The American Embassy in Cairo is located in a small, green, affluent neighborhood called the Garden City. The neighborhood was designed by the British in the early 20th century as a residential and diplomatic area. It is characterized by quaint, curving streets, plentiful trees and gardens and Art Deco villas. Since the blockades around the American Embassy went up after September 11 of 2001, the streets are teeming with armed guards and there are not many attractions for tourists. The neighborhood has several famous restaurants, however, and it is pleasant to stroll around despite the heavy security.
Novotel is a chain of luxury hotels that has four locations in Cairo. The El Borg location is a four-star hotel situated downtown, near the American Embassy, overlooking the Nile River and the city. It's within walking distance of the Cairo Tower, the Cairo Opera House, and the Egyptian Museum. The Novotel has 141 rooms and suites, four meeting rooms, a restaurant, a cafe, an on-site gymnasium, a terrace overlooking the Nile and a swimming pool. It offers free wireless Internet for guests and has a car hire service in the lobby for anyone interested in traveling 18 km to see the pyramids or the Sphinx. The quiet luxury and ample amenities of the Novotel make it very popular with business travelers, and it is an ideal location for conferences.
Hotel Novotel Cairo El Borg
3 Saraya El Gezira St.
Zamalek
11111 Cairo
Egypt
+20-2-27356725
novotel.com
The Safir Suites Hotel Zamalek belongs to the Safir Suites chain of luxury hotels. This hotel is located in downtown Cairo in the Garden City among several foreign embassies, including both the British and the American. The hotel, popular with Arab guests, is a family-oriented location. Children are especially welcome here, and many vacationing families choose the Safir as their base from which to explore the pyramids. The Safir boasts a restaurant, cafe, swimming pool, fitness center, garden terrace and lobby with free Internet. Many of the rooms at the Safir Suites have balconies overlooking the Nile. Room service is available 24 hours a day; and breakfast, including local specialties and fresh-squeezed fruit juices, is complimentary with your stay.
Safir Suites Hotel Zamalek
21 Mohamed Mazhar
11211 Cairo
Egypt
+20-2-3420055
The Shepheard Hotel is an independent luxury hotel that welcomed its first guests in 1841. The hotel, which has been a main attraction of Cairo throughout its long history, burned to the ground in 1952. The current building has all of the conveniences of the big-name chain hotels located nearby, including 24-hour room service, a beauty shop, car rental, same-day laundry service, a travel agency, concierge services, a full-service on-site fitness center, a 24-hour bank, a business center and banquet and meeting halls. Other features are a 24-hour casino and a discotheque. The Shepheard attracts plenty of young American and European tourists, and the discotheque is popular not only with tourists but also with local expatriates looking for fun.
Shepheard Hotel
Cornishe El Nil
Garden City
11461 Cairo
Egypt
+20-2-27921000
shepheard-hotel.com
