Country #58 for me was Egypt where I finally got to see the pyramids, at night, on my first day there, even though the site was closed. The way to do it is to stay at the Mariott Mena House, and get the right room (online it will say “Pyramids View”. Here was the view from our room.
After that, we went for dinner at one of the most disappointing meals of the trip – Zitouni. The restaurant is located inside the Four Seasons, and I was advised, by an Egyptian in Canada who is in the industry, that a lot of the restaurants worth going to in Cairo are in hotels. There were two things disappointing – #1 learning that it was a buffet, and #2 mediocre food. On a positive note, I got to try some Egyptian wine, the service was good, and the views of the Nile were good.
Even this “special” BBQ platter which the waiter put in for us was disappointing. Just very bland and average.
I would 100% avoid Zitouni and not recommend it to anyone. Anyway, after the meal we headed back to the hotel for some night shots of the pyramids from the courtyard.
…and then in the morning, some more pyramid views…
Overall, what I would recommend is that you stay one night at the Marriott Mena House, just for the view, and then move to a different hotel. The reason is that the Marriott Mena is not actually in Cairo, but in Giza. The traffic in Cairo can be bad so it will take you a while to get to other spots in Cairo. Also, there are a lot of nicer hotels on the Nile. The Marriott Mena is ok, but I would not stay there again. Rooms are clean and nice, though the bathroom is a bit dated, but still clean; there are just way nicer hotels in Cairo.