Marriott Mena House, Cairo

Beautiful historic hotel in Giza (just across the the Nile River from Cairo.) The Mena House was initially a hunting lodge; a two-story hut nicknamed the "Mud Hut" built in 1869 for the Egyptian Khedive. Lots of famous people have stayed here, including Prince Albert, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Winston Churchill and even King Farouk. The hotel and grounds are very well kept and a nice reprieve from dusty Cairo and surrounding sites. They have a great breakfast buffet and a wonderful Indian restaurant on site, along with a good gym, outdoor pool and easy access to the pyramids and GEM (both are must-sees for your visit. The staff were very helpful and Mohamed was an excellent housekeeper. Kudos also to Mahmoud, breakfast waitstaff. The only slight negative, which may be more an issue with Cairo is that this hotel is not well suited for those that like to walk around (although you may not want to at any of the hotels in Cairo/Giza.) Uber is available and very inexpensive ($15 for transport to and from Cairo Airport, a 40 min ride...would be $100 in the US!)

Stayed for 4 nights in Jan 2026 with my Mum on a trip around the Middle East (ages 60 and 33) See review below to help future travellers :) Airport Pickup (Paid Service) We prepaid around USD $350 for the hotel airport transfer and were extremely disappointed. The vehicle provided was an old, filthy Mercedes that was far too small for luggage, which ended up sitting on our laps. The driver, who was a lovely man, was elderly and physically unable to assist with the luggage, so I had to load everything myself. This was not his fault at all - I felt so sad for him, but it is absolutely the hotel’s responsibility to provide safe, appropriate transport at that price point for both us and the driver. The experience felt careless and did not reflect a luxury service. Arrival and Grounds Driving through Cairo is confronting and intense, which is not the hotel’s fault. In fact, arriving at Mena House feels like stepping into a completely different world. The grounds are vast, immaculate and deeply peaceful. It genuinely feels like a tranquil sanctuary away from the chaos of the city. Loved it! The views of the pyramids are the reason this hotel holds its reputation, and they truly are breathtaking. From a pyramid-facing room, it feels as though you could almost touch them. I strongly recommend paying extra for an unobstructed pyramid view because it is worth every cent waking up to them - heaven on earth and dream come true! Rooms and Facilities Unfortunately, the hotel itself is extremely dated. This is not charming heritage or preserved history as they like to tell you. The rooms are simply old and in need of serious renovation. The bathrooms in particular were disappointing and gross. They felt unhygienic, mouldy, cramped and poorly designed, to the point of being unsafe with the flooding from the broken old showers This is especially disappointing given the price point. This should be one of the most iconic and premium hotels in the world. With thoughtful renovations that preserve the traditional aesthetic, it could be exceptional. As it stands, the quality does not match the cost. Service Service was inconsistent. We experienced multiple errors and issues throughout the stay. We booked a private pyramids tour through the hotel expecting a high standard because of the premium price. Instead, the guide spent much of the time trying to sell us items and even pressured us to leave the pyramids to visit his friend’s shop. That is the kind of behaviour you expect when booking a cheap street tour, not when booking directly through a luxury hotel. The only benefit of booking the tour through the hotel was the convenience of being able to take a buggy directly from the property to the pyramids. This was really, really bad and ruined our dream of seeng pyramids. Outstanding Staff There were some exceptional individuals who truly stood out. Samir in the lobby bar delivered the warmest, most genuine service we experienced throughout the entire stay. Kind, attentive and professional. Maria from Guest Relations was also very kind and helpful. At The Moghul Room restaurant, we received outstanding service from Muhammad Abdelnaby. His service was flawless and should be recognised by the hotel. Food The Italian restaurant served some of the best food we had in Cairo. The Moghul Room offered the best Indian food I have ever had, even compared to living in India. The food and service there were genuinely first class. Overall Despite the disappointments, I still believe Mena House is the best place to stay when visiting Cairo. The safety, the grounds, the serenity and the pyramid views are unmatched and worth it. It allows you to experience Egypt while retreating each day to a peaceful, secure environment. However, for a hotel of this stature and price point ($8k for 4 nights!!), the service standards, room quality and attention to detail should be far higher. With proper renovations and improved training, this could easily be one of the world’s great hotels. At present, it falls short of its potential.

The grounds are beautiful with magnificent views but the inside is dated and feels like a motel. The service was great until checkout. At checkout I noticed the bill contained a restaurant charge that had been paid by my credit card. Unfortunately I did not have the receipt so I said once I got home I would check my credit card ( the charges had not showed up yet). Once we got home to Canada sure enough there was the exact charge on my credit card so i had paid twice for the same Meal. I immediately emailed the hotel with my Amex bill showing the exact amount that was on my bill that was also paid in my checkout invoice. I’ve followed up with the hotel twice now and it’s been a month. This can be easily verified with their accounting. I am not lying over a meal charge being a gold elite member. Still no response.

This hotel is literally in view of the pyramids. You couldn't really be closer. The grounds are lovely and the breakfast and dinner buffets are huge. There's a gym and a spa all very adequate and comfortable. My massage by Nesrine was wonderful and my housekeeper Mohammed couldn't be more attentive and kind! I recommend this hotel.

Stay at Mena House for 2 nights in November 2025. Everything started off well, including a free room upgrade from garden view room to partial pyramids view room. Nice view at the terrace during breakfast. On our second day, as we finished our lunch, my friend could not find her sunglasses, we spent the whole afternoon and evening looking for that but no one saw it. She was sure it was at the restaurant with us before it went missing. The next day, when we are checking out, a manager came to greet me (as I am a Marriott Bonvoy Gold Member), I told her about my friend’s missing sunglasses. On the way to the airport, I received an email with the picture of the sunglasses found in the hotel. I’m not sure why they “found it in the room” but the last time the sunglasses was with us in the restaurant. Ok I paid for USD75 to have them courier back to my home country, but the parcel arrived with other random stuffs except the sunglasses. I wrote back to complaint, they replied will follow up but no reply after that - this was 2 weeks ago. Another friend stayed at Mena House recently too and a watch went missing. Please look after your belongings if you decided to stay here.