The Oasis Hotel is a four star hotel in Giza near the pyramids. It was safe, clean and overall a good base in Cairo. But I also felt somewhat trapped here, always eating our meals on the premises to avoid the need to hire a taxi (and subsequent forceful invitations to visit carpet, perfume or papyrus shops), and not knowing where else to eat anyway. Our room had two double beds, a modern bathroom with a bidet, but a shower that took 15 minutes to warm up. Hotel grounds were fairly lush and well manicured by the employees. The pool was a refreshing necessity after long days in the desert sun, and it too was thankfully clean and well cared for.
The food overall was mediocre. We tired quickly of the menu, which offered mostly American choices such as steak, fish or chicken. I was hungry for Arabic food, but none was served here. Despite being careful about what we ate (no raw fruits/vegetables or unbottled water), we still managed to get sick. I think it''s pretty much inevitable and no reflection on the hotel food.
There are two restaurants on the premises:
The Bedouin Restaurant is located outdoors next to the pool, and serves traditional American fare for lunch and dinner. Breakfast, however, was an Eygptian styled buffet, which included meekly warmed runny scrambled eggs, warmed hot dog pieces, potato chunks, lots of bread, hummus, coldcuts, cheese, plain yogurt and odd fruits. For dinner fish and french fries was a popular choice. No matter what time we chose to eat, it seemed the scheduled time for the nightly bug spray, in which an employee would spray smelly chemicals (poison?) around the restaurant, pool, and manicured lawns completely fogging the air. "This can''t be EPA approved!" my husband would repeatedly grumble. At times, you could see the employee smiling at our obvious alarm as he nonchalantly sprayed and polluted the air.
The Italian Restaurant is upstairs in an enclosed room overlooking the pool. The menu was limited to either pizza or spaghetti dishes. It was, however, a welcome atmosphere away from the biting mosquitoes and bug spray. The pizza choices were interesting. We enjoyed both the Greek pizza and Chicken Cacciatore pizza.
Staff seemed eager to please and were helpful in seeking information about area attractions, such as the Light and Sound Show at the pyramids. Outside the front entrance, several taxis and their drivers were based, waiting for business. It was nice to see a familiar face since we could request the same taxi driver during our stay here. Just clarify which Mohammed you desire, since the name belongs to so many. We identified ours as Mohammed Renault, since that was the car he drove.