From Mena House, With Love
There isn’t a better place to gaze at the Pyramids than from the king-size bed in a suite at Cairo’s best located hotel. Mena House is part of Egptian history and it’s so easy to fall in love with it, sighs, Farzana Contractor I walked into my suite and went straight to the verandah to check out the view as any decent traveller would. And guess what, I bumped into a Pyramid! I promise it was so close, I could reach out and touch it. Wow, it took my breath away. I stood there a long while soaking in the beautiful vision, repeating to myself "I am in Cairo, I am in Cairo…" Though technically I knew I was in Giza. That night as I turned in, I sat awhile in bed  still gazing at the illuminated wonder, remembering another such night, back home in India, in Agra at Amar Vilas, when I sat watching from my bed the surreal vision of the Taj Mahal, yet another wonder of the ancient world, softly bathed in moonlight. How does Oberoi manage to do it? Get hold of all prime locations. That's right both these classic hotels belong to this Indian group of hotels.But I have a confession to make. I was already in love with Mena House from way before. I knew a lot about it, had seen pictures of it, had friends tell me about their experiences there, read about it. There's so much history to this place which is also part of its mystery.  It was originally used as a royal lodge by Kedive Ismail, Egypt's King when he and friends were hunting in the desert or visiting the Pyramids. It was only in 1869 on the occasion of opening of the Suez Canal that rooms were added to host royal guests and world leaders who came to witness the momentous event.But state affairs kept the Kedive too busy to frequent the Lodge and so in early 1880s it was sold to Frederick Head as a private residence. The Heads, a wealthy English couple, lived an idyllic life at their new residence, enlarging their home and adding a second floor. Seeking a name for their estate, Professor A.H. Saya suggested it should be called Mena House, after the first king. But after owning the house for only five years,  Frederick died while on a visit to London.Another hugely wealthy English couple, the Locke-Kings purchased the house from Mrs. Head, and it was they who set about turning the estate into a luxurious hotel. With plenty of money to work with and an estate already rich with furnishings and other treasures left by the Kedive and the Heads, the Locke-Kings enlarged the building once again, adding the English touch of great fireplaces that were unusual in Egypt. However, they retained much of the Arabic ambience and enhanced it furthur with fine Mashrabia (wooden screens) work, blue tiles, mosaics and medieval brass-embossed and carved wooden doors. Their taste was excellent, and the hotel was looked after so carefully that many of these original fixtures are still in use, even today.  But despite all the wealthy guests who frequented the Mena House, rarely did the Locke-Kings make any money from the hotel. They were very extravagant, and when the time came for a guest's bill to be settled, they tended to say that they had invited their friends at their own expense. Later, the couple returned to England and turned over the management of the hotel first to Baron Rodakowsky, a colorful gentlemen, and later to Emil Weckel and Mr. Schick. Years later after Mr. Locke King's death, she finally sold the Mena House to George Nungovich who operated the Egyptian Hotels Company. The 1913-1914 tourist season was great in Egypt, but the First World War came to Egypt amongst martial law. The Mena House was told to hold itself ready for an influx of Australians. Of course, this was a time when the British claimed Egypt in their colonial empire, so Alfred Warner, an English contractor was awarded the job of building a camp for the Australian Light Horses just behind the hotel. While there was plenty of hard fighting in the desert, Cairo was reserved for fun while on leave or training.  The Australians often took over the Casino de Paris, dancing and howling with mirth, took part in horse and camel races, and generally had a good time.But later during the War, the Mena House became one of the hospitals, and remained so for the rest of the war. As the Second World War started, things were much slower at the Mena House. Unlike World War I, which caught the world by surprise, people were uneasy prior to the second war and not much in a holiday mood. But once again, the hotel filled with servicemen to the point where additional staff had to be added.  But matters did not go right at first, as Rommel, the famous desert fox, initially routed the allied troops. Later, by 1943, when things got better, the Mena House saw its most exciting years. Plans for the invasion of Europe had to be discussed by Churchill and Roosevelt and operations in South East Asia needed consultation with General Chiang Kai-Shek. It was decided that the Big Three conference should take place at the Mena House Hotel. In the 1970s The Oberoi Group took over the management of The Mena House, adding it to their worldwide chain. They meticulously renovated and incorporated many expansions.  Today Mena House is, if not the best known hotel in Egypt, certainly one of the better known. For years, this hotel has been considered one of the finest in Cairo, and is certainly one of the most historic.Located twenty minutes from the center of Cairo, Mena House is set in forty acres of jasmine scented grounds, perfect for jogging. The hotel has a stable of horses and camels complete with experienced instructors and you can tour the pyramids on camel back, if you are adventurous enough. For the sporty kind Mena House is just perfect. You can play tennis or a round of golf within view of the Sphinx. There is an 18-hole course right on the doorstep, with distracting views of the pyramids.  Mena House is the only hotel in Cairo with its own golf course. The swimming pool is spectacular and also the largest in Cairo. For those inclined there’s the discotheque and casino. The living quarters of Mena House comprise of two sections, Palace and Garden. Rooms in the Palace are naturally the ones more sought after because they offer direct views of the pyramids and these are really cozy and most romantic. But there are rooms around the swimming pool too, so the ones who enjoy lazing around a pool might prefer these. However the extraordinary part of Mena House are its public areas. The long broad corridors leading to the rooms and suites, ornately decorated, the opulent banquet halls, the lawns under the shadow of the towering pyramids, where I believe a smaller, but more private pool for guests at the  Palace section will soon be coming up (oh, to float on your back and gaze at them pyramids), and of course the restaurants!Khan El Khalili, the 24 hour coffee shop must quite easily be the best place in town to sit sipping a cool lemonade or sipping a cuppa of Earl Grey, or a strong Egyptian coffee. As much for the view as for the fare, the service, the ambience. A felafel just tastes that much better when you are at the Khan Khalili. I enjoyed my breakfasts there so much I'd even sacrifice my sleep just to be able to make it by the breakfast deadline. Indian food, much as I love it, is not something I eat when I travel abroad, but The Moghul Room, with it's live singing - ghazals lured me in. And was I glad? Believe me, I, a bhajiya kadhi, buff never tasted this dish better even in India. It was even better than how I cook it. And the rogan josh was to die for. I was tempted to eat another meal at The Moghul, but there were other restaurants I had to try at The Mena.  So it was to the Al Rubayyat, the next day. With Mr. Sanjiv Malhotra and his lovely wife, my friend Poonam. Sanjiv you will recall was the very successful Vice President of the two Oberoi hotels in Bombay until recently and now heads the operations of the Oberoi group in Egypt, which has quite a clutch of properties in the country. When you dine with the boss it is understandable the experience will be extraordinary but in this case it was more than that. Thanks to Habib who kept us entertained for the two hours we were there. He sang like he was Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, Paul Anka, Demis Roussos, all rolled into one. And then there was the whirling dervish. The performance was incredible. I had difficulty concentrating on my meal that Sanjiv, one of the most meticulous hotelier I have had the pleasure of knowing, had personally taken the trouble to plan and order in advance. Here’s the special menu, the six-course dinner, I enjoyed so much; Peach and tomato gazpacho, Duck liver parfait, red onion jam and carrot ginger dressing, Salmon roulade with shellfish potatoes and star anise reduction, Cantoupe basil sherbet, roasted veal loin in coffee sauce with marrow saffron risotto and sauteed summer fruit, Pralines and passion fruit mignardises. Followed by some Turkish coffee.The night was young so for dessert, we went next door to the Mamlouk Bar and watched the fantastic belly dancer! It was a sin to enjoy so much. MENA HOUSE Pyramids Road, Giza,Cairo, Egypt Tel: (02)3773222 / 3763444 www.oberoihotels.com.eg |
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