m0hamed

The St Regis doesn't open until 1 August 2017?

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/stregi...language=en_US

IAN-UK

The Meridien is indeed lovely, but while an ideal spot for overnighting at the airport, it would be a very odd choice for visiting Cairo. The IC Citystars, or its cheaper next-door sister hotel, the Holiday Innare my near-airport choices: I'm at the IC most months and can't say I've noticed any fraying.

The comment on other city hotels is way off mark. The other Intercontinental, the Semiramis, is just fine, very centrally situated on the Corniche, with a couple of pricey but top-mark restaurants.

There are Four Seasons and the Conrad as top-end properties among a raft of others. Zamalek has a number of less expensive places to stay.

Visiting the pyramids or, indeed, any other tourist heavy site can be a bit of a trial for first-timers or those easily intimidated. The best way to avoid touts is to arm yourself with a guide: otherwise politeness and humour go a long way.

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I went back to Honolulu this year, after hating the place while there on an assignment some time ago. It has pockets of charm (e.g. the tiny but beautifully maintained botanical gardens), but the place sets my teeth on edge with its relentless pressure on your pocket. I hate it no longer, but I'm in no hurry to return.

Far, far nicer to visit is Hawaii itself, the Big Island. It has only pockets of the tourism generated awfulness so widespread around Honolulu.
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Amelorn

Have a look at the Kahala Hotel and the New Otani Kaimana Beach if you want to experience a much more relaxed version of Honolulu.

The best bits of Oahu require a car to get to the North Shore or Lanikai/Kailua.

srbrenna

Any resort hotel IMHO is going to be either awful or a close approximation. I am off to Maui again this year and stay in a hut on the beach in Paia.

We do day trips to HNL to do things. The inter island planes are like busses and very good. Overall I find Honolulu a bit of a dump with a few things worth going to like Pearl Harbour. Waikiki Beach is good for a lunch. I'd look at getting a place on AirBnB which will give a bit more freedom and save a bit of cash.

Fitch

Thanks all, some great tips there

A quick follow-on question for those with recent experience exCAI: what's the latest you'd arrive at check-in for an 09:25 departure ? CW with bags to check.

HomerJay

PAIA!!! On the corner of the two roads that both lead to heaven. It's a town favored by hippies and windsurfers where you can take a right turn off the main road and head up Haleakala. The bike ride down Haleakala belongs on your bucket list. Tip: There's one that leaves from the Kula Lodge at the 3,000 foot level that drives you up to the top in a van, and you coast back down. If you have to actually pedal for more than a minute on any switchback, that's a lot. It's downhill all the way. And it leaves you off by a vineyard and wine shop. The other rides are longer, more expensive, and you go all the way to the bottom. There's plenty to sightsee by car and by foot if you get off a Kula and explore form there.

If you take the road straight at Paia, you'll see Baldwin Beach and dozens on windsurfers on your left and you'll be on the Hana Highway. 36 one lane bridges and a million waterfalls. Give it a full day so you're not rushed. The Road to Hana is like life itself. It's not such much the final destination, as the journey itself. 'nuff said.

On that corner is the Paia Fish Market, a restaurant where they open the windows and you enjoy the gentle ocean breeze and can savor the very, very best fish burgers imaginable. It was a combination of taste and location, but I will never forget the burger I had there - with a little tiger sauce on the slaw. It was a life-changing moment.

And a couple doors away, on the Haleakala Highway side, was a bakery called Peaches and Crumble, or something like that. It's a favorite among those who grow and enjoy Maui Wowie and a perfect place to cure the munchies. Every time I've ever been there - or anywhere in Paia - I can't help but notice how many people are mellow and have bloodshot eyes.

A stop at Paia is definitely worth your while. And so is Makawao, another very laid back town, halfway up the mountainside. And Kahalui - where the main airport is located - is also interesting.

These towns may have some tourist elements to them, but they are not 100% tourist locations. If you choose Maui, Lahaina and Ka'anapali Beach are fine, but don't limit yourself to those areas. There's so much more to Maui.

As the natives say, Maui no ka oi! (Maui is the best)

rcherskov

I'm in the middle of a similar trip but an AA ticket mix AA/BA metal. I was very happy with my choices for Cairo:

- I stayed at the Ritz Carlton - rate was $146++ (so $182) per night, booked through the call center which was lower than the online rate. Hotel was beautiful. Used a Chase card Ritz Carlton Club upgrade so stayed on the club level. There was enough food in the club to sustain me for three nights if I wanted to, but I did use room service quite a bit since it was relatively inexpensive. Very, very good service from the staff. A great opportunity to stay at a Ritz Carlton for a good price.

- I used "London Cab" to get back and forth from the airport. Booked it online and spent ~$15 for the roundtrip. I arrived into terminal 3 in Cairo since I flew EgyptAir from London. London Cab is affiliated with Sixt - I didn't know this at first and it took me a minute to know that I had to go to the Sixt desk. Regular cab might be cheaper but this pre-booking was a life-saver for me and eased the culture shock of getting to Cairo. Yes, you will be bothered by at least 50 cab drivers offering to drive you, even while standing at the counter checking in for your London Cab. It didn't help for me to engage any of them - even after telling them politely I pre-booked and pre-paid for a ride, they continued to harass me.

- Took a 1/2 day tour from the hotel (it was a bit pricey at $110 so you could book you own for much less...) to see the pyramids and the Sphinx. I did the tour on Friday morning, when there is much, much less traffic. It usually takes over and hour and a half to get to the pyramids. You only need about an hours to see them. I found the grounds to be clean but yes there were a lot of hawkers. My guide told me to ignore them completely and he dealt with the more aggressive ones.

- Walked to the antiquities museum which was right out the back door of the hotel. Yes, it is a very poorly organized place but the mummy room and the Tut room are worth a quick trip. It's cheap to go there.

- My flight to Heathrow was at 8 am. I booked the cab for 5 am. This left me with over an hour and a half at the airport. I was through checkin and emigration in 30 minutes. I could have easily left at 6 am. But if your flight is at 9:30, depending of the day I assume traffic can be worse. I always plan 3 hours from door to gate but I am pretty cautious. Don't even bother going to the lounge. I found the main terminal to be nicer. Eat something before going to the airport. Very poor options for food at the airport. I really wouldn't touch the food in the lounge. No hot dishes if I can recall.

- London Cab was very responsive via email and confirmed my return quickly when I emailed the night before from the hotel.

I agree that if I return I will get out of Cairo and see other things. It is a massive, sprawling city, smog-choked city. But I did want to experience it and see the pyramids. Being able to step out of the environment and into the bubble of the hotel helped a lot on this first trip.

Hope this is helpful - good luck with your trip.

Oh - I'm not sure if the offer is available to you but I signed up for the Chase Ritz card pretty much specifically for this trip. I got three free nights (I think current offer is two night) and I'm using them at the Kapalua property for part of my Hawaii visit. Easily for the annual fee's cost for the benefits.

Misco60

"Pricey" is certainly one word for it.

Central Cairo to the Pyramids is about $5 in a taxi, or less than $1 if you take public transport (metro line 2 then bus). The entrance fee is about $5, and you don't need a guide. We spent 2-3 hours wandering around the extensive site, including the Sphinx.

kingstontoon

Myself and my girlfriend flew ex-CAI last month on a super cheap QR fare to Hong Kong. I'd been before so was content just to chill out at the Novotel near the airport, but she was keen to see the pyramids, and we made it happen for very little cost and few hassles.

We flew from London to Cairo using Ryanair to Milan Malpensa (£10) then self-connected onto Meridiana to Cairo (£50). Terminal 1 arrivals at CAI is a bit of a zoo at 2100, but we easily fended off the taxi touts by saying we had friends picking us up, then took the new and super-modern monorail over to terminals 2 and 3 where I guessed things might be less chaotic and we might be able to get wifi to arrange an Uber to our hotel. Things were indeed calmer here, but I couldn't get the wifi to work so gave up on Uber and approached the official taxi queue. We were quoted 200EGP (less than £10) to our hotel - the cheap (£25) but wonderfully located Mena Inn directly opposite the entrance to the pyramids. The driver (old chap who spoke little English) got lost a couple of times, but eventually made it and - surprisingly from past experiences in Cairo - refused a tip! The Mena Inn is no Novotel (or even Ibis Budget) but has a roof terrace where you can have breakfast with an amazing view of the pyramids and the Sphinx and the staff were lovely, allowing us to keep the room until 1400 the next day free of charge so we could freshen up after visiting the pyramids.

The next morning, after a basic breakfast taking in the breathtaking view, we wandered across to the entrance kiosk for the pyramids. Yes, there were lots of touts and guides around but if you're confident, smile and say no thank you (perhaps with a shukran or two) they back down. They were all - with one exception inside the grounds - good natured and I genuinely enjoyed having a chat with some of them because let's face it, business isn't great at the moment. When I last visited in 2010, it was mostly Western tourists there. This time, we counted around 10 others. Anyway, we were charged the correct price to get in (80 EGP, around £4) and had a nice three hours or so wandering around at our own pace. Again, you'll get asked a lot if you want a camel ride / donkey ride / guide or where you're from, but smile and carry on and you won't feel under pressure. I found saying "maybe later" after a chat was a good way to end things, saving face for both sides.

After picking up our stuff, it was time to head back to the airport. The wonderful staff at the Mena Inn helped us to get an Uber, by missed-calling the driver on my phone after ordering one then calling him to give directions to where we were. The Uber driver was brilliant, taking the faster ring road instead of going through the city like the taxi driver the previous night, and the journey back ended up only being 45 minutes. Cost was 150 EGP, as the app had suggested. You go through a lot of different security checks at CAI (terminal 2) when flying out but we had enough time and everything felt professional and organised.

Overall, it was great, and I'm glad we did it. Flying so cheaply afterwards on QR was the icing on the cake

IAN-UK

pleased you had a great time, but even more pleased you took the trouble to write it up. Cairo gets a lot of stick in these threads!!

It's great to read you worked out how to deal with the "touts", the self-appointed guides. They're just blokes, oddly dressed and slightly intimidating:: but at the end of the day, workers with families to support through horribly difficult times. Most really are knowledgeable about the area they've chosen - if you find one you get along with then it's not a bad idea to pay out for some help in understanding / interpreting the site. But to do that, the visitor needs to drop the panic shield 😁

Phil the Flyer

Indeed it does - unjustly so in the opinion of someone who has lived and worked in Egypt for 20+ years.

After the Arab Spring Egypt could have so easily gone the same way as the likes of Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen; thankfully it didn't - although it has been touch and go at times.

I sometimes wonder what 'westerners' expect when they visit Egypt. Those (step forward Swanhunter and IAN-UK) with more realistic expectations of what to expect appear to get what Egypt and Egyptians are about; some others do not.

That affluent-looking foreigners should be the target of scammers should come as a surprise to nobody. With a current annual rate of inflation north of 30%, an effective 50% devaluation of EGP against hard currencies in November 2016, high levels of unemployment, and widespread poverty, what else would you expect an Egyptian with a family and mouths to feed to do? I see it every day.

Fitch - you say you are travelling over Easter 2018. I assume you are referring to the 'western' Easter (Sunday 1 April 2018) and not the Coptic Easter (Sunday 8 April 2018). Please bear in mind that a presidential election is due to be held sometime between 8 February 2018 and 8 May 2018 - with possible associated unrest.

Two other comments

- there is indeed a selection of high standard hotels in Cairo, often at fantastic rates post-EGP devaluation (as an Egyptian work visa holder our company rate at the Conrad Cairo is currently GBP37!).

- the advice given to get out of Cairo for a few days is good advice. Late March/early April is a great time as far as the weather is concerned; still not too hot to visit the likes of Luxor and/or Aswan.

When I Travel The World

Does anyone have any recommendations for a day-tour company in Cairo

I arrive in CAI at 8am and then leaving again the same day on QR at 7pm.
Thought it might be more fun to visit a few things than just sit around at a hotel all day.

Kumulani

Just a reminder, for all the people saying "Honolulu sucks, go to the other islands" - there's more to O'ahu than Waikiki.

But do go to the other islands too! My favorite is Kaua'i. Less touristy than Maui, more compact than the Big Island. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot I love about the Big Island, but all that driving on those 2 lane highways wears on me.

Fitch

Yes, out to Cairo w/c 19/03 (exact date tbc), CAI-LHR-etc. on 24/03 and xxx-LHR-CAI on 10/04 with a B2B overnight then coming home on 11/04.

I'll keep an eye on the political situation thanks.

One saving grace is (confirmed twice by GGL agent) that the ticket is apparently fully refundable before departure save a cancelation fee of EGP 700 per head.

So if things were to go really south we could walk away relatively freely...

catharsis

Just a note to point out that the 'escorted' immigration service at CAI is WELL worth it.

Better yet, to SPG PLatinum guests the Le Meridien Cairo airport provides this service free and it is definitely worth considering paying for it if not provided - the normal immigration line was an absolute ZOO when we arrived.

it appeared as if many other hotels may offer this service so worth checking out.

I would genuinely say that I'd have been happy paying more for that service than the hotel stay ended up costing. I would not return to CAI without it.

also bear in mind even if just doing a back-to-back or overnight in Cairo that you will need to pay the US$25 visa on arrival charge per person, which does add (slightly) to your overall cost.