It was my first time travelling to Cairo, was attending a conference in mid February 2012. The location is very safe, no problems/inconveniences for a solo female traveler. The hotel was above expectations (from tripadvisor I expected smth much worse). Not Ritz of course, but rooms cleaned on a regular basis, all accessories are in place, lobby and bar are quite nice. Most important aspect to me was a very friendly attitude of the staff – they did their best with every request (admittedly had not a few of them). Since my plane was 2 h late arrived close to 1 am, check-in was quick and smooth. The next day needed to do the ironing of my clothes (was presenting the day after), reasonable price, my two suites and blouse looked great. Was cold in Cairo during the days of my stay, was immediately provided with the radiator upon my first request at the reception. They have a PC room with a free inet connection (only one machine, but was always unoccupied). Connection was good. The most pleasant thing was enjoying a Turkish coffee while surfing, Osman does the very best coffee I tried in Cairo, not exaggerating.
Breakfast was sufficient, not a great variety of food, but everything fresh and properly cooked, not even a single problem here. Never tried lunching or dining at the restaurant, lunching was around Cairo University with conference participants, for dinners used Tikka Chicken, kebab-type restaurant already mentioned in tripadvisor reviews, is simply yummy and affordable. Right next to it is Alfa market, good for shopping for essentials. Both are on the left from the gas station (down the street).
Of course, can’t resist mentioning Emad (knew about him from tripadvisor comments) at Rosetta perfume&papyrus store – on the left from the hotel, third shop down the street. Is very helpful, interesting person to have a conversation on politics, local life, etc, offers a really vast variety of good tours at reasonable prices. No way pushy, a very respectful person and keeps his promises. His brother Mohammed was giving me a transfer to the airport when I was having a flight back to Ukraine, interesting conversation on the way, price was very reasonable. He checked for the right terminal for me and inquired details about my checkin, thank you Mohammed, it was really nice of you.
Hint for those whose Arabic is below basic (as mine): is useful to have the hotel name and street written in Arabic, one of my taxi trips ended at Midan Tahrir, instead of Tahrir street. Use white taxis and watch the meter, but still there might be some attempts to rip you off. On the other hand, taxis in Cairo are really cheap, so makes sense to use them as a main mode of transportantion. Was thinking about underground but was advised to avoid since crowded.
To sum up with, hotel is a perfect match as a budget one, close to downtown, all important attractions at your fingertips. Safe, many shops working 24/7, good selection of places to dine out.
For those looking for a romantic escape or travelling with small kids, I would advise to search for the other accommodation option.
- Concorde Hotel Cairo
