Nile x hostel

The bed was uncomfortable, and it seemed to have a plastic cover beneath the main cover. My room did have a private bath, but the water was cold. My friends’ rooms didn’t have private baths. It was strange that the receptionist was less than 3 meters from the rooms. The elevator felt dangerous, with no inner closing door, so you could see the concrete walls between floors. Some parts were filled with plastic bottles. Since the hostel takes up one unit in an apartment block, it was also hard to find. Our shuttle driver had to ask local people where it was.

We left in less than a day and booked somewhere else because the hostel didn’t match its listing. It was an apartment converted into a hostel, with almost no privacy. Shared bathrooms weren’t mentioned, and even the room with its own bathroom had no warm water. One room was right beside reception, where the receptionist was smoking at midnight. Cleanliness was very poor, as other reviews have noted. The room was freezing because the AC/heater didn’t work, and staff couldn’t provide a heater. Later, the host said we should have messaged him at 3:00 a.m., which is unreasonable. The stay was awful and very disappointing. We changed places after one night, but the owner wouldn’t refund us and gave what felt like fake, misleading explanations. I don’t recommend staying here.

The good parts were a comfortable bed, decent room, delicious breakfast, great location, amazing Nile view, and reliable WIFI. The hospitality and service were sort of good, though I had some concerns. I stayed 5 days and have booking proof. The AC/heater didn’t work. Staff asked me for a review almost every day, even as I was heading out, before I’d finished my stay. That didn’t feel honest. Abdul was kind, but kept trying to get me to buy things from his sister’s shop after I’d said “No، thank you” and “No, thank you” many times. I think we misunderstood each other and I don’t blame him, but it made me really uncomfortable, sometimes to the point that I didn’t want to return to the hotel. He even knocked on my door at 10/11pm when I was exhausted and wanted to rest. He did apologize. I know this kind of thing is normal in Egypt because of the economy, but I’d chosen this hotel based on the good reviews from 2 weeks earlier, hoping to escape street noise and daily harassment. Since staff kept asking me almost every day to post a Google review, here it is.

Kareem and Mo Saleh made my trip memorable with their fantastic hospitality. Nile X Hostel is well located, with lovely Nile River views, and the rooms are clean and have everything you need. The value for the price is outstanding. I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone visiting Cairo. You may end up planning your next trip back, like I am!