Hi - just read your post . I am going to El gouna in april and I have been to Egypt twice before. I know a lot of reviews say tip at the beginning of the holiday , but I personally dont agree with this. Why should you tip for better service , you should expect good service whatever. We tipped the barman after a few rounds of waiting on, usually about equivalent of £1- £2. Then did that a few times during the holiday. I tipped 2 of the waiters and the room cleaner 50 EP each at the end of the holiday as they had been really nice and friendly and it is well known they are on terrible wages.
But i have friends who say tip small and often and you will get much better service in the hotel bars, Others say they tipped 50EP to the waiter on the first night of the holiday.
Basically I think you should tip as and when you feel you get a good service as you would at home.

Tip small and often and in Egyptian Pounds, not sterling coins.

Its not like normal where you would probably tip at the end of the holiday for good service. Its best to tip at the start of things, you seem to get better service.

Dont go mad and tip all the time,especially if you are AI, a small tip every other day or every third day seems to keep things ticking along nicely, maybe to particular bar staff, waiters, room boys, pool and towel boys, who seem to be looking after you. I am not being sexist, there are no female staff. Well there aren't in Sharm, might be different in El Gouna.

Have a nice holiday.

Doe

Yes I think I agree with you. it probably is better to tip in small Egyptian currency.
Yes the staff were all male. The room attendent actually stuck a little folded over booklet into my hand on about the third day and said he was going home to Cairo for the weekend. I didnt actually give him anything then because I thought that was downright cheeky. However when he returned ( dont know if he went home or just his day off) he was still really hard working so we tipped him at the end of the week.
I'm not opposed to tipping, its just that I cant agree with this tipping at the start of the holiday.
Eeeyoremee - dont worry if you havent got a lot of money, you will still recieve good service in Egypt, just tip what you can.

I know what you mean. Tipping before you receive good service seems like what in UK culture would be 'offering a bribe' and therefore a no no. But unfortunately that's the way it seems to work in Egypt.

People who have been more than once report that they tipped at the end of their first holiday and they got indifferent service and if they went back they would tip little and often through their stay, as this seems to be the way it works in Egypt.

Although I advised it in my own post, I am still not sure what "little and often" would be now.
What do you think? By the way we will be all inclusive, which I suppose would be different from someone being waited on and paying at the end ,to save them going to the bar. Any ideas?

well i tend to tip at the bar after getting drunk cos too be honest the idea of all inclusive is so you can go around daily with no money on you.

read somewhere to take a lot of single us dollars to tip so is it better to tip e£ 10 a time or $1?? or does it not really matter

I woould use Egyptian as thats their currency and I wouldn't bother to change into dollars just for tipping purposes, suppose it's differnet if you have some hanging about at home to get shot of. The thing not recommended is to tip in pound coins, as their banks wont take them so they have all the grief of saving them up and then hassling holiday makers to change them into notes. I would tip with LE.

Doe

Getting lower value Egyptian notes can be a problem.

If you can tip in Egyptian than do it, if not tip in pound coins.

Don't forget if the service is bad then don't tip at all!

When we were checking out at the sonesta a couple of weeks ago we left our bags in the tiny luggage room . The guy in charge there asked us if we wouldnt mind cashing up some pound coins for a £20 note .I was happy to oblige as I like £1 coins for the boys lunch money He took me into his little room where there were a few other porters sitting down. He had an envelope and several others all nicely packed up ready . From the amount of cash he had in his drawer there was no doubt in my mind that they were doing very nicely .

I'm pretty sure they dont keep the individual tips and that they put it all into a central fund for at least that particular department i.e porters, bar staff ,cleaners , pool staff or it may go into One large hotel pot and he had the job of cashing it all up.

I have been a few times, I tip throughout the holiday (a little) then at the end. I like to give more to the guy who cleans the room as they do a great job, they fold up your clothes and leave them on your bed ann they make animals out of the towels I have never got bad service in Egypt

Yes they do wonders with my tatty old stained pj's . They fold and lay them on the bed in a seductive way

Well, I'm just back from Egypt and I can tell you its a nightmare. - tipping is definitely expected everywhere and although El Gouna is officially a no hassle resort. I can assure you that as nice and pleasant and helpful as everyone is, and as much as we all want to help people out. In most places it is expected. ie - Hurgada - Luxor - Sharm. We had a few instances where we only had a couple of cokes and the waiter/barman took it on himself to keep the change. as did the receptionist when we checked ot of the hotel. - It hasnt put me off totally but believe me those Egyptian 1pound notes are not welcome. We gave a man who was harrasing us along the road -2 Egyptian pounds (approx 26pence ) as he handed us a tiny piece of alabastor - thinking that they are so poor they would appreciate that. He mumbled something and asked us for 20 EP. I know thats still not much, but it all adds up. As mentioned before the room attendants work hard and they deserve it. but in some places some people expect money for anything. It makes the holiday a nightmare. - Actually the shops in el gouna are pretty hassle free- but youll still be expected to tip in your all inclusive hotels.

If you're struggling with tipping, as it's an alien concept to us Brits, then don't go to America. You will be expected to tip 15-20% and that sure adds up over one or two weeks. I tipped £20 on a meal last night.

luci

I do find it odd when people say that Brits dont tip i've tipped for the last 30 years, my parents always tipped, if I go out with friends they do and so do work colleagues. If I am out in restaurants I see folk tipping all the time. I am from down south so don't know if that makes a difference as I am unaware of what happens up north and in Scotland, but kind of assumed it was the same. I dont buy the argument from tight wadges that say they do their job and dont get tipped so why should waitresses, cabbies, hairdressers as therse groups are supplying a service so it's different from an office, factory, etc

Doe

We eat out every week and always tip, but it's not 15-20%. I think it's the amount that's alien. Some people tip, but just leave coppers.

luci

hi doepsmc just to put your mind at ease i'm scottish and i tip as much as anyone else

True Luci I normally only tip 10% here, but do 15% in America as i know they have some kind of dodgy basic minimum wage over there, which pro rata to their cost of living is even less than minimum here. From what I understand they are also taxed on tips even if they dont get them which seems very odd.

Doe