Windsor Hotel, Cairo

I stayed at the Windsor for two 3-day stints in October and expected to find a charming boutique hotel with a colonial-era atmosphere. I was sorely mistaken. This hotel is in a decrepit state in dire need of renovation. The rooms were filthy. The towels and pillows were stained badly. The hot water was very temperamental. The sink wouldnt drain properly. The concept of service is virtually non-existent at the Windsor. The staff in the lobby (not the dining room staff) was very lethargic except when it came to sticking their hands out for a tip (this includes the manager, Mohammed's persistent attempts to have his palm greased). The hotel was supposed to send a taxi to the airport twice to pick me up and both occasions, no one bothered to show up. I spoke to fellow tourists at the hotel and many shared the same experience. When I checked in for my second stint, I had reserved an A/C room with shower and toilet. The manager tried to pawn off a non-A/C room to me and then a room without toilet, remarking that the hotel was overbooked. It was only after I expressed my outrage that I was given the type of room that I had originally booked. While I waited for my room, one of the managers suggested I have breakfast upstairs. When I sat down to have 'breakfast' (which consisted of tea and two meager slices of bread and jam), I was told by the wait staff that I could only have breakfast from the following day. The whole episode was just frustrating and insulting. I'm generally a very low-maintenance traveler and my expectations are not much for a budget hotel, but Windsor certainly isnt worth. When you're staying in a very stressful city, you look to your hotel as sort of a sanctuary or oasis. Windsor just exacerbated the stress.

What I can say is...such a nightmare to stay this hotel!