Built in 1929 overlooking Alexandria’s harbor, the Cecil is the hotel Lawrence Durrell wrote into his “Alexandria Quartet” novels, and where Naguib Mahfouz set part of “Miramar” — a literary landmark as much as a place to sleep.
During World War II, the hotel served as the headquarters of British Intelligence in Egypt, with General Montgomery himself using it as a base — the hotel’s bar, Monty’s, is named for him. The guest list over the decades reads like a genuine who’s-who: Agatha Christie, Elvis Presley, Josephine Baker, Omar Sharif, and legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum have all stayed, and Al Capone is reportedly among them too. Original wooden elevators from 1929 are still in use.
85 rooms and 3 suites, the latter with sweeping views over Alexandria’s Eastern and Western Harbours — the hotel has undergone periodic restoration over the decades while preserving original details like the vintage lift, most recently refreshed in 2017.
The hotel served as British Intelligence headquarters during World War II — its bar is still named for General Montgomery.
Now managed by Steigenberger, centrally located on Saad Zaghloul Square directly on the Corniche, within walking distance of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the National Museum, and the Roman Amphitheater. A 4-star heritage property — the appeal here is history and location rather than ultra-modern luxury.
The Cecil is a literary pilgrimage as much as a hotel — Durrell wrote it into the Alexandria Quartet and Mahfouz drank in it. It is four stars rather than five, and the honest framing is that you stay here for the address and the harbour view, not for contemporary comfort.
Travellers expecting Sofitel Legend standards because of the Steigenberger name will be disappointed. Travellers who want to sit where the Quartet was written will not.
Alexandria is thinly covered on this site, so the useful comparison is with Egypt’s other historic hotels: the Old Cataract in Aswan and the Winter Palace in Luxor, both of which have had far more money spent on them. Mena House is the Cairo equivalent.
Most Egypt itineraries skip Alexandria, and for a first visit that is defensible — the ancient city is largely gone. It is a three-hour drive from Cairo and rewards travellers on a second trip, interested in the Greco-Roman and modern layers rather than the pharaonic one.
