The Pyramisa Hotel, Cairo, Egypt.
by TripAdvisor Member amaggiora
There were four of us in our group and we had originally been scheduled for two Standard Twin rooms. However, the hotel upgraded us to a suite consisting of two bedrooms, two baths and a sitting room. We were very pleased with the arrangement. The breakfast buffet is exceptional. We had choices of fruits, juices, breads, entrees, and chef prepared omlettes. The service is exceptional. The hotel has an ATM and a bank which made accessing currency immediately available. Our last night in Cairo we ate at the Italian restaurant in the hotel. The food and service was marvelous. I would highly recommend this hotel.
Bars and alcoholic drinks.!
by siso010 about Dancing
If you want to spend your night drinking and dancing so go to Haram street "Pyramids street"..
You can find many night clubs/Disco's in this area.
I recommend you Coma club in Pyramisa hotel.its very cool one.
there are another Disco in Hor Moheb hotel its also good one.
Europe hotel also has a good disco.
Not bad, but not 5 star
by TripAdvisor Member flightrip
I stayed 3 nights in Pyramisa Cairo in December.
At the time of booking, I read all the reviews here and decided it is not so bad though there are some bad comments.
However, after staying there, I think my decision was not so good.
1. Service
As I booked a single room, I asked to get single room for my staying. But they gave me a twin room and said they don't have any available single room. And while I tried to find my room by myself and failed, bellboy seemed to scold me that I refused to get his help.
Moreover, there is no tour they can offer even though many tour companies use this hotel. As I was a single traveler, all I had to do was going to Hilton and book a tour on there.
2. Room
Room itself was not so bad even though it looks a little bit old. But in my room, I found out there is a locked small door to next to the room that you can easily hear voices from your next room. (And I got trouble when sleeping because of group of people's chatting in next room.)
3. Food
Breakfast was fine.
Overall, I don't like to recommend this hotel to people. It is not 5 star hotel and service itself was not so good as you can expected. If you want to feel more 5-star hotel style, I would recommend you to use Hilton or other hotel brand even though you have to spend a little more money.
5 Star??? 2 Star
by TripAdvisor Member ReviewVacations
Booked Pyramisa November for 2 nights, on arrival was offered standard room pool view, strange because i had confirmed a suite nile view at £230. Ended up in a standard suite 1 room, which still was rong. Hotel staff rude, maintaince poor, rooms poor, stains everywhere, food ok but 3 star standards. This hotel is not a 5 star more 2 star, stay at Shreaton Towers facing with a more direct Nile view.
No way is it 5*
by TripAdvisor Member GeorgiaGirlLondon
Coming off the last day of a tour we were booked into a 4* hotel and decided to upgrade to a 5* hotel because we hadn't been hugely impressed with the 4* offering. Thus we landed at the Pyramisa.
The lobby and the vibe of the hotel actually isn't too bad. But the rooms are just nowhere near the standard you expect of a 5*. The bathroom in particular was pretty tragic - the shower curtain was scary, I felt I should take no chances and wore my flip flops in the shower, and there were loose panels in the bathroom ceiling. The beds were extremely hard and they were stingy with the pillows (one per person and no spares in the room). Linen was also pretty old and horrible.
Therre are a number of restaurants in the hotel. We ate at a cafe in the lobby and while the food was quite good, it took forever to arrive and arrived in much larger quantities than expected (we wanted to share something between 4 of us and instead got 4 servings of it). English wasn't a strong point with the wait staff. Also, this place boasts possibly the least helpful concierge I've ever come across!!
There are definitely better places to spend your money in Cairo. Try the Le Meridien Pyramids for a great 5*.
Busy city hotel
by TripAdvisor Member AHassall
My wife and I stayed for three nights at the Pyramisa Hotel in Cairo as the first stop in our ‘Land of the Pharaohs’ holiday, booked with SAGA, in November, 2007.
Saga use the Pyramisa chain of hotels in Egypt – rated five-star according to the signs, but there were a few five-star facilities missing for me, including a lack of hairdryers in the rooms (although they were available from Reception), lack of room safes (again available at Reception), bathroom toiletries provided from wall dispensers, poor range of English TV channels, and poor quality towels. The hotels all had a tired feel about them, with some rooms better than others, and all the bathrooms seem to be coming up for refurbishment. Based on the advice in the SAGA literature, I took the step of applying for a SAGA Visa card, to get my 10% discount when settling the extras bills at the hotels.
SAGA use EgyptAir for their flights, and my impression was of an organisation that does a good impression of a Third World airline. Our first problem was the three hour delay in taking off from Heathrow – unofficial rumours blamed this on an Egyptian politician delaying the incoming flight from Cairo due to a late-running meeting. This may or may not have been true, but EgyptAir provided no further details or explanation. The second problem was that the choice of meals ran out before they reached us, so we had to have the dish that was left. More about EgyptAir later.
Our arrival at Cairo Airport was not well-organised. We were 32 tourists being met by one SAGA rep, who – painfully slowly – sorted out our visas, directed us through passport control, then organised the baggage so slowly that everyone else was long gone by the time we made our weary way out of the airport building. Could do a lot better, SAGA.
The Pyramisa in Cairo is a 377-room hotel in the middle of the traffic jams. With the location of this hotel, it took at least 30 minutes to get through the immediate traffic every time we left or returned. The hotel has two swimming pools, both small and with some noise from the nearby traffic, but both get very limited sun due to the surrounding buildings, especially in the winter months. There are free sunbeds and towels, and a well-equipped gym for the fitness fanatics.
Our room was well equipped, although it had the tired feel that was to become familiar on this holiday, but we had two queen beds, a fridge and a hairdryer - and very noisy air conditioning. The TV had BBC World, but no other useful English language channels (that’s if you can call BBC World useful). Meals for SAGA guests were taken in the buffet restaurant, which offered a selection of chicken, fish and beef, with vegetables, rice and potatoes for lunch and dinner. Local dishes were also on offer, and with soup and salads to start and a good range of desserts, the food was edible although the choice of main course meats was to become very monotonous. The breakfast selection was good, with eggs and omelettes cooked to order. There were other (chargeable) restaurants available in the hotel, including Indian and Chinese, but Jimmy’s – the English Pub – was closed during our stay. SAGA guests get free local drinks with meals, but have to pay in the bars. Entertainment was limited to a couple singing almost karaoke-style, and for this you were charged an additional 4% entertainment tax on your bill in addition to the service and sales tax.
A difficulty on checking out of this hotel was using the SAGA Visa card to get the 10% discount off the extras bill – in fact, it was difficult using the SAGA credit card at all here. The cashier took my card and processed it without any discount, and asked me to sign the receipt. When I pointed out the mistake, he had to cancel the transaction, which took some minutes, and during this time he left my card on the reception counter in full view of the crowds of people milling around while he tended to another guest. When he processed the card again, it did not have the full 10% deducted, because ‘we don’t refund the taxes and service charge’. I signed for the total, then I was asked to enter my PIN, and a little later I was called back off the coach for them to take a photocopy of my credit card. I was almost holding my breath, waiting for the request for a blood sample!
During our stay in Cairo, we joined the organised tours – a city tour, and visits to the Museum, the Pyramids and the Sphinx. The city tour was mainly a guide to the way the Egyptians drive in Cairo, which is not for the faint-hearted. The Museum was very interesting, and the Mummies room was eerie and awesome, standing amongst 3,000 year old bodies. The Pyramids were interesting from an ancient building viewpoint, and there is access to one of them if you can crawl 60 metres to an empty room in the middle, but we didn’t bother. We found the Sphinx – quoted as the most important statue in Egypt – strangely disappointing. It was not as big as we expected, and it lost any aura by being situated in a crowded area where it was overwhelmed by other buildings.
The whole pyramid site was tacky – overrun by locals trying to con you out of money. Beware the camel rides, where you are initially quoted a price for a ride, but are not told the price of the return journey, or how much it is to get off the camel (ever tried to get off a camel without help?). Also beware of the locals who give you some worthless piece of stone, which then places you in their debt, ready to be exploited. Look out for the traders trying to sell postcards, stamps, photos, etc, only to shortchange you (yes, I was caught). Watch for the locals who offer to be in your photos, only to demand payment afterwards. In fact, beware everyone around the Pyramids – they all just want your money, and this spoils the experience.
Our (thankfully) last encounter with EgyptAir was on the return flight, and we were informed the night before by our SAGA rep that the flight was overbooked and that an employee would take all the passports and ticket receipts to the airport, and attempt to check us in during the night. Although this made us very worried about losing our passports (I never usually let mine out of my possession), and perhaps not getting home on time, they actually did a good job. There was some confusion at the airport when we arrived, but the flight left on time and the remainder of the journey was uneventful (although EgyptAir again ran out of the choice of meals). It was just a pity that the SAGA taxi service at Heathrow left us waiting for 50 minutes on our arrival until the local SAGA airport rep baled us out. We initially rang SAGA, who gave us the taxi company number, who then promised to call us back, but didn’t. A very unreliable service from SAGA.
Our SAGA reps in Egypt were Dimitry (Tour Manager) and Ahmed (Egyptologist). Dimitry worked tirelessly throughout the tour, and with great enthusiasm, even when let down occasionally by the travel arrangements made by his Head Office. I thought it was typical of Dimitry’s enthusiasm that he carried a suit bag with him for nine nights in order to don a very smart suit and tie for the farewell dinner at the hotel in Luxor. Ahmed was a personable, mature guide, whose delivery was sometimes a little wooden, but was always available to help Dimitry on the tour logistics, like buying and distributing tickets. Top marks for the local reps.
The excursions and transfers in Egypt were all carried out in comfortable, air-conditioned coaches, some with more leg room than others. The coach drivers all had a little sideline going, buying bottled water by the crate, storing them in the coach cool box and selling them to us for about 45p for two 500ml bottles. Beneficial to both parties, and very useful on a hot day trip. One thing about the SAGA coaches – they are the standard type, with no concession to the elderly or disabled. Some of the coaches were especially difficult to get out of because of the steep steps, and several less active members of our group had difficulties navigating their way out.
A few words to anyone contemplating a visit to Egypt for the first time. Don’t drink the tap water, or even clean your teeth in it. Use bottled water – widely available – and make sure the bottle top seal is intact if you buy it outside the hotel. Take some antiseptic wipes with you, and wipe the surfaces that you regularly come into contact with in your hotel room. Don’t buy fruit or vegetables from the fly-infested markets – just looking at the fly-covered produce on offer will turn you a gentle shade of green. The shopkeepers and stallholders all over Egypt are a pest, both in the towns and also wherever the tourist attractions are. They will harass you to buy their goods even to the point of following you along the street. If you are not interested in buying anything, just push your way through with a firm No. If you are, insist on getting the price – usually possible after about the fourth or fifth time of asking. Then just wave your arms dismissively and walk off. The shopkeeper will follow you along the street, reducing the price all the way, and you have the choice of buying before he eventually gives up and returns to his shop. I bought several shirts quoted at 250 Egyptian pounds for 40 using this technique.
At least the shopkeepers are (generally) honest, if somewhat persistent and aggressive. Around the tourist sites, the con merchants prevail. Camel rides, free gifts, ambiguous prices for postcards and stamps, shortchanging – watch out for them all. The Egyptian Tourist Authority should take action to stamp out these practices because it was the single biggest complaint I heard during the holiday, particularly from the ladies, who like to browse the shops and tourist sites in peace.
Overall, a great experience in Egypt and we are glad we did it. However, I would not be itching to go back in the near future. I thought the organisation by SAGA was a letdown in some respects, and the fact that they deal with EgyptAir doesn’t help. Although it is very difficult to compare different touring holidays in different countries, we felt that a previous touring holiday that we had taken - with Titan HiTours in California - had a clear edge when compared to the SAGA holiday in Egypt. So when we do our next touring holiday – probably in Cuba – we will be looking at the various tour operators, rather than just booking with SAGA.
Note: the review of this hotel is an excerpt from my review of the whole ‘Land of the Pharaohs’ holiday lasting 15 nights. If you are interested in the full review, contact me and I’ll send you a copy.
A complete rip off!!!
by TripAdvisor Member WestPointArmywife
I don't even know where to start. This hotel was old, dirty, and smokey. My husband had a conference at the hotel and that is why we booked to stay there. Making the arrangements were hard via internet, and still when we arrived, we had twin beds. The floor did not looked vacuumed, there were no fitted sheets and the mattress was very old, stained and hard, very low to the floor. They only gave us one odd key to the room, it had a plug to put into the wall to turn the lights on... we had to turn to lights off to take the key. irritating... The breakfast buffet was included and that was fine. I was looking for help from the staff about tours and places to go and the only thing they offered was a desk for a taxi driver. Being alone since my husband was in the conference, I was a bullseye for being taken advantage of. The driver agreed to take me to certain locations, then changed the plan during the trip saying that one place didn't have anything to really look at and the other was too crowded for visitors. When we got back he overcharged me and added an extra fee and said we left earlier than we did. At any rate, I wish the hotel had provided a better service for this. Every minute I was in this hotel I was uncomfortable. All night long I was ill from the smoke and dirt in the room and bed. The hotel is centrally located, but for the price, you can do so much BETTER. A friend of ours came and after 2 calls, we were off to the Hilton, which was fabulous in every way. For example, at the Hilton, the concierge arranges the transportation and price before you go. They have all sorts of professionals and tours set up to make it a vacation. The Pyramisa is more of a place to stay for locals.
2 nights in a row they had late night entertainment that was so loud, I could hear it until 1 p.m.
***Biggest rip offs: They sell you phone cards in 1/2 hour incriments. However, like everything, they are trying to get as much money as possible from you. They changed the prices from what were advertized IN WRITING in the business center. She would say they didn't have any more of "those" cards left, only the ones that were more expensive. Plus, you had to use the time all at once, unlike the HIlton where you could keep using your time in small spurts.
Every morning, their phone system was shut down for at least an hour each morning. The business center was closed a lot in the morning. (Two times we ran across the street to the Sheraton to use their computers to set and they were so nice and helpful. One time, the worker didn't even charge us any money because we were on for such a short time ) Plus, 2 nights, one of the General Managers daughter was being babysat in there, running around and being silly and loud.
****Biggest and most upsetting rip off. They kept trying to change the price of our room and add all these fees onto the bill.
The most BRAZEN violation of this was when they added 90.00 euro (which is like 150.00!!!) to our room per person because it was New Years Eve. We had everything in writing showing that we had a set amount for what the charge per night was too be. They claimed that every person staying in the hotel were being charged the extra fee because there was a gala and buffet. Whether you wanted to go or not, it was put on the bill. My husband argued with 3 upper management to no avail. Needless to say, the next day, we looked elsewhere. AT the gala, they even charged you for a soda!!! I was so upset and disappointed we stayed for 1 hour.
The one thing I will say is that the food service workers were trying so hard! As well as the housekeeping staff. They worked so hard to make sure we were happy especially with the limited stuff they are working with.
Also, to prepare you, every hotel in egypt has metal detectors and security everywhere. It's strange, but you get used to it quickly.
Forum Posts
hotel pyramisa cairo
by bushman73
Hi,
Just booked 5 days at this hotel.Has anybody stayed in this hotel or does anybody know what it is like-location,food,service etc.
cheers.
RE: hotel pyramisa cairo
by nadine2oo2
Hello,
Concerning location , it is quite opposite to the Cairo Sheraton hotel. It means Down Town area .. just few minutes by Taxi to city center , Cairo Museum and Shopping area.
It is classified as 5 stars hotel while it is much preferred for Arabs and gulf tourists. It is like a casino by night ( I mean not a calm Hotel ) . So if uou are looking for 5 stars or 4 stars hotel much better than Pyramisa, the Helnan Shepheard hotel is an excellent choice. This historical hotel is located in city center , just 5 minutes walk from Cairo Museum.Also, two of its 17 storeys are totally refurbished to offer grand deluxe rooms with Nile view. Other rooms are standard with possiblity for Nile view upon request. As for price, I think it will be the same average of Pyramisa.
Have a wonderful trip.. shd u need any further information, pls feel free to contact me.
Regards,
nadine2oo2@yahoo.com
