Escape: Pulse: Cruising the Nile: Oberoi Zahra

Cruising the Nile: Oberoi Zahra

There is no better way to see Egypt’s trove of antiquities— one-third of all the world’s are here—than by staying on a sleek floating palace that has raised the bar for the region. What Oberoi did for palaces in India, the company has now done for Nile craft by launching the Zahra in October 2007. The twenty-six cabins feature linen-lined walls, cowhide rugs and Italian tiled bathrooms, which evoke the kind of contemporary chic you expect in Asia, not near Aswan. There’s an exquisite spa and restaurant, but it’s the staff that orchestrates the magic. You visit temples at sunset with four to eight in a group, with Egyptologists bringing the rich history of the complexes to life. How about cocktails under a full moon at the Temple of Dendara? After viewing King Tut’s mummy in his tomb and walking on the terrace of Queen Hatshesput’s temple, you retire to watching the view from your window of scenes of the Nile, unchanged since Biblical times. Seven-night Nile trip, from $10,151.

An in-depth destination report on Egypt will post soon.