Hotel Osiris

November 28 2007: The fact that this hotel is located on the 12th floor of a somewhat unappealing office building in downtown Cairo may be the reason why it is such a gem. Don't let the building itself or the small, rickety elevators leading up to the hotel's lobby fool you; this is one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at.

It is fairly small (only 1 floor worth of rooms...probably best to book ahead for this reason, actually), though very nicely decorated. There is a beautiful little balcony to eat meals and/or just hang out that overlooks downtown Cairo. The rooms are fairly small and plain but very clean and well-kept. Chances are that you will probably not even spend time in the rooms except for sleeping since most guests spend their non sightseeing time conversing with the hotel staff/owners and other guests in the comfortable lobby.

Prices are cheap by Western standards ($15-30 a night), though backpackers will be able to find cheaper hostels elsewhere in Cairo. That being said, I would say that even those looking for rock-bottom prices reconsider in this case because of the extraordinary service, probably the best part of staying at this hotel.

The staff is very friendly and extremely helpful. They speak French (being a french-run hotel), English, and Arabic and can really help with any need you run into. They can have you picked up from the airport for a fair price, highly advisable for those who speak little arabic and/or who have never been to chaotic Cairo. They can organize tours or get taxis for you to tourist attractions or other parts of the city. They organized a taxi to take us around to several pyramid sites. Basically the taxi driver would take us to a pyamid, we'd walk around a bunch, go back to the taxi, and he'd take us to the next. For those of you that haven't been, there's actually quite a bit of distance between pyramids and it's much more pleasant to drive that distance than walk in the heat. Also, if you want to visit other pyramid sites nearby such as Saqqara or Dahshur, you'll need a taxi and it's nice to have one set up with which you can trust. Aside from setting up tours and taxis, the staff/owners are just extremely knowledgable in terms of the things to see in Cairo (and Egypt in general) and how best to do them. They also truly care about the guests. They let us keep our bags there even after we had checked out for the day while we roamed the city, they let me use the internet free to email my parents to tell them I had made it safely to Cairo even though I didn't have any money at the time, and they really helped out my friends who ran into a sticky spot where they missed their train at 11pm at night and even though Hotel Osiris had no free rooms that night, they let them take a shower there and sleep up on the roof.

As for amenities, the bathrooms are small but clean, they have several computers for cheap internet use (not lightning fast connection but more than enough to check email, news, etc.), and a great breakfast is included in the room price (the Hibiscus tea is to die for!).

Finally, the hotel is in a great location. It is in the heart of downtown Cairo (or for those that are specific about it, at the very least a few minute walk) giving you access to a great selection of food and shops, it is right around the corner from the Egyptian Museum and American University, and it is easy to walk outside, put your hand up, and grab a taxi to anywhere you need to go. All this being said, since the hotel is 12 floors up, it remains fairly quiet and has a nice, relaxed change of pace only an elevator ride away from the chaos.

All in all, this isn't the place for those looking for luxury or for those who must stay at the cheapest place in town, but for anyone else, I most highly recommend it. It is such a wonderful, quaint place to stay, the hotel is in a great location, and above all, the staff and services here are phenonmenal: friendly, knowledgable, great to talk to, and willing to bend over backwards to help you out.

Date of stay: August 2007
Purpose of stay: Leisure (With Friends/Group)

April 25 2008: Well, the Osiris is fabulous, in practically every way.

As Jeff points out in his review, the first encounter isn't an encouraging one - you enter via a fairly grim office building lobby, and then ride up to the top floor in a lift which has no door and sporadically electrocutes you if you touch the wrong bit.

Once you're up, though, things couldn't be more different. The Osiris is decked out in a French-Middle-Eastern-Turkish-Oriental style - Nabil (the manager) is egyptian, and his wife (the manageress) is French, and they have excellent taste. The rooms are comfortable and quiet (which is an unbelievably luxury in Cairo - even if you're in a room overlooking the light-well in the middle of the building, this can be a blessing in disguise), the breakfast balcony and roof terrace have a fantastic view over the city, and everything is spotlessly clean.

Meals at the hotel were good - a pleasant mixture of middle eastern and European cuisine, and breakfast, while low on choice, was well received.

The hotel is excellently located - a five minute walk to the nile and the egyptian museum, a five minute walk to the Midan Tahrir, and no end of bustling street cafés 11 stories below. 

Nabil is also an exceptional organiser - shortly after our arrival we outlined our rather paltry travel plans for visiting Upper Egypt to him, which he promptly discarded in favour of a suggested alternate itinerary, which proved to be an excellent backbone to our holiday. Additionally, Nabil seems to know half of Cairo - if you need anything, he can sort it out.

All in all, I'd thoroughly recommend the place to almost anyone who actually travels with a view to enjoying a place and engaging with it. If you're a traveller who doesn't like engaging with locals or others whatsoever, and want to spend your time in air conditioned luxury watching cable TV and find local culture and people to be a distraction and an annoyance, this isn't the place for you. 

Date of stay: March 2008
Purpose of stay: Leisure (With Partner)