The Garden City House Hotel basically has everything you could ask for out of a budget hotel, but with better service! The location is perfect if you want to be in the dynamic, chaotic and culture-rich centre of Cairo, right by Tahrir Square, and a short taxi ride away from the extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage Site of Islamic Cairo and the Khan al-Khalili Bazaar. The rooms and the building itself are modest and a bit grubby, but the beds and bathrooms are clean, allowing the rest to contribute to the old-world character and charm of the place. Each room also has a fantastic balcony that really lets you feel energy of the city around you. If you arrange to have a driver through the hotel for any reason, you can bet that they will be there on time and for a low price. The staff that work there are also extremely friendly, and go out of their way to answer your questions, find you maps, and so on. For the minimal price you pay to stay at the Garden City House, you get great service and a comfortable place with a lot of charm that really lets you feel the experience of being in Cairo.

I got bed bugs from here. Besides that, the location is good, but because of the location, there was nonstop loud traffic, even at 3:30 in the morning. I don't know if it was the traffic or the bed bugs that prevented me from sleeping. That said, the people who worked there were very friendly and helpful. Oh, and breakfast was not great. Stale bread, jam and butter, a hard-boiled egg, and tea.

This is the worst hotel I have ever stayed at, and I have travelled a lot. Wallpaper peeling , smelly, depressing, non-working elevator, dirty rugs, unsuitable bathroom and so on...!

My sister and I stayed here in December 2007. The review by "zlo" (2 reviews before this one) is spot on – no need to repeat much of what she says. Basic but clean, nothing really lacking, though perhaps we take longer showers than "zlo", because we found the water did start running cold near the end of the shower. Take along a plug if you intend having a bath or using the basin for doing handwashing.

We chose this hotel partly because of its good reviews here, but primarily for its location. It's a quick walk to Sadat metro station, which is on both lines (useful for getting most of the way to Giza, down to Coptic Cairo, and up to the central railway station). It's an easy walk to the Egyptian Museum, the Nile Hilton and its shopping arcade, and the Semiramis Intercontinental, which means that varied (though expensive) dining options are plentiful. The Nile Hilton arcade does have a small foodcourt downstairs (and an Internet café) which we didn't sample, but I'd imagine cheapish eats could be had there. The Nile river is also just around the corner. There's a tiny grocery store right downstairs for cheap water and snacks.

We appreciated the ac unit in our room, not for the ac, but for its heating properties. December nights in Cairo can get rather chilly!

I wouldn't have the staff arrange any tours for you, though – their prices seemed somewhat higher than what we could arrange ourselves. And their airport pickup is very expensive if you're a solo traveller – rather arrange your own with a company like bluecab.