Keylany Hotel

The location is handy if you can put up with the dirt. The staff are lovely and genuinely helpful, but the hotel needs a serious deep clean. The sheets and walls were stained, there were odd bits of mystery gunk in the shower (maybe gecko poo?), hair clumps on the floor, and lipstick marks on the walls.

The place itself was fine for a few nights, and nobody pressured me to buy tours. But don’t rely on the travel agent to arrange a cruise. Mine was a two-night trip to Luxor, and it was canceled just half an hour before departure. Now I have to work out how to get there and what to do on my own.

The staff are really friendly, and the hotel is in a convenient spot, about a 10-minute walk from the train station. They keep it clean, serve a nice, simple breakfast, and offer boat trips that cost less than the ones elsewhere, so ask about those. It’s a basic place, fine if all you need is somewhere to sleep for the night.

The location worked well for us, near the old market and not far from the Nile. Staff were nice and trustworthy in our experience, and both the rooms and breakfast were just okay. It’s fine for a night or two and good value, though, by Egyptian standards, it isn’t modern or well looked after. The terrace was old and dirty, to be honest, and the services felt a bit overpriced.