Marriott Mena House

the default choice in this area for high-end trips

Set adjacent to the main pyramids at Giza, Marriott Mena House is the only higher quality hotel in the vicinity.

This place represents, perhaps more than any other we have ever visited, the industrialisation of high-cost tourism. The near monopoly status that it enjoys has enabled it to dominate the market for decades.

Entering through the main gates, to the left hand side, immediately below the Great Pyramid, is the original Mena House. Originally a royal hunting lodge, it was developed into a stylish British hotel during the late 1800s.

This area is presently undergoing restoration and is expected to reopen under the name JW Marriott Cairo Mena House, to serve as an upmarket extension of the main hotel.

In the area below the old palace, a sprawling modern hotel has been growing since the 1970s. It is centred on four four-storey blocks which contain a remarkable 331 rooms.

The large grounds are home to various restaurants and bars, as well as an extensive swimming pool area.

Despite being encircled by busy main roads to the north and east, the estate is large enough to feel like an oasis of calm, which is only diminished by the sheer size of the hotel itself.

The rooms come in various specifications, with larger suites and clearer views of the pyramids commanding much higher prices.

We do find ourselves having mixed feelings about Marriott Mena House. There is no doubt that it is the best option in the Giza area for higher-end trips, but it does also feel very over-large and, in all honesty, something of a sausage factory.

Given the incredible shortage of good accommodation options in the greater Cairo area, this imperfect solution may be the best alternative.

Thank heavens there are a few more intimate hotels to discover in Luxor and Aswan, as you travel south along the Nile Valley.

The traffic in Cairo is famously crazy, partly in terms of jams, but mainly in the crazy way that the locals drive. You will need to endure this during your stay, it is an integral part of the experience, for better or for worse.

We usually recommend three nights at the front end of a trip in Giza, which gives you a full day for each of the two pyramid areas of Giza and Saqqara. If you subsequently head south to Luxor on the overnight train, then you can cut this to two nights in Cairo.

If you specifically want to explore the Old City, then we usually include a night at the end of a trip, when guests have had some time to toughen up and after which you will have a long flight to catch up on the terrible night’s sleep you will most likely have experienced.

Seasonality

The best time to visit Cairo is widely considered to be the winter months of Nov-Mar, but we sometimes favour other times of year, when temperatures may be higher, but visitor numbers are often much lower.

Cairo experiences a conventional northern hemisphere climate, with a hot dry summer centred on May-Sep and a warm dry winter Nov-Mar.

May-Sep : Summer

During the May-Sep summer the daytime temperatures typically reach 41C, with night-time temperatures holding up around 23C. Although these temperatures may seem concerning, the relative humidity drops considerably, meaning that comfort temperatures are not so bad, at least during the day. This season can also be advantaged by light summer breezes out on the river. However, given the warm nights, we do recommend that you stay somewhere with air-conditioning.

Despite being ‘out of season’, visitor numbers do increase during the European vacation season, centred on Jul/Aug, so best to head for May, June or late September if you can.

Some hotel prices can also be considerably lower during some of these months.

Oct : Autumn

The month of October represents a transition between summer and winter conditions and, in many ways, offers the best of both worlds, with visitor traffic also being relatively low.

Nov-Mar : Winter

During the Nov-Mar winter the daytime temperatures typically reach 25C, with nighttime temperatures plunging to 8C. Relatively humidities rise considerably, meaning that the middle of the day can be surprisingly uncomfortable, given the relatively low absolute temperatures.

These warm (rather than hot) conditions have led to winter being the most popular time to visit, meaning that visitor numbers reach their peak, especially around Dec-Jan. We therefore recommend November to mid-December and mid-January to March (excluding a week either side of Easter), although even then you probably need to deploy traffic avoidance measures when visiting the key sites.

Some hotel prices can also be considerably higher during some of these months.

Apr : Spring

The month of April represents a transition between winter and summer conditions and, in many ways, offers the best of both worlds, with visitor traffic also being relatively low (except for a week either side of Easter.

Getting there

Set about 20 km east of the city centre, Cairo Airport is one of the busiest in the world.

It has good international flight connections with Europe, Asia and Africa. Connections to the Americas are rather more spartan, with only Egyptair offering regular non-stop flights to North America (notably New York and Washington). Most people either take these services, or fly via London or Frankfurt.

From the airport, the city centre can be reached in 20-40 minutes, depending on traffic. Giza and Saqqara are usually more like 40-60 minutes.

We only recommend private-guided transfers. The local taxi drivers can be a bit challenging to deal with.

usually for three nights at the front end of a trip