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Sonesta Cairo
By Jimmy Dunn
Staying at a Sonesta facility is rarely a wrong
decision in Egypt. Throughout Egypt, Sonesta provides well done,
modern and luxurious  accommodations. The Sonesta Hotel in Cairo is
no exception. For some, its only drawback may be the location, in
Heliopolis, which is some distance from the downtown hub of Cairo.
Yet for others, particularly on organized tours, it is a quieter,
more laid back location. Perhaps the location isn’t even a
problem, as a free shuttle bus is offered, to the downtown area of
Cairo.
Like its relative, the Sonesta St. George in
Luxor, the Cairo Sonesta combines a wonderful mix of the modern
and pharaonic, an expression that this hotel company does very
well. Unlike some western style chain hotels in Egypt ,while at a
Sonesta, one really does feel that they are in Egypt.
The Sonesta in Heliopolis is not really a resort
hotel as such, but rather a great stopping off place for tours,
and certainly a good residence for visiting business people to
this area of Cairo. It is comfortable, and self sufficient for the
average tourist who needs a nice room, good restaurants with some
evening entertainment. And so like many, I stayed in the hotel for
one night prior to departing on a classical tour of Egypt.
Rooms are large, and there is a good ranges of
choices according to budget. My room came equipped with a small
steam sauna that I enjoyed immensely after the long flight from
the US. All 254 rooms include air conditioning, satellite color
television, in-room movies, radio, mini bar, hair dryers and
direct dial telephones.
Other hotel services include 24-hour room
service, free weekly sightseeing tours, a business center with
Internet access, safety deposit boxes, babysitting arrangements
and a doctor on call. However, another small problem for some will
be the expense of using the business center for Internet access.
While the hotel charges for Internet access are not unusual for
five star hotels, it is considerably more expensive then most
local Internet cafes. Unfortunately, in this area I found few
Internet cafes nearby, so I was forced to use the more expensive
business center.
The hotel also has a very complete fitness
center, which offers massage treatment, hydrotherapy, jacuzzi,
sauna and a Turkish steambath, along with aerobics classes and a
gymnasium. Other facilities include an outdoor swimming pool and a
billiards room.
 There are no less then six places to eat in the
hotel. The Italian La Gondola serves great food along with live
entertainment, a small band which was very impressive. Other
restaurants include Le Menage, with French cuisine and piano
entertainment, Baalbak with traditional Lebanese specialties and
nightly entertainment, the Tea Garden, an outside restaurant
serving light fare, and Liali Zaman, only open during the summers
with dancing and live entertainment and monthly specials. There is
also Fauchon, with French pastries, confections and groceries.
Along with the poolside bar, Bohio, there is the
Arabic lounge that is quiet and cozy, and Speke's English pub bar.
For more robust entertainment at night, Sindbads Discotheque
offers live shows nightly.
I have stayed at a number of Sonesta Hotels in
Egypt, have always been comfortable, and the Cairo Sonesta is no
exception. With the hotel expansion in Egypt, one may not say that
it is the nicest of the five star hotels in Cairo, but then again,
I would rank its comfort above many of the better known luxury
hotels and I believe its pricing is quite in line with the
accommodations.
Sonesta Cairo
4 El Tayaran St., Nasr City, Cairo
Phone: +20-2-2628111,+20-2-2617100
Fax: +20-2-2635731
Email
Reservations
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