Egypt has become a very popular travel destination amongst my the people I know lately, and I’d like to see it with my own eyes. With the Early May bank holiday, and a couple of days off in addition, I’m off to Cairo and Hurghada!
Thanks to my friends who offered many tips, I didn’t have to do much homework myself. I’m spending three nights at Cairo: the first two at Marriott Mena House and the third at the St Regis.
It might sound counter-intuitive at first, but Marriott Mena House is generally considered one of the most exclusive hotels in Cairo, and many will choose them over say the Ritz Carlton or St Regis. This is all thanks to their incredible location:
You can see the pyramid, in fair proximity, from many different spots inside the hotel. Needless to say that this feature is the backbone of their very high room rates, and spending 20k+ Marriott points on an award night is quite a bargain.
After almost one hour’s Uber ride from the airport, we finally arrived at the hotel. The driver couldn’t wait to get rid of us the moment we passed through the gate, and it took us quite a while to figure out where to go.
They sent me a welcome email in advance and my requests were well noted. All things were taken care of when we arrived and the front desk agent was very familiar with the whole process.
For the best pyramid view I applied my suite upgrade voucher, which unfortunately was declined. The hotel however still assigned us a room with partial pyramid view, which is as far as a twin room can go.
The room is plain, but functional.
The hotel was built in the 19th century and has seen better days. They have done a decent work in terms of maintenance and renovation however, and the buildings and rooms don’t feel super old.
If you step out onto the balcony, you’ll see the hotel’s garden and the pyramid.
Welcome fruits and snacks:
In addition to breakfast and what you see here, Titanium members can choose one from the two options as their welcome amenity: drinks + food, or 1,000 points. I chose the former and was surprised by the portion!
The hotel is well connected internally and there are a few internal and external zones. It sometimes feels like a maze and the pyramid may suddenly show up to amaze you 🙂
There are two large outdoor areas, the first being the big lawn you see from my room’s balcony, at the end of which is the main restaurant that operates 24/7. A big wedding was hosted here on Saturday and the loud music didn’t stop until 11pm.
The other area is where the swimming pool is.
Gym:
Possibly for better privacy, the spa facilities are reserved for one party to use at a time. You must book in advance and it’s for 30 minutes only.
It is a indeed a very tranquil, but hurried experience. The sauna and whirlpool are pretty enjoyable.
Time to talk about the food. Outdoor seats at breakfast are very popular – who doesn’t want a photogenic spot with the pyramid in the background?
But it comes with pains: the sunburn, the big crowd, and long trips to the buffet in the restaurant. Also be wary when you leave your table, otherwise it might become a feast for the ravens!
Indoors on the other hand, is a quiet haven.
The buffet’s spread is great, and it doesn’t fall short of local, European and Asian cuisines! The menu even changes every day – on the first day they had rice and curry in the Asian section, and then fried noodles and rice on the next.
Although it is a resort-like hotel, they’ve opened an M Club which is a gospel to us Marriott elites. Per tradition snacks and soft drinks are on offer during the day.
Given Cairo’s hot weather, it’s comforting to know of a place where you can grab a bottle of water anytime. Evening happy hour is between 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
It is one of the best “canapes” I’ve had at a hotel. Well it is not really a canape – although the dishes are served on a small plate, there’s a good variety of hot food and you can have as many as you want. They’ve got falafel, chicken stir-fry, grilled beef and spring rolls, to name a few.
Many options for salad, fruit and dessert as well. My favourite has to be their baklava selection.
For alcohol you need to order from the lounge staff. I can’t praise them enough for the M Club – Mena House isn’t positioned with many dining venues nearby, and most guests would probably end up going to the on-site restaurant or using in-room dining. The M Club however has an amazing happy hour, solving my dinner problem.
By the way, north gate of the the pyramids complex is only five minutes away when you exit the hotel and turn right. If you fancy a stroll after the tour you could exit from the east gate and walk back.
According to Wikipedia, Mena House has a historical wing which has been under renovation to re-open as a JW Marriott. I am very satisfied with the stay in general, and you have to spend a night or two here when visiting Cairo!
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