Located a few meters from Semiramis inside a rather dirty old 4 or 5 stories building. Reception on third floor accessible with antique lift. The basic but spacious rooms are cheap, not dirty (cleaned and provided with fresh sheets and towels every day) but then there is the overall grime of ages, the broken down shower curtains, the lack of paint, the absence of decent locks on doors, the greyish shabbiness...The breakfast is a couple pieces of toast, butter, jam, a hard boiled egg and hot tea or coffee.

Qualities other than the price : Ideally located in central Cairo, extremely close to the Egyptian Museum, Sadat metro station and Tahrir Square; friendly staff; proximity of big hotels for 24/7 banking.

This hotel does not comply with western expectations but I would choose it again: always look on the bright side of life !

My 12 year old daughter and myself stayed at the Garden City House Hotel in Cairo Egypt. It is a three star that is clean, bug free and the staff is top notch, the rooms are basic but what else do you really need beyond that if you are a budget traveler. We stayed their in total for about 20 nights/days. It is very centrally located. The Egyptian museum is very close. And the nile hilton and semiramis is right in the area as well for bank usage and ATM machine. The breakfast at the Garden City House Hotel is just bread,(ask for egyptian bread) jam and a hard boiled egg. You can have dinner there as well which my daughter and I did do. The dinners were soup, a noodle or rice dish, then meat(usually lamb) and vegetable. When we go back to Egypt we will stay here again!

I have been to Egypt 4 times. Saw about all that is going on down the Nile ;-) and I simply love Cairo. I have made many friends in Egypt and like to go there a lot.
In need to lower my costs I was looking for a budget hotel and, with the help of a (German) friend, I found one.

For 3 of my trips I stayed in this hotel while I was in Cairo and I just love it!!

It is on the shores of the Nile in central Cairo. A 5 minutes walk away from the Egyptian Museum. Tahrir Square, with all the connections of public transportation, just at the back of the hotel. Squeezed in between the Semiramis and the Nile Hilton. Same views, less luxury. But who wants luxury? When I am in Cairo I want a clean place to sleep and shower. Nothing more.

That is what I found here. Spacious rooms. Clean and with airco. A balcony, some with views on the Nile. Some with adjusted bathroom, some with bathroom on the floor.

In the old days it was very popular with archeologists and, when being lucky, you can still come across some excavators staying there.

The best thing of it is the price: 12$ a night for a double room with airco and bathroom, including breakfast!

It is not fancy but well worth the money!

You should give it a try!

Dora.

I found this a good cheap place to stay, the staff were very helpful, the location is very very easy. My only advise would be to ask for room with airconditioning as it can be quiet hot, also for the small amount you have to pay extra its worth having your own bathroom