Dont take credit card though it is stated on the reservation confirmation that it is an option?! Breakfast is pretty basic. The location is great, clean and nicely decorated. Staff is friendly and kind (but depends who is attending).

Charming as the name indicates. Down an alley off Talit Harb St. Old fashioned open cage elevator. Hotel is on fifth floor. Great for travellers who like the local flavor rather than the "Hilton" feel. Staff speaks English and were very helpful and accomidating. In a typical bustling Cairo neighborhood in downtown Cairo. Walk to Tahrir Square, Egyptian Museum and the Nile. Highly reccomended.

The hotel was fine, I was happy until the last day when I realised that someone has stolen all the precious stones, jeweleries, and cash from the safe box inside the room. If you stay at this hotel do not leave anything valuable in the safe box as advised. I did just that, and even with my own individual code they open the safebox and stole everything that was valuable. Do not stay at this Hotel!!!

The hotel staff were so friendly and helpful and the public rooms were furnished with fab Egyptian historical pieces throughout. Breakfast lovely and particularly cool was the fact we were only in our room for about 1 minute when a knock on the door revealed the waiter with welcoming fresh fruit drinks. You will though need to arrive by taxi as not easy at all to find. In small sidestreet with no obvious signage.

The hotel staff were so friendly and helpful and the public rooms were furnished with fab Egyptian historical pieces throughout. Breakfast lovely and particularly cool was the fact we were only in our room for about 1 minute when a knock on the door revealed the waiter with welcoming fresh fruit drinks.You will though need to arrive by taxi as not easy at all to find. In small sidestreet with no obvious signage.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Cairo. The transport from the airport was an issue and consideration should be given for airport pick up which would assist in the frenetic conditions of the arrival section of the airport. Hotel arranged transport to airport when we left which made life easier. Best wishes to all at the Hotel Talisman.

The Talisman Hotel is the perfect place to stay in the heart of Cairo if you are looking for a friendly boutique hotel that is well-run and has easy access to the Egyptian Museum at a reasonable price.

As previously stated the entrance to the hotel might leave you a bit wary, but once you get to the fifth floor it feels completely different. Our Egyptian guides were unaware of it, since the hotel does little/no publicity within the country, but even they were impressed when they dropped us off or picked us up. The fact that there is complimentary breakfast and wireless is very rare and speaks to how homey the hotel is. Everyone at the front desk was helpful and gave us great directions on how to get around Cairo on foot and on the metro. I wholeheartedly recommend this place.

As previously stated the entrance to the hotel might leave you a bit wary, but once you get to the fifth floor it feels completely different. Our Egyptian guides were unaware of it, since the hotel does little/no publicity within the country, but even they were impressed when they dropped us off or picked us up.The fact that there is complimentary breakfast and wireless is very rare and speaks to how homey the hotel is. Everyone at the front desk was helpful and gave us great directions on how to get around Cairo on foot and on the metro. I wholeheartedly recommend this place.

The Hotel was a great experience and we were wowed by the decor and the thoughtful design of the place- though finding it could be a slight challenge a better map (in English) and instructions with bookings could do the trick. The stay was very comfortable and the room was clean, well stocked and with all the comforts expected from a hotel at this price range (though in Egypt the expected cannot be taken for granted) The Breakfast was a good spread and the staff was very helpful and polite. On the whole a very warm and charming experience.

The Hotel was a great experience and we were wowed by the decor and the thoughtful design of the place- though finding it could be a slight challenge a better map (in English) and instructions with bookings could do the trick.The stay was very comfortable and the room was clean, well stocked and with all the comforts expected from a hotel at this price range (though in Egypt the expected cannot be taken for granted)The Breakfast was a good spread and the staff was very helpful and polite.On the whole a very warm and charming experience.

The location here is within walking distance of the Egyptian museum, Nile River area, felucca boats and 4-5 star hotels. Hotel is located on 5th floor of empty building but once on the 5th floor all is good. Staff is extremely helpful and pleasant. Common rooms and area for reading, lounging and checking emails have the comforts of home including fresh flowers. Queen bedroom and bath was spacious and clean. Just the foyer of the building was a bit strange but a lot of Cairo building look the same...covering in dust. El Abd Bakery, and Felfela Restaurant are an easy walk.

The location here is within walking distance of the Egyptian museum, Nile River area, felucca boatsand 4-5 star hotels. Hotel is located on 5th floor of empty building but once on the 5th floor all is good.Staff is extremely helpful and pleasant. Common rooms and area for reading, lounging and checking emails have the comforts of home including fresh flowers. Queen bedroom and bath was spacious and clean. Just the foyer of the building was a bit strange but a lot of Cairo buildinglook the same...covering in dust. El Abd Bakery, andFelfela Restaurant are an easy walk.

The Talisman Hotel has been a pleasant surprise in a not so friendly city. We stayed for two nights, in two different rooms and both were very nicely decorated. We had some issues on our first night with the bathroom, and then asked to be moved, without any hassle. The hotel is absolutely beautiful in terms of decor and atmoshpere. Breakfast was very basic. MacDonalds just accross the street! Try to avoid the hotel's Inhouse tour operator, sitting at the reception, till you know what you want to do and where do you want to go. We almost got bombarderd into booking a very expensive taxi ride to the Pyramids. We ended up booking a taxi, to take us around for the day, at a fifth of the price. Just make sure, that both parties agree on the price. This taxi can take you straight to the pyramids, don't fall for the donkey car ride, and that you can't go any further with a car. I will definitley recommend this hotel, as it is great value for money, and looks even better than on the pictures. It has great atmosphere and is very clean!

The Talisman Hotel has been a pleasant surprise in a not so friendly city. We stayed for two nights, in two different rooms and both were very nicely decorated. We had some issues on our first night with the bathroom, and then asked to be moved, without any hassle. The hotel is absolutely beautiful in terms of decor and atmoshpere. Breakfast was very basic. MacDonalds just accross the street!Try to avoid the hotel's Inhouse tour operator, sitting at the reception, till you know what you want to do and where do you want to go. We almost got bombarderd into booking a very expensive taxi ride to the Pyramids. We ended up booking a taxi, to take us around for the day, at a fifth of the price. Just make sure, that both parties agree on the price. This taxi can take you straight to the pyramids, don't fall for the donkey car ride, and that you can't go any further with a car.I will definitley recommend this hotel, as it is great value for money, and looks even better than on the pictures. It has great atmosphere and is very clean!

The hotel was clean, good service from the freindly staff and in the heart of downtown Cairo. It was close to shopping, resturants and the Cairo Museum

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.

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.

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

A most enjoyable experience at the Talisman.

Don't stay in a Western run hotel, it would be like you never left your home country. Try staying in a real Cairo Hotel, expience the local culture. The rooms at Talisman were clean and comfortable, right in the middle of downtown. A quick taxi ride to the Khan El Kalili market place, and fairly close to the Egyptian museum. Make at least one or two nights stay in this eclectic hotel part of your trip.

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

The hotel had excellent service between attaining directions for exploring and ordering in. The breakfast is adequate but not Egyption. Would stay there again.

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.

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.

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.

This is a veritable gem tucked discreetly away from the madness and noise of the Downtown area of Cairo. Adhering to a vaguely Moroccon-esque decor and ambience, this comfortable, quirkily elegant hotel is clean and run by helpful staff. The breakfast room inspires under a chandeliered brightness and fortifies one for a jostling chaotic day ahead in Egypt's prime city.

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

although nicely decorated, the rooms are small and somehow dysfunctional (no place to put your luggage, for example). the hotel is very difficult to find also because it is located at the fifth floor of an unimpressive building (I think this information should be disclosed on the web)- during my stay, each morning the noise was terrible because some construction works were under way.