“A pleasure”

A most enjoyable experience at the Talisman.

“Excellent Talisman”

My stay atthe Talisman was an absolute pleasure. I cannot fault this hotel in anyway. The staff were extremely helpful, the room was clean, cosy and had a beautiful ootoman Persian charm about it. I preferred staying here compared with a 5 star hotel I stayed in Alexandria. I would deffinitely recommend staying here. I still think about my time there even though I am home now.

“We had a wonderful experience”

Our stay at the Talisman was one of the best hotel and/or travel experiences that we have had. The people were great, they had a great tour service available in the lobby, free wi-fi, the hotel was very clean and comfortable, just an all around excellent place to stay.

“Great Hotel: Know Before You Go”

As this was my first visit to Cairo I was unprepared for the condition of the downtown area where we stayed; the buildings reflect the beautiful detail of early 20th century architecture but so many of them are falling into disrepair. The exterior condition is somewhat disconcerting upon arriving at The Talisman and the mix of vacant floors with inhabited floors was also a surprise. The Talisman itself is a charming boutique hotel with a wonderfully helpful and accommodating staff. The furnishings are more than comfortable and make a guest feel quite at home. Once a visitor becomes accustomed to the downtown area's condition The Talisman's location as "base camp" makes for a convenient visit for all that Cairo has to offer.

“'Traditional Cairo'”

If it's traditional Egypt you are after, then this is the place. Centred in the main area of Cairo, on opening the balcony doors, you can almost smell Egypt. Staff very friendly and welcoming, hotel very clean and relaxing. It's really quiet on the 5th floor (hotel is situated 5 floors up). Lovely rooms with traditional décor.

“Cozy and Charming”

I stayed at the Talisman during my last 3-days in Cairo in January, 2008. ( I was traveling throughout Egypt for 1-month) Aside from the lack of consistent hot and cold water in the mornings, which made showering very difficult, the Talisman was very comfortable and an over all pleasurable experience. The Staff is also very helpful and friendly. I do think that The Talisman Hotel is greatly OVER PRICED, especially when you compare it to other Cairo hotels with the same caliber of comfort and room aesthetics. There are plenty of other hotels in central Cairo and in the nearby district of Zamalek (where I also stayed), that are just as clean, cozy and cute, but at half the price. Seriously! Happy Travels! Jessie

“just what we wanted”

DEFINITLY arrange for the hotel to pick you up from the airport. we would never have found this place in a taxi or on our own. i cannot stress that enough. it was great. Hotel was lovely, clean, comfortable, they had free internet, a library with egypt books in about the area etc. The shower and air con was amazing. Breakfast was alright it was just breadrolls, cheese, coffee and some fruit but we didnt expact anything more. The staff were all very friendly and happily recommend places to eat for dinner and organise a taxi for you

“A Beautiful Stay”

I really enjoyed the Talisman. I loved the architectural features, the marble showers, the salon, library and decoration. At checkin, the receptionist seemed a little unprepared for my arrival, but it caused no problems at all. She was helpful but did give incorrect information regarding Khal al Khalili which put me in a bad situation. Nevertheless, I looved the hotel. It was convenient for what I wanted to do. I was able to walk to the Egyptian Museum and the Nile. There were plenty of shops and busy-ness near the hotel. I was across the street from McDonalds which I appreciated because I did not feel like trying to guess at a decent place to eat. I just went with what was familiar as I only had two days in Cairo and I arrived later than I expected! The hotel has a menu with decent prices as well. I ordered from them my second night and was satisfied. The breakfast at the Talisman is fair. There's juice, toast, cereal, fruit, yogurt and a few other selections I probably do not remember. It is what I needed to start my days in Cairo. There was not anything hot as I recall. The antique elevator was charming to me, although before I went I read others' reviews that spoke against the look of the hotel from the outside. I don't know what these people would expect in as large and busy a city as Cairo, but the entrance was no bother to me, as the Cairene people are very nice and I did not feel a sense of danger at all. In summary, I loved the Talisman. I am glad that I stayed there

“Nice, but hard to find and not my favorite part of the city”

The Talisman occupies one floor (the fifth) of a large building. The entrance is down a small side alley and the sign is small. Look for the Adidas store downstairs to help find the alley. You enter a courtyard and take a charming but scary old wrought iron elevator up to the hotel. The common areas are lovely and comfortable. The rooms vary - some are large with large windows, some are small and face an internal air shaft. Not all of them have the noise-deadening double pane windows that the guide books crow about! This was particularly evident on the evening of the Eid holiday when the streets below were very noisy late into the night. The only reason I would not stay here again is that I did not find the neighborhood to be as convenient as others, particularly Zamalek. And as a woman traveling alone, I felt more conspicuous on the street in this non-touristy area.

“Charming and authentic”

I was at first a little apprehensive about the location and entrance to the hotel, but once you enter on the 5th floor it is a real delight. The staff were very welcoming and accommodating, and the atmosphere was relaxed and captured a very nice mood....