Egypt Travel Advice?

Another question, how should non-Muslim women dress in Egypt?  I've heard long sleeves and long pants (and a scarf when visiting mosques)...is that true?

We went to a mosque but didn't wear headscarves and it wasn't a problem.

We (girls) did try and cover up with trousers and long sleeve as much as we could during our whole stay but it was so hot we ended up in shorts some of the time and we did get hassled a bit but not too badly.  A useful phrase I learned from the Rough Guide is "sibnee wadee" = don't touch! Came in very handy with a lecherous security guard at the museum in Cairo.

So we booked a tour for our upcoming trip to Egypt and I got an e-mail from them today that I'm not sure what to make of...

"I recommend you to upgrade your hotels from 3 stars to 4 stars hotel to have much better services because the 3 stars hotels in Egypt are not in a good case.  If you would like to upgrade the supplement will be 15 $ p/p per night."

Do you think it's worth it to upgrade?  Or is this just a way for them to get more money out of us?  This supplement would increase our tour price from a total of $410 to $500.

I think I'm suspicious because we booked the tour and paid our deposit a month ago, so why now (2 weeks before we leave) are they asking us about an upgrade??

I think you will be fine in a 3 star hotel 

Egypt is a lovely country but tourism drives the economy so expect more hidden extras once you arrive. It is unfortunately part of the tourism culture.

Just make sure when you arrive your hotel displays the three star "cartouche" at the front desk and if it doesn't question it with your tour company.

Or how about ask if each hotel has a website you could check before you agree to an upgrade. If not a website, many are linked with the tourist board and with the name and address you can find it online with a bunch of others without independent websites.

Three star will be basic but you never know you could be pleasantly surprised with 3 stars or disappointed with 4 stars.

Have a good trip.

If I was you I would look your hotel up on Tripadvisor and see if there are any reviews