Where to stay in Egypt

This country is one that I don’t think we will ever stop talking about. Egypt gave us history, beauty and the most wonderful travel experience. We spent 10 days (11 nights) travelling around Egypt and covered Giza, Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Sharm el Sheikh. As we were city hopping, we were hotel hopping as well. For where to stay in Egypt, this is my honest review of the 5 different family friendly hotels we stayed in Egypt.

Where to stay in Egypt with the views of the Pyramids

Guardian Guest House, Giza

We flew into Cairo and instead of staying in Cairo itself, we decided to stay in Giza instead for the first 3 nights of our trip. Our Cairo itinerary was fully inspired by a visit to the Pyramids so that was our main reason. I had seen Guardian Guest House on instagram, and knew I had to check it out. For the cost of about £70 per day (which was one of the most expensive rooms), it was my winner.

If you are used to luxury, the room is not the most exciting and the bathroom is quite basic. However, what brings you here is when you pull the curtains and your view is the pyramids AND the sphinx. Sorry but absolutely nothing beats this! We stayed in room 103 and it had a massive king size bed for Mr E and I; to the corner, a single bed for Adanna. The room was big and we were able to spread ourselves comfortably.

Another exciting part of the hotel is the rooftop which has a similar view to the pyramid view rooms. However, as it is open air, it feels even more epic for sunsets and al fresco breakfasts. Imagine watching sunset behind the spine and pyramid just casually from your rooftop?! For only £70 a night? Just epic. Also , from the rooftop, you can watch for free the popular Light and Sound show that usually takes place at the Sphinx.

Staff at Guardian Guest House, Giza

I will also shout out the hospitality. Staff was amazing and on hand to help with anything. We needed some milk for Adanna’s cereal on our first night and the host went out to get it for us with his own money. The rooms were clean and it was a lovely 3 days. Granted this is not the 5 star experience but tbh, it was a lovely stay and a wonderful start to our Egypt adventures.

Tip: the entrance to Guardian Guest house is on the same road as the entrance to the Sphinx so it can get busy. It also has a lot of shops next to it so you’ll have people trying to call your attention to their wares once you step out of the hotel. Just ignore, keep walking or say, “La, Shukran” (no, thank you) and you will be fine.

Remember that with this one, it is the views and hospitality that you are here for.

Marriott Mena House Hotel, Giza

We went to Marriott Mena House Hotel for lunch and absolutely loved it. As with Marriott hotels, you expect the most luxurious stays and this was no exception. It is the only 5 star hotel in Giza so you can imagine it is exclusive. Since we were not staying there, we decided to have lunch there and I’m glad we did. One thing I noticed was the service from staff. Every one we encountered was very friendly and welcoming. 

Our lunch was yummy. Mr E had prawn pasta, Adanna had bolognese and I had the sea bass. The winner for me was my fruit juice mocktail of mango, guava and strawberry – I don’t think I have tasted anything more wonderful.

We had an extra hour to roam around the property which we did. From the entrance, the walk way into the hotel is quite pretty. Lined with  palm trees and pretty flowers, it’s a photographer’s dream. The general swimming pool was so beautiful and I liked that it was the first thing you saw walking into the main part of the hotel. Marriott Mena House is great for a view of the pyramids. Just walking around, you see the pyramids as backdrop in so many areas of the hotel. This is undoubtedly, one of the main reasons people stay in this hotel.

Marriott Mena House is the one that got away for us. I wish we had stayed there at least for one night but maybe next time.

Where to stay in Sharm el Sheikh

For where to stay in Sharm el Sheikh, we booked 2 different hotels. Four Seasons for 3 nights and White Hills for 1 (technically, half) night. Let me explain lol.

We booked White Hills very last minute due to a mistake on my part. Our time in Sharm el Sheikh was technically 4 nights but 3 days. I say 4 nights because our return flight was at 4.45am which meant that we’d have to be at the airport by 2.45am latest. So I realised quite late that after checking out of Four Seasons at about noon that we would need somewhere to stay until around 2am the following morning. Enter, White Hills resort! 

Four Seasons Sharm el Sheikh

This is possibly one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in. Walking into the Four Seasons Resort Sharm el Sheikh was like a dream. It is an incredibly massive property and we stayed on the one side which I was grateful for. Our room was 1017 with patio view where we could see the Red Sea in the distance. We had a mini, private balcony which was so lovely to just relax and let the day go by slowly. 

We arrived early afternoon and since our room was not yet ready, we went straight to the pool restaurant, Waha, for lunch. Once our room was ready, we collected the keys, hopped on a buggy and we were zipped to our room. 

Kids friendly hotel in Sharm el Sheikh, Four Seasons Resort

This is the only hotel in Egypt where we used the kids club. It is such a family friendly hotel and this is obvious from all the little touches. Adanna had her mini bathrobe and even slippers too; like how cute?! All restaurants had high chairs and even room service had a kids menu too. 

On the afternoon we arrived, we were greeted with a massive bowl of fruits and for Adanna, a “fish” biscuit. She also had a Kid’s club teeshirt and face cap; perfect for her size on the sofa bed, laid out for her. These seemingly little touches are what made FS Sharm el Sheikh a really special hotel to stay in.

We spent a morning on the beach which was just so lovely. The customer service and attention to detail were genuinely second to none. Once we got to the pool, the waiter brought us our own cooler with bottles of water. He arranged our towels and was on hand to get us any drinks we wanted. There is a pool bar as well for light bites and drinks too.

Four Seasons Sharm el Sheikh is a hotel I will recommend over and over. 

My full review of our stay at Four Seasons Sharm el Sheikh will give you even more details of our wonderful experience.

White Hills Resort, Sharm El Sheikh

After staying in a hotel like Four Seasons, how do you even compare to another Sharm el Sheikh hotel?

We spent less than a day at White Hills Resort so we did not experience everything it had to offer. However, from the little we saw, it was a good resort. I remember walking into the building and there were a lot of pools. There was music playing over the speakers, resort style and it was clean.

Our room was a twin deluxe; comfortable enough for us to get some sleep before our flight. The bathroom was generous and although you could see from the room through to the bathroom, there was a curtain that you could use for privacy as well.

After a power nap, we walked towards the beach since it was a beach front resort just to have a peek.

Since we had the all inclusive package, we met the end of lunch but it was a lovely buffet pick of chicken strips, mini burgers, fries, pizza slices etc.

It was during dinner that I realised that the hotel was a foodie heaven. I cannot even explain how many areas the buffet covered but it went on and on. There was also a section for dessert and it had a chocolate fountain.

White Hills or Four Seasons?

Maybe if we were not coming from Four Seasons, I would have thought White Hills was perfection. But it is impossible, in my opinion, to top Four Seasons in Sharm el Sheikh. However, White Hills Sharm el Sheikh is a more budget friendly option and perfect for families with kids of all ages.

Where to stay in Aswan

For where to stay in Aswan, we had only 1 night in Aswan so comfort was key.

Movenpick Resort, Aswan

What a beautiful hotel. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in a Movenpick hotel so I’m not sure what I expected but this was so lovely. Movenpick Resort in Aswan is a 5 star family friendly hotel that sits on the river Nile. 

We got to the pier and a boat carried us up to the hotel (yes, that’s how you get to the hotel). Once inside, you meet the calm, pretty reception. We stayed in room 1151 which was a Nile view superior room. It came with a balcony where we had our lunch and chilled in the evening. We got a twin bed room; Adanna slept on one bed and we slept on the other bed. 

Breakfast was really lovely and a full spread which we have come to know is the Aswan way of feeding guests. 

The amenities at Movenpick Aswan

We spent only one night in Aswan so our hotel stay was not the longest but we loved it. The hotel has a massive family friendly pool, different restaurants and an ice cream stand within the hotel. It also served free chocolates between 4-5 pm which I thought was really cute. The patio overlooks the Nile so even if you don’t have a nile room, you can enjoy the view from there. On the evening we were there, there was a large screen on the patio broadcasting Egyptian football and food was being served from the bar.

Since we had only one night there, room service was the best option for us. It was quick and the food was yummy. Mr E had a beef burger, I had a chicken shawarma and Adanna had chicken nuggets off the kids’ room service menu. We were quite impressed with the food and all in all, a 10/10 kind of stay.

An interesting point is that the hotel sits on its own island on the Nile. Which meant that to get to it, we had to catch a boat (the hotel’s own boat) from the mainland to the island. I just thought this was such a cool experience.

There are also a lot of beautiful Nubian guest houses in the Nubian village which I thought were cute. For a lovely Nubian experience, they are worth checking out. We had lunch in one of them when we visited the Nubian village and I thought it would be really cool to stay there. 

There is also the 5 star Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Hotel, Aswan which draws people especially for its renowned afternoon tea.

Where to stay in Luxor

For where to stay in Luxor, we wanted to be as close to the temples as possible. We picked the West bank of Luxor since we were not doing a hot air balloon ride which happens east.

Steigenberger Nile Palace, Luxor

I think I underestimated this one. We arrived early afternoon and checked into our courtyard view room on the 5th floor (room 502). Once I stepped out to the balcony and peeped the courtyard, I was quite taken aback because it was so beautiful.

Steigenberger Nile Palace Luxor has been designed with an European flair; flowers drooping from the balconies, café style chairs and tables in the courtyard below and the sweet blue skies covering the hotel like a pretty blanket. 

Our room was a twin room and it was big. It had a huge shower room and the winner was the balcony. I remember booking the hotel and contemplated booking a nile view room. However, since we were staying in a nile view room in Aswan, I thought to book something different in Luxor. Thank goodness for that because there was no other way we would have had the view of the gorgeous courtyard. 

The food at Steigenberger Nile Palace Luxor

Food here was really good and for the 3 days we spent in Luxor, we ate all our meals in the hotel; either room service or in the restaurants. There are a few restaurants on site which made it the perfect hotel to stay in all day. We had most meals from the Italian restaurant and the pool side café; however, there was also a Thai restaurant, Lebanese restaurant and the Nubian restaurant which served the buffet breakfast too. 

Something else that was so cool was how the hotel’s courtyard turned into such a vibe at night. We watched a live traditional performance one night and world news from the big screen on other nights. 

The pool was a vibe too and 2 of our afternoons were spent there; thanks to our daughter who loves to swim. There is a little splash pool for babies and a bigger pool that is still kids friendly too. We loved that no matter what time, there were empty umbrellas to use pool side. None of that saving space for later was allowed so when anyone was ready, there were available chairs and umbrella to lounge by the pool. 

Where to stay in Egypt: My honest review of the Hotels we stayed in Egypt

It was so much fun narrowing down where to stay in Egypt. We loved all the hotels and I think it was the perfect mix of basic, premium and luxury. I also arranged our trips in a way that the hotel choices got better as we moved from city to city.

By the time we ended our trip in Sharm el Sheikh, we were in for the best of the best at Four Seasons Sharm el Sheikh. Our full travel itinerary to Egypt gives a breakdown of everything we did, where we ate and how we moved from place to place.

Bisous, Bugo x