The 13 Best Luxury Hotels in Cairo

In Cairo almost every luxury hotel has a pool – the real question is where it is: high above the Nile, in a garden or on an artificial beach.Fairmont Nile City Cairo · PoolAbove the river you swim at the Fairmont Nile City Cairo: the Sky Pool is on the 25th floor of the Nile City Towers, with views of the Nile and the skyline and, on clear days, all the way to the pyramids. At the Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah on the southern tip of Gezira Island, a heated infinity pool with Nile views awaits, together with the Sunny Bar. For families: the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis has a pool with a Nile view, plus a children’s pool.Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis · PoolDowntown, The Nile Ritz-Carlton Cairo offers an Olympic-size outdoor pool with a shaded terrace, cabanas and the Aqua Pool Bar. The St. Regis Cairo combines an outdoor pool with cabanas and the poolside restaurant Sirocco with an indoor pool.

In the east things get greener – the right area if you want a 5-star hotel in Cairo with a garden or resort pool. The Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis sets its pool in a botanical garden, with cabanas and a pool bar called Le Jardin. The Kempinski Palace Cairo has an outdoor pool with garden views plus an indoor pool.

Beach instead of Nile: in Mirage City the JW Marriott Hotel Cairo has a large resort pool with an artificial sandy beach. The St. Regis New Capital Cairo in the New Administrative Capital goes furthest: a main pool in front of the Montego restaurant, an indoor pool and an artificial beach with a wave machine.

In Cairo a spa visit often means the hammam. The Fairmont Spa at the Fairmont Nile City Cairo has a private Turkish hammam, a panoramic sauna and a steam room, all free for hotel guests aged 18 and over. At the Mandara Spa of the JW Marriott Hotel Cairo you lie on a heated marble slab beneath domes in the Moroccan hammam, and the signature treatment is a four-hand massage. And the Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis combines a traditional hammam scrub with psammotherapy on warm sand loungers in two of its treatment suites.JW Marriott Hotel Cairo · CairoThe large spas at the luxury hotels in Cairo include the LifeStyles Health Club & Spa at the InterContinental Citystars Cairo, covering around 3,000 m², the Resense Spa at the Kempinski Palace Cairo, spanning 1,712 m² with a Beauty Centre and a Health Centre, and the Iridium Spa at The St. Regis Cairo, covering more than 1,000 m², with sauna, steam bath, ice chamber, experience showers, vitality pool and light therapy.

To relax with a view of the water, head to the Sofitel SPA at the Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah: rituals range from “Secrets of Cleopatra” to “Oriental Experience”, and the large Jacuzzi has floor-to-ceiling windows onto the Nile. At the Kempinski Nile Garden City Cairo the sauna, steam rooms and whirlpool are free for hotel guests. The spa at The St. Regis New Capital Cairo is in the Trio Club House, with eight treatment rooms, a Moroccan hammam, sauna and Jacuzzi; the gym has a separate women’s area.

The median price is 191 € a night – that’s the price of the Kempinski Palace Cairo. The selection starts at 137 € at the Sofitel Cairo Downtown Nile and goes up to 285 € at the Fairmont Nile City Cairo.

What’s included at all 13 hotels: daily breakfast for two, an upgrade on arrival, plus early check-in and late check-out, each subject to availability. There is no minimum stay anywhere; the benefits apply from the first night.

When it comes to hotel credit, it pays to look closely, because every 5-star hotel in Cairo handles it differently. 100 US dollars is available at nine hotels, at one of them for the spa only. They include the three hotels with four Forbes stars: the Fairmont Nile City Cairo, The St. Regis Cairo and the Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis. It is 50 US dollars at the two Kempinski hotels, and the two resorts in Mirage City give a welcome gift instead.Kempinski Palace Cairo · Rooms & suitesClub floors are particularly worthwhile when you book a 5-star hotel in Cairo. Fairmont Gold at the Fairmont Nile City Cairo spans three floors, with private check-in, breakfast, a light dinner, a 24-hour honesty bar and a butler on call. The Club Millésime at the Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah offers breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails with canapés, and the Royal Club Lounge at the Kempinski Palace Cairo serves breakfast, hot and cold dishes at lunch and dinner, and a happy hour.

Points and status can be earned at all 13 luxury hotels, across five programmes: Marriott Bonvoy at five hotels, ALL (Accor) at three, IHG One Rewards and GHA Discovery at two each and Hilton Honors at the Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis – with double points there.

When it’s at its best: from October to April, when the days are pleasantly warm and the museum, the old town and the pyramids can be explored at a relaxed pace. In summer the day starts early and the hot afternoons belong to the pool – that’s when the hotels with a sky pool, rooftop pool or resort beach play to their strengths.

How long to stay at a 5-star hotel in Cairo: three nights – one for the Egyptian Museum and Downtown, one for the Pyramids of Giza and one for an evening on the Nile.