Local's Guide To Egypt
4 min
Founded over 2,000 years ago, Alexandria is an even older city than Cairo, which is what makes this seaside city so special; it’s an ancient modern city (yes this is an oxymoron, but it’s true).
Read: Sightseeing in Alexandria: 15 Best Things To See and Do
And while obviously Alexandria’s hotels today aren’t ancient, many are significant in modern Egyptian history, which adds an extra element of intrigue to what would otherwise be a regular hotel stay.
Here are our favorite Alex hotels:
Star rating: 4 stars
Founded in 1929, the Cecil Hotel was originally a ‘romantic’ colonial-style hotel opened by a Jewish French-Egyptian family, the Metzgers. It was extremely popular in its heyday and hosted everyone from Umm Kalthoum to Josephine Baker and Al Capone. During World War II, it was used as headquarters for British Intelligence.
Now managed by the international hotel chain Steigenberger, the Cecil has an enviable location near the Alexandrian harbor and is walking distance from the National Museum of Alexandria and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
Steigenberger Cecil's website.
Star rating: 5 stars
If you’re looking for seaside luxury in Alexandria, then the Four Seasons is the place for you. Besides the awesome sea views, they have a private sandy beach for people who want to experience swimming in the Mediterranean.
Like you’d expect from a Four Seasons, they have an outdoor infinity pool and an indoor heated pool for the colder months (Alexandria, unlike the rest of Egypt, is known for its rain in winter). They also have a two-storey spa and nine different restaurants and bars.
Four Seasons Alexandria's website.
Star rating: 4 stars
Even though the hotel Le Metropole was built in 1902 by Greek and Italian architects, the history regarding the piece of land where the hotel was built is *much* older. Like, around 2,000 years older!
Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt who probably needs no introduction, built the Caesareum of Alexandria, a temple to honor her lover Julius Caesar. After her suicide, Roman emperor Augustus turned the Caesareum into his own cult temple, and brought over two obelisks from Heliopolis to adorn the exterior. Even though it was Augustus who had brought them over, they became known as ‘Cleopatra’s Needles’.
The hotel that was built where the obelisks once stood is none other than Le Metropole, and instead of the Caesareum, there’s now a statue of Saad Zaghloul, a nationalist leader.
The hotel today is dated but still carries a lot of its original turn of the 20th century charm, as well as original paintings and antiques. They have a rooftop restaurant with awesome sea views.
Paradise Inn Le Metropole's website.
Star rating: 5 stars
Like its name suggests, the Hilton Alexandria Corniche is right on the famous Alexandria coastal street. Similar to the Four Seasons, it has its own private beach ideal for summer months.
Besides the beach, it has a rooftop view with great sea views, plus five different restaurants. Its location is also ideally central and walkable to several different attractions like the National Museum.
Hilton Alexandria Corniche's website.
Star rating: 4 stars
Founded in 1906, the Windsor Palace was in quite the enviable location back 100 years ago -- it was close to the Ramleh train station and Alexandria’s old port harbor, as well as the shopping district and seaside promenades. Since it was right on the Mediterranean Sea, it was definitely more of a ‘resort hotel’ back in the day than it is now.
Like Le Metropole, the current hotel that stands today has seen much better days, but holds on to its original paintings, antiques and choice furnishings, to give modern guests a feel of what the hotel was like back in its golden days. They’re also known for their rooftop restaurant and bar with panoramic sea views.
Paradise Inn Windsor Palace's website.
Star rating: 5 stars
Our second Hilton entry on the list. More of a business hotel than a resort one, the Hilton Alexandria Green Plaza was voted ‘Egypt’s Leading Conference Hotel’, so it’s a good choice if you’re in town on business.
They have an outdoor and indoor pool, seven restaurants and bars, and are adjacent to a large mall with over 300 stores plus a cinema.
Hilton Alexandria Green Plaza's website.
Star rating: 5 stars
This hotel, located in the former royal palace grounds of El Montaza, was built in 6 months in 1964 under orders from President Gamal Abdel Nasser. He wanted to build a hotel specifically to house all the Arab royalty, heads of state and dignitaries who were flying to Alexandria to attend the second ever Arab League Summit, and needless to say, he wanted to provide the very best in luxury, comfort and views; he handpicked the location of the hotel himself. It was at this summit that they formally approved the establishment of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (hence the name of the hotel).
For the 2002 opening of the new Library of Alexandria, or Bibliotheca Alexandrina, presidents, royalty and celebrities flew in to attend and stayed at the Helnan Palestine, including Jacques Chirac, Sofia the Queen of Spain, and Rania the Queen of Jordan.
Helnan Palestine's website.
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