This Nile Cruise Has an On-Board Bazaar & Jacuzzis With a View

After a long day of existing in a fast-paced city of emails, it’s customary to let your head hit the pillow in the most dramatic of fashions, and let your amends-related thoughts slip into verdant fantasies that involve palm trees, privacy, and a complete absence of prying bosses. Though these daydreams might shift from sparkling sunscapes to skylines that twinkle under moonlight, they always seem to revolve around one famous body of water—the Nile. And not just any stretch of the river, but the most anciently alluring banks, the ones between Luxor and Aswan. 
There, a certain five-star vessel has been fueling the vacation dreams of many a corporate worker, luring them in with the promise of honeyed woods, sand tone palettes, and the type of serenity where no email will ever dare to find you—Soleil Nile Cruise.  Foregoing all the usual tourist kitsch that has quite literally overrun the market, Soleil’s fifty-three cabins are pared back, allowing floor-to-ceiling windows to welcome an abundance of morning light and all the Nile views your Instagram feed can take. A plush bed you’ll struggle to stumble out of, artworks colouring every wall, and solitude that comes with a good book, or—if you haven’t forgotten to pack your social battery—good company. 
Once you’re ready to part with your lodgings and Agatha Christie, you can head to the on-board restaurant for some of the finest local cuisine this side of the Nile, a much-needed fifth cocktail, and views that’ll make you struggle to make eye-contact with anyone but the bird circling a palm tree outside. 
After you’ve filled up on your fair share of fettah, grab some shades and slowly make your way to the ship’s crown jewel: the sundeck. Your own sun-drenched outdoor living room, it’s where you can stretch out on a sleek lounger and finally undo winter’s ghostly pallour. Fancy a quick, icy plunge in the pool? Don’t even hesitate. Or, if you’re in the mood for some pampering of the muscles, sink into the bubbling jacuzzi instead, and watch the river glide by as your serene plus-one. 
If, somehow, you manage to tire of tanning, slip into the lounge bar for a quick board game, a not-so-quick movie night, or a spicy drink garnished with the orange glow of sunset. After all, if you haven’t earned it here, you definitely earned it during one of those standup meetings. 

Of course, the Nile has never been a river meant only for stillness. Sooner or later, curiosity pulls you ashore, right into the embrace of royalty—from the forest of columns at Karnak, standing where Gods were once worshipped at Luxor Temple, to the silent, painted tombs of the Valley of the Kings. You’ll feel the audacity of Queen Hatshepsut—the regent who crowned herself King—at her cliffside temple, then get whisked by horse-drawn carriage to the mighty Edfu Temple; a scene so timeless you’ll check your phone just to make sure you’re still in the right century.
Your final act unfolds in Aswan, exploring the water-lapped Philae Temple, the High Dam, and history’s greatest cliffhanger: the Unfinished Obelisk. And for those with a soul hungry for extra sparkle, you can trade an hour of sleep for the unforgettable spectacle of a sunrise hot-air balloon. Throughout it all, you’ll be guided by real-life experts and charismatic Egyptologists, who make three-thousand year-old gossip feel thrilling, and the tea piping hot. This is the magic of the Soleil: mornings spent wandering through ancient worlds, afternoons drifting past palm-lined shores, and evenings where your biggest worry is deciding between getting two back-to-back massages, and wrestling endless shopping backs into your cabin after visiting the on-board bazaar. And, no matter which landlocked or Soleil-based activity you choose, you can rest assured: there won’t be a single “let’s circle back” in sight.