If you’ve read my reviews, you’ll know that I choose lodging based on the kind of experience I hope to have. The Talisman was my 4th and final stop on a solo, 2-week tour of Egypt.

Located in the heart of Cairo, the location couldn’t have been better. From the hotel, I walked to the Egyptian Museum, Khan el-Khalili and the subway station.

It is very much a “boutique” hotel that could have easily been around in the 20s or 30s. My room had a big wooden door with an old fashioned key that opened a squeaky noisy door. It reminded me of a 20th century B&B except for the beautiful bathroom which was very much my own. The furnishings were equally as nice in the shared spaces with a definite French influence right up to the mademoiselle who showed me to my room.

The room itself was a bit of a disappointment. The one window opened slightly (for air) into an open-air shaft. The room was dark and really smelled of cigarettes, although all of the places I stayed smelled of cigarette smoke. I think the only other room option would have been facing a noisy street.

A tasty but simple breakfast was included every morning and served in a room that reminded me of a French parlor, only it had Egyptian accents.

The best part of this hotel was the elevator. It is circa 1920-1930 and made me smile every time I rode it.

This is truly a funky boutique hotel and while it was quirky, I loved it. It had that certain...je ne sais quoi.

Oh yeah...it's really hard to find, especially at night, and it has a dark foreboding entrance off the main street down an alley. But don't let that disuade you!

This hotel really does need to pay attention to the dirt and filth around them. Itself is a lovely place and very like a Marrakesh riad but getting to it might put you off. If the elevator isn't working, or held, this could be a huge drawback. We stayed in one of the back rooms which was a blessing. Breakfast was very good. I'd stay in places like this over 5 star hotels anywhere but they must clean up the surroundings and the views from their balconies. My God, what's so difficult in understanding why this is important to the people who are coming to stay? Egyptians just don't get it, I suppose.

My room was nice, clean, and as a matter of fact, the one pictured above (blue rimmed headboard, sienna walls). It's clean, quiet, conveniently located and all that. The building the hotel is in (it occupies the entire 5th floor) is a dump. Don't let that bother you. Things work in the room - the AC, the TV, the bathroom - but are just a tad run down. And there's slopping things that they could fix, like the smeared paint job on the bathroom walls (see photo)
Probably the worst thing about this place is the breakfast, which is just awful. Skip it (I'm sure that's what they want you to do anyway). The cheese is old, the bread is white, the pastries taste cheap & old, the coffee is instant, the yogurt is room-temperature and the eggs, which you should be able to order as you like, tend to come however they feel like giving them to you. Two days in a row, I tried to get fried eggs. The first day, I got scrambled eggs. The second day I got fried eggs, but suspended in oil. Like oil above, oil below, oil everywhere. Just looking at them made me sick, so I went with the sad hard-boiled eggs and the tired-looking plate of sliced tomatoes & cucumbers. You're better off eating at any other hole in the wall in Cairo, or, better yet, going to one of the cafes on the Nile.
Also, don't expect the front desk to give you walking directions anywhere. The guy I dealt with kept telling me to get into a white cab. Which, okay, fine, I might do, but with traffic what it is in Cairo, you can spend all day in a cab trying to get to a place you could walk to in an hour.
Over all, a pleasant experience, and I'd recommend the place.

Way too expensive for a hotel like this. Charge $120 for a double room! U can get a 4 star hotel for this price! Located on the six floor of an old building, stair very dirty. Rooms r ok, with Egyptian style, but very small, and the view of the window is nothing to see.