Cairo's 2 Four Seasons: Thoughts?
 

Haven't found much on either using the search feature...

Honestly, surprised there are 2 FSs in Cairo.

Going to be staying at both this December. Any recent reviews?

F&B is very good at FS First Residence (overlooks the zoo) but I prefer the location of FS Nile Plaza, which is very close to the Cairo Museum - the views, too, are much nicer from this side of the Nile. What I normally do is stay at Nile Plaza and visit First Residence for dining, although, of course, Nile Plaza has some excellent restaurants. I am sure you will enjoy both. My only problem with First Residence is the quality of the tap/shower water which is so chlorinated that you can barely breathe.

Does Cairo seem fairly stable right now?

And do both FS have reasonable proximity to the pyramids?

Who knows? The situation changes by the day. Both FS have OK proximity to the Pyramids (around 45 mins drive depending on traffic), bit it's a bit of a trek. Nearest is Mena House, but it is no longer operated by Oberoi, so, sadly, not an option, I suspect.

Kind of adventure-trip in the moment

I guess Egypt is a bit of a time-bomb at the moment but probably a great time to see the sights. I remember doing a Nile cruise on an A&K boat some years ago, a few months after a group of tourists were massacred at one of the temples near Luxor, and there were 7 passengers on the boat. Does that sound cynical?

We didn't like the FS Residence very much - boring location, boring hotel actually, unless you were there on business, and the roof terrace pool was like a wind tunnel. I recall our room overlooked the zoo and the palm trees which were covered in dust and bird poo. The stench was awful. We also had a full suite at the old Mena House Oberoi - the place was falling apart but we had a pyramid right outside our terrace.

Going on a FAM trip - will be staying at both FS.

Trip is in December...

Never been one to shy away from a location due to turmoil. Had a trip to Kiev, and cancelled it at the 'height' of things. Still regret doing that.

Happy memories! The Oberoi Mena House used to be my favourite place to stay. Nothing beats waking up and going out to your balcony facing Cheops great pile as the sun rises. The only negative is it is quite a drive from Cairo's other sites, such as the Cairo museum. Still....

We stayed at Mena House last December for one night upon completion of our Nile cruise. It might be historic, its location is unbeatable, and the view of the Pyramids from our room (we stayed at the Carter Suite) was a million bucks, but it's definitely in need of a massive refurb. F&B was also horrible.

The FS Nile Plaza, by comparison, was great all around. We had terrific view of the river from our Nile View Room, service was of very high standards and dined at some fantastic restaurants - we tried both 8 (Chinese) and Bella (Italian.) While it's not quite at the level of, say, the FS Istanbul (Bosphorus), the Nile Plaza is a FS through and through.

So, it seems that the reviews on both FS's are quite favorable (more or less).

Good to hear.

3 nights at Nile Plaza, then cruise, coming back w 1 night at First Residences

Just checked into the FS Nile Plaza.

A few notes, but overall, pretty happy.

Pros:

-Hotel staff is exceptionally friendly. Ran into three staff-persons and both went out of their way to introduce themselves to me
-Views from our room - nothing short of amazing. Sweeping views of the Nile.
-Beds are ridiculously comfortable
-Spa is gorgeous, perfectly layed out, and a lot better than I expected
-Very nice lobby
-Haven't tried it yet, but the F&B looks great

Cons:
-While the bathroom is pretty nice, the toilet area looks dated....like 1996 dated.
-Bedroom is nothing special. Spacious, but nothing special. Very blah IMO.

Etc's:

-Must go through a metal detector coming into the hotel, every time
-Airport to hotel transport in an E Class Mercedes is 100 USD
-Located VERY close to both Tahrir Square and the US Embassy (and a million other sites)

You can walk to the Cairo Museum from there - a must. The reason the hotel looks a bit dated in parts is that it was designed 11 years before it was built.

What is the second tier below FS?

The friends I am travelling with went and did a bit of their own research (!!) and don't see the value in paying $550 per night at FS NP when Sofitel El Gezirah and Fairmont are $250-$270 per night for the same view. Adds up over four nights...

Odd, the rates I'm seeing (And have been seeing) for the FS NP is in the $290 range, not $550.

I would agree that this hotel is not worth $550/night.

It seems the Sofitel is located on the other side of the river, away from the Egyptian Museum. I suspect it's not as walkable a location as the FS.

Don't know much about the Fairmont, other than there are two locations (like the FS). Do not book the wrong one, or you'll be stuck in no man's land (Nasr City - near the airport).

FWIW: the smog here is terrible, easily the worst I've ever experienced, and far worse than I had in Beijing.....my eyes are burning!!

I'm looking at Nile View Room with taxes included.