| Hotel Rating: |  | | Satisfaction: |   | | Reviews: 18 | Photos: 15 | | Pyramids Rd |
 | Cairo Mena House Oberoi Cairo Reviews | 1 - 10 of 18 |  |
 | |  |  | Mena House Oberoi Cairo: The best view in town
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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.
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 Leave a Comment
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| | | | Mena House Oberoi Cairo: Palatial Oasis
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From the moment we entered the gilded lobby of the Mena House, we felt like royalty in a truly palatial environment.
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. Leave a Comment 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: Mena House Oberoi
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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
Feb is not a good month to use the pool. It looked much like any other hotel pool. No views either because of smog. Theme: HotelPrice: US$180 and up » Currency ConverterComparison: about averagePhone: 20 2 383 32 22Directions: Giza
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