Egypt is filled with enough enigmatic history to delight kids young and old. Add to that sand, crazy camel drivers and the busiest streets you’ve ever seen, and your child is likely to spend your whole visit entranced by the chaos.

And chaos it is. We spent our first few minutes outside the airport wondering if we’d ever reach our hotel. The taxicab called for us was old, dilapidated and had nothing in the way of seatbelt. When we protested, and tried to explain (mostly in mime) that we needed something to tether our son’s carseat to, the driver pulled a fraying bungee cord out of his trunk.

I think my husband might have gone for it if I hadn’t pointed out that the only thing to securely attach the cord to was the rooftop luggage rack (and who knows, he still might have made it work in my absence). The rest of the taxicabs in the queue looked no safer. And so we opted to go back to the dispatcher and upgrade to a “limo,” which in Egyptian means a 10 year old Toyota Corolla with lap belts.

Despite the apparent disregard for vehicle safety, children are well loved in Egypt. And Chet acted as our little ambassador, bringing us immediate goodwill from nearly everyone we met. (Even when we had to do an emergency diaper change inside the Step Pyramid or when he puked all over a waiter while out to dinner. And he was an especially big hit with the shopkeepers at the Khan al-Khalili who realized that we weren’t leaving without the flimsy, plastic Mummy doll he already had in hand no matter how hard we might be pretending to bargain).

Giza, like Cairo, is everything that people say. It is dirty, it is crowded and there is an indefinable smell that makes your nose twitch in alarm. But it is also magic. And children, being somewhat grubby and smelly themselves, realize this immediately. And luckily, their continuous wonder during the trip will remind you of this magic even when they are handed shwarma cooked in less-than-clean circumstances, carried off without warning by the camel riders lying in wait near the Sphinx, or lured into stalls by shopkeepers promising cheap, plastic treasure.

The InterContinental Pyramids Park offers a welcome respite. After all, no matter your age, too much magic can be tiring. Add in a baby backpack and a diaper bag full of crap to the heat, frenzy and the hordes of “baksheesh” men demanding tips, and you may find yourself on the verge of collapse. But the hotel, located in the suburb of Giza and just a short drive from the famous pyramids, offers sprawling grounds and a large pool where you can relax any travel-related cares away. The staff was courteous and seemed to take all of our child-related messes – even the vomit covered ones – not only with ease but with a smile.

The hotel rooms are standard fare. They could stand some refurbishment but they were clean and roomy. Average prices are from $80-100 per night and the hotel can help arrange car services and rentals as well as tours.

***

There’s more to Egypt than just pyramids.  Check out this Red Sea resort:
Hyatt Regency Taba Heights: Taba, Egypt

June 12th, 2008 | by Kayt Sukel 3 comments