Arriving at Cairo airport we do wish the guide book or the flight attendants had told us you are supposed to queue at the currency exchange and buy your Visa stamps. If you have already queued in passport control you have to then leave the queue and start again.
You will either need Egyptian Pounds or American Dollars.
After passport control where they stick the visa stamps in your passport you go and collect your luggage. Beware of any locals trying to be chatty. Somehow "sales people" for tour companies are allowed to mingle with you.
We were heading for the taxi rank outside when a well dressed man in perfect English asked us if we wanted a taxi, we asked him how much it would be to go to Hilton WTC and he said €8. As it was 2am we thought this was O.K and then he asked us to follow him and we were heading away from the taxi's (this worried us and he said he was going to give us a receipt) what he really meant was we would be asked to book a tour.... we said NO (in no unceatain terms) and then 2 men took us in a taxi around some back streets and again we were concerned... we could have been very easily compromised.
We made it to the hotel safe and sound and got checked in to our surprise we were put into a suite with 2 double bedrooms, a study with another bed, a large living room, 2 full bathrooms with bath, a 3rd toilet, a 4th toilet, a shower room and a kitchen with dishwasher. The staff even had their own entrance door.
A fabulous balcony overlooked Cairo, we were on the 26th floor.
Air conditioning noisy but working, lovely linen and spotlessly clean.
Restaurant - emtpy most nights and empty for breakfast too but food lovely apart from the Chicken covered in green spit (local dish best to be avoided).
Staff very helpful. Gave us picnic bags because they did not think we ate enough breakfast...
Pool on roof also empty and freezing (not heated).
Food at Conrad next door lovely but service hopeless... they have a heated pool, could see people swimming at night..
Always haggle for taxi's.
Ladies wear long skirts and baggy tops otherwise you will get alot of unwanted attention.
The Nile Maxim - offers a great night cruise up the Nile with a 3 course meal and great entertainment (music, a spinnig man and a belly dancer). You head for the Nile Hilton and the Nile Maxim booking office is at the end of the drive, on the Nile.
The Twin Towers shopping mall is near by and great if you looking for nice clothes, new specticles (take your prescription as they don't to testing without a hospital visit, designer sunglasses or good food (Casper and Gambini's mint tea or Indian Chai tea and food fabulous).
We organised our own trip to the pyrmaids 150 Egypt pounds for a taxi return. 100 EP to get in. (dont fall for needing a camel or horse - you can walk in) but a horse and buggy did save us the walk but we paid well over the odds...250 EP
The whole lot with the horse buggy still came to less than half what the hotel were trying to charge.
Trip to the Egypian museum was done by Taxi too 15 EP each way and 100 entry fee. Hotel was charging $65 each (yep dollars!!) taxi takes 5 minutes.
Taxi's have difficulty trying to find this Hilton as there are 2 others, so best to ask for the Contrad and walk around the corner.
It is known as Hilton 3 (as it is the 3rd).
Hope this is useful
Regards
Carol








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