| Hotel Rating: |  | | Satisfaction: |   | | Reviews: 21 | Photos: 17 | | Pyramids Rd |
 | Cairo Mena House Oberoi Cairo Reviews | 1 - 10 of 21 |  |
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 | Mena House Oberoi Cairo: The best view in town
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 Great hotel by TheWanderingCamel
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
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| Mena House Oberoi Cairo: Palatial Oasis
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 Breakfast at mena House by SabrinaSummerville
Unfortunately, our travel agent had booked us into the newer garden wing - if I were staying again I would reserve a room in the original Palace (I mean, why stay in a palace and bunk in the garden!).
The restaurants and public areas are in the main located in the palace and are opulent and spectacular.
The rooms are comfortable, clean, and welcoming.
The staff are nice, if a little officious. On the first morning we were assured at reception that residents didn't need a reservation for dinner in the main restaurant (where there is a floor show each night) - but we were bitterly disappointed that evening to be told that there were no good tables left n the restaurant!
I was disappointed in the pool area as all of the pool was deep, there was no shallow end, and thus noplace that you could wallow in the searing heat. Also, because it's located in a garden there are more flies than youmight tolerate.
Wherever you go in the hotel the pyramids are visible in the public areas - both from the windows on the public rooms, and also from the gardens. It was wonderful. Theme: HotelComparison: more expensive than averagePhone: 20 2 383 32 22Directions: Within touching distance of the pyramids.
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| Mena House Oberoi Cairo: Overrated and overpriced.
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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.
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!
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| Mena House Oberoi Cairo: Luxoury witha Pyramid view
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 The view from the pool by mightywease
The location is amazing, a leisurely stroll to the Great Pyramid will take all of 5 or 6 minutes and the view from the gardens, swimming pool and restaurants is wonderful.
It is an expensive place to stay, both in terms of room cost and food/drink prices (particularly by Cairo standards) however the service and ambience makes it worth while.
The rooms in the older part of then hotel are fairly spacious and beautifully decorated in an oriental style, as are most of the public areas. The staff are very friendly and helpful and there is a 24 hour currency exchange facility.
The hotel has a number of restaurants including The Moghul Room, suberb Indian cuisine, the Khan el Khalili Restaurant (a kind of a western style brasserie) and the Oasis BBQ Grill, by the pool, which at night serves Lebanese and Egyptian starters then a mixture of freshly grilled meat and fish dishes. However, though the food was excellent the menus didn't really include a lot of Egyptian cuisine, though you could have fuul beans, falafal and tahini for breakfast
On the negative side the hotel is quite far from the centre of Cairo. Taxis are easy to come by (it cost us between 30 and 45 Egyptian Pounds, about £3.00-£4.50 to travel between the hotel and central Cairo) and the journey took between 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic.
Overall though it was a great hotel, very luxourious, a relaxing atmosphere with excellent amenities. If you want to treat yourself I would definately recommend it.
Lounging in the pool, drinking in the bar, sitting eating breakfast, the view of the Great Pyramid is never far away.
Every night we returned to the room to find a single rose and a quotation of poetry laying on the bed!
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