Find out more about Egypt and our Egypt Resorts

Day 1

Date: 16 May 2011

Location: Manchester – Luxor- Esna.

Touching the Symbol of Life in Luxor Temple

A very early start! I woke up at 5am and headed for Manchester terminal 1. Once I arrived at terminal 1 I headed for the Cosmos/Monarch desk where I was to meet our hosts. After everyone had arrived we checked in our bags, lucky for us we had security fast track tickets and we were whisked through as there was a massive queue (approximately a 40 minute wait) to go through without this. On board the Monarch flight we were given front row seats so there was ample room. After a lovely 5 and a half hours we landed at 16.35 in Luxor.  We then took a 15 minute coach transfer to our ship the MS Lady Mary. Upon arrival we were greeted by the staff and given a complimentary drink.

We set sail for Esna at 18.30 and had a welcome meeting where we met Bridget, the rep from Cosmos, and Ehab, our Egyptologist. We were also given the itinerary for the week and a list of additional extra’s that we could book, after the meeting it was time for dinner.

The open buffet-style restaurant has a Capacity of 160 guests at one sitting. The food was lovely; there was a selection of Braised beef, Grilled Sea Bass and Roast Chicken. For starters there was a choice of soup, a salad bar and an amazing selection of homemade breads that they cook on board. The other side of the salad bar was the desserts selection made up of cakes, jellies, mousses and pastries.

After a few drinks and getting to know people I headed for bed at midnight.

Day 2

Date: 17 May  2011

Location:  Esna, Edfu & Aswan.

An early morning call at 7.30 but being excited I was up at 6.20. Each morning you get a wake up call on the telephone 30 mins before breakfast opens. During the night we had docked at Esna which is 55 km south of Luxor. To get to Esna we went through a lock system which we will experience in the daylight later on in the week but we did it late last night.

Esna Temple

After breakfast we departed the ship with Ehab our Egyptologist and took a short walk through a narrow shopping street full of Bazaars where we were offered scarves, Galabeyas and souvenirs. Ehab had already advised us what prices were to be expected for the popular items and he said that they always give you a ridiculous price so give them a ridiculous price back. As we turned a slight corner we came to the magnificent Esna Temple, standing 9 meters below the existing street level we made our way down the stairs to the temple.

The Temple was breathtaking, the hieroglyphs on the outer walls which are thousands of years old look like they were only just done. Ehab explained how the temples are preserved, with the floods and sand storms that happened and the change in religion the temple got abandoned and disappeared underneath the sand.

Esna Temple

After an hour and a half we were back on the boat, here we were greeted by a cool face towel and a refreshing drink. The rest of the day was free time as we cruise down the Nile towards Edfu. We docked at Edfu for approximately 4 hours; the other passengers on the boat who didn’t go to Esna Temple then went to Edfu temple.

Once everyone was back on the boat we again set sail for Aswan, this is the furthest south we go. The entertainment at night was a Gala Dinner with the Captain with cocktails and a disco on the top deck.

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Stuart with Special Guests Chris Fountain and Suzanne Shaw

As part of the Blue Bay Concierge team, Gemma and I were invited to the launch of the new v-room at Manchester airport on 28th June 2011.

Following the fantastic success of the v-room at London Gatwick, Virgin decided to offer passengers travelling from Manchester the opportunity to experience the same Rockstar Service by opening a v-room at Terminal 2. Since opening in 2008, Virgin Holidays’ London Gatwick v-room has achieved customer satisfaction scores of almost 90%.

The v-room is exclusively for Virgin Holidays customers, allowing travellers the chance to escape the hustle and bustle of crowds, be treated like an ‘A-lister’ and enjoy the special extras like the amazing surroundings, facilities, free food and soft drinks.

We were greeted at the reception area where you can enter the lounge via two ways; to the left is the adults-only area and to the right is the family area. The lounge is decorated very tastefully in the colours of Virgin with a funky modern twist. There is an amazing picture along the wall; as you walk towards the family area it appears as a picture of the Salford Bridge, then as you walk the other way towards paradise the picture changes to a beautiful beach setting. It has been very well thought out down to the smallest detail, like the light shades over the help desk… they are made out of sunglasses!

We sampled the food service area where you can enjoy an array of spectacular foods as well as hot and cold beverages. The drinks menu in the lounge is chargeable, but it is at a competitive price.

The lounge can accommodate 100 guests and includes different areas for adults, teens and younger travellers. There are state-of-the-art entertainment systems including a wall-sized interactive gaming screen with an Xbox 360 Kinect. Flat screen televisions feature throughout the lounge. The teens area has table football, a PlayStation and laptops. The younger children’s section features a soft secure area with a television showing children’s TV programmes, a magnetic wall and toys for them to enjoy. Not forgetting the adults; they are able to enjoy their own dedicated area with a stylish bar.

I have never personally been in a lounge before and I was pleasantly surprised by how fantastic they are in terms of facilities and what you actually get for your money. The v-room was so spacious even though there was over one hundred people in there for the launch. People are often under the impression that if they are travelling economy class that they can’t have access to the lounges, but they most certainly can! Next time I go on holiday with Virgin I will definitely be booking my family in to the v-room.

The v-room is available for use up to 3 hours prior to your scheduled flight departure and is exclusively available to Virgin Holidays customers only.

You can book a v-room for only £20 per adult and £12 per child (aged 2–11) and infants go FREE.*

If you are interested in booking a v-room to add a little something special to your dream holiday, please contact our Blue Bay Concierge department on 08444 999 349 or email concierge@bluebaytravel.co.uk.

You can learn more about our concierge department here.

Terms and conditions
Opening times are 06.15-13.00 daily. v-rooms are subject to availability. *When booked in advance.

Laura and Gemma (center) enjoying the v-room launch