In fact it was a part of the Royal Palace of ex king Farouq. Used to host the female royal guests at that time. One can see some pics of late royal family.
The El Salamlek Palace hotel was originally built by King Abbas Helmi as a hunting lodge for his beloved mistress and as hunting lodges go, this one is pretty spectacular! The hotel has been beautifully restored and still contains a lot of original artifacts and paintings. It is surrounded by the magnificent Muntaza gardens and lies only a short stroll from the sea. Next door to the hotel is a swish casino where the glitzy people came in the eveings. The rooms are decorated with lots of gold paint and antiques and the bathrooms are spacious with gorgeously big sinks and baths. The hotel serves a good standard of food and I found the staff to be ultra-efficient and very friendly. Having woken up each morning with a view across acres of bright flowers and lush, green palm trees, I couldn't think of a nicer place to have spent my days in Alexandria.
If you are looking for luxury, peace and quiet, and tradition in Alexandria this is the place. The hotel is located in Montazah gardens - about 40 minutes from central Alexandria by taxi or local train. The place is palatial with slick service to match. Just one thing I didn't like so much was omnipresent tv screens in the public rooms. The manager explained that these were to satisfy numerous Gulf state clients. Otherwise I couldn't have wished for a beautiful history impregnated place than this.
Tradition, luxury, super attentive service, location facing sea in quiet Montazah gardens.
We stayed with my Mom and my sister. It was a lovely 1 bedroom suite and we took the pull out couch in the livingroom which was like a sleeping on a foam taco! The staff did recommend two small rooms, but we wanted the suite, after our stay we knew why. It would be nice if they upgraded their sofa beds. They didn't let us buy the robes or slippers as souvineers which I thought was dumb of them.
The breakfast was great and the suite was clean.
The hotel was interesting and full of photos of the Royal family and history. The breeze is so fresh in Montaza compared to other places in the city. The smell of gas is very strong in Alexandria. Montaza has the best air in Alexandria due to the extensive gardens and the Mediteranean Sea. The gardens are in my opinion, are a must see attraction in Alexandria and staying the night there gives you time to explore.
