The Ultimate 5 Star Luxury Hotel for Solo Travelers & Nomads in New Cairo City Egypt
It’s a funny story, that leads back to my solo travel road, as to how I ended up staying in New Cairo City on my first visit to Cairo EVER. The cliffs notes version is that I was traveling with a friend who suggested we stay there, since it was closer to the airport and we were flying to Aswan in about 2 days. At the end of the day, my friend ended up booking Giza, which is what I had wanted to do the whole time, and I was ultimately left a bit off the beaten path in New Cairo City.
That said, New Cairo City is INCREDIBLY convenient if you need to be closer to the airport, are looking for luxury and modern amenities and want to be a bit further away from the hustle and bustle of Cairo. I would HIGHLY recommend this location specifically for solo female travelers or digital nomads. I specifically mention those groups b/c the vibe is more safe (think gated community) & modern. One of the main reasons I chose this hotel was because the WiFi had very high ratings, compared to other spots in Cairo, which is not exactly known for high speed WiFi.
When I travel, there are a few things that are important to me when looking at a hotel or resort:
RELIABLE, high speed Wifi (since digital nomading it is the only way I can swing traveling as often as I do).
Location/Proximity to what I want to do (this hotel was the exception and it honestly wasn’t that far - it’s about 0 miles from central Cairo) and along with that the extent to which I feel the hotel is safe as a solo female traveler.
Aside from WiFi, other room amenities that are non negotiable to me include AC, TV & at a MINIMUM a queen sized bed. I also feel pretty strongly about a balcony when available.
General hotel amenities I look for are: gym, pool, spa & onsite restaurants
I also do care about the level of service as someone who spent many years of her career working in hospitality. As a rule of thumb, the vibe of the hotel is important for me in making my decisions as well.
Before I even arrived at my hotel, I reached out to the concierge at Kempinski Royal Maxim Palace to arrange for a driver to pick me up. In most cases, I prefer a hotel pick up, especially if I’m flying into a place or airport I’ve never been before. In this case, I also had to work upon my arrival - like literally right away.
After being picked up in my air conditioned car and whisked away, just a few minutes later, I see the hotel from the car. A stunning sight for sore eyes after a 5 hour flight from Casablanca! The hotel is both massive and stunning to pull into. While I didn’t come to Cairo to see anything other than the usual sights in Cairo & Giza, New Cairo is the perfect location in the epicenter of newly established commercial and business districts in Cairo and would be the perfect location for a business traveler to Cairo.
This hotel was my first dip into the Kempinski brand of hotels, but if you’ve ever stayed at a their properties, there’s a certain level of luxury and service that is unparalleled. The Kempinski hotel chain is the oldest luxury hotel group in Europe. You will notice how it stands out, it immediately upon your arrival. They are generally speaking, 5 star hotels, and The Royal Maxim Palace is no exception to this rule.
There are a variety of rooms and suites to choose from here. I opted for the Cabana Pool with Balcony but was upgraded to a bigger deluxe pool room. At first glance, I didn’t have the balcony so I was concerned, but after the team took me to look at the initial room I had booked, I realized it was in fact a larger, nicer room with a better view and figured I could live without the balcony for the 2 nights I was staying. I stopped by the concierge after check in, to quickly arrange a full day (pre work) tour to see all the sights the next day. Everything was between 60 - 80 USD and there were several options to choose from. Booking via the concierge was as easy as pie. After grilling the poor concierge about which tour was the most comprehensive I opted for a tour of Memphis, Saqqara, the pyramids and the sphinx.
Once that was arranged, I headed up to my room and quickly got to work (I had some SERIOUS work to do). I took a break around lunchtime (US hours) and chose to eat at one of several restaurants located in the Royal Maxim Palace. When I heard “Romanov” was the must visit steakhouse in Cairo, I was sold. Everything from the french onion soup to the ribeye and loaded baked potato I had were delicious and I wish I would have had more time to savor the experience, but had to hop off to shower and hop on my next zoom call for work!
Look at that ribeye!
The WiFi was consistent and I experienced absolutely no issues with buffering, speed or anything related to my job in fintech (think zoom calls, internet phone and everything on the cloud). When I’m done, I call it a night and doze off to the relaxing sounds of whatever I fell asleep watching on TV.
The next day, I was up early for my tour. The driver of my air conditioned Benz greets me and we’re off to meet my tour guide, Menna. I’ll write another blog about the tour, but we finished in enough time for me to get back to the hotel in time for me to change and have a quick dip in the pool. Since the entire (massive) hotel is connected to WiFi, I decided to test it out, review some resumes and grab some lunch from my lounge chair. I make friends with my friend in the neighboring lounger who works for the UN and when my chicken shawarma sandwich arrives, I’m in absolute digital nomad heaven. I go for one more dip and then head back to my room for some more calls and relaxation before my EARLY morning flight to Aswan, where I’m spending one night before my Nile Cruise.
All in all, I honestly thought I would be miserable staying in New Cairo City and I could NOT have been more wrong. The Royal Maxim Palace delivered all the amenities I could want AND more for the ultimate luxury digital nomad haven. At the end of the day, it’s not too far from Cairo and I enjoyed having a bit of separation and a haven/escape from the hustle and bustle of Cairo. I left the hotel feeling refreshed and ready for the next leg of the trip, a cruise down the Nile River.
Quick overview of the other amenities, I didn’t get the chance to check out but which looked phenomenal:
Resense Spa - Think Luxury meets holisitc wellness
Fitness Center
Indoor Pool
Variety of Event Spaces
Restaurants:
Romanov (See above) - Steakhouse, Dinner only - closed on Mondays
Aqua Chill (See above) - Poolside Bar - Light bites
YANA - Asian - Lunch & Dinner - Closed on Tuesdays
Lucca - Italian - Lunch & Dinner everyday
Bab Al Qasr - Lebanese - Dinner everyday
Vibes Lounge - International -Breakfast & All day dining
1897 Bar & Cigar Lounge - Mocktails, Drinks, Snacks - Everyday - 6 PM - 2 AM.
Would I return to this hotel? Absolutely, in a heartbeat! This place was a real hidden gem and the perfect oasis away from the hustle and bustle of central Cairo. I loved every minute of my stay here.
If you’re interested in the Kempinski you can check it out here!
