Giza
Egypt


The Experience

Set on the Giza side of the Nile -- with the majestic pyramids sprawling in the distance -- the Four Seasons at First Residence is, true to its name, in a residential district, hardly in the thick of bustling Cairo. That can be a good thing if you need a break from the madness, but perhaps not the best introduction to Cairo. While the hotel features amazing views of some of the world's most iconic places, the hotel is also linked directly to a shopping mall (albeit the city's highest-end mall). It's not the most Egyptian of locales, but its swanky setting is as luxurious as one would expect a Four Seasons to be.

The Rooms

Although ranged in nearly a dozen different categories and sizes, the hotel's 269 rooms and suites differ primarily by view -- either of the Nile right outside or the next-door Botanical Gardens and Pyramids. Both sides are impressive, though the pyramids are 20 minutes west so often just look like silhouettes (and considering Cairo's notorious smog, both sides are prone to less-than-stellar views). Inside, the rooms feature heavy, neo-Empire furniture as well as granite and marble bathrooms, though the paintings of Ottoman-era Cairo landmarks are the only Egyptian touches. If you're not staying in a suite, opt for a Deluxe or Premiere room, which are at least 25 percent larger than Standard and Superior rooms.

The Service

Four Seasons service begins upon touchdown at Cairo's International Airport, where a meet-and-greet team personally whisk guests through customs, straight to a waiting BMW 7 Series and on to the hotel -- and it's well worth the charge to avoid the arriving masses. The whole experience is so smooth and effortless that even casual vacationers feel like visiting heads of state. Once in residence, the hotel's supremely knowledgeable staff guide guests to the best of Cairo's best -- an impressive feat in a city where few streets are properly named, let alone clearly marked. Pyramid visits and Nile tours are also arranged with ease, as are seemingly impossible tasks such as finding that pair of Egyptian cotton pants you forgot to get during your last day in the bustling Bazaar. Somehow the hotel gets them to you when you return home -- without even knowing your size.

The Highlights

Although relatively small, the Four Seasons' location and integration into the surrounding residential and retail complex gives it a distinctly urban-resort feel. Get an Egyptian loofah scrub or the Cleopatra milk bath overlooking the Nile, then sit down in two-year-old Lai Thai, currently one of Cairo's best Thai eateries, with dishes and staffers straight from Bangkok. Work that off in the hotel's 60-foot outdoor pool, which includes South Beach–styled cabanas, then enjoy one of the only truly Egyptian touches: traditional Arabian water pipes.

-- David Kaufman

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