The Windsor Palace Hotel

Description:

• On the Corniche, a few hundred meters east of Saad Zagloul Square, the Windsor, with its modestly sized but ostentatious lobby and dining room, used to be a haunt of well-to-do Alexandrians. From the lovingly maintained old elevators and the dining room ceiling, which features a magnificently over-the-top painting, to the gold print wallpaper in the coffee shop, the place has an air of having survived past its time. You could wish for better-chosen carpeting upstairs or more furniture in the lobby (the place feels bare and somewhat empty, though maybe this is to show off the sheer expanse of the marble), but there's no denying that the place has presence. The double-wide roadway in front is a shame, but that's a problem shared by every hotel on the seafront. Rooms vary quite a bit but tend to be large and a bit chilly in the winter. Both service and room quality have been patchy in the past, so though things seem to have improved with a recent renovation, check out your room before you commit, and ask to see several if you're not happy.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010