I’ve heard so many great things about the Marriott Mena House Cairo that I couldn’t wait to finally go and try it out for myself. Originally, I wanted to stay at the new Hyatt Regency Cairo West that just opened but I read that it was super far and that the Marriott Mena House was a better hotel option if you wanted to stay close to the pyramids. I also read that Cairo traffic is horrendous to deal with so, for one of my nights, I decided to move hotels from downtown Cairo and stay at the Marriott Mena House in Giza so I could be close to the pyramids and visit first thing in the morning!

• Related Article: Camel Ride at the Pyramids + What Not to Do!

 

Marriott Mena House Cairo Review

Cost

• Points: If you already don’t know, Marriott got rid of its category system last year and now is on a dynamic point system. This means that hotels are now charging points that closely matches with the going cash rate. So, if a room has a high cash rate that night, you will be expected to spend more points on it. During my stay in May, the point redemption was only 29,000 points, but I’ve seen it as low as 21,000 points in the low season and 35,000 points in the high season. If you have a Free Night Certificate from a applicable Marriott credit card, you can use it on this hotel as well. I actually had one expiring so I decided to use that instead of my points or cash.
  

  Photo Credit: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/caimn-marriott-mena-house-cairo/overview/

• Cash: If you plan on spending cash, the room rate was about $310+ during my stay in mid-May. In the summer months, it can go as low as $220/night and in the winter months, as high as $600/night.

 

Location

The first thing you should know is that the Marriott Mena House is actually in Giza (near the pyramids) and not in Cairo. I would say it’s about 45-50 minutes from downtown Cairo to get to the hotel with traffic. If there’s no traffic, you can probably get there within 30 minutes. The absolute best thing about this hotel is it’s location to the pyramids. Not only do you get a view of them from the hotel, but you can walk to the ticket entrance within 10 minutes! You don’t need to worry about getting an Uber and fighting traffic. That in itself is worth staying here in my opinion.

 

Room

The only room that was available for my free night certificate was the 2 Twins Room with a garden view. When I checked in, they did offer me a King Room, but I asked them if it was possible to have a room with a view of the pyramids. Since I was a Marriott Gold Elite (thanks to my Amex Platinum Card), they were able to give me a room with a partial pyramid view. Granted, it was still a 2 Twins Room, but I didn’t mind since I like to use the other bed to lay out all my stuff anyways. 

The overall look and feel of the room tends to run a bit more on the older side. Seeing how popular the Marriott Mena House is, I thought that they’ve would have upgraded the rooms a little bit for the price you are paying. But let’s be real, you’re here for the view and not the room.

Food and Drinks

Since I was only here for one night, I didn’t get to try the famous 139 Pavilion restaurant where you get to sit right in front of the pyramids. I opted to have dinner outside the hotel since there were so many amazing restaurants in Cairo. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it there for breakfast either since we were visiting the pyramids first thing in the morning. Even though I didn’t get to try the restaurant, I did walk around the hotel premises and got a closer view of the pyramids that way. 

Pool/Gym/Spa

Luckily enough, I did have time to experience the pool and spa, but didn’t have the chance to go to the gym. The pool is one big central pool that is surprisingly quite deep for just a lounge pool. I believe it was around 4+ ft all around. There is a small bar serving drinks, but nothing that amazing. I order a “fresh” mango juice, but it was obviously from a pre-packaged bottle.

In regards to the spa, I would say that the amenities were pretty minimal. The lounge area only had chairs (no loungers) to sit in and the snacks were sparse. I will say that the massage I received was probably the best massage I got the whole trip!

View

Most people know the Marriott Mena House because of it’s famous view of the pyramids. I know that there are some more affordable hotels that have a pyramid view, but I really enjoyed the Marriott Mena House’s view because of the lush greenery that sits in the foreground. I don’t believe there’s anywhere else you can get a picture with grass or palm trees with the pyramids. 

Service

I would say that the customer service was average. The check-in was super slow when I arrived. I probably waited at least 15-20 minutes in line before I even spoke to someone. By the time I finally got the keys and went up to the room, a good solid half hour had past. I did appreciate that they upgraded me to a partial pyramid room, but their slowness made me late to my museum appointment. 

 

Marriott Gold Elite Benefits

Marriott Gold Elite doesn’t give you that many extra benefit, but the two I consider most important are the room upgrade and the late check-out which I was able to utilize this time around.

Room Upgrade

As mentioned before, I did get a room upgrade to one with a view of the pyramids mostly due to my status. I also think I got it because it was the start of the low season and I was only staying one night. 

Late Check-Out

For Marriott Gold Elite members, you are offered a 2:00 pm checkout which I definitely used. Since I was visiting the pyramids in the morning, it was nice to have the extra time and not have to worry about checking out. 

Welcome Gift or Points

I receive 500 bonus points as my welcome gift. 

 

Tips for Staying at the Marriott Mena House Cairo

1. Hotel Security/Front Entrance: This Marriott Mena House has some serious security. Your ride will have to stop at the security gate and then they’ll have a dog sniff your car. I believe the driver even has to show some sort of license showing that they are a taxi or Uber driver. After you get inside the gate, you still have to drive a bit of a way in. I’ve gotten dropped off at the main entrance at the top and the restaurant entrance at the bottom. Overall, what I’m trying to say is that it’s not an easy drop off and most drivers will get lost or even cancel your ride.
2. Uber: Since you are way out in Giza, Ubers are much less frequent here compared to downtown Cairo. Every time I wanted to leave the hotel, it took almost 30 minutes and at least 3 canceled Ubers to get out of the hotel. The Ubers would either get lost and have to make this huge U-turn or they just couldn’t even find the main entrance of the hotel. I would factor in at least 30 minutes if you are trying to get somewhere outside of the hotel.
3. Getting a Room w/ a Pyramid View: If you really want a room with a pyramid view, the only guaranteed way you are going to get it is to pay for it. I consider myself very lucky that they upgraded me, but again, that’s due to my Gold Elite status and probably because I was staying only one night and it was the start of the low season. Otherwise, if you have no status and it’s the high season, your best bet is to pay for it. With that being said, the grounds are nice enough that wherever you walk, you’ll get a good view of the pyramids. 

 

Marriott Mena House Cairo Pictures