“Could do better with little effort...”

I stayed at the Sonesta because I wanted to be in Heliopolis and I wanted quality at an affordable price. To this extent I was satisfied. However, rooms which face the inward courtyard in the new tower have little natural light. The rooms themselves are very comfortable and everything works in the room. Service is not great at the hotel however. I woke up late on Sunday only to find 10.15am was too late for any form of breakfast - which I wouldn't expect in other 5 star establishments. Hotel itself was not up to the standard I remembered of the Sheraton Heliopolis several years ago (now Fairmount). The Sushi dinner was best avoided; the salmon appeared to be canned! The cafe served good coffee but if you're in a rush you be frustrated as there appears no energy to serve you or provide a bill. That said, these frustrations are not killer and I'd stay again.

“Good hotel! Can be better though!”

Very quiet, clean, close to airport. Staff are overall friendly. Not impressed with getting a "cable" upon arrival in order to have internet access instead of offering "wireless' internet service as expected froma 5 star hotel. The worst part however is the trip package put by the hotel to c the pyramids and the museum. The tour guide provided by the hotel had to take us to a couple of places (art shop and perfume shop owned by his friends!) that we weren't interested in. Totally unprofessional where he presented his "buddies" shops as "museums" etc. Total waste of time! For shopping, u can't beat the prices and options of "Khan El Khaleeli". It is a must visit for souvineers, etc. Egypt is really beautifu and a great place to visit!

“Would definitely go back again”

5 day trip was what we needed after the cold winter, our guide a organised the nile cruise for us for the evening when we arrived in cairo, which was great, bellydancing, singing ect and food...we did to 2 full day of site seeing and 1 day of just relaxing in the hotel spa and relaxing next to the swiming pool, would go back again but next time also do luxor. The trip went really well because of sam (chauffeurr who picked us up and dropped us off) he organised the guide and the car for us.

“Not impressed”

Not impressed. Bathroom had a slight sewage odor. Mirror fell off the wall. stains on the carpet. I stayed two days and came back for a third. during my first stay I Left my lap top charger in the room and no one could find it. I called daily with no luck. upon my return I checked with the reception desk and with houskeeping still no luck. Strange because it was sitting at the front desk the whole time. Both time I checked out (without any extra charges) was a mess. THey said I was good and then chased me down asking me to come back in only to find everything was in order. Nice building, poorly run. The Radison Blu or fairmont are a much better choice

“Not Impressed”

This is my second stay in Cairo. The hotel front office was not helpful. They missed my wake up calls and request for iron twice. For the same price, I would prefer InterConti city stars than this one.

“Not maintained well”

Staff did not respond to requests quickly, we had to call the front desk several times for the same simple requests, like a new remote for the TV, to activate room telephone service or pick up our luggage. We were also dissapointed in the quality of the rooms, though they were clean overall.

“outstand from check in to out”

This was my favorite hotel of our 18 day visit to Egypt. It is five stars by American standards. All the staff is outstanding and helpful. It is immaculate and everything works. The spa is great and free. Location convient to the airport and they have a true free shuttle service. One night we were booked to stay at Fairmont but after seeing our room and the charges for the spa went back to the sonesta. The food was really good and reasonable. I can not say enough good about this hotel.

“Not Impressed”

Room with queen bed was not ready, had to wait for room to be made ready. Hot water in the room was not availabe all the time had to call out the service department 4 times during our stay of 4 days every day! At breakfast the staff always seemed to be rushed from 9:30 am onwards even though breakfast times were 6:00 am to 10:30 am. The bathroom door paint had black marks. In sumary not very happy with state and service of the hotel.

“If you can afford it - book a hotel closer to the center of the City”

The hotel was small - probably comparable to an older Holiday Inn in the states. The hotel rooms were old in decor and the TV was definitely not LED/LCD/Plasma. The pool area pix on the website look nice, but definitely different in person. There was an attendant but its not has "spa" like. Plus the pollution made it not so desirable to be at the pool on the days we were there. The casino was small and the spa was only open certain times. Spa prices seemed a little over priced. The restaurant's were definitely overpriced - it looks spacious in the pix but its not. The people though were friendly and welcoming which was a plus. There's taxi service as well - but recommendation is to grab a yellow cab (and if you are lucky a black and white) since they are tons cheaper for your trips into downtown ($2-$6). The hotel is not close to downtown and even if you want a dinner - you can't really walk to any good restraunt so you'll need to plan for cab rides everywhere if you stay at the Sonesta. For your longer trips like to the Giza Pyramids - its actually nice to have your personal driver...and to be honest - its pretty cheap compared to NYC prices ($25/day). Overall - the hotel was just OK. I'd actually recommend the Sofitel on the nile - we ended up going there for dinner and its definitely a hotel that American's would feel comfortable in - similar to a "W" hotel; Westin; nice Marriott etc.