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Egyptian Night Life
By
Jimmy Dunn
There is oh so much to do in Egypt. Cairo is a
wonderful spot for nightlife. Most of the tourist hotels
have good bars and many have discos and nightclubs. Over
the coming months, we will review many of these but just for
fun, we will begin our review with rather of an odd
choice. It requires little effort to find a good party,
but digging out an interesting place to visit requires some
effort.
The bar is the Windsors Hotel (which we will also review next
month as a feature article on historical hotels) has charm,
history, and a good crowed.
The
bar at the Windsor is actually fairly well known in Cairo,
particularly among foreigners living in Cairo, Egyptian
writers and the like. It is a friendly place, where an
American such as myself may find good conversation with
other Americans, Englishmen, Canadians and Australians. 
After
all, this was the English Officers club during World War II,
and perhaps a few of their ghosts still sit at the elegant
old bar. The Windsor is one of the few holdovers from
colonial Egypt, and for those historians who are aware of
the famous Shepheards hotel, now long gone, the Windsor was
it's annex. The Windsor Bar is perhaps the hotels most
glowing example of this era. 
Most of the furnishings date from the early
1900s. The chairs are made of old barrels, the floors
polished wood covered by antique carpets. All about are
animal trophies from long ago and memorabilia from the war and
before. It is interesting just to walk around the bar reading
various articles hanging from the walls. Indeed, one might
consider the bar a museum of the British during their occupation
of Egypt. But it may not be for
everyone. This is a rustic atmosphere, and travelers who
want plush surroundings may be disappointed. Yet the drinks
are reasonable and the bar, as well as the restaurant are run by a
clan of three generations of Coptic Christians who are very
friendly as well as service oriented. 
Christine, the youngest member of the managing family
One
may also order food in the bar, which comes from the hotels
excellent and elegant restaurant. However, we are told that
there are no menus. Order what you like, they will make it
for you. The Windsor is located at 19
Alfi Street in Downtown, Cairo so it is also a convenient place to
stop over for a drink after visiting the historic areas such as
the Khan, Coptic or Islamic Cairo. (Phone 591-5810). |
