Hotel near pyramids in Cairo

[bee12345]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to book a holiday for me, my sister and our parents to Egypt at the end of November. We've got a cruise from Aswan to Luxor already booked, in the middle of our holiday, including flights to/from Cairo either end. We've got 2 nights at the beginning which we want to spend at the pyramids, ideally with a pyramid view from the room or at least the rooftop. Then there are 2 nights at the end, which we'd like to spend closer to the centre of Cairo and go to the Egyptian Museum.

I've currently got a hotel booked for the pyramids view with amazing reviews on Booking.com. But then I've found awful reviews of the same hotel on Tripadvisor, one of which says that the hotel faked a review in their name, so now I don't believe any of the reviews. The bad reviews on tripadvisor say that the hotel often cancel rooms at the last minute. Bathrooms are across the corridor. And the area is awful - not safe to walk and Uber drivers are too scared to pick up from there. I think the area is called Haram...

So - I'm after any recommendations for a hotel to stay near the pyramids. The Marriott Mena is very expensive, but the Steigenberger looks ok. It's just a bit further away from the pyramids so the views aren't as amazing.

Please help!

Bee

[mike]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to book a holiday for me, my sister and our parents to Egypt at the end of November. We've got a cruise from Aswan to Luxor already booked, in the middle of our holiday, including flights to/from Cairo either end. We've got 2 nights at the beginning which we want to spend at the pyramids, ideally with a pyramid view from the room or at least the rooftop. Then there are 2 nights at the end, which we'd like to spend closer to the centre of Cairo and go to the Egyptian Museum.

I've currently got a hotel booked for the pyramids view with amazing reviews on Booking.com. But then I've found awful reviews of the same hotel on Tripadvisor, one of which says that the hotel faked a review in their name, so now I don't believe any of the reviews. The bad reviews on tripadvisor say that the hotel often cancel rooms at the last minute. Bathrooms are across the corridor. And the area is awful - not safe to walk and Uber drivers are too scared to pick up from there. I think the area is called Haram...

So - I'm after any recommendations for a hotel to stay near the pyramids. The Marriott Mena is very expensive, but the Steigenberger looks ok. It's just a bit further away from the pyramids so the views aren't as amazing.

Please help!

Bee

Couple of pointers here, if slighly indirect.

Firstly the Museum - Have you seen the news this morning ? The new Grand Egyptian Museum is at last opening. It starts its phased opening today, and it is situated in Gaza. Might that change your travel plans regarding the old museum ?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africa/egypt/grand-egyptian-museum-opening/

Regarding hotels, we have stayed at the Steigenberger Wiltcher in Brussels and it was fine. Is that typical of the brand, I don't know, but we would return there. Hopefully others will have more local knowledge.

[DeepSporran]

Couple of pointers here, if slighly indirect.

Firstly the Museum - Have you seen the news this morning ? The new Grand Egyptian Museum is at last opening. It starts its phased opening today, and it is situated in Gaza. Might that change your travel plans regarding the old museum ?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africa/egypt/grand-egyptian-museum-opening/

Regarding hotels, we have stayed at the Steigenberger Wiltcher in Brussels and it was fine. Is that typical of the brand, I don't know, but we would return there. Hopefully others will have more local knowledge.

I hope the new museum is in Giza. If it’s in Gaza I would definitely avoid it.

[bee12345]

Hi Mike,

Thanks so much for that. As a result, I've turned the whole holiday around. We'll stay in the middle of Cairo for the first 2 nights (where we really only have 1 day - to do a whistlestop tour of sights in the centre) and then stay at the Steigenberger for the last 2 nights (where we have 1.5 days - to do pyramids and the new museum). I've decided not to risk it with the more dodgy looking hotels.

And DeepSporran - great spot! Giza it is!

Thanks again both,
Bee

[mike]

Firstly the Museum - Have you seen the news this morning ? The new Grand Egyptian Museum is at last opening. It starts its phased opening today, and it is situated in Gaza. Might that change your travel plans regarding the old museum ?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africa/egypt/grand-egyptian-museum-opening/

I hope the new museum is in Giza. If it’s in Gaza I would definitely avoid it.

Oops - too much news had addled the old grey matter

[Gerry557]

I'd plan to spend more time at the museum than the pyramids.

A half day at the latter might be enough with the rest in the museums.

I haven't got any hotel recommendations though.

[Hallucigenia]

I'd plan to spend more time at the museum than the pyramids.

+1

It's been a while since I've been, but back then at least, I would not have wanted to stay anywhere near Giza. It was Cairo's equivalent of Dagenham - on the edge of town (literally - the city just suddenly ends at the Pyramids with desert beyond it), there's a great road directly to it, but there was absolutely no reason to linger there beyond a few big pointy things, which still never matched the view we got from the plane flying in at sunset.

The new museum obviously changes things, but I'd also go bigger on even the old museum versus the pyramids.

It may have changed given all the political goings on but Central Cairo was great - completely mad, traffic utter hell, terrifying taxi drivers, but great nonetheless.

[Lootman]

It may have changed given all the political goings on but Central Cairo was great - completely mad, traffic utter hell, terrifying taxi drivers, but great nonetheless.

A friend of mine spent 2 years working in Cairo, for an oil company. He was in a senior position and was given a driver/bodyguard to get around. His driver was from Sudan.

Anyway for the first dozen or so times my friend got into the Mercedes, the driver would ask if he wanted to meet up with his sister. My friend always declined.

Then a lightbulb went off for the driver, and the next time he asked my friend if he would like to meet his brother