We excitedly got into the fancy lounge, got our keys and headed upstairs to see our rooms. For some reason, though we hadn't paid for the upgrade, we had a nice fancier-than-otherwise room in the main building so we luxuriated in the space with a seperate toilet and bathroom (a most welcome feature even when used to living in rather close-knit intimate no-room-for-secrets circumstances, say no more) and a place where we could actually both open our cases at the same time.

After a bit of pillow-testing we headed down to find our friends only to find that disaster was brewing. For those people who hadn't got our special free upgrade for no reaason, apparently things were not so sweet, It seems the Sheraton renovations are not finished yet so bits of it are a little like a building site. Still, after a whole lot of arguing, I think everyone is mostly satisfied, it's just a shame it ruined the first day here for many.

Personally I think our room is good, it's a little annoying I guess that sometimes you can't go on the balcony in peace due to excess hammering but that is mostly made up for in that when you press 1 on the phone people bring you stuff. The new developments all look wonderful but it's a shame they weren't finished last week really.

Enough complaining, on to breakfast! Breakfast is all you can eat (AYCE) of cooked stuff (not exactly bacon and eggs but similarish), fruit, cereal, pastries, "european" type stuff and best of all chocolate doughnuts. Mmmm. It's enough to make you _want_ to get out of bed some days. There are also some restaurants inhouse that we have been to for evening meals.

So for a couple of days we were proper lazy - although deservedly so methinks. Sun loungers are an acheivable ambition here so we spent plenty of time lying around the pool, getting food and drink put in our hands and making people move the parasols around so we only get 50% sunburnt to a crisp. I kind of thought it might be boring to do that most of the day...but actually I could easily get very used to it. In the evenings we can look around the little shops, go to restaurants and so on. The pool is surrounded by palm trees and looks out over the Nile so as ever around sunset it is generally breathtaking to witness after a sleepy day's lounging. There are also volleyball, tennis, pingpong and croquet facilities available but we have yet to make use of them. Maybe our party will be pesuaded today to let me mallet them at croquet et al.

Room service is effective and cheap (by UK standards) - v tasty pizza for about 4.50 UKP, 4UKPish for club sandwiches, apple pie and so on. Spirits are the only outrageously priced things, it's something like 7 or 9 quid for a gin.

I am considering a combination of a cleaner and serious amounts of takeaway to continually replicate the hotel experience if ever I am forced to return to the cold dark confines of my house,