Mena House Oberoi Cairo

luxus hotel infront of the pyramids

location straignt infront of pyramid, many rooms with direct view to the pyramid
luxus hotel with personal note, very friendly service

Unique Quality: This palatial hotel in the shadow of the Great Pyramids in Cairo has enchanted guests since 1869. Located in forty acres of jasmine scented gardens, Mena House Oberoi has played host to kings and emperors, Heads of State and celebrities. Its royal history is reflected in luxurious interiors that are embellished with exquisite antiques, handcrafted furniture and rich textiles. A variety of international as well as Egyptian cuisine is on offer at the excellent restaurants and bars in the hotel. This is the perfect place to begin your explorations of Cairo.

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average

Mena House Oberoi Cairo Photo: view to cheops pyramid from room of mena house

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Mena House is not a necessity

People may feel like a stay at the Mena House is mandatory, but I would like to say that it could be missed. The hotel is noted for its age and its location to the pyramids. The location is the only reason one should stay at this hotel. I visited at high season and there was nothing going on. They have a disco, but it was not exciting. The pool area was univiting if not creepy. The continental breakfast was lackluster (it abounded with food grown in water like watermelon and rice - why would I want to eat food grown in water when I can't even drink the water?!).
The rooms are okay. The decorative fabrics on the beds seem like they have not been cleaned even though I am sure they have. They just gave me that feeling of uncleanliness.
There are some other great hotels in Cairo that people should try out. They are lighter on the wallet and offer more in my opinion.

Unique Quality: Grat location. The Mena House is the closest hotel (and the closest anything) to the pyramids. While this is a wonderful attribute, I got a brief creepy crawly as I wrote my family a postcard, staring at the pyramids from the bar. Maybe a little too close!!

Experience the faded charm of travels past

The Mena House has a long history - Agatha Christie stayed there, as did many other famous people. It is great for pretending you are playing a part in Death on the Nile.

It is also extremely convenient for the pyramids. You can sit in the gardens drinking tea and gaze at a pyramid.

There are several restaurants - at one, in the gardens, we were able to watch our bread being made before we ate it for lunch.

On the downside, rooms in the annexe are not that luxurious, and when we stayed there over Christmas, the lift muzak was a high-pitched version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", which palled very quickly.

Unique Quality: Great views of the pyramids.

It is a chance to stay in a piece of history.

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
• Related to: Historical Travel, Archeology

Mena House Oberoi Cairo Photo: Gardens of Mena House

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open your window and contemplate

Mena House Hotel

A good quality hotel in a superb location, just a short 5/10 minute walk from the Pyramids. The public areas and restaurants in the old part of the hotel are very ornate. The rooms in the garden annex are large and well presented, but lacking character. Plus the noise from the road can be a nuisance at times. The buffet breakfast was very good and the food overall was much better than I have had previously in Egyptian hotels. The staff were friendly.

The facilities were good (including the spa) and there is a nice pool area should you have time to take a dip. You can see the pyramids from the hotel grounds (apart from when it is misty).

Unique Quality: Drinking evening cocktails in the bar overlooking the pyramids.

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
• Related to: Archeology, Historical Travel, Luxury Travel

Mena House Oberoi Cairo Photo: Mum having lunch at Mena House Hotel

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Overrated and overpriced.

Facilities. The view of the pyramids from our palace suite was simultaneously humbling and empowering. The suite per se was pathetic. Severely dated amenities, running water that showcased a myriad of brackish colors, carpet and paint that was beyond worn and a bed that offered a significantly less then spectacular sleeping experience made me question how the Mena House was able to justify their asking price. I prefer to skip the Ritz Carltons and the Four Seasons in favor of hotels that offer an authentic charm or an unique experience. This hotel offered neither.

In contrast, the common areas were nice, and at times, enchanting. Of particular note was the Khan El Khalili restaurant and the Abu Nawas nightclub. Both featured decor that was voluptuous and pleasing.

The location of the hotel worked well for my purposes. Of the four nights I stayed in the hotel, 3 were spent exploring the pyramids or the desert and the hotel's proximity to these sights was appreciated. Travelers who intend to spend more time in the city center of Cairo would do better elsewhere as taxis into the city might take as long as 45 minutes.

Service. Decent

(a) Anytime the requested services were under the domain of the actual hotel staff...all worked out well. Last minute flexibility re my stay and the willingness to accommodate my access baggage while camping was much appreciated.

(b) Anytime the requested services were under the domain of the onsite Misr Travel Agency...all worked out poorly or not at all. Certainly any tour booked with Misr was prompt and responsive. However, upon asking them any questions re events, tours or travel for which they did not have prearranged programming, their response ranged from lackluster to hostile. This is highly disappointing as my expectation of any 4/5 star hotel is that their guest relations/concierge desk is resourceful and eager to be of service. By outsourcing this duty to an external vendor, Mena House loses the opportunity to provide Four Seasons level service.

Unique Quality: General. The reason this hotel barely managed a "Satisfied" rating is threefold:

1. Pyramid view.
2. Pyramid view.
3. Pyramid view.

Without it, this hotel wouldn't be able to compete with an American standard Holiday Inn.

As an aside: I also enjoyed the belly dancing performance at the Abu Nawas nightclub. Good fun!

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
• Related to: Romantic Travel and Honeymoons, Castles and Palaces, Spa and Resort

Mena House Oberoi Cairo Photo: View from our Mena House Suite

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Mena House Oberoi

After reading so many positive reviews of the Mena House we were very disappointed on the two occassions we stayed there recently. ,Reserving and prepaying for a 'pyramid view room' is no guarantee that you will actually be given one as we found out. We were assigned to the garden section which is quite a hike from the 'palace' section, on both of our recent visits. This section is unimpressive and other the constant 24hr roar of Cairo traffic coming from the adjacent street, it felt much like any western hotel/motel in need of some refurbishment. The staff were nice enough, other than the rather arrogant and indifferent man who checked us in on our return visit. On that occasion we were taken to three different rooms before settling on a 'satisfactory ' double 'no smoking' garden view ,away from street noise. It turned out that for two days, owing to Cairo smog, the pyramids couldn't be seen from the hotel anyway. Other than the pyramids, good for a couple of hours visit, the location is inconvenient to all other attractions. It's location so far from the airport means that an early flight means a very early start to allow for the 45 min extra travel time needed to reach the airport. We did not try the much touted 'Mogul" restaurant but found the other restaurants to be overpriced with food that can only be described as mediocre. If you want the true 'palacial' Egyptian experience, a hotel that lives up to the hype, the Sofitel 'Old Cataract Hotel' located on the Nile, admist beautiful gardens in Aswan, is worth the expense . It truly lives up to it's reputation as a grand hotel

Unique Quality: Feb is not a good month to use the pool. It looked much like any other hotel pool. No views either because of smog.

Fantastic Hotel for the Jet-lagged!

I highly recommend the hotel!! The location is truly wonderful for those who couldn't sleep due to the jet lag. I had a perfect view of the Great Pyramid from my hotel bed. Do I need to say more? :)

Unique Quality: The hotel has a GREAT Indian restaurant. It is not cheap but it has the best Indian food I ever had in life!!!

The best view in town

The combination of its location and history together with a truly fabulous Indian meal (I do like my curries)in a beautiful restaurant, acres of gorgeous, perfectly manicured gardens and wonderfully OTT decor made a stay at the Mena Palace very special. Sitting on the terrace with a long, cold drink, soaking up the atmosphere is quite an experience and walking in the garden in the cool, early morning is magical. The service is excellent. All in all, a great experience, especially if you make sure you book a room in the old building - which really was a palace - rather than the newer, blander garden rooms.

Unique Quality: If your taste is for gleaming modern glass and marble -give the Mena Palace a miss. But if the Pyramids are the reason you've come to Egypt (and for a lot of people they are - though MrL swears they've been moved, he remembers them as being way, way out of the city when he first saw them), and atmosphere and charm count for more, then you really should book yourself one night at least in the Mena Palace Hotel. Even if it's beyond your budget, do stop by for a drink, or come out for a meal here. For nearly one hundred and fifty years now the hotel has been a Cairo institution, long may that continue.

leyle

• Opinion of Price: most expensive

Mena House Oberoi Cairo Photo: Great hotel

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