The best luxury hotel in Cairo: A review of The St. Regis Cairo

The St. Regis Cairo is one of the newest and was one of the most hotly anticipated hotels in Egypt. The St. Regis Cairo is a 5-star luxury hotel is owned by Qatari Diar, the property arm of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.

What was intriguing about the St. Regis Cairo was the fact that it was delayed for several years due to the Qatar diplomatic crisis (known colloquially as the Gulf blockade). Egyptian authorities, as a result, withheld the hotel’s operating license!

However, the property ultimately ended up opening in July 2020 after years of delays, and I was keen on staying at this property during my trip to Egypt. Egypt is open to U.S. citizens for tourism; check out the 5 best places you can visit that are open to U.S. citizens!

And I’m glad I did because the St. Regis Cairo blows its competition out of the water, and that’s saying something because its competitors include brands like Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Conrad, Fairmont, Sofitel, and more.

Hotel: The St. Regis Cairo
Booked Room: Superior Room
Upgraded Room: Astor Room
Loyalty Program: Marriott Bonvoy
Date: November 9, 2020
Nights: 1
Points: 35,000 Marriott points (redeemed a 35,000-point free night award certificate)
Paid Value: $300 per night (including $70 in taxes and fees) for booked room; $350 per night (including $85 in taxes and fees) for upgraded room

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Booking

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Egypt has suffered from a precipitous drop-off in tourism. In my eyes, I was going to be fortunate enough to be one of the very first guests in this newly minted hotel.

I knew I had to stay here, and I’m glad I did. The quality of service at St. Regis properties is top-notch, and this was yet another experience that proves it.

The added bonus was that I was able to redeem a free night award certificate for a complimentary stay here!

The St. Regis Cairo is a Category 5 Marriott property, which would cost 30,000 Marriott points during off-peak dates, 35,000 Marriott points during standard dates, and 40,000 Marriott points during peak dates.

My stay was for a standard date, so I redeemed a 35,000-point free night award certificate for this stay! I was able to book the Superior Room with city views, and I was later upgraded to the Astor Room with incredible views of the Nile River.

My free night award certificate ultimately netted me at least $350 in value — $85 of which were taxes and fees!

Thanks to my commitment to travel hacking, I was able to get tons of value for nearly free and elevate my travel experiences.

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Location

St. Regis Cairo Location. Image Credit: Marriott

The St. Regis Cairo is located at 1189 Nile Corniche, Boulaq Num.5, Bulaq, Cairo Governorate 11221, Egypt, and it boasts an unbeatable location perched along the Nile River and in the heart of Cairo’s central business district.

The St. Regis Cairo is located around 14 miles from Cairo International Airport, 3 miles from the Egyptian Museum, 4 miles from Khan El-Khalili bazaar, and 15 miles from the Great Pyramids of Giza.

The St. Regis Cairo is in exclusive company with its strategic Nile Corniche location — the luxury hotel is located nearby famous mainstays like the Conrad Cairo and the Fairmont Nile City Hotel, and spoiler alert: it blows its competition out of the water for a luxury stay.

The lavish property has 36 stories of rooms, suites, and even apartments exuding a timeless luxury that is so reminiscent of the St. Regis brand. In total, there are 362 rooms, suites, and apartments in the St. Regis Cairo.

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Check-In

To enter the St. Regis Cairo, you’ll need to pass through the gated entrance of the property, where you’ll be ushered through a courtyard to the porte-cochère and get your luggage offloaded by the bellman.

Then, you’ll be directed through the first-floor vestibule to take the elevator to the hotel lobby on the 5th floor.

Once you exit the elevator, you’ll see a beautiful open-air foyer, where you’ll complete the check-in process.

St. Regis Cairo Lobby. Image Credit: AuPACS

The check-in process was seamless — we provided our passports to check in and were informed that we were upgraded to the Deluxe room. However, upon asking for further enhancement, we were upgraded to the Astor Room!

Just to the left of the reception was The St. Regis Bar and & The Water Garden, which pays tribute to the celebrated King Cole Bar.

St. Regis Cairo Bar And Water Garden. Image Credit: AuPACS

Elite Benefits

As a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum member, I enjoyed the following benefits at the St. Regis Cairo:

• 50% bonus points
• Enhanced room upgrades, including select suites
• A welcome gift (choice between points and breakfast at St. Regis)
• Guaranteed 4 p.m. late check-out
• Complimentary premium in-room internet

As mentioned above, I was upgraded to the Astor Room, which is the best room with full Nile River views. In fact, it’s the second-highest room overall behind the Grand Deluxe Room, which is larger in space but has just partial Nile River views.

While the staff was unable to upgrade me to a suite, they made up for this and more by extending our late check-out to 8 p.m.! This flexibility is almost unprecedented at St. Regis properties, and massively appreciated, considering our outbound flight was departing at a little after midnight!

Also, we chose breakfast for our welcome gift (as you almost always should), which was offered at La Zisa, the hotel’s Italian-Mediterranean à la carte restaurant. I appreciate that the breakfast doesn’t come with any caps, and I also appreciate that the breakfast benefit isn’t just a voucher but rather a full breakfast.

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Astor Room ($350 per night)

After completing our check-in process, our butler showed us to our Astor Room, numbered 1125.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Door Exterior. Image Credit: AuPACS

The concentric trims on the doors, as well as the signature St. Regis plaque, gives you a taste of the level of detail you can expect at the best luxury hotel in Cairo.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Plaque. Image Credit: AuPACS

An oversized guest room, the Astor Room measures nearly 500 square feet in space.

Bedroom

The Astor Room opened up via a long corridor (not pictured) to the lavishly appointed bedroom.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room. Image Credit: AuPACS

Nearest to the walkway is a make-up station with a full-length LED mirror, a table, and a leather ottoman.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Full-Length Mirror Vanity. Image Credit: AuPACS

To the left of the make-up station is a Philips flatscreen TV with international channels, a hefty TV stand, two alabaster lamps, and the TV menu.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room TV. Image Credit: AuPACS

The superb king bed is surrounded by matching twin nightstands, a pair of ottomans at the foot of the bed, and wallpaper with papyrus illustrations.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room King Bed. Image Credit: AuPACS

The luxurious bed comes with sumptuous bedding from Welspun, which is arguably just as comfortable as St. Regis’s signature Frette bedding.

As magnificent as the oversized king bed is, the centerpiece of the room is actually the living area/desk. The living area consists of an upholstered chair-and-a-half, side tables, a leather ottoman, an executive desk, tons of recessed lighting, and an abundance of lamps.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Separate Seating Area. Image Credit: AuPACS

The comfortable desk is located at the end of the room, just next to the windows and balcony door.

One feature I love about the room is the international power outlets scattered throughout the room, including the desk, beside the bed, and even in the make-up table!

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Desk. Image Credit: AuPACS

Just to the right of the desk is the minibar and coffee/tea station.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Minibar And Coffee/Tea Station. Image Credit: AuPACS

The coffee station consists of a Nespresso machine, an instant water heater, and a set of cups and saucers. Next to the coffee station is a couple of water bottles, a couple of water glasses, an ice bucket, and the minibar menu.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Nespresso Machine. Image Credit: AuPACS

As you open the sideboard, you’ll find the coffee and tea amenities, including Nespresso pods, instant coffee from Nescafé, assorted tea varieties from Dilmah, and condiments like creamer and sugar.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Coffee And Tea. Image Credit: AuPACS

Although there’s no walk-in closet at this property, there is a closet located in the entryway with an in-room safe, an oversized shoehorn, a shoe brush, a laundry bag, and a shoe bag (for shining).

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Closet And Safe. Image Credit: AuPACS

Bathroom

The bathroom is poshly appointed with ornate marble throughout — you’ll have no problem luxuriating in the spa-like oasis.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Bathroom. Image Credit: AuPACS

The most impressive feature of the bathroom is the deep soaking tub, which is bordered with beautifully intricate wall tiling.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Bathtub. Image Credit: AuPACS

You’ll also find a high-tech, wall-mounted flatscreen TV so you can seamlessly relax in the tub.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Bathtub TV. Image Credit: AuPACS

At the end of the bathroom is a twin marble vanity, furnished with dental kits, a tissue box, face soap, bottles of water, hand towels, cotton swabs, mouthwash, a comb, a shaving kit, and much more.

You’ll also find at least 4 bath towels underneath the freestanding vanity.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Double Vanities. Image Credit: AuPACS

The bathroom contains a separate walk-in shower deep enough for 2 (left) and a separate toilet/bidet room.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Walk-In Shower And Separate Toilet. Image Credit: AuPACS

I hugely appreciate a separate toilet room, and this space contains a toilet, as well as a standalone ceramic bidet.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Separate Toilet With Bidet. Image Credit: AuPACS

The walk-in shower is spacious enough for 2, and the rain shower dispersed excellent water pressure!

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Walk-In Shower. Image Credit: AuPACS

The bath amenities are found in the shower niche, and they are by Angelo Caroli, an Italian niche luxury fragrance brand. These amenities, in particular, were incredible, as they leave your hair silky and your skin baby-smooth.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Angelo Caroli Amenities. Image Credit: AuPACS

Amenities

At the St. Regis, we were peppered with amenities left and right, including complimentary coffee and tea service (via the St. Regis butler service explained later).

We were graciously provided with a hygiene kit (bottom-right), consisting of amenities like a face mask and hand sanitizer. We also received a hand-written welcome letter and a plate of traditional Egyptian desserts including basbousa, baklava, and more.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Welcome Gifts. Image Credit: AuPACS

The fresh fruit platter contained various apples, a plum, and a banana.

St. Regis Cairo Astor Room Welcome Fruit Platter. Image Credit: AuPACS

Food and Beverage

Many hotels feature tired food and beverage options, not to mention overpriced menus. This definitely wasn’t the case at the St. Regis Cairo. In total, there are 7 eateries:

• La Zisa serving Italian-Mediterranean fusion cuisine and specialty coffee
• J&G Steakhouse serving premium meat cuts and seafood
• Tianma serving Southeast Asian and Chinese delicacies, signature beverages, and exotic desserts
• Envy serving cocktails in a lounge setting
• The St. Regis Bar & Water Garden serving classic cocktails and refined culinary delights
• Sirocco serving poolside cocktails and small bites
• Room service/private dining

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Dinner at La Zisa

Upon arriving at the hotel and getting settled into our room, we immediately decided to have dinner at La Zisa. La Zisa is located on the 5th floor, and it’s just opposite the lobby. It’s also adjacent to the St. Regis Bar & Water Garden, so you’ll have no problem finding it.

St. Regis Cairo La Zisa exterior. Image Credit: AuPACS

The interior is thoughtfully designed with plenty of light, neoclassical grandeur, and comfortable seating.

St. Regis Cairo La Zisa interior. Image Credit: AuPACS

To start, we ordered the spiced calamari, which was breaded with cajun seasoning and served alongside a fresh dill and tahini sauce. The calamari had a wonderful crispiness to it, and we could definitely tell that the squid was fresh.

St. Regis Cairo La Zisa Calamari. Image Credit: AuPACS

Then, we ordered the pan-seared hawawshi, which is an Egyptian meat pie consisting of Baladi bread stuffed with spiced ground beef. The hawawshi was served with pickled tomatoes and tahini. The hawawshi was a refreshingly modern take on a dish that we enjoyed multiple times during our trip.

St. Regis Cairo La Zisa Hawawshi. Image Credit: AuPACS

Lastly, we ordered the Arabic mix grill, which was a medley of lamb kofta, lamb chops, veal kebab, beef steak, grilled chicken, shish tawook, quail, yogurt sauce, tomatoes, and pickles!

This dish was similarly delicious, and the seasoning was definitely on full display here.

St. Regis Cairo La Zisa Mixed Grill. Image Credit: AuPACS

Breakfast at La Zisa

The next morning, breakfast was offered at La Zisa. One of the most refreshing benefits about St. Regis properties is that most of them offer full à la carte breakfasts for select Marriott Bonvoy elite members, instead of potentially unhygienic and less fresh buffet-style breakfasts.

Because I’m a Platinum member, I had the choice between bonus points and breakfast for the welcome amenity. I chose the breakfast. This breakfast was generally without caps, so we weren’t limited by a maximum dollar amount to order.

I ordered a specialty breakfast, called the La Zisa breakfast, which came with a fresh-squeezed juice (choice between mango, guava, strawberry, or orange), a succulently scrambled egg, smoked salmon, Melba toast, baby asparagus spears, roasted breakfast potatoes, and a roasted whole tomato with cheese.

Also, I enjoyed a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

St. Regis Cairo La Zisa Specialty Breakfast. Image Credit: AuPACS

The breakfast was wonderful — I can’t stand eating food that isn’t freshly prepared, especially at breakfast.

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Dinner at Tianma

At night, we savored a refined meal at Tianma, the hotel’s fine-dining Singaporean restaurant. Tianma is located just next to the St. Regis Bar and Water Garden.

St. Regis Cairo Tianma Restaurant

The restaurant is open for dinner only, and reservations are required.

Every element of the restaurant is elegant, and you’ll notice this, starting from the table setting.

St. Regis Cairo Tianma Table Setting. Image Credit: AuPACS

First, we ordered the corn and crab meat soup, which was sumptuous and soul-warming.

St. Regis Cairo Tianma Corn And Crab Meat Soup. Image Credit: AuPACS

Then, we ordered the braised duo mushroom with snow fungus and broccoli. This dish, in particular, came out steaming hot, ostensibly just off the wok before making a beeline for our table.

The vegetable dish was supremely savory and flavorful.

St. Regis Cairo Tianma Braised Duo Mushroom, Snow Fungus, and Broccoli. Image Credit: AuPACS

Lastly, we ordered one of the signature dishes here — the Singaporean-style roast duck, which is Tianma’s take on Peking duck.

The whole duck was expertly sliced in front of us, and wrapped inside a pancake with julienned spring onions and cucumbers. Lastly, a hoisin sauce and an orange duck sauce lightly dressed the duck before the pancake was fully assembled.

St. Regis Cairo Tianma Singaporean Style Peking Duck. Image Credit: AuPACS

Fitness Center

The gym, located on the 7th floor, was petite, but intimate and fully air-conditioned. Dubbed The St. Regis Athletic Club, this gym contains Technogym workout machines, free weights, and more.

There are 4 treadmills, 2 upright exercise bikes, 2 recumbent exercise bikes, 2 rear drive ellipticals, 1 front-drive elliptical, a cable crossover machine, a stair climber, and more.

St. Regis Cairo Gym. Image Credit: AuPACS

St. Regis Cairo Gym continued. Image Credit: AuPACS

St. Regis Cairo Gym continued. Image Credit: AuPACS

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Indoor Pool

On the same floor as the gym was the heated indoor pool, complete with round patio daybeds poolside with sheer curtains.

St. Regis Cairo Indoor Pool. Image Credit: AuPACS

The indoor pool is open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily with complimentary towels provided.

Facilities

There are a few other facilities that were closed at the time of visit, including the outdoor pool, the kid’s pool, and the Iridium Spa.

Also, there’s a full-service business center, on-site laundry services, an ATM, foreign exchange services, and a pricey limousine service (around $150 for a one-way transfer to Cairo International Airport).

There’s also a grand library called the Astor Library.

Lastly, there’s 31,355 square feet of total meeting space spread out across 23 meeting rooms.

Service

One of the things that impressed me the most was the service quality at the St. Regis Cairo.

Part of the St. Regis culture is the St. Regis Butler Service available at every single property. You are assigned a personal butler who is in charge of managing your stay, and these services are complimentary:

• Unpacking and packing your luggage
• Coffee and tea service
• Newspaper delivery
• Complimentary pressing of up to 2 garments per stay
• Guest services

Your butler will be liaising with you to meet your needs throughout the stay, and I was hugely impressed by my butler’s professionalism throughout the stay.

Also, our guaranteed 4 p.m. late check-out was kindly extended to 8 p.m., which is basically unheard of for a St. Regis property. It made a huge difference, considering our Emirates 777 first class flight was departing at 1 a.m.

It wasn’t just the butler, though, because the staff at every single location in the hotel was superb. Whether it’s the bellman, the concierge, the reception manager, the restaurant servers, the St. Regis Cairo’s service blew me away.

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Final Thoughts

The St. Regis Cairo is the best luxury hotel in Egypt’s capital. Period.

While many of Cairo’s famed luxury hotels like the Four Seasons or the Ritz-Carlton look dated and tired, the St. Regis Cairo is one of the newest luxury hotels, having opened in July 2020.

To be clear, the St. Regis Cairo knocked every single aspect of my stay out of the park. All of the facilities were brand-new, the food was delicious, the service was incredible, and the room was exceptional.

The main drawback here is the price. Standard rooms start at $280 per night including taxes and fees, and these entry-level rates almost never go down, even in the wake of the pandemic ravaging Egyptian tourism.

It won’t end there because the food is very expensive, especially by Egyptian standards.

But if you’re looking for a luxury hotel stay in Cairo and budget is not an issue, you will not be disappointed by the St. Regis Cairo.

In fact, I was so impressed by this property that I intend on splurging here for my future stays in Cairo. Well done, St. Regis!