Middle East - Anthony Ham [107]
Sara Inn (Map; 2392 2940; www.sarainnhostel.com; 7th fl, 21 Sharia Yousef al-Guindi, Downtown; dm E£40, s/d with air-con E£120/140, s/d without bathroom E£60/80; ) If your grandma had an Egyptian trinket fetish and decided to open a hotel – this would be it. With low ceilings brightly decked out in Bedouin tarps and cushions aplenty, the cosy Sara Inn lies cocooned in a blanket of hush. There are rooms for most budgets here, though the shared showers can be in high demand.
African Hostel (Map; 2591 1744; africanhousehotel@hotmail.com; 15 Emad El-Din, Downtown; s/d US$15/19, without bathroom US$10/15; ) While the approach to this 19th-century building borders on the post-apocalyptic, the cheerily painted walls of the African Hostel subscribe to the ‘exploding crayon’ school of interior design. The rooms are basic and make the necessary concessions to hygiene, but the big appeal here is the quiet location (away from the hubbub of downtown) and a laid-back, backpackery vibe.
Pension Roma (Map; 2391 1088; http://pensionroma@pensionroma.com.eg; 4th fl, 169 Sharia Mohammed Farid, Downtown; d/tr E£110/140, s/d/tr without bathroom E£50/82/120) We doff our hats to the Roma: this French-Egyptian run veteran of the budget scene is a bastion of simple sophistication. The Cairo-of-yesteryear rooms are fastidiously maintained and the atmosphere is friendly and intimate – free wi-fi seems to be about the only concession to the 21st century. Particularly popular with the French jet-set and families, reservations here are a must.
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FAVOURITE CAIRO SCAMS
Scams in Cairo are so numerous that there’s no way we could list them all here. They are roughly divided into three types: hotel scams, overcharging on tours to Luxor and Aswan (you’re better off making your own way there and brokering arrangements on the ground) and shopping scams.
Favourite hotel scams include being approached by an official-looking person at the airport with a badge saying ‘Ministry of Tourism’ or some such thing, and being offered help. If you have made a hotel booking, they may ‘call’ your hotel to confirm this, only to tell you it is booked out, and then offer to take you to one of their ‘recommended’ hotels (where they will earn a commission that is added to your bill). Other scams include telling you that the hotel you’re heading for is closed/horrible/very expensive/a brothel and suggesting a ‘better’ place. Many taxi drivers are similarly keen on getting you into one of their commission-paying hotels, and may pretend they have no idea where your hotel is. Just ask for the nearest landmark and walk from there.
Another long-running scam occurs around the Egyptian Museum: a charming chap approaches foreigners and asks if they are looking for the museum entrance or the bus to the Pyramids. If the answer is yes, he asserts that it’s prayer time/lunchtime/any-inventive-reason time, and that the museum is temporarily closed or the bus isn’t running for an hour. Then he suggests that while they’re waiting, they may be interested in going to the nearby ‘Government Bazaar’, which is coincidentally having its annual sale on that day. Needless to say, there’s a sale every day, it’s not much of a sale at all, and he’ll collect a commission on anything you purchase…
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Hotel Tulip (Map; 2392 2704; www.tulip-hotel.com; Midan Talaat Harb, Downtown; s E£70-85, d E£100-130; ) Smack-bang in the middle of downtown’s action, the Tulip has rooms running the gamut from plain and comfy to modern and downright stylish. We love the wrought iron lamps and touches of leafy green adorning the hallways. Front rooms have great views of the midan action, but at the cost of inharmonious street noise.
Canadian Hostel (Map; 2392 5794; www.thecanadianhostel.com; 5 Sharia Talaat Harb, Downtown; s/d E£100/120, without bathroom E£70/90; ) One of the friendliest digs in town, this Canadian-run hostel boasts an intimate communal