So here is my question, in december my girlfriend and i will visit for one week Cairo. We want visit the pyramides at Giza, Saqqara, Meidum and Abusir. One day we visit also the Museum in Cairo and if its opened then, the GEM. We have a tour guide organized and i want to know, is the MArriot Mena House at Giza a good hotel? I got many good ratings and appears to be right next to the pyramides but i guess its better to hear what people from Cairo say.
Yes, absolutely. Mena Marriot is a 5 star hotel and I believe the it was designed so that every room has one balcony facing the pyramids in either of the two directions the hotel faces. The only thing is it's the only view for you and it's constant. For example, if you stay at the Nile Ritz Carlton (which used to be the Nile Hilton) gives you a terrific view of the Nile corniche as well as the River itself and the bustling life of the city which is all lit up at night and very busy during the day. It's also approximately 30 seconds walking distance to the museum. One side faces the Nile and the other side faces the famous Tahrir Square, home of the 2011 Revolution. It also faces the Museum which is just off to the left of the square looking at it from the hotel. So you're basically in the center of Cairo with Giza & the pyramids less than an hour away, maybe not even more than 45 minutes depending on time of day and traffic. Airport is about one hour away, depending on time of day/night and traffic which can be brutal sometimes.
So if you want quiet, very peaceful and constant view of the pyramids, then Mena Marriott is best for you. Also they light up the pyramids at nighttime and I believe they have their light and music shows every other night or something like that. That's always a very cool thing to see. Plus the hotel itself has a lot of things you can do on grounds.
If you want to be more in the center of Cairo with access to the city and all other points including the pyramids, then the Nile Ritz is probably better to stay at. The Ritz is actually currently listed as a 4.5 star hotel and its rates are almost identical to Mena Marriott. It's gotten mixed reviews recently, though, mostly because it hosts a lot of weddings and so it's quite a busy hotel which then imposes on the other guests to a certain extent. But it's location is about the best for Cairo that you can get. It's been there for a very long time. You also have the nightlife if that's something that interests you. It would be more accessible with many more options than Giza. Although it's not to say the latter doesn't offer you that activity's access, either. It's just not as abundant because of the location. But Mena Marriott is sensational and very quiet and relaxing.
Mena Marriot:
Nile Ritz (Hilton)
View facing the Nile by day.
A back view from one of the rooms and there's the museum on the left, the pinkish building with the dome.
The view of Tahrir Square and the center roundabout on the far right, museum on the left and all of downtown Cairo straight ahead.
Since we have a personal guide he will drive us to evry place from there. But how far is it from airport to the hotel? And what else should we care for?
Ritz is a bit closer to Cairo International Airport than Mena Marriott. Ritz is about 35-45 minutes away (traffic dependent). Mena Marriott is about 1 hour away.
One week is a very short time to see the many great things Egypt has to offer. But since you'll be at Giza from the sound of it, then I would suggest sticking to the pyramids mostly, of course, and take a few days to visit Cairo. You can spend a couple of days just seeing all the pyramids and the inside of Khufu, the Sphinx, hiking the area around it either on camel rides of horseback, both can be a lot of fun even by foot. Beware of the animal operators. Most of them are pretty honest but some will try to rip you off lol. If your guide is with you most of the time, then he'll warn you of those little inconveniences. But if he isn't, make sure you get info from him about those things and who to trust etc.
Like I mentioned, night shows are pretty neat. They light them up and do historical narratives etc. Maybe there will be a concert when you're there, it's possible. Traditional Egyptian music or a foreign band lined up. Although in December I'm not sure, you'll have to look it up.
Then I would get a faluka ride on the Nile. Ask your guide which and where is the best place to get one. Nighttime rides can be a lot of fun and very neat. Many other types of boat rides on the Nile that offer other amenities such as food and drink and better comfort than falukas.
Try to visit Khan El Khalili in Cairo. Very neat village/inner city/bazaar where you'll find a lot of souvenirs and things of the sort. It's very quaint and typical of Arab bazaar and commerce style of the old days.
A lot more pics
here.
If you think you would be interested in visiting the Mohammad Ali Mosque, that would be a pretty cool thing to do.
Like I mentioned earlier, a week is probably enough to do the things I mentioned above, maybe a couple of more things near Cairo. But there are many other incredible places that you do need more time to visit and explore.
Points West of Cairo
- Alexandria
- El Alamein
- Marsa Matruh
- Western Desert
Points East of Cairo
- Port Said - Northern Entry to the Suez Canal
- Hurghada - Red Sea beach resort on west bank of the Red Sea
- Sinai and many spots within such as the below mentioned:
- Saint Catherine's (look it up on Wiki and the great Biblical history to it)
- The famous beach & diving resort of Sharm El Sheikh
- The same at Ras Mohammad and Dahab
Points south of Cairo - Most of Greek history in Egypt is here in Upper Egypt.
- Luxor Greek history named it Thebes which would be great for you, of course.
Also has the Temple of Karnak and the Necropolis which includes the wondrous Valley of the Kings (and Queens).
- Aswan Greek history named it Eileithyia, a little further south of Luxor but with arguably some of the greatest historical
elements of Egypt from ancient - Abu Simbel which was moved in its entirety in the 50s to make room for Lake Nasser
and the Aswan Dam.
- Philae temple pavilion and many many other incredible historical areas that have a lot of Greek influence.
And much, much more.
Hope this was helpful. Καλή τύχη
PS. Check the Covid guidelines from your airline and at the information desk at the airport. Egypt has handled the pandemic pretty well, all in all and the cases have dropped tremendously but just like anywhere else in the world, be extra careful even if you're vaccinated.
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