IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF pharaohs

AS THE TREATS ARE LAID OUT, I’M CONTENT TO SAVOUR THE SWEETNESS OF THE MOMENT

With a grand flourish, the butler throws open the hotel suite’s wooden louvred doors leading on to the balcony, and everyone gasps in astonishment. Before us lies what can only be described as an astounding visual feast: the indigo waters of the Nile sprinkled with lush emerald islands and the ivory sails of gliding felucca yachts, against a backdrop of golden Saharan sand dunes.

Put bluntly, it’s a view to die for – and the irony of this is not lost on me as we are standing in the Agatha Christie Suite of the historic Old Cataract Hotel in Egyptian city Aswan.

This is where the best-selling murder mystery queen stayed for six months, the latest film adaptation of which hit movie screens in February.