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The Hilton chain has a large presence in Egypt. There are a number of beautiful Hiltons in interesting places, many of which are classified as Category 1, 2, or 3.
But before I get ahead of myself, let’s start with how to get to Egypt–you should always book airline awards first since they are capacity controlled and hotel loyalty programs are not.
How to Get to Egypt With Miles
All Nipon Airways (ANA) and Singapore have some of the cheapest awards to the Northern Africa region. It costs:
- 75k/115k/150k Singapore miles in economy/Business/First Class
- 65k/104k ANA miles in economy/Business Class
ANA awards must be booked as a roundtrip, no one ways allowed. I didn’t mention their First Class price because it’s not the best deal to Northern Africa– check out this Comprehensive Spread Sheet of 8 Star Alliance Award Charts: Cheapest Awards to Africa and Middle East for better options.
The caveat to those cheap mileage prices above is that you will pay fuel surcharges. However, you can dramatically lower fuel surcharges by flying United to Europe and connecting there via a Star Alliance partner to Cairo since ANA nor Singapore collect fuel surcharges on United flights.
For example, on united.com I found Saver award space from Newark to Paris on a United flight (ignore the mileage price, you will pay what Singapore or ANA charges):
And then from Paris to Cairo, flying Egyptair:
The Newark to Paris leg will have no fuel surcharges as United doesn’t charge them and Singapore/ANA only collect them when the normal cash ticket has fuel surcharges.
To see how much your fuel surcharges will cost for the Paris to Cairo leg, you can check ITA Matrix:
Anything labeled YQ or YR is a fuel surcharge (the amounts outlined in red). In this case, you would only pay a little over $50 in fuel surcharges, along with the necessary amount Singapore or ANA miles, and the required taxes.
How to Get Singapore or ANA Miles
ANA is a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards.
Singapore Krisflyer is a 1:1 transfer partner of all of the transferrable points.
Credit card links have been removed from posts and added to the menu bar at the top of every page of MileValue under the heading Top Travel Credit Cards.
The bottom line is there are tons of ways to earn Ultimate Rewards, Membership Rewards, and ThankYou Points. Read more about them in our Top 10 Travel Credit Cards list that is updated bi-monthly– it was just updated this morning.
Now to the fun part– let’s look at where you can stay. Below are our top picks for Hiltons in Egypt.
Category 1 Hiltons in Egypt
Category 1 Hiltons cost 5,000 miles per night, and don’t forget you’ll get your fifth night free as a Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Visa Signature® or Hilton HHonors Surpass cardholder.
Hilton Alexandria Corniche
You can enjoy a central and seaside location in Alexandria, Egypt for an average of 4,000 points per night instead of the roughly $135 per night cash price.
The glowing reviews describe the fantastic views of the Mediterranean Sea…
…and the dedicated staff that provide meticulous service.
The Hilton Sharm Waterfalls Resort is another Category 1 Hilton. It has a cheaper retail value, so you’re not squeezing quite as much value out of those Hilton points, but it’s gorgeous either way. It’s located in Sharm El-Sheikh, on the shore of the Red Sea.
Here are some other Category 1 Hiltons spread around Egypt:
- Hilton Hurghada Resort
- Hilton Hurghada Plaza
- Hilton Sharm Dreams Resort
Category 2 Hiltons in Egypt
Category 2 Hiltons cost 10,000 miles per night.
Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort
You can stay less than 10 miles from the Pyramids of Giza at a beautiful, modern golf resort.
Guests praise the pool, location, and golf course.
With cash, five nights in the high season go for $1,036. That’s over 2.5 cents per point.
Here are some other Category 2 Hiltons in Egypt:
Category 3 Hiltons in Egypt
Category 3 Hiltons cost 20,000 miles per night.
Somehow the Hilton Cairo World Trade Center Residences, where the base room is a two-bedroom suite, is only a Category 3. Use it as a base and by day you can explore the Pyramids, Sphinx, and Egyptian Museum.
The pool area looks fantastic as well.
The two-bedroom, 1,900 square ft suite would cost 80,000 Hilton Points for a five night stay.
Category 4 Hiltons in Egypt
Category 4 Hiltons are pricier at 30,000 Hilton points a night, but the Hilton Luxor located on the banks of the Nile River looks like it could be worth it.
I would consider booking this property with cash though, as it only costs around $130 a night.
Bottom Line
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
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To be honest , I would not stay in Egypt if the rooms were 100 points.
Yes, I have been to the middle east several times before.
There is a reason some of these resorts are currently tier one and two.
I hear you.
I’m sure travel to the Middle East is at an all time low these days.
Having lived in Cairo for the last year almost none of these redemptions seem appealing for such a long stay. Sarah I understand your enthusiasm and willingness to push the Hilton card but with the 80 percent downturn in tourism to Egypt, redeeming points there is almost an entire waste, considering the discount deals you can attain by bargaining or negotiating. Twenty days in Alexandria would be silly considering the lack of sites and size of the city, renting an apartment or air’bnb would be a fraction of what the hotel charges and provide you with a massive living space. Having stayed at the Hilton Waterfalls and it is a nice property, but with the downturn tourism at the moment Sharm is virtually a ghost town. The only Hilton property worthwhile to stay at is the Hilton in Luxor which you have failed to mention. That is a top notch property and the only one I’d willingly use points on. I appreciate the interest in Egypt and it’s sites, (tourism is welcomed more now than ever.) but do some boots on the ground research before making recommendations.
Thanks for the first had knowledge and input, appreciated. I added Hilton Luxor to the list per your recommendation.
I agree Airfare was $515 RT non-stop ORD>CDG ..Done with France !!! Moscow was 20% of the real cost a year or 2 ago .Are U sure U will be safe ..Grand Cayman safe no Bugs yet !!!!!
I’m headed to cairo jan 3rd to 9th and will be staying at Hilton Ramses – ill report back
Great, thanks!
im at kuala lumput doubletree as we speak – another great 10,000 point a night hilton bargain
staying 5 nights so only 8,000 a night and this doubletree has a evening special for excutive lounge members
Nice! Scott stayed there in 2013.
[…] in the first three months after opening the card, and using your HHonors points for booking up to 20 free nights at category 1 Hiltons, ten free nights at category 2 Hiltons, or five free nights at category 3 […]