My wife, son and I stayed at the Four Seasons Cairo First Residence for three nights in February 2008. During the same trip, we also stayed at the Four Seasons Cairo Nile Plaza and the Four Seasons Amman, which are reviewed separately.

The Good: There was a coziness about the First Residence that made us feel as if we were in a small, boutique hotel. We found the staff at the First Residence to be more friendly than the staff at the Nile Plaza.

The Bad: The Four Seasons family of hotels markets itself as child friendly. According to the First Residence’s own website, the hotel goes out of its way to make its youngest guests feel welcome, and if guests provide their child’s name in advance (which we did), there will be a welcome amenity, child-size bathrobe and complimentary children toiletries waiting upon arrival. None were waiting for us. The hotel did provide children toiletries upon request, and one of the evening housekeepers gave my son a pair of child-sized slippers on the final night of our stay, but the First Residence did not live up to its child-friendly billing.

The Unexpected: The Giza Zoo, which is a place tourists do not normally visit, is across the street from the hotel. The zoo itself leaves much to be desired, but it is an excellent place to interact with ordinary Egyptians outside of a tourist setting. There is nothing like seeing families at a zoo to remind oneself that people from different places might not be so different after all.

Overall, we were satisfied with our stay ― although as was the case with the Nile Plaza and the Four Seasons Amman ― the service was a step below the service one would find at a Four Seasons hotel in the United States. When compared to the Nile Plaza, the First Residence appears to cater more toward Western tourists than international businessmen. Because we were on vacation, we liked the coziness of the First Residence more than the hustle and bustle of the Nile Plaza and would likely stay at the First Residence over the Nile Plaza if we were to return on vacation (which we hope to do).