The Cairo Marriott is built around the Gezira Palace, a nineteenth-century palace whose lobby and salons still evoke the grandeur of 1869, the year Khedive Ismail celebrated the opening of the Suez Canal. Modern towers rise on either side, and many rooms look over the Nile, Zamalek or the city. The address is 16 Saray El Gezira Street in Zamalek, the leafy, embassy-lined island district known for its cafés, galleries and walkable streets. The hotel is a small world of its own: an outdoor pool with a snack bar, the Garden Promenade Cafe in the palace gardens, the open-air Egyptian Nights, JW Steakhouse, Ristorante Tuscany, the Omar Khayyam restaurant, Harry’s Pub and more, plus the M Club lounge high in the Gezira Tower.
Living in it: Zamalek is one of the most pleasant bases in Cairo, and the palace gardens are a social hub for locals as well as guests. Downtown and the Egyptian Museum are a short taxi ride across the river.
Trade-offs: it is a big, busy hotel with lots of events, and the pyramids are a long drive. Ask for a Nile-view room in one of the towers for the best outlook.
Why stay here
- ✓Historic Gezira Palace
- ✓Outdoor pool and Waves snack bar
- ✓Garden Promenade Cafe
- ✓JW Steakhouse
- ✓Ristorante Tuscany
- ✓Harry’s Pub
- ✓M Club lounge with river views
- ✓Palace gardens on the Nile
Good questions
Where is the Cairo Marriott Hotel?+
At 16 Saray El Gezira Street in Zamalek, on Gezira island in the Nile.
Is the hotel really a palace?+
Yes, its heart is the nineteenth-century Gezira Palace, with modern towers added alongside.
Does the hotel have a pool?+
Yes, an outdoor pool with a snack bar, set in the gardens.
