Grand Hyatt Cairo

Description:

• Located directly across the water from the new Sofitel el Gezirah and across the road from the Four Seasons Nile Plaza, the Hyatt's massive curved tower is hard to miss. Inside the lobby, huge pillars and a flight of stairs dominate the space. The view of the river is still pretty good, although (unlike the Sofitel) the design keeps you from getting too close to water, which is a pity. The view only gets better from the higher floors, and on the rare day that Cairo has clear air, you can see all the way to the pyramids in Giza.

  In sharp contrast with the Four Seasons -- which oddly enough is marginally less expensive for a standard room -- the Hyatt feels like a big, impersonal hotel. The rooms, even though they have a spectacular unimpeded view of the river from above, are generic and substantially smaller than over at the Four Seasons. If you want to save a bit of money, I'd opt for the Semiramis InterContinental (below).

• © Frommer's 2012

Other features:

Disco, belly dancing, bakery, on-call doctor, tennis courts and many great dining options including Le Champollion (one of Cairo's finest French restaurants) and Cairo's first Hard Rock Cafe. Rates are season-sensitive with highest rates in late fall and winter.