Bryan Adams in his song  ‘Thought I’d died and gone to Heaven’  is referring to a woman. But heaven can also be a place – and I found that place when I arrived at the Winter Palace in Luxor.

This Hotel was built-in 1886 on the banks of the Nile, in walking distance from the Luxor Temple. Its patrons were royalties and celebrities throughout the years. Today it is featured as one of the Palace Hotels of the world.

We arrived early afternoon. I had asked for a room, facing the Corniche and the Nile – but there was much more, and opening my window this is what I saw.

The Corniche, the Nile and beyond – the Valley of the Kings – looking peaceful and serene, hiding its treasures which were buried there thousands of years ago. Visiting Luxor is a special experience at any time. but sitting on the terrace with a glass of wine and taking in the wonder in front of me – – well,  I really Thought I’d had died and gone to Heaven.

The hotel’s old world charm is well illustrated in these pictures, and  NO they have not been enhanced. It really looks like this today

But if you want to get away from the old world charm, there are beautiful, tropical  gardens in the back of the hotel. – with a large swimming pool and two restaurants. The Palmetto serving Italian food, and the Tarbouche where you can eat Oriental treats

And when it became dark the view had not lost its magic. The water of the Nile reflected the light of the boats anchored on its banks, and the Valley of the Kings, bathed in a soft glow, looked mysterious and secretive.

Nobody knows what Heaven looks like, but if I can have a guess, the Winter Palace and Luxor must be part of it.

 More from Egypt soon

                          Brigitte