We stayed at the Victoria hotel at the start and end of a tour of Egypt with Intrepid Tours.

The rooms were fairly basic, but clean and really no more or less than you expect when in Egypt.

The hotel had a charming feel to it and you can’t help but feel it has past it’s hey day but you can imagine its grandeur in the last colonial days of the British Empire.

Make sure you have a beer in the lounge. We really enjoyed our stay at the Victoria!

The location is also really good with only a short walk to the metro in down town Egypt.

The hotel staff were really helpful, especially when we were heading any where in taxi’s they negotiated the far in Arabic then told us how much to pay. The drivers usually tried to haggle some more out of us but we just paid what had been negotiated.

Stayed at the Victoria in mid-February and early March at the beginning and end of an Intrepid Travel tour. Our rooms both times were large, clean and comfortable. The staff was accomodating; breakfast was predictable but filling, the public space is very attractive.
The location, surrounded by hardware and auto parts stores, is not the best. But it is within easy walking distance of two Metro stops and there are lots of shops and restaurants nearby - though you may need some help to find them the first time.
I might have preferred a better located hotel but the Victoria is a safe, budget choice.

Our room was at the back and very quiet, simply furnished but roomy and comfortable. The bathroom was showing its age but it was clean and there was always plenty of hot water. If you like a bath, you should bring your own plug, as iyou do in a number of other middle eastern hotels). Fresh towels and bed linen every day.

Laundry service was excellent as it was same day ( no dry cleaning seemed to be available though).

The food was basic but fine, and at breakfast they will prepare eggs any style if you ask.

The public rooms were comfortable, and all the staff were very helpful. Altogether a very good place to stay, and very good for the price.

At first I was quite happy with the rooms and the quirky service at this hotel - especially when I dealt with the women who often worked at the front desk during the day. However, over the course of two days and three nights I experienced some critical problems at this hotel, significant enough to merit this review, as well as a letter of complaint to the Egyptian Tourist Authority. Problems included:

1. During my first night I received what looked like flea bites while sleeping. Had it not been for my imminent departure from Egypt, and the over-booked state of the remaining local hotels, I would have left the Victoria immediately. Unfortunately my only option was to change rooms. However the bites continued and both of my arms ended up covered with around 100 large, red, itchy sores. It has been over a week since I left Egypt and these sores are still bothering me. My physician confirmed that they were indeed insect bites and I am receiving a battery of steroid injections and anti-histamine medication to combat my continuing reaction to the bites.

2. The "free" breakfast at the Victoria was as depressing as the dark, claustrophobic room they serve it in.

3. On the day of my departure to the airport the manager informed me that the breakfast was not free and my room was now more expensive than agreed upon, even though I had made a point of emphasizing these costs before agreeing to stay at the hotel. Unfortunately the women who normally worked at the front desk were not there and the men who had replaced them were not only rude, but became abusive and even threatening when I pointed out my prior agreements on costs - my luggage was in their storeroom and they wouldn't surrender it until I paid.

I cannot say how isolated my experience at the Victoria was, but I can say, without a doubt, that I would warn anyone thinking of staying at this hotel to exhaust every other option before staying here. For me it was a health hazard made more expensive by the fraudulent behavior of men who acted like no less than a couple of street thugs. Do not stay at the Victoria.