Baron Hotel Cairo

The rooms were clean and attractive, the breakfasts delicious, and the staff friendly. There’s also a pool and gym. The room had a hairdryer, safe, roomy closet with hangers, TV, AC, carpet, tiled bathtub, fridge, and tea and coffee supplies. Towels, paper towels, shower gel, and shampoo were provided in the bathroom. The spa was a letdown for the price. We only had 1.5 hours, which barely left time to warm up in the hammam after an hour-long massage and changing. The lockers didn’t work, and instead of the promised scrub and face mask, they put some kind of white cream on us. A male cleaner kept walking around the pool staring at us, and the water was extremely cold. The advertised jacuzzi wasn’t available. In our room, the AC only cooled, the bathroom was especially cold without disposable slippers, and there were no disposable toothbrushes or toothpaste. Filling the tub also left the whole floor flooded, and we couldn’t figure out where the water was coming from.

The Mille-Feuille at El Baron Hotel is a real standout. Its layers are light, crisp, flaky, and caramelized, with smooth, rich cream in between. The textures work beautifully together, and it’s among the best pastries in the city. A lovely bit of pastry craft that dessert fans will appreciate.

The rooftop view and pool are incredible, but getting served was a different story. We waited over an hour for our food and had to ask several times. Service also seemed to depend a lot on which staff member was helping. Our room’s windows were small and didn’t offer much of a view.

The staff were friendly, which was about the only positive I could find. The airport shuttle costs $10 per room. The hotel advertised AC, but our room didn’t have it, and complaining got us nowhere. Breakfast was supposed to run until 10:30, yet they closed early even though we were paying for it separately from the booking. They even took away all the glasses, so we couldn’t get drinks. The bathrooms smelled odd and had mold, and the space was so cramped you were constantly bumping into something. Wi-Fi was unreliable. The elevators are tiny, so if several people are waiting, only a couple can ride at a time while everyone else stays in the lobby. I wish I hadn’t stayed here.