Recommend January 2011 - (Page 14)

a new look at ancient EGYpT africa The Sonesta Dahabeya Amirat. T carla hunt Something new is always happening in timeless Egypt. furnished cabins and public areas, as well as all modern amenities. Dahabeyas generally cruise—under sail, with a backup engine—between Aswan and Luxor, calling at the major sites. But, because they are far smaller than cruise ships, they can dock anywhere. To get a look at tour operators that offer choices of different kinds of dahabeyas, check out the vessels offered by Memphis Tours Egypt. In the deluxe mode, Abercrombie & Kent has a new sail-the-Nile aboard a dahabeya (the A&K spelling is dahabieh) under its Tailor Made Private Travel program that offers a charter-only cruise aboard the Zein Nile Chateau, which has four spacious cabins and two suites, all featuring air conditioning and panoramic windows. The Farouk Suite shares the upper deck with the salon and dining room, a cigar lounge, and library, while the sun deck has an oasis pool and sky lounge for star gazing. An Egyptologist travels with the cruise, whose 7-night charter cost starts at $29,600 for up to 12 guests. “The dahabeya offers a spectacular opportunity for an extended family or a small group of friends to discover the Nile on a private cruise— indeed the closest experience to having one’s own private yacht,” says continued on page 16 recommend.com Travelers with a serious interest in Egyptian history and archaeology will now have to go to Egypt to see the 19 ancient objects discovered by Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings, attributed to Tutankhamun’s tomb, and since the early-20th century displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. These small-scale treasures—a threequarter-inch-high bronze dog, for one—are “going home,” thanks to the ethical behavior of the Met. After a brief detour to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where they will rest with its famous Tut collection, all of Cairo’s King Tutankhamun treasury will be installed in the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza, scheduled to open in 2012. Indeed, something new is always happening in ancient Egypt, where on Nile cruises, the most traditional of vessels, the dahabeya, is now the coolest way to cruise, or at least a distinctly different and tranquil alternative to larger ship cruises. In the late-19th century, the most deluxe dahabeyas (traditional lanteen-rigged sailboats) were fitted out as luxury pleasure boats for the wealthiest of travelers cruising the Nile in style. In more recent times, the vessel has experienced a revival. A few boats now cruising have been refurbished, but most are replicas, built in the tradition of the original dahabeya, with five or more elegantly 14 january 2011 http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend January 2011

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk
Tour Talk
A New Look at Ancient Egypt
Celebrity Cruises' Eclipse
Asia Travel Planner
Viking River Cruises' Viking Sky
Discovering Piedmont, Italy
Latin America 2011
The M Resort in Las Vegas Hits its Off-Strip Stride
Gansevoort Miami Beach
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Recommend January 2011