Find all hotels by Independent in Sahara Desert from AED 386

"For a place supposedly “highly rated” I found everything to be bland and “aged.” Subtle wears on furniture and floor shows this place has not been updated for a few years. Clearly not a 5 star experience by any stretch. And for a hotel supposedly located at the airport it takes a car to get there from baggage claim. There are no signage’s inside the chaotic airport where the hotel is (unlike most modern airports). No one at the airport can tell you cause most ppl don’t speak English. A few ppl tell you to walk through roads without sidewalk with your luggage. They say there’s a shuttle (which is true) but no signs telling you where. Turns out there is a skyway you can use to get to the hotel but no signage pointing to where it is. We found the skywalk by serendipity after roaming the airport for 30 minutes. Btw do NOT trust Google map to guide your walk to the hotel. It takes you to ground level and you have to compete with cars for road space. Drivers here do NOT stop for pedestrians unlike western world. "

"Worst airport transportation ever! Hotel arranged a morning private car to airport. Driver and I discussed going to terminal 3 at Cairo airport. We confirmed it was Egyptair international flight (which he says always goes out on terminal 3). Next thing I knew we were at the airport. He asked something unintelligible about luggage as if he didn’t want to take them out of the trunk which he later did. When I tipped him 200 Egyptian pounds he said “US dollar good; Egyptian money no good.” Next thing I found out he left me at terminal 2 instead of 3 and he had already taken off! Left stranded I had to walk through unmarked ramps and roads to get to terminal 3 with my wife and 4 pieces of luggage. Never will come back again. "

"Amazing views and great staff "

"Misselling, scams and Salmonella - that's all this place will promise. View the photos to see for yourself. Firstly, we booked a two bedroom suite - what we actually got was an open plan suite with beds in different areas. Having a door to provide isolation and privacy is a legal standard (if purchasing from the UK). Beds could view directly into each other without any option of privacy. Also, bathrooms in this shared environment don't have locks on the doors. When I complained about this, I was told there were no other options and booking two separate bedrooms would incur a cost. Secondly, I was served raw chicken on Friday 03 April. By Sunday, Salmonella had fully kicked in. Whilst I was alerting staff to this, other people we're complaining about the same thing. They obviously didn't learn their lesson as another review from a couple of days ago shows raw chicken was served at breakfast, causing food poisoning again. Thirdly, we were informed that going to a restaurant other than the main buffet would be possible at a supplementary cost. We thought this was entirely reasonable and went to the Sway restaurant. The food there was enjoyable and the service was great, however we were charged 8x the agreed price at checkout and no-one was interested as to what we were promised. On a daily basis we complained that our air conditioning wasn't functioning - no-one came and fixed it which left us very uncomfortable, especially at night."

"Don’t believe the pictures you see on the website…at least not yet! They claim they are renovating to the level that is shown. They may have one or two rooms now (just for the pictures?!?!?) but the majority of the rooms are ~60% there. For instance, our shower had no barrier glass to contain the water. Water was anll over the bathroom floor. And I highly doubt you’ll get the same price once the property is fully renovated. Things to note: no air conditioners in the rooms (at least not yet, but it didn’t look likely for the future). The breakfast is nominal at best - you get what you pay for. It’s downtown so it’s going to be loud due to the constant honking of cars on the street. (The driving here is mayhem!) Last hint, to no fault of the hotel: if you arrive late night, don’t be surprised upon arrival. We’re told its overall safe, but it looks super sketchy and dirty - by American/Western standards. That’s Cairo. During the day, it’s hustle and bustle downtown. Also expect the Islamic “call to prayer” at 4:00 in the morning - every morning! Viaje: You need to be more upfront with potential customers about the current condition of the hotel. We got blind-sided for sure. "

"Loved the grounds and especially the M Club!"

"The room was very clean "

"We really enjoyed our stay at Sofitel Downtown. The staff particularly are really friendly and helpful. The location by the Nile was perfect for walks down the Corniche. The food was good at all their restaurants, the concierge set us up with our guide for three days at prices that were comparable to others per my research. I wish I had booked some time at the Spa, but the pool was lovely too. I’d highly recommend this hotel. "

"great location"