ALEXANDRIA: The Windsor Palace Hotel in Alexandria has a colonialist atmosphere, garlanded with marble, adorned with red spiral staircases and a traditional closed-cage elevator built of wooden panelling in keeping with a traditional English hotel.
Built in 1906 and considered one of the world’s heritage hotels, the luxurious setting of the Windsor Palace houses 71 rooms, with international telephoning (LE 3 a minute), internet availability and satellite TV. The rooms are spacious and situated with a view across the harbour – large bathrooms are provided, with a powerful shower.
Windsor Palace also boasts excellent guest relations, providing bookings for any resort or facility required in Alexandria or the North Coast. Also train tickets, coach tickets or taxi services can be arranged through the hotel.
Run by Paradise Inn, Windsor Palace can arrange a visit to it’s sister hotel, Beach Resort Maamoura, a resort set along the white sand beach of Maamoura and Mountazah Royal Garden, 20 minutes from the center of Alexandria. Tropical pools and a private Oasis are available at Maamoura, catering for a crowd who would rather get out of town and relax by the Mediterranean.
Mimicking an English gentleman’s club in design, the King Edward Restaurant serves a mixture of Egyptian and continental European dishes laid out in a superb buffet with food to order and individual dishes available. Located at the lobby level, King Edward Restaurant remains one of the more luxurious places to eat out in Alexandria. The price is not extravagant, considering the quality of food on offer, but individual dishes costs more than the buffet offers for dinner. The menu varies from one week to another.
Drinks are available at the Churchill Bar. The Prince Charles Terrace Cafe provides traditional aperitifs available in any pub as well as a cup of finger-raising tea.
A business center and banqueting options are available in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which overlooks the Mediterranean. Decorated with chandeliers and antique artefacts, ceiling frescos in ostentatious style, the hall accommodates 150 people and is advertised as being “fit for royalty. Behind it is the rather unbefitting Shakespeare Hall, which provides a theatrical conference hall for 100 people or dinner for 80 in a U-shaped room.
Situated directly in front of the Mediterranean Sea along Alexandria’s Cornich, the Windsor Palace Hotel offers charm and luxury in a historical setting. Although charming, the Windsor Palace is in an abstract setting and its grandiose appearance dwarfs tiny coffee shops and small local restaurants.
The location, however, is ideal; the Alexandrina Bibliotheca is a 10-minute walk along the Cornich, as is the Graeco -Roman Museum, Pompeii’s Pillar, the Roman Amphitheatre and Alexandria’s beaches.
In Alexandria it is difficult to find a mid-range hotel; they are either luxurious or basic, though Windsor Palace bridges the gap, providing rooms from as little as $50 a night, although cheaper prices require booking in advance; special promotional offers are sometimes provided for large groups or multiple bookings. Booking is preferable as the hotel remains quite full, even during the low-season.
Address: 17, El Shohada St., AlexandriaTel. +03 4808700/123/256 For more information visit: www.paradiseinnegypt.com
