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Windsor
FROM
$35
19 Alfi Bei Street, Cairo, Egypt
Tagged as
Business People, Downtown, Historic
1
Faded imperial grandeur
Budget, Downtown, Classic, Historic, Sightseeing, Backpackers, Singles, Arts & Culture, Tourists, Not Quiet
April 25 2008: Well, we only spent one night at the Windsor, due to a cock-up with reservations, but it was certainly interesting.The place is somewhat indescribable - it's like an Egyptian interpretation of a Swiss Chalet trying to be an old English pub. As you ascend through the rickety old open cage lift through the building, you witness advertising posters for the swiss alps from the 1960's - as Michael Palin once put it when staying at the Windsor, it's a kind of psychic air-conditioning.
The room was dilapidated, but was obviously once very grand - the furniture was at least 70 years old, but everything was clean and well look after, age considered. The noise from the cafés below was loud but not bothersome. The en-suite bathroom wasn't exactly haut décor, but was perfectly servicable and sanitary.
The barrel room, the bar of the hotel, is eclectic and bizarre - the AngloSwissEgyptian theme is carried on here, and the bar sports an interesting mix of locals and visitors at almost all times.
All in all, an enjoyable stay, and somewhat like stepping back into 1955.
Date of stay: March 2008
Purpose of stay: Leisure (With Partner)
