Golden Star Hotel

Ahmad is a fantastic host who'll go out of his way to make your stay great. The room was clean and spacious, the Wi-Fi strong, and the bathroom had pretty hot water. There are plenty of local restaurants nearby and a small supermarket across the road for basic needs. The attractions are within 1.5 km. The hotel sits on the third floor of an old, run-down office building, so don't expect much from the building itself. The entrance feels a bit creepy and the elevator a little scary, but that was part of the local Egyptian experience for us. It's tucked in a side lane off the main road, which keeps it fairly quiet. If you're after a genuine Egyptian experience with very friendly hosts, it's worthwhile.

The staff member started knocking on my door after I arrived around 5 am alone as a single woman travelling, asking if I was married and trying to hug me. Later I couldn't shut the balcony door, and suddenly the same man appeared to offer help. How could he know I was having trouble with it? I suspect there must be CCTV in the rooms. The whole experience left me feeling unsafe, threatened, cheated and stressed. I cancelled my reservation that morning, but they refused to refund me. They wanted to keep the full payment for five nights even though I'd stayed only seven hours. The rest of my Cairo trip became a nightmare as I struggled to get my money back. I felt scammed and would avoid this place. The room was dusty, with dirty, smelly sheets and a stained fleece blanket left by a previous guest. There was a fleece blanket instead of a proper duvet, and no heating, so the whole place was very cold. The shower was dirty and broken, there was no curtain and the tiny bathroom flooded. Used toilet paper had to go in a bin instead of being flushed. The kitchen was filthy too, with broken plugs and sticky surfaces. The streets around this run-down place in Cairo's slums were full of rubbish, and cars honked all night. The photos are misleading; I've attached real ones. This dirty, rundown place was a pure nightmare. Definitely not recommended unless you want to be scammed and stay somewhere filthy.

The staff were really nice. It's a great downtown base for exploring Cairo.

The room was spotless and had its own bathroom. Golden Star Hostel is right in the heart of the city, so food, transport and Cairo landmarks are all pretty much within walking distance. I highly recommend it. The staff were amazing, exceptionally welcoming, professional, friendly, respectful, polite and helpful.