Giza Pyramids Inn

AVIOD AT ALL COST. Book only if you want to ruin you vacation. These people are big cheaters and looting people of there money. Even if you decide to take a risk and book a room just execting a good view of pyramids, never ever prepay for the room else you will be left at the mercy of the hotel. I ignored the warning by some other previous travelled reviews and paid the price. This is highly overrated and overpriced inn (not a hotel). I booked a luxury room here with multiple beds looking directly at the pyramids for 200 USD months in advance. Also I was in touch with the owner and he confirmed me that the room is exactly what I booked for. But to my horror when I landed at hotel I was told that the room is assigned to someone else and we are offered a smaller room with side view of pyramids, not direct room what I booked for and he confirmed also. The room was small and filthy. Then he offered me 2 rooms on the roof and told they will be ready in an hour, when I told I want to see the rooms he resisted but on my insistence they shwoed me the rooms. i was taken aback to see that these we not even guest rooms, these were servan tquarters which he wanted to clean and settle me there. I was furious. Luckily I was with a local guide and he helped me in arguing with the owner, after lot of arguments and pursuing he settled me in a nearby hotel but still the view was not good as I booked initially. It spoiled my whole experience as I was visualizing Pyramids view from that room I booked for months in advance but finally it was not to be. So these poeple for a small anmount of gain can ruin your whole journey which you have been planning for months and probably once in a lifetime. They are doing a grave injustice to the wonerful people of Egypt as these experiences spoils the name of whole country, but who cares he would have gained few dollars by selling my room at a higher price to someone else. Without local guide I would have been at the mercy of the owner. Initially they were not allowing my guide to go with me in the room as this probably was a regular incident and they anticipated this. Luckily my guide forced his way into the room. Those plannig a trip to Egypt specialy with family, PLEASE make sure you have a local guide with you all the time else you will ruin your vacation, this is true without exceptions, however smart you think you are, you will fail in Egypt.

We stayed 1 night: USD 136 for a "deluxe" double room with view. Almost double the price of competitors with similar view. For convenience, we arranged airport pickup through the hotel (USD 25 - more than Uber), and this was still fine. However, the red flags started during our check-in. Red flag #1: Before our trip, we booked a day tour (Pyramids + Cairo Museum) through the hotel. We emailed the hotel to check if the guide can drop us at Cairo train station (just a 10 mins drive from the Museum) after the tour, and they said yes. During check-in however, the owner wanted to charge us extra USD 25 for this "extra service", which was NOT highlighted to us upfront at all. After I told him the station is literally just 10 mins drive from the Museum (instead of having to drive us 1 hour back to the hotel), he made up some bs about leaving luggage in the car, and still charged us USD 15. Red flag #2: The owner was extremely eager to change USD into EGP for us. So that we would change more money with him, he blatantly lied to us that all attractions ONLY accept EGP in CASH, but not to worry, as he can change EGP for us at official market rates (1 USD: 30 EGP). What a good deal, right? However, we found out the next day that all attractions only accept CREDIT CARDS, and so we were stuck with excess EGP cash. It gets better: the next day while waiting for our guide, the porter offered to change 1 USD: 40 EGP for us, which we declined. It was all rather puzzling, until we later learnt from other tourists that there is actually a black market rate (just google it) where they can change 1 USD: 50 EGP!! Red flag #3: Speaking of attractions, the day tour did NOT include any entrance fees, and we had to pay everything ourselves (with credit card, of course). Again, this was NOT highlighted to us upfront at all. Perhaps the biggest red flag is that after I posted this exact review on Book**g[dot]com (where I booked the hotel), they immediately removed the listing and have re-listed it with just a few reviews (ALL WITH PERFECT 10 SCORES, SURPRISE SURPRISE). You be the judge.

We booked via Bookings.com, and credit cards should be accepted. Nope, they wanted cash. As we do not have enough Egyptian pounds which were meant for taxis and others, we have no choice but to pay in USD. When we asked if the reception could point us to where to buy a SIM card he telephoned his friend who came in and told us 'non-Egyptians LE900 for 3 months....' We said decline the offer. We walked over to a pharmacy, asking if he could point us to a shop too. Lo and behold, he said he do not know any. Later in the day, we saw the shop was just a few stores down the road! Our advise : 1) change your Egpytian Pound at airport or withdraw from airport ATM. 2) Get your SIM card at airport. In the city, everything is marked up to tourist with some stories. 3) When paying a taxi driver, count the money as you pay him to ensure no mistake in the amount. 4) Use UBER drivers with caution too as he may flip the location and asked to pay more especially to airport - which is what happened to us. Our location haywired, went to New York instead of Cairo Airport. Again, ignore the taxi driver when he claimed that airport check-point police asked him for money during a regular document check. He will pester you to make up the payment - of which you just nod until he drops you off at departure hall. Make sure you have your baggage unloaded before paying, again count as you pay. Hotel's location is just 3 minutes walk to Giza. Breakfast tray is reasonable. Rooftop dining with view to Giza Pyramids. Room was small and compact, with private toilet. WiFi connection was poor to none. Overall experience at the Giza Plateau, self-walk without guide was great (though we were pestered at every corner) as we spent as much time as we can at each and every spot without rush, not forgetting good photos too. We started our walk as soon as the gates are opened, from the left towards the Sphinx to Khafre Pyramid for easier walk and lesser crowds; no camels or donkeys or horse carts. Bus loads of tourists will come a different gate after 10am or so... Bring enough water and pack some lunch on the go.

Having got to the hotel l needed to pay which is fairly standard practise. Unfortunately their card machine was "broken" and they wanted cash. Not Egyptian cash but Sterling, Euro or Dollar. I said l'll pay by card using the *********** app. No they wanted cash. By now the alarm bells started ringing in my head. I deliberately took sterling cash out there to get a better exchange rate not to pay my hotel bill with. I therefore said l shall pay cash for one night and need to get more money from the bank the next day. As l counted the money out the two blokes there were watching intently. It was really uncomfortable. I asked them if they had a safety deposit box. They said "no. No need for one. They had cameras". I got to my room and noticed straight away the door at some point had been forced and botched back together again. I didn't unpack. I went to the bar and asked for a beer. They didn't sell alcohol which is quite common. I asked them where could l buy a beer. They pointed to the Pyramid Valley Boutique hotel across the street. I set off to go there and one of the blokes followed me all the way to the other hotel. Half way there he asked me if l wanted any ******* l said no but he wanted a tip for escorting me over. By then l was done with this place! I checked into Pyramid Valley Boutique hotel which had security boxes, took card payments, had the same great views of the Pyramids but to cap it all was cheaper per room per night. Do yourself a favour and avoid Pyramids Inn Giza!

Stayed there 2 nights with friends. First line VIEWS to Giza plateau and pyramids, even the Sphinx from certain rooms. Wonderful view and picture from Top Roof Bar. STAFF: Unbelievably friendly and helpful. Special mention at Top Toof Bar to Mr ALÍ BABA , just like a father to all customers; always a smile and very witty, remembering your preferences and with a great psycologial touch . A real gentleman and a great proffessional man. Mr YUSUF was also a great help. Very CLEAN premises. Customised corridors and even the elevator/lift with Old Egiptian motives. A bit too flashy, but, it is meant for tourists. Lots of staff making sure you were properly entertained and served. ROOMS: A bit messy corridors to get to some of them. Very clean and with amenities and your own boiler for hot water (so, it´s up to you if you overuse hot water) .Good space and not noisy. More price for the rooms with a BALCONY to pyramids (but, 1st line price is also the noise and smells of the street: camels and horses to and fro). FOR LIGHT SLEEPERS I´d recomend an "STANDARD room"= "no balcony" room; just a window to an "Egitian patio" , but far from street noise, lift engine noise and crossing corridors...... so very silent for a good sleep. FRONT DESK STAFF also very welcoming and providing with anything you may need: from general information to tips on tourism, food, prices, etc. Special mention to DINA (the only woman I saw in the premises) and MUHAMAD (slim and very friendly, talking several languages- Japanesse included- who helped us with suggestions to try real local food at cheap prices , and with all the silly needs we all have when outside our own country) They all made my stay there a VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE. Cont: although my arabic is not too good, the owner seemed a bit rough to his workers. Shoudn´t do that ..... but, it is an opinion. Marraukhra, inshallah. Good luck to you all.

Be aware: there are several small hotels or inns in this area with very similar names which can be confusing. Use the address to distinguish them. We stayed here four nights. This property has 8-10 rooms and the rooftop, where the breakfast is served, offers a great view of the Pyramids and Sphinx. Rooftop is a great place to relax at night, as well. Our room was on the third level and there is no elevator. Like everywhere in Egypt, you will be dealing with an all-male staff, who were nice. Breakfast (included) was extensive and satisfactory :cheeses, hard boiled egg, falafel, fruit, yogurt, bread, etc. Eat while enjoying a great view of the pyramids! The neighborhood is very interesting with camels and horses mixed with vehicles on the street. We felt safe here; although, like everywhere in Egypt, the shopkeepers can be aggressive in seeking a sale. The items which disappointed me were that the Inn failed to respond to my emails in advance of our arrival. I emailed twice, about 10 days apart, to confirm the reservation and the arrangements for our airport pickup. Receiving no response, we made other arrangements to get here from the airport. (Use Uber, which seems to be the best and least expensive way to get around Cairo and Giza.) A call would have been possible; however, most of the staff spoke minimal English, which may have made a telephone call difficult. Several mostly young men staff this Inn. They were nice and willing to help; however, they seem to not share information and prices for services vary. For departure, we inquired about a ride to the airport and were told $40 U.S., then a couple of days later we took a car, which they arranged, and we were charged only $25. ( Uber is less.) We asked for a 6:00 am wake-up call, which we did not receive, although being assured we would. The young man was asleep on the couch in the lobby at 7:00 am when we went downstairs. Be sure to set your alarm! We needed our luggage stored for a few hours and one young man told us “no charge”, while another said $15. Not a fancy place; however, I enjoyed the atmosphere of the neighborhood and the room was satisfactory (the shower was very small) and we would return. Wi-Fi service is spotty.