Cairo
Egypt


The Experience

With the Giza Pyramids in close-up view from rooms, pool and just about anywhere you turn, it's surprising that Mena House doesn't hark back to the times of the pharaohs so much as the great sultans of the Middle Ages. Originally unveiled in 1869, Mena House is a veritable palace of carved wooden ceilings and elegant horseshoe arches, brass lanterns and golden filigree -- a true Arabian Nights atmosphere. And with Oberoi at the helm, the hotel has made the transition into the modern world, an abode that caters to both the business crowd and those in search of bygone romance.

The Rooms

The Aladdin fantasy continues in the guest rooms, even the most basic lavished with Persian rugs, casbah-style lamps, overstuffed chairs and four-poster beds with intricate wooden-fretwork backings. But you don't come all this way and not get a room with a view of the pyramids. Only 140 of the standard rooms have it, so be sure to request one (or one of the suites) with an unobstructed vista of the three stone icons. Your best bet? Suites in the old Palace wing. Their high ceilings and airy balconies are especially roomy -- and evocative of the sort of romance that blossomed in The English Patient.

The Service

Much like modern-day Egypt, the Mena House staff have an amiable manner and a homegrown charm. But they're also efficient. And waiters, bellboys and maids are every bit as resourceful as they are friendly, though they can be assertive when it comes to baksheesh.

The Highlights

Skip the health club, which could do with an upgrade to 21st-century standards. Fortunately, all of the Mena House restaurants are superb, especially the Moghul Room, with its splendid Indian haute cuisine. Yet as sumptuous as the interior might be, it's the outside that makes Mena House the most delightful place to stay in all of Egypt. Forty acres of palm-shaded and flower-scented gardens envelop the hotel, including the pool area with its jaw-dropping views of the pyramids. The most romantic way to take it all in? At dusk or dawn, hire a horse or camel from the hotel stables for a jaunt around the pyramids and the nearby Sahara.

-- Joe Yogerst

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