Eslam made up for any insufficiencies we had experienced in Cairo.  He took excellent care of us and did a great job with his narratives and instructions.  The souvenirs and such we did purchase were under his tutelage and guidance.  He truly went above and beyond in his efforts to serve us and to show us as much as possible.  He was far more detailed and knowledgeable than the other guides.  

    The Nile cruise should more accurately be categorized as a floating hotel rather than a cruise as such.  The accommodations were again very nice and quite clean.  The food service was adequate and ample.  Unfortunately, both my son and I fell victim to Ramses Revenge despite drinking only bottled water and having been warned that although the water is microbiologically clean the chemicals used to purify the water system are rough on our systems.  We probably picked up something from the fresh fruits or veggies.  

    The ship was the M/S Hamees.  I had a minor problem here that annoyed me enough to comment on it.  I approached the front desk to exchange $75.00 US to Egyptian Pounds.  The going rate that day was 5.735 as posted by The Bank of Alexandria.  The desk clerk paid me 5.5 to the dollar.  The actual amount of the difference in the amount paid verses the actual amount due is really insignificant.  It amounted to less than a dollar or two.  But the fact that I was on a ship and they were either indifferent to the correct amount or simply stuck me for a few cents really aggravated me.  I would have expected them to be more responsive and responsible.  

    We did not see the quarries but did have an afternoon to ourselves and visited the Luxor museum.  The Karnak light show was at best novel.  It did not compare to the Light show at the Sphinx  which was far more elaborate and entertaining.

    We returned to Cairo for our last day and two nights.  We were met at the train promptly by Emad and the driver.  We toured Memphis and Sakkara and visited a carpet school where we were once again induced to buy.  We did not but did feel somewhat put upon.  Our guide did a decent job for the short time we were with him.

    That night we saw the light show at the Sphinx and as mentioned above was quite entertaining and beautiful.

    We were now staying at the Meridien Hotel.  The hotel was very nice as would be expected of a higher-class place.  But as typical of most French owned enterprises they had their nose in the air attitude.  Ah well.

    The following morning we were up at 0500 to catch our flight.  Unfortunately, we were on the way to the airport when I noticed that our actual departure was not until 3:40 in the afternoon.  It seems that the itinerary that Emad had had a 07:40 departure time whereas the actual time as per my itinerary was at the actual 3:40.   Poor Emad looked like he would die. When this became clear.

    We already checked out of the hotel and we now had like ten hours before departure.  We went to a café and discussed the problem for several hours over a pipe or two and a gallon of chai and coffee.  Someone between A-Z and Summit dropped the ball with the error on the itinerary and neither Emad  nor Momen, his co-representative,  knew what to do to soothe us.  Alas, these things happen and we were not the least angry and undoubtedly felt as bad for Emad and Momen as they did for us.  They did their very best to make sure we were well served.  Finally, I insisted that we go to the airport where we sat until departure time.  

    Regardless, I would recommend these young men without hesitation.  We had great fun with them and thoroughly enjoyed their company.  They kept us out of trouble and well fed.  They were prompt and courteous.  Emad was sure that he would suffer the wrath of a raging god for the error on the itinerary.  It was hardly his doing and therefore not his responsibility by any means.  

    So with no hesitation and being very objective in the matter I strongly commend Emad, Eslam, Momen 

    Should you have questions feel free to contact me by e-mail at maderick@msn.com.

Sincerely,

Joseph Maderick

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From : Joseph Andrew Maderick  ( USA )

March 20, 2006

To : Summit Tours

    It gives me great pleasure to be able to offer this letter of recommendation for Emad Mohsen .

    In February of 2006 my son Joseph and myself engaged the services of Summit Tours of Cairo for an extended tour of Egypt.  We were met at the airport by Emad and a second representative from the tour company.

    Although the second representative was not seen again Emad remained with us for the tour.  I must commend him for the outstanding job he did.  He was always on time and extremely courteous.  His professional behavior along with his easy sense of humor made our time in Cairo a great pleasure.   

    He made it a point to not only act as our guide but went above and beyond the call of duty when my son Joseph was overcharged for a purchase.  Emad in a fit of dismay dragged my son back to the shop in question and demanded that the shop keeper make things right by adding additional items to the purchase with out any charge so that the deal was fair and balanced.

    All during our stay Emad remained attentive to our needs and made sure that we were cared for and protected fully and properly.  We developed a pleasant personal relationship with this young man.  He demonstrated his attentiveness and responsibility for us on numerous other occasions as well.   He shared his knowledge of the sights and venues on the tour as well as information on the contemporary life in Egypt and Cairo.  He added to a wonderful excursion with humor and concern.  We felt welcome and comfortable with his service and genuine personality.

    I would recommend his services without hesitation and offer my e-mail address for any questions that one might have.  maderick@msn.com

 Sincerely,

Joseph Maderick

From : Carol

To : Summit Tours

Date :  April 2006
Subject : Jane & Alan Vogel – Egypt  ( USA )

RE : Guest feed back

We had a simply terrific time and don't feel like we missed anything.   I must make a point to tell you how wonderful our guides were. They are now our friends and we communicate via email frequently.

Words cannot come close to describing how great the guides were they bought us farewell gifts. Moemen  was equally wonderful and writes us almost daily, telling us how much he misses us (and we him). They do your company proud and should be rewarded. They were exceptional. The drivers were equally good. Just getting us to our destination safely, considering how crazy EG drivers are, says volumes. 
 
Our tour was everything I had hoped for, and more. We have over 2,000 photos, so that should give you some idea of how much we enjoyed ourselves. Again, my thanks to you, A-Z Tours and our guides for memories that will last a lifetime.
 

From : Carol

To : Summit Tours

Date :  April 2006
Subject : Buck & Margarita Keiser – Egypt & Jordan  ( USA & Columbia )

RE : Guest feed back

Our trip to Jordan was the best part of our trip to Egypt. This was due in large part to our guide. Our plans had to be changed at the last minute and he was right at the exit of the ferry to meet us and take us quickly through the immigration and customs procedures.

He made our day with the trip to the Bedouin camp and the attention to all the details that he showed. What I think impressed us most was his knowledge of a wide variety of subjects, such as history and geology. This was evident in our jeep trip to Wadi Rum. His help in our Petra tour was very useful, as he suggested to us that we should climb to the Monastery, which was worth it.

In our travels we have used many guides and even though our time together has been short, he has been one of the best. We are leaving with a favorable impression of Jordan.

From : Carol : A-Z Tours

To : Summit Tours

Date :  April 2006
Subject : Sarah Fredell – Egypt  ( USA )

RE : Guest feed back

We had a truly amazing time. This was the least stressful trip I've ever been on. It was wonderful to have everything taken care of for us: transportation, tickets, destinations, etc.  I have fallen in love with the Egyptian people and would love to go back again. Your agents in Cairo were fantastic and took very good care of us. We have made new friends, especially with our tour guide in Cairo. We will definitely be recommending you to all our friends and family.  Thanks again for a great spring break.

From : Carol : A-Z Tours

To : Summit Tours

Date :  April 2006
Subject : Terry Pope – Egypt  ( USA )

RE : Guest feed back

Everything was fantastic, we had a great trip. Everything was great. Thanks.

From : Carol Lomond

To : Summit Tours

Date :  April 2006
Subject : Susan and Lloyd Thomas – Egypt  ( USA )

 
Thank you, thank you, thank you.  On a scale of 1-10, this holiday was about a 9.5! We were so pleased with everything.  We also met a guy from Miami who had booked with you and he agreed that all in all, the trip was great.

I am going to list (in point form) what we did like in particular, and things that we either felt could be improved. I do not do this as a "fault finding mission" or to complain....but, rather to offer suggestions that might make a similar trip better for others.

March 24.....great help to be met by polite and helpful guides and "whisked through", customs, visa etc. and taken right to the hotel and have them come in and see to it that we were registered and "all was well".  The hotel was great...big room...(a bit "tired"...soiled carpet etc. but....clean bed/towels etc. and a nice view and good food in the restaurant)  Certainly, the Nile Hilton is 5 star (North American standard)
March 25...on our own
March 26  we enjoyed our guides and the driver (a better command of English would have been great...but, we managed)...to Giza pyramids etc.  Picked up on time...good day all around.  (would have been nice to have a bit more time to go into the pyramids...and, to see the Solar Boat)  -- Nile Dinner Cruise was enjoyable.....nicer than we thought we "might" find it. 
We admit, we had some misgivings about "boats" in Egypt, but, it was well maintained and we felt safe and enjoyed the meal and entertainment.
March 27...museum, Cairo tour, light show at Giza.  (a bit too much shoved into this day)
March 28....due to heavy rains last night, we got off to a late start...Still though...an interesting and enjoyable day.
March 29...to Alexandria....after seeing more of Cairo.  Hotel in Alexandria....wonderful...even better than the Nile Hilton!
March 30 ... new guide (still same guide from Cairo and same driver, but tour guides were new almost every day)  toured Alexandria....great day.
March 31...toured National Museum, Roman Theatre, etc. -- great day ....around noon...back to hotel and "free time".
April 1st...free day.
April 2nd...drove from Alexandria to El Alamein War Memorials...and back to Cairo.  Great to once again have A….'s help to put us and our luggage right on the train!  We really appreciated the attention given to us.  The train was also better than we envisioned.  (supper was so-so...but, breakfast was ok)
One "problem".....we learned while in Cairo....that the ferry would not sail on the day we had it booked.......our guide helped us by arranging (at a reduced cost) another night's lodging at the Marriot Hotel in Hurghada and booked ferry tickets for the next day.
April 3....met in Aswan by Summit ....taken to hotel to deposit our luggage, then toured the dams and temples etc.  Very nice!  Checked into the cruise ship.....again....far better than our expectations!!!
April 4...sailing -- enjoyable....meals were very good!
April 5...Luxor....we had this day off instead of the scheduled tours because the other "tourist" (the one from Miami) was off on another tour and they said, then we could all combine and see the things we should have seen today together.  We agreed, but, said we at least would like to do the Sound and Light show at Karnak that evening.  Even so, we found the next day that there was too much crammed into one day.  (the guy from Miami did all we did on the 6th PLUS the light show)
April 6...Luxor...checked into hotel.....very nice....again 5 star equal to North American standards.  (however, when we checked out....they made a mistake in our bill....they corrected it but advise your future clients to always check their bills.
April 7....Luxor...left for Abydos and Dendera.
April 8.....Luxor to Hurghada....agents were great.  I wanted to get "more cash" and they took us to a Thomas Cook office and helped us get our message across and took us back to the hotel.
April 9 (extra day in Hurghada due to change in ferry schedule) We took a tour.
April 10..too windy for the ferry......so.....once again, they took us back to the hotel and arranged another night's lodging there (at a reduced rate) and re-arranged the ferry.
April 11....we were taken to the ferry and "put on it" by our tour guides. Once in Sharm.....picked up and taken directly to the condo and they helped us get registered etc.
April 12......a "problem" occurred.....no-one’s fault.....but....we'd booked 2 tours....however, we did not realize that the condo does not change their clocks to match EGYPT'S time zone.....so, each time we were to be met and picked up to go on a tour.......no one came to meet us......FINALLY, it was discovered, that we were on a different time "zone" than the rest of the country.  Therefore, we'd go and wait for the pick up....no one would come and we'd go back to our room......the tour operator would come (an hour later)....not find us, and then call later to ask where we were!  This was a fault of the condo not explaining to guests that they "run" on a different time schedule.  The tour company was EXCELLENT...they made up for the confusion.....and were most helpful.  We had NO COMPLAINT with the Tour staff at any time.
April 13...14....15 at the condo....our time and some of it on extra tours booked directly.
April 15th checked out at noon....and headed out for St. Catherines.  We were a bit disappointed that the Monastery was not open on Easter Sunday....but, we did walk around it and saw it.  We also opted NOT to go on the mountain climb.
April 16 drive to Cairo -- great driver. A long drive. Great to be helped and checked into the Nile Hilton again.
April 17.....once again...great to be picked up and taken to the airport and to have them make sure we were okay before they left us.

We would certainly recommend your company to anyone thinking about traveling to Egypt.  We were also very pleased with you, Carol and all the assistance, information and help you gave us to get our trip planned and customized to our needs.

One more question.....do you do tours in other countries?  We are thinking of a trip (in a year or two) to Australia and New Zealand.  Do you do tours there also?

It is the only way to travel......someone there to "hold your hand" and help with any problems that might crop up.....to take you places, explain things, and yet, let you go where YOU want to go and do what YOU want to do.

We enjoyed the experience, the guides and the assistance. Thanks again.

To : Summit Tours

Date :  March 2006
Subject : Ali Mor – Egypt  ( USA )

RE : Guest feed back

Our trip was wonderful.  The cruise and the its staff were great.  The guides were friendly. They were very trustworthy.  We added another excursion to our cruise itinerary at the last moment and they were very accommodating.  It was also a very nice surprise that my friend and I were given our own private guide to the temple sites.  I would recommend the cruise to anybody.  Thanks for helping us with a great trip!

From : Carol

To : Summit Tours

Date :  March 2006
Subject : Richard Perreault – Egypt  ( Canada )

RE : Guest feed back

The trip was spectacular.  I’m not in the category of “extensive” traveler, but I think I’ve traveled somewhat greater than normal (Egypt was my 36th country), and I truly saw things beyond my expectations.   At first, I was a little thrown off by having a driver, guide, and in some cases company rep all to myself, but once I got used to it, I learned to use it to my advantage.  The crew in Luxor were particularly great.
 
My first day in Cairo was cooler, windier, and therefore sandier than I would have liked – the weather thing is always a dice roll (Last October I spent a week in New England when it rained every day and floods washed out some of the roads).  Fortunately I got back to Giza my last day, so my memories of the plateau will not forever be of squinting into a sandstorm.  I think if I had gone a little later in the year, Cairo might have been nicer, but the southern part of the trip would have probably been too hot – so overall, my weather timing was pretty good.  
All-in-all, the positives far outweighed the negatives, and the trip will go down in the “success” column of my ventures.

From: Patricia Barbosa ( USA )
To : Summit Tours

Subject: My evaluation of my trip to Egypt
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 12:24:43 EST

Dear Emad Mohsan, :

I am writing my evaluation of my month's trip through Egypt with Summit Tours.

 First, I would like to state that I very much enjoyed my trip in Egypt and had few problems or concerns during my month long stay.  I do have some suggestions and comments on some of my travel arrangements and my evalution of the services I received:

 1.    Itinerary:   I made some changes in my trip that costs me additional money ($200) and changed the sites I eventually saw.  I was scheduled to travel to Saint Catherines, a 6-7 hour car trip and then return to Cairo and then go to Alexandria.  The amount of travel was too much for so short a time, and basically meant I would spend 2 days in a car.  I decided to spend an additional 2 days in Alexandria, but I would have much preferred to go to Saint Catherine and then go on to Sharm El Sheik instead of spending time in Hurghada.  I met another American couple with the same intinerary that also ended up changing their plans to skip Saint Catherine and spend additional time in Alexandria, to avoid the long car trip.  I would have liked the opportunity to choose Sharm el Sheik, which everyone told me was a much nicer resort than Hurghada, and reduce the amount of car travel required by going to Hurghada.  Also, I did not enjoy Hurghada very much.  The town is not very attractive and there is not much to do except for the beach. 

 2.    Hotel accommodations:  With the exception of the hotel in Luxor, I had very good hotels and very good service.  I chose to upgrade to the deluxe hotels and found them clean, safe and very comfortable.  However, I had a very bad experience at the New Winter Palace in Luxor. Although the hotel is considered a luxury hotel, the room I was given was hot, shabby, and very below par.  The hotel lobby, the garden and the restaurants are fine, but the room given to your tour company and assigned to me was far below what I would expect from a 2 star hotel.  The furniture was stained, old and shabby.  The bed was so old it buckled in the middle and was very uncomfortable.  The air conditioner was not working. I made several calls to the front desk that were ignored.  I had to sleep with the windows open, which was very noisy, so that I could sleep without being so hot.  The television, a very old set, did not work.  I complained several times and finally had the set replaced with another very old television.  The "new" TV had sound that came and went so that I could not watch TV.  I called to complain and was totally ignored because the hotel employee told me the set worked, even though the sound did not.  I was hot, I did not have a working television and I was uncomfortable during my 4 nights in Luxor.  I suggest that you not book travellers at the New Winter Palace as they do not give your tour guests decent rooms, and do not care if we complain.  I complained at least 4 times about problems and never had my complaints addressed, and was not offered a new room, or provided an explanation as to why my room was so shabby and hot.   

 3.    Tour operators:  I had very good service from the tour operators with the exception of the tour operator in Luxor.  

I had some excellent tour operators that deserve special thanks.  First Emad.  He really tried to take care of my trip to ensure that I enjoyed the sight seeing and my time off.  He was really a great guide and made the changes to my schedule quickly and without complaint.  Without his tireless work on my behalf I would not have been able to enjoy the sight seeing and have been so comfortable during my time in Cairo and Alexandria.  Secondly, Abdulrahman worked very hard to make sure my trip was enjoyable and easy.  I am very thankful for the great work of all of the tour operators that managed my trip so well.

 4.    Tour Guides:  I had very good tour guides throughout my trip and had three especially good guides that should be commended for their good work.  Heba in Luxor made my sight seeing very enjoyable as she was not only qualified, but so kind and sweet that my travel with her was a special treat for me,

Secondly, Alaa Ismail in Cairo really made my visit to the Egyptian museum a special adventure.  He is very knowledgable and a very companionable guide. 

Last, Salwa in Alexandria was such a good guide and provided wonderful insight into the life of regular Egyptians.  I did not have any bad guides, but those mentioned above were far superior and made my trip so special, much thanks to them all.  

 Finally, I want to thank Summit tour.  My trip to Egypt was a trip of a lifetime.  I spent a month in a foreign country and travelled extensively without ever missing a train, boat or car.  I did not lose my luggage, did not have any bad experiences with any Egyptians and found the country and its people wonderful.  I would recommend your tour agency to my friends and family.  Thanks for your great services,  Patricia Barbosa 

From : Carol :

To : Summit Tours

Date :  March 2006
Subject : Frances Roux – Egypt  ( USA )

RE : Guest feed back

The trip was GREAT!  We LOVE Egypt. Our Guide was most personable, professional, and he made sure everything ran smoothly. S. ranks among the best tour guides we've ever had. The tours were more that we had envisioned and the weather even cooperated. The hotel, Pyramida, was perfect: great location and great facilities. I emailed the hotel before I left to find out about getting a room with a Nile view. They asked me the dates and tour company. I gave them that information but did not hear from them again before leaving. When we arrived, we were given a suite with a Nile view. We thoroughly enjoyed the view. Thank you very much.

 From : Carol :

To : Summit Tours

Date :  March 2006
Subject : Ivan Milkovich – Egypt ( Canada )

RE : Guest feed back

Thanks for your message. Yes, everything was fine and I enjoyed the trip. Thanks for a well organized trip. Best regards,

 

From : Carol

To : Summit Tours

Date :  February 2006
Subject : Marjorie Schnapp – Egypt  ( USA )

RE : Guest feed back


The trip was great, and was just as I requested.  Our only hitch was me getting a cough and losing my voice for a couple of days.  I saw an Egyptian doctor both in Cairo and then again on the Nile cruise and both prescribed meds that helped a great deal (and were very inexpensive, compared to the U.S.).   We had excellent guides all the way through and a couple of them took good care of Cameron when I was feeling "not so active".  I feel that we saw all the major places in Egypt and got an wonderful overview of the country, from Alexandria in the north to Abu Simbal in the very southern tip.
 
Thank you so much for your thoughtful arrangement of this trip.  Cameron had an experience he will never forget, and he tells me he left a boy and came back a man!!! (since he had his 15th birthday when we were in Hurghada).  I can't vouch for that, but I do know he had a great experience, and through him, I did too. If you ever want to use me as a reference for a proposed traveler, feel free to do so.  Thanks again.

From : Carol

To : Summit Tours

Date :  February 2006
Subject : Paul Kuuisisto – Egypt  ( UK )

RE : Guest feed back

Yes I enjoyed my trip.  The Egyptologist in Alexandria was exceptional. The cruise was great.  The tour guide on the cruise boat was terrific.  I did think I was to have my own tour guide at each stop but Robbie was so good I didn't mind.  When I returned to Cairo, I was coupled with a father and son to tour the Egyptian Museum etc. All said and done the trip was arduous but stimulating and fun. Thanks.

From : Carol

From: Carol Lomond
To: Summit Tours
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 08:41 PM
Subject: Re: Egypt Gary Ewell   ( USA )

Hi Carol

The trip in general was great and most enjoyable.  Thanks for the work done in getting it just right.  I appreciate the patience you and Avril showed.

ALL of the other guides were superb, especially the Desert Safari guide. The tour coordinator of Summit Tours , Momen , was most helpful and pleasant and worked with us to tailor our itinerary.

In general, though, the hotels and the food and the sights and the guides were excellent and helped make our tour most memorable!!

Gary Ewell

From: Carol Lomond
To: Summit Tours
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 04:47 PM
Subject: Re: Alexander & Barbara Trip to Egypt  ( USA )

Hi Emad,
Hi Carol,

Yes, we are back safe and sound - and with a lot of great memories! The 3-week trip was a perfect combination of all the ancient sites of Egyptian culture plus a lot of pure relaxation at the Red Sea.

Momen, the local SummitnTours guide in Cairo, has done a great job and has perfectly taken care of us.

All in all: An unforgettable trip.

Thanks again for your coordination and continued support .
Alexander & Barbara

From: Nick Barfoot  ( Canada )
To: Summit Tours
Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 01:07 AM
Subject: STEM 04 Tour ( Egypt & Jordan Combined Tour )

Emad, Momen and Summit tour staff.
 Nick and I just want to say how much we enjoyed our tour with you.  Everything was so well planned and organized, except for the little adventure on our last day.  But even that was straightened out right away.  All our guides were very pleasant and helpful and full of information, and the hotels were beautiful.  We will certainly recommend your company to anyone who is interested.
 
                                                                            Pam Barfoot.

 From: Serras Pereira - João L  ( Portuguese )
To: Summit Tours
Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2005 12:19 AM
Subject: Our Group Travel to Egypt II

Dear Emad –

Greetings from (rainy) Lisbon –

It’s a long time since we left Egypt and your good company and friendship. Travelling Egypt with your support was a joy and, for sure one of the greatest travel adventures with the most enjoyable memories that we have ever organised. Photos were great and we are still reviewing them. We also hope that business is still keeping you occupied and that Ali is keeping himself a very happy person.

Really the best wishes for you and your lovely family .

Joao

From: Joseph Abel  ( USA )
To: Summit Tours
Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 03:12 AM
Subject: Re: Our Family Tour To Egypt

Dear Emad,
 
I would like to thank you very much for the well organized trip you planned for us. We enjoyed it very much.  Momen did an excellent job in escorting us to the many sites in Cairo and Alexandria.  He was courteous, patient, helpful and fun to be with.
 
The guide in luxor was also very good, his name is Emad like your name.  Your Summit Tour representative, Abd El Naby, in Luxor was also very helpful and courteous.
 
 Again thank you and your staff for the tour you organized for us. 
 
Joe Abel

From: Kauno piligrimas  ( Lithuania )
To: Summit Tours
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2005 10:34 AM
Subject: Re: Group from Lithuania

Hello Emad,   
 
Good day from Lithuania.
Mr. Juozas arrived home back to Lithuania safely yesterday. Many thanks from him to you. For the rest of the group Mr. Juozas asked to make transfer from hotel to airport not at 10p.m. but at 11 p.m. Many thanks to all of you!
 
Best regards,
Giedre
KAUNO PILIGRIMAS

From: MARC KHEDR  ( USA )
To: sales@summittoursegypt.com
Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2005 11:28 PM
Subject: thanks

we just came back from our vacations.
we spend a wonderful time in Egypt. Luxor and Aswan
 
I visit in Egypt all the places, were I was born and my old school.
I would like to thank MOMEN  for all his help he has been a wonderful guide he treat us as a family.
 
thanks again and I hope we visit again in the future.
 
MARC KHEDR

From: Maria João Ferreira ( Portuguese )
To: Summit Tours
Sent: Monday, April 11, 2005 05:01 PM
Subject: RE: Travel to Egypt,

Dear Emad,

Thank you so much for your kind attention regarding our group.

I’ve have been really busy (and also with the flu) and with few time to mail you all – but I haven’t forgot anybody – specially Ali (we did phone him in the day of our arrival telling that everything was ok)

Also, last week I e-mailed to our diver instructor (walid) in order to ask him about the diving certificates . I have to tell you that everything was great in our trip, and I hope we can visit Egypt again someday soon (we really miss it!!)

I was so glad with your wonderful service that I already recommended it to some friends here in Portugal, in case they ever want to go to your sunny country.

Also, a friend/colleague of mine has an internet site (as I told you, I work in computer business) dedicated to traveling and I already arranged with him to recommend traveling with your company instead of using some Portuguese companies that ask to much money for low services…

So, as you can see we enjoyed it a lot !!

Please be so kind to send best wishes to Ali , who was the most wonderful tour guide ever!

Again, thank you for everything!! We also miss you all!

Best Regards, and please, keep in touch!  J

Maria

From: Paula and David Haydon  ( UK )
To: info@summittoursegypt.com
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2004 9:19 PM
Subject: Update

Dear Mr. Emad,

We want to thank you for a very good job of setting up our trip to Al Fayoum and for unexpectedly providing an interpreter. Everyone involved worked very hard for us. Momen was a very personable man, helpful and considerate.
Again, sincere thanks for your efforts and the efforts of all the people who assisted us.

David and Paula Haydon

From: Dr, Jeanne Windsor  ( USA )
To: info@summittoursegypt.com
Sent: Monday, August 02, 2004 11:54 AM
Subject: Hello from Florida to Cairo

Hello Emad!
I understand you should be back from Singapore now - hope you and your family had a good visit there. I want to thank you so much for a wonderful dinner and meeting in Cairo - it made the visit there very special for all of us.
Visiting Egypt was a tremendous experience - so many people friendly and gracious and the truly wondrous sites from the ages!
I want to let you know how much we loved the Lake Nasser cruise!! It will be a highlight for travels in our lives! The staff and other travelers on board great to meet, the ship just beautiful and the Lake Nasser route an incredible dream! Somehow we were upgraded to the Imperial Suite and it was lovely! Thank you so much for arranging such a wonderful journey - it is in our hearts, as is Egypt.
It has been a great pleasure to know you. Take care !
Best regards always! Jeanne, Andrea and Anna

From: Louise  ( Australia )
To: info@summittoursegypt.com
Sent: July 09, 2004 9:5 PM
Subject: Our holiday

Dearest Emad,

Hello again from Australia. This is Louise Belperio writing on behalf of the family.
Mr. Fernando, Kristian, Candice and myself just arrived back in Australia after a long holiday, and I'm writing to say thank-you very much for a fantastic Egypt holiday.
You made a big dream of ours come true. From day one the holiday was fantastic. Every person involved in making our tour a success did a wonderful job. I would like to especially thank Ayman and Ali for taking care of us. We had a fun time on the cruise with Ali, he made us laugh so much and the kids really enjoyed his company.
He really made the trip enjoyable. Also our egyptoligists Mohammad, Mickos and Bob, and our drivers. Your company will be highly recommended hoping I can send you more business. I will definately use Summit Tours on my next visit. Dreaming it may be soon.

Please thank everybody on our behalf. MAY GOD BLESS YOU.

From: Astrid Sayegh ( Brazil  )
To: sales@summittoursegypt.com
Sent: July 30, 2004 2:56 PM
Subject: THANKFULLNESS

DEAR EMAD

I AM WRITINGO TO YOU TO SAY THANKS FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL TRIP. AS YOU HAD SAID, IT WAS UN UNFORGETABLE TRIP, AND I KNOW IT IS BECAUSE WE HAD ALL YOUR SUPPORT ALL THE TIME: LEADERS, DRIVERS, EXCELENT GUIDES. THE HOTELS WERW ALL FANTATIS, AS WELL AS THE CRUISE. I COULDN'T IMAGINE WE WOULD ENJOY SO MUCH, AND I REALIZE IT WAS NICE DUE TO YOUR GOOD WILL AND EFFICIENCY.
THANK YOU ONCE MORE EMAD, AND I AM SURE YOU WILL DO MANY PEOPLE HAPPY AS YOU DID FOR US. I HOPE TOO WE COME BACK TO EGYPT, AND SURELY I WILL LOOK FOR YOU AGAIN.

GOD BLESS YOU, MORE AND MORE

From: WRL Travel Services ( UK )
To: sales@summittoursegypt.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 06:37 PM
Subject: Greetings

Dear Emad
I don't know if you recall, but you and I worked together on clients of mine late last year. The passenger was Dr. Barr.
I just rec'd a call from Dr. Barr, and a colleague of his in Great Britian asked him for the name of the company he used when he was in Egypt and Dr. Barr has given him your e-mail address. I thought you would like to know that Dr Barr thought so highly of your company and the service he received, that even 8 months after the fact, he is still raving about the excellent service he received.
Thank you once again

Annette Walters, CTC
President
WRL Travel Services

From: laurie lennox  ( Canada )
To: sales@summittoursegypt.com
Sent: Friday, May 28, 2004 2:06 AM
Subject: I'M BACK...

Hi Emad. I just thought I'd write a little note to let you know how things went on my tour. Firstly I must start by praising the customer service of yourself and foremost the tour guides. Words can not express the gratitude I feel towards the three guys, Momen, Aymen Hurghada and Aymen Cairo. they were fabulous and made me feel safe when I was sometimes leery. I have kept in touch with momen and hope to for a lifetime. He is a genuine person and i am glad to have spent time with him. Aymen Hurghada is a sweetheart with a beautiful smile. I always felt I could rely on him. I must also give praise to Aymen Cairo. he took time out of his personal day to spend with me. I thank you for your time and your fabulous customer service and i hope to visit again. Please extend my gratitude to the tour boys. It's been a pleasure.Thanks, Laurie

From : Padamkishore Sharma  ( Canada )
To: Emad A-Aziz
Sent: April 4, 2004 4:02 AM
Subject: No News

Dear Emad,

I have not heard from you for a pretty long time.I sincerely hope that everything is alright at your side.

The memories of our wonderful visit to Egypt and your organising the tour in such a way that will leave an unforgettable impressions on my and my wife's mind. Please give my very very personal regards
to Ms. Shimaa Esmail our Guide in Cairo My wife also joins me in conveying her regards and blessings to her. She told us that she was going to be married soon, whether she has been married or still to be married. We want to send her a gift from India,which we promised to her as a Goodwill gesture for the services she had rendered to us during our visit to Cairo. Kindly let me have her address or the contact details or can we send the same to you for delivering the same to heron our behalf.

I hope you still remeber our invitation to visit India and be our Guest, which you had promised.

Awaiting to hear soon from you.

With My Esteemed Regards,.

PADAM KISHORE SHARMA
A-10 NIZAMUDDIN EAST
NEWDELHI-110013 INDIA
PHONE:91-11-24351772/91-11-51825117
Fax: 91-11-51825118

From: "Marisol Ladron de Guevara"  ( USA )
To: <sales@summittoursegypt.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 02:35 AM
Subject: Re: egypt trip

Hi Emad

I want to begin by telling you thanks. Thanks to you and your staff, for
making our trip to Egypt one that was memorable and most enjoyable. From the
time that we arrived at Cairo, the hospitality offered by your company was
excellent. Our trip on the Nile Cruise is one that our children and great
grandchildren will hear about. We had such a wonderful time.Thanks.
Shukrun....

Please send my regards to Ali, ALi, Jaime, Shymaa and Bob.

Shukrun from Marisol and friends.....

From: Simon Spikin  ( UK )
To: <info@summittoursegypt.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2002 4:03 PM
Subject: RE: red sea dive trip

Emad,
I must congratulate you and your team for the excellent service we received in Egypt. On our first day we went to the 'welcome meeting' run by our tour operator and were very upset as we felt that we would not be able to do much of what we had hoped. However Saeed then arrived at our hotel to meet us and managed to organise the most fantastic week we have ever had. The guides that you provided were fantastic and very knowledgable and the tours were far better than our tour operator could have provided.

We will certainly return to Egypt and will contact you immediately we have dates. In the meantime we have contacted everyone we know who is going to Egypt and we will recommend your company.

Thank you for all your help,

Simon Spikin