“5 Star View and Service at 3 Star Rates”

I feel sorry for the snobs who choose a hotel based solely on the 5 star rating because none of the top luxury hotels or spas in GIza have the fantastic view we enjoyed from our rooms. I had concerns booking a three star hotel in an unfamiliar country, but my fears were all unfounded. It turns ou… more

I feel sorry for the snobs who choose a hotel based solely on the 5 star rating because none of the top luxury hotels or spas in GIza have the fantastic view we enjoyed from our rooms. I had concerns booking a three star hotel in an unfamiliar country, but my fears were all unfounded. It turns out that the owner of the hotel, Sammy, has spent time in the USA and is well aware of what westerners are worried about in travelling to Egypt and has done just about everything he can think of to address those concerns -given the limitations of an aging hotel originally built as an apartment building. I was worried about arriving very late at night and having to get myself to the hotel. We were staying three nights, so the hotel sent a complimentary car and driver to meet us outside of the airport. Such a relief to get through customs and have someone waiting for us holding up the Pyramids View Hotel sign! We were met at the hotel near midnight by Kamel at the front desk who wanted to arrange our tour for the next morning before we went to bed - which satisfied my next concern that we would waste half a day trying to arrange sightseeing. The double twin bed room (Room 102) was actually a small suite with a 2nd small room and lounge sofa that was a third bed. The sheets were soft, the pillows of multiple levels of firmness and we both slept very well. A NesCafe and tea cady with electric kettle were available in the room. The bathroom was big enough, but old, although it had a faint, reassuring smell of Chlorox and evidence it had a good scrubbing with no sign of mold or neglect. The towels had been sun dried and so were stiff, but had a fresh smell. Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Lotion and shower cap were all there. There was also insect repellent and earplugs with a note that street noise could keep us up. We didn't notice particularly loud street noise from our room. The earplugs were an indication that the owners had had a complaint sometime in the past and took steps to address it. That seemed to be the whole vibe of the service there - they were very eager that any concerns we had be addressed quickly. In the morning, I was awakened by horse hooves clip-clopping by and saw camels and horses on the street below. We were amazed at the view from our room, which was even better from the rooftop restaurant. We had a beautiful spread of complimentary breakfast with a full view of all the pyramids and the Sphinx only a few hundred feet away. The hotel had arranged a guide (Abdula) and driver (Mohamed). We felt safe and in very good hands with both of them. Abdula spoke English very well and was very knowledgeable about the antiquities and history of Egypt - and maybe more importantly he knew when and where to be to avoid the crowds and get everything packed into a full day including the pyramid and Sphinx complex, camel ride around the pyramids, Saqqaro and the Step Pyramid and Memphis. Mohamed stayed with us in the evening to drive us to the dock to board on a dinner cruise on the Nile and made sure we had a good table near the stage and stayed on board. The next day, they drove us to Alexandria taking us to a very nice restaurant. I'll review the tours in another post, but if you go to the Pyramids View Hotel, use them to book your guides and ask for Abdula and Mohamed. You can pretty much design your own tour to see what is important to you. We felt no pressure for any of it and were able to see so much more than if we had tried to do it on our own or with a tour bus. On the morning we went to Alexandria for the day, it was an early departure and the restaurant brought coffee to our room without our asking and packed a box breakfast for us so we didn't miss out on our complimentary breakfast. They were so thoughtful - and good thing because their knock on the door woke us up as we had forgotten to set the alarm. I should mention that there is a light show at the pyramid complex lighting up the Sphinx and Pyramids and telling a history of them. Hundreds of attendees in about a dozen tour buses must have paid good money to attend, but we watched the whole show from our balcony and could hear the whole story - gratis. All I can say it that the staff were attentive, considerate, and went out of their way to help. The rooms were clean and had balconies to sip our coffee and soak up the best view available and I did not feel as though I was missing out on anything, despite the very modest price per night. I have told everyone I know that this was our best hotel stay on our trip.

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“8 dollar room-Million dollar view”

Staff are excellent, friendly and helpful. Room, well sparse barely cuts it. We had the top floor room and the curtains didn’t shut and their was obvious water damage on ceiling and around beds. They were twin beds so wife and I slept separate, not ideal. Still, it was clean and everything work… more

Staff are excellent, friendly and helpful. Room, well sparse barely cuts it. We had the top floor room and the curtains didn’t shut and their was obvious water damage on ceiling and around beds. They were twin beds so wife and I slept separate, not ideal. Still, it was clean and everything worked. Then you get up in the AM and BANG, view of a lifetime, same in the evening. There is NO better view of the great pyramids and you instantly don’t care about the room. Breakfast was hearty and plentiful, wine was available. Turned into a great experience. Know what you are buying, you are buying that view! It’s worth it!

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