Just ok

I stayed at this hotel as part of a package tour(Travelsphere uk).I found the rooms to be very large as well as the bathrooms, which were huge.There was also a good sized balcony over looking the nile which was nice but noisy with the city traffic.The beds i found to be very uncomtable and got badly bit with mosquitos, the decor of the room was also very tired and needed updating.The breakfast buffet was quite good a fair selectionand service was also quite efficient.The general decor of the looby and hotel in general needs updating. I found the hotel in a good location in central cairo.I didnt eat in the hotel restaurants in the evening, but there are some good restaurants in the hotel across the street,.All in all i was disappointed with this hotel and there are many better places in cairo to stay.

One can do better

A typical, bland Cairo hotel along the Nile - you can certainly do better for the price. The lobby wasn't especially notable, and the promised free WiFi internet access in the cafe seldom worked. I stayed in a room without a Nile view, and kept the curtains firmly shut as I looked onto a gritty interior courtyard (they into my room!). The bathroom unfortunately had plumbing problems which produced a foul odor (an all too common occurance in lesser Egyptian hotels). Breakfast was an ample buffet, but nothing to write home about. The location is nice - right next to the Intercontinetal and Ramses Hilton, with an easy walk to the Egyptian Museum and plentiful, cheap taxis to other sites. All and all, I'll be staying elsewhere for my next visit to Cairo.

Good hotel

I was very happy with my stay here. The hotel is located in a great location. The staff was very curteous. The rooms were great. Beds were very comfortable. There is internet onsite.

Helnan - good location, mediocre hotel

I stayed in the Helnan at the New year period. I got a discounted rate through Otel for the 28-30 December and paid rack rate for New years eve. The hotel is well located, but falls some way short of being luxurious. Two particular things I do not associate with a top class hotel. In my room there was a long long wait for hot water to arrive, a quick (hot) shower was impossible. When paying I found that only Visa cards were accepted, AMEX and Mastercard were useless.

While the buffet meals in the hotel were reasonable, I had a disappointing meal in the Indian restaurant in the hotel. However the Intercontinental hotel across the street has a variety of fine restaurants and other hotels such as the Nile Hilton are not far away. These were much more expensive at the New Year period, so sleeping in the Helnan and eating across the street was a good balance.

Excellent location, highly secured

This is a perfect hotel with very reasonable price.

Large clean room, nice and clean bathroom and toilet facilities made my stay a memorable one. The breakfast was also a lot better than those of most European hotels in the same price range.

Its location is right in the middle of Cairo within a few mins walk to the Egyptian museam. The Pyramids are 30 mins away by taxi.

The most impressive point of this hotel is its very high level of security. During my stay, there were around 20 uniformed policemen with automatic AK47 rifles surronded the hotel 24 hours. One had to pass a manned metal detector gate before entering the hotel. There were 2 police cars in front of the hotel all the time. I have never had a more secured place in my life!

Good location and service

The Helnan Shepherd is a well-established name in Cairo with a long historical tradition. It's location on the Nile is superb, but you must get one of the upper Nile-facing rooms (fifth floor and higher to minimize street noise and for better views). We were there for 3 days in November 2005, the service was excellent, breakfast buffet was very good, service personnel friendly and polite, location was unbeatable near downtown and the must-see Egyptian museum. We did not experience any of the negatives that other guests had written about.

Loved it here

Having read the other reviews on this site I wasn't sure what to expect - I shouldn't have worried! The rooms were spacious and comfortable. The bathroom was downright opulant. The location is fantastic - just a five minute walk from the museum. Being right next to the Nile makes it a great place to watch the world go by, whether from the breakfast room in the morning, or the rooftop bar in the evening.

Facilities are good - there's a small souvenir shop, an ATM in reception, a 24 hour bank, and internet access, as well as a casino, bars and disco.

One point to note - we were originally disappointed to be in the rear of the hotel with no Nile view. We then spoke to others in our part who had front rooms and found these to be noisy, so perhaps it was a blessing!

Central but tired

Centrally located hotel 5 minutes from Egyptian museum, overlooking the Nile. Room and bathroom were large with 2 kingsize beds and all mod cons. Hotel is clean but in need of an overall updating. Included breakfast was a huge buffet was every imaginable food type. Yes, at US$71 per room per night, I would stay here again.

What a pitty

The common areas of the hotel are good, the breakfast is also acceptable and the location, in Central Cairo is the best one we can aim. Unfortunately, the rooms are really bad. They are outdated and in particularm the bath room, needs urgent refurbishing.

What a waste..........

This once notable hotel is now sadly uncared for, tired and well past its "use by" date.

The location is sensational. Shepheards is quite literally across the road from the Nile with a million dollar view of the river and its activities from the dining room. Heading in the opposite direction, it's only a 5 minute walk to the centre of Cairo's downtown area and maybe 10 minutes to the glories of the Egyptian Museum. Sadly the hotel is in need of total refurbishment and modernisaton, the rooms are decorated circa the 60s (so was the mattress by the feel of it) and there were signs of unrepaired damage in the room I was in. The Semaramis is across the road and while Shepheards would never compete in that market, it could be a very successful boutique hotel. It is desperate for some TLC. Someone in Helnan's head office should put their corporate backside on a plane for Cairo to sort out Shepheards.