PEARL HOTEL — Hotel in Cairo

We stayed here for around 10 days between in the summer of 2025. To sum up, the staff is excellent and the rooms are clean, but the hotel is lacking in several other ways.

Pros: Kind, welcoming staff: The staff is great. Everyone I interacted with was very kind and eager to help.

Clean rooms: The rooms were cleaned to a high standard.

Safe, quiet location: You might get some street noise on the lower floors, but otherwise this is a pretty quiet neighborhood.

Restaurant: I ordered room service a couple times and the food was pretty good.

Neutral: Free breakfast: The breakfast is free, which is nice, but it’s okay at best.

Room size: The rooms have most of the amenities you would expect in them, but they are fairly small. We couldn’t lay two suitcases flat on the floor of our room.

Cons: Reservation system bug: We had a 10 day booking confirmed before arriving. Upon arrival, we were told that there was a bug in the reservation system and that the hotel was overbooked for one night during our stay. We were told we’d have to check out that night, then check back in two days later. While the hotel staff was very kind and apologetic about it, this was extremely inconvenient and not acceptable in my opinion. While we were fortunate enough to have family nearby that we could spend the night with, it was a major hassle packing and unpacking our luggage again. When checking in for the second time, we got a room that is, in my opinion, a big downgrade (smaller and on a lower floor).

Poor WiFi: As many other reviews state, the WiFi is completely unusable. I burned through most of my data plan in my own room because there was no connection in either of the two rooms we stayed in.

Uncomfortable mattresses: I’ve never had an opinion about a hotel mattress until now. I found the mattresses in both rooms very uncomfortable and unpleasant to sleep on.

Overall, I would stay here again, but it wouldn’t be my...

Pearl hotel is in a wonderful location and close to everything. Five or even four stars it certainly is not but it definitely provides the essentials that you need in a hotel. You have a clean bed, a usable shower and a usable toilet with somewhere to safely leave your belongings. If it’s too noisy for you to sleep then I say ‘welcome to Egypt’- lap it up and relax to the sound of the Adan instead of fighting it. You don’t need to be Muslim or particularly religious to enjoy this soothing sound. Breakfast is nice. The safest thing you can eat is the foul medames which will fill you up nicely until lunch. You just need to know how to make it with the items provided. Ladle the foul into your bowl whilst ensuring you drain/leave off the excess water. Flavour with salt, lemon, cumin, tahini and a good amount of oil. Stir and eat with the bread provided. Delicious. Tastes far better than it looks! And don’t forget to tip the staff especially the cleaners- about 20 pounds should suffice. ||On another note, be stern with people on the street asking for money unless they seem legitimate, in which case please give but beware of those who may not particularly need it but just want to take from you because you seem able- you’ll go broke. Never pass your phone to anyone whether offering to take a photo of you or not. They are either going to get uncomfortably close to you or ask you for money (these are tips i’m giving for all of Egypt and not Maadi in particular). And ladies, yes, we live in a modern world but my suggestion is to dress ‘respectfully’- read the room- unless you love unwanted and unasked for attention. I know, it’s 2024 and we should dress as we wish. I agree, just not in...

I posted a previous review of this hotel and would like to add a few Dos and Don'ts. ||||First, if you are looking simply for a place to sleep and have breakfast while exploring the wonders of Cairo, the Pearl isn't terrible. There are not many choices for hotels in Maadi and the Pearl is the cheapest of them. So:||||DO appreciate the location. It is very close to the Metro and to Road 9 where there are restaurants and cafes (Grapes and Beano's have excellent free wifi), a pharmacy, a supermarket, banks, and even a McDonald's.||||DO appreciate the friendly staff.||||DO have breakfast on the terrace. It's very comfortable.||||DO check your coffee cup for chips and cracks. The cups are glass and you will often find one with a chipped rim.||||DON'T expect to use the free wifi in your room unless you are in the hotel on the 1st, 2nd, or maybe 3rd of the month. After that, the data plan has reached maximum and wifi is only available in the lobby or restaurant.||||DON'T be surprised at the sound of major construction (knocking down walls) in the hotel as they are renovating some rooms. The noise goes on from around 10 am to 6 pm.||||DON'T expect to find a tour desk or a library. I've been to the hotel at least a dozen times and have never seen a tour desk. The library is a shelf of books in the restaurant.||||DON'T expect repairs if there is a problem in your room. You will receive an apology, though.||||I stayed at the Pearl because I live in Egypt (though far from Cairo) and pay local rates. If I'd had to pay foreigner rates, I would certainly have stayed...