Trip Report: Le Meridien Pyramids: 2 May to 5 May 2008

My wife and I redeemed our SPG Platinum 50% off point redemption gift at the Le Meridien Pyramids over the past weekend. We had a really good stay and I thought I'd add to the trip reports on the property here.

Arrival
Our flight got into CAI at around 02:00 AM. Needless to say not the best time to arrive at any airport, so we were a little tired. We had arranged an independent tour company to handle our pick up at the airport and we were off. We arrived at the hotel approximately 45 minutes later (the roads from the airport to the hotel aren't the best). Our first impression of the hotel was the show of security upon arrival. Before our tour van was allowed to enter the hotel property (physical barriers), a man took a mirror and did a cursory walk around the van while a second man took a dog around the vehicle as well. We were given the all-clear and into the hotel property we went. A porter quickly grabbed our bags and we entered the hotel through a metal detector (our bags were not searched). We quickly realised that the security at the hotel, while quite a show, was just that. I routinely alarmed the metal detector but the alarms were never resolved. Not that I condone profiling of any type, but basically that's what they did--if you were what they perceived to not be a threat, they let you walk right through, otherwise they would do a patdown, etc.

Check-in
Check-in was a little slow, but nothing awful. It was 3:00 AM at this point afterall. We were on a point reservation and were upgraded to a non-view suite. We were also informed that we would be entitled to complimentary breakfast (more on this later) and would have access to the Royal Club (we never actually used it, but I understand it has free beverages, including alcohol, and was open most of the day). Following check-in a porter escorted us to our suite and gave us a guided tour of the two room suite.

The Room
We had a view of the local streets of Giza--nothing spectacular at all. That being said, the room was nice. I would have preferred a view to the suite, but the extra space was nice to have too as we did plan to spend some time in the hotel. One part of the suite had a couch, TV (CRT style), desk, and mini-bar, the other part had a king size bed (two twins joined as king), chair, TV (CRT style), and the bathroom. The bathroom was on the smaller size, but had a decent enough shower.

The Grounds
The hotel has a decent size pool, complete with views of the pyramids, a ton of restaurants (one Egyptian, one Tex-Mex, one Meditteranean which are only open for dinner), a general restaurant open 24/7, and then some bars, pool lounges, etc. They also have a 24 hour bank that did currency conversions at what appeared to be decent rates. They also had an ATM and a number of shops. We at at the general restaurant, the tex mex, the med, the pool lounge and one of the small sandwich shops. Breakfast averaged about 12 GBP for two, lunch 20-30 GBP for two, including a beer each, and dinner between 35 and 60 GBP for two, including a bottle of wine or a few beers. None of the food was spectacular, but it was decent enough. There are a few restaurants outside the hotel, but we didn't venture out (although we were told it was perfectly safe).

The hotel is a very short ride (i.e. a few minutes at most) over to the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. I am not sure whether it would have been walkable. Given the small cost of cabs and tours, I'd recommend just doing that.

Service
The service reminded me of service on a cruise. Treat you like a king while you were there. Whatever you want they'd try to accommodate and were always overly friendly. My only real complaint about the service was the Managers. They treated their employees like crap. We observed one manager physically inspect each of the waiters shoes (in public) while reprimanding them. Ten seconds later he came over to us with the fakest smile asking how things were. We left a comment with the hotel on this point basically pointing out what we observed and leaving a naive comment saying the staff should be treated as well as the guests. I realise labor is very cheap and many people want to work there, but the staff we encountered were wonderful so I can't see what this guy (and there were other incidents like this) could have seen that they did wrong.

The only other issue we had was with our bill. We were told breakfast was included, but they said it was only if we ate in the lounge. I don't know why we didn't eat in the lounge, but when we checked in, I clarified the free breakfast and they said it applied to the restaurant too. It took a while to get a manager who ultimately agreed to waive the cost of the continental breakfast, but to charge the difference for the full breakfast. It was like 2GBP per day for the two of us, so we said okay. It was probably a decently fair resolution to the matter.

Overall though, I'd recommend this hotel. It is about a 30 minute drive into Cairo, so if you have tours at the museum, river boats, etc., you'll make that drive a few times, but I liked the hotel and enjoyed having the backdrop of the pyramids as we spent our final day lounging at the pool.

Any recent stays/reviews of the Sheraton Cairo? I am planning a trip to Egypt for August with the family.

We are probably going to do like EWRATCHold and stay at the Le Meridien Pyramids for a few days while we tour the pyramids. Since we have two young children, having a hotel really close by as a base of operations where they can come back and take a break or just spend the day/afternoon/morning by the pool while me and the Mrs. leisurely do the Pyramids.

We'll also be arriving at CAI at just past midnight. Should we pre-arrange a car (through the hotel?) to pick us up at the airport or should we just take a cab? How much should a car or cab cost from CAI to the Le Meridien Pyramids.

We will most likely stay at the Sheraton Cairo, but are also remotely considering other properties as I also have points (but no status) with Priority Club/HHonors/Marriott/Hyatt.

Thanks,

Onedog

Great report, EWR, thank you ^

Do you have any idea about the cost for transportation from the airport to the hotel?

Assuming I can get a late check-out, e.g. at 6 PM: Is there anything in the neighbourhood of the hotel to do until midnight? Could I maybe use the lounge after checkout?

We arranged our transportation from the airport to the hotel using Viator tours (we were using them for most of our tours while there). I think the hotel transfer was $12.00 (all in, not per person). In talking with a local on my flight he said to pay about 50 LE from the airport to Cairo, 100 LE from the airport to Giza (the Le Meridien Pyramids) . . . but those were the rip off out of town prices--you could probably pay half.

I'm all for saving a buck or two, but I found with Egypt you were talking dollars and its probably just worth finding a reputable company and booking them in advance for the extra few bucks (I mean what's $5.00 to save you the hassle of negotiating, etc.)? Granted if it was a bigger purchase I'd think differently.

There's also two different types of cabs . . . metered cabs and negotiate in advance cabs. Both are "legal" . . . there's a color differential (one's black, one yellow, but I don't remember which).

As for the late check-out, we were using a 50% off SPG points and I think the extra night was 1,000 points, so we decided it was worth it to guarantee the room. That being said, all we ended up doing that night was going to dinner, hanging out at the bar and then going to the airport, so if I had a late check out to 4pm, I would have been fine . . .

Were you pleased with Viator Tours? If so, can you please PM me with contact information, pricing information and any other information about Viator tours you wouldn't mind sharing.

Thanks,

Onedog

Extra night for 50 % (i.e. for 1000 points)? How does this work?

Do I have to make my first night for 2000 points and the second half day for 1000 ? (Cash for one night is 180 $ and points is 2k).

Its an expired promotion. Earlier in the year, SPG offered its platinum members 50% off points redemption coupons that had to be redeemed before 31 March (or something like that and used before 31 May (or similar date). So, being that the hotel was 2,000 pts per night, it was only 1,000 pts for the extra night and at that point, it was worth it to me to just get the room.

I know I could have used the 50% off for a much better redemption, but I had been redeeming points constantly lately and only had enough for this trip!

I am doing a quick 48 hour trip to Cairo in March. I will arrive at CAI at 10 PM on Friday and leave 11PM on Sunday.

The main purpose is to go see the Pyramids so my idea was to stay at the Le Meridian Pyramids that first night and use it as a base to explore the Pyramids and Sphinx on Saturday, utilizing late check out. I was than going to switch to one of the Cairo properties and explore the city Saturday night and Sunday before returning to the airport.

Since taxis are cheap I am debating whether I should just stay at the Le Meridian Pyramids as it is 9 miles for the city center. However I realize that traffic is crazy so wanted to know what the realistic travel time would be?

Cairo...
 

I just got back from a similar trip (only 3 days in country). I spread my visits to the Le Meridian Pyramids, Le Meridian Heliopolis and the Sheraton downtown. My favorite hotel by far was the Le Meridian Pyramids. As a plt they upgraded me to a two room suite with a great view of the Pyramids. They also gave me access to the club room that had food and free wireless internet access (which usually runs about $35/day in Egypt).

If I was to do my trip again, I'd spend two full days at the Pyramids walking around and taking it in. I had hired a guide recommended by TripAdvisor.com but was not impressed... I was rushed everywhere and the information was what I could have read out of a book. Plus there are guides everywhere at the sites so you can get one there if you want.

The Sheraton Downtown was nice as it was right on the Nile and was very close to the National Museum (which is a must see as well). The hotel was okay, I was treated very well as a Plt. as i was upgraded to a large suite in the renovated tower (although it was a smoking room) and was given free breakfast.

The least impressive property was the Le Meridian Heliopolis as it is close to nothing (but the airport) and about a $20/taxi ride to the Pyramids. Although they do offer a free shuttle to/from the airport.

Lastly, the locals mentioned that tourism is way down this year and so the guides, porters and people at the sites are much more aggressive to "get" your business or tips.

Thanks for the reply SLC2002. Good to know you liked the Le Meridian Pyramids. We will plan to go look at them late that first night when we arrive and spend a good part of the next day getting close.

I appreciate the feedback on the Heliopolis as I was considering it for the second night but now will not.

The feedback on the SPG thread is kind of light on the Cairo properties compared to other cities but what's out there seems consistent with your experience at the Sheraton Cairo of just being ok. Perhaps I will look into the Marriott or Hilton properties to see if there are any that are spectacular. My sister is going with me and she has status with them. I like to try and stay by the US Embassy when I am in a foreign capital but have not yet been able to figure out which hotels are near that location.

I've stayed in the Marriott, the Nile Hilton, the Ramses Hilton and the Conrad, all with top status. The Marriott is ok. The Nile and the Ramses are worn. The Conrad is lovely, with a nice executive lounge.

There is a new JW Marriott out on Ring Rd (Mirage City area). While it is a bit out from the city, it is a very nice "resort" hotel with a very nice Concierge lounge. Its main draw is that it has a water park for a pool. I haven't seen anything even close to matching it in Cairo.

If I remember correctly, the US Embassy is fairly close to the National Museum. Most of the hotels mentioned as being on the Nile would be close. I think the Hyatt is very close and looked to be a very nice hotel though I didn't stay there. (I walked over to it since that is where the Hard Rock Cafe is.)

I also tend to agree with SanDiego1K in that the Conrad is probably the nicest of the already mentioned hotels in that area, though I thought the Marriott on the Nile was pretty nice as well. BTW, I found some of visiting ambassadors like to stay at the Marriott and seem to spend some time in the CL. I was able to strike up a conversation with a few while I was there. I don't normally rub elbows with ambassadors, so it was a treat to talk with a few of them.

The Pyramids closed early when I was there (either 4PM or 6PM, I can't remember). I know in the summer they are open much later. Anyway you will want to confirm the times before you get there. Enjoy the sites, they are incredible!

3/8-9 Le Meridien Heliopolis

An absolute dump! No other word to describe this place. When we booked the hotel out of connivence because our flight would arrive at 4am and we did not want to deal with the whole taxi seen at Cairo Airport we were assured that the hotel included free airport transfers. Not true, we met a hotel rep at the airport who insisted the SPG website and SPG reservations in the US was wrong and we had to pay $15 each. Ended up playing the taxi game. My advice stay at the Fairmont which is a little closer to the airport and a much nicer property.

3/9-11 Le Meridien Pyramids

Stayed at the Le Meridien Pyramids last week. A little confusion at check in regarding our rate. Booked the day before at a rate of $120 + tax total $141 per night and front desk could not find our rate attached to the reservation had to take me to the back office to pull up my reservation by logging into the SPG site. For the trouble we were upgraded to the two bedroom suite with a fantastic view of the Pyramids. Room was nice and clean, had a bit of an ant problem that was taken care of with Raid as soon as we called down stairs. Staff were friendly and very accommodating. We really enjoyed the hookah bar next to the pool. Pool was closed at the moment for renovation but should be open now.

I"m heading over to Sheraton Cairo and the Le Meridien Pyramids in a few weeks. Any recent stay reviews? Is the pool open at the Le Meridien Pyramids. How are the lounges? Any tips in obtaining a renovated room?

Thanks in advance.