Steve/Andrea,
I am also off to Luxor in less than a week. Again, it is our first visit, but research here (and on Trip Advisor) has led me to believe that:

It is cheaper and better to book trips locally in town as doing so with the holiday reps will see you paying a significant premium - for example the hot air balloon ride which would cost you anything up to £90UK with your rep will set you back £30UK when booked locally. The same goes for trips to the Valley of the Kings, Karnak etc.Keep the money in the local economy! For Karnak/Luxor temples you could do that yourselves with a decent guide book - haggle hard with a taxi driver and agree a price in advance. When walking along the corniche you will find yourself solicited by boat owners offering river trips - again, haggle!

On arrival at Luxor airport, get your visa from the bank boothes situated in the arrivals hall (before passport control) - they cost $15US but if you pay with a £10UK note you should get EGP change. Change money here too as the exchange rate is far better than in the UK. The rate in the hotels/banks is roughly the same so there will not be a problem changing more money later. There have been reports of the reps sorting the visa for you and then charging £15UK - double the real price!

I recommend that you read up on the Luxor Travel Tips website for lots more info - it is a mine of useful stuff..... http://www.luxortraveltips.com

Cheers (and have a great holiday!),
Jet

Steve/Andrea,

Your hotel is in a great location to check out local tour companies who offer all the trips. Just across the road you will find a nice parade of shops and travel companies. For the hotel I hope that you have booked either Nile view or side Nile view as the entrance side can be noisy and you will never tire of the Nile view.

When you change money at the airport make sure you get a good supply of 1.00 epd notes as you will need these for all manner of tips, ie porterage will be around 2.00 epd for checkin and checkout.

Whenever you leave the hotel you will almost certainly get someone coming up to you offering a service a polite "la" (no) normally works. There are also a couple of decent local restaurants opposite and also an english type pub if you want to watch the euro footie.

have a great time it really is a lovely country and will be very hot !!!

Im sure you will have a super time in Luxor and your hotel is in a good location with wonderfull nile views (worth paying the extra for this definatly but can be done upon arrival at the hotel).

There is so much to see and do in Luxor. Much of the East Bank can be done on foot or by local taxi (thats an experiance in itself!). However travelling to the West Bank takes a little longer and you should consier having a guide too. All the holiday companies use excellent English speaking guides and their organised exursions are well planned. With regards to the Ballon rides, this is a must but you must be really carefull who you book through for insureance reasons, your general holiday insureance wont cover this so make sure you go with an FTO approved company. Its worth paying alittle more to ensure your safety. All uk tour opperators have recently assessed all balloon companies after some serious crashes in the last few months. Be very wary of the hotel desks selling balloon trips, I've seen some very dodgy paperwork with them on my last trip!

There are lots ofgreat places to eat in and around the hotel too. be brave, ignore the hassel and go and get lost down the side streets for some lovely restaurants!
Most of all have a super time, soaking up culture and history!

One tip I would give is:

Ensure when you have a discussion regarding costs or purchases of any item - that you confirm you want the price in LE (Egyptian Pounds) if that's the currency you will be using....

Don't get confused by talking in multiple currencies - just stick to one. That way, you know exactly how much the trips etc are going to cost you.

We love Luxor

Have a great time!

CwB!