I had stayed at the Victoria several years ago and was very happy with price and service. I just walked in and reserved a room for one week.
The staff at the Victoria is very friendly and accomodating. They doorman was very nice in arranging our taxi rides plus bargaining for a good price. I felt very safe while I was there. Also, the management is supurb.
I will stay there again in June 2008, I plan to take my 12 year old son.

We just returned after our Egypt experience spending a total of eight nights at the Victoria. We actually started out there and returned at the end of our 6 week trip. I liked it a lot. The staff was very accomodating. We were allowed to store our excess baggage free of charge in a locked cubicle for several weeks. We had a room facing the street for our final week there, the bathroom was larger than our previous room, and when I asked about hot water we got it. I think they can apparently control it so just ask. We were directly accross the street from the mosque and although the call to prayer was loud I learned to sleep through it. I love the experience of it all and want to soak up as much culture as possible. Even though breakfast is predictalble you learn to get by and for the price it is very acceptable. Internet access is conveniently located on site. You can walk to a lot of shopping and restaurants. Ther are also street vendors. My favoite was the Egyptian sweet potatoes cooked in a small stove on the mobile cart which was often just outside the hotel. They are absolutely delicious! Happy Trails!

We spent a total of four nights at the Victoria, and we really loved it. The ambience of a bygone era is not often found in this price range, and we all found it rather charming. After reading the reviews here, I must say that I did not find it run down, but I may have different expectations than other reviewers. Our room was large and clean. Although you must run the water for awhile to get hot water.
The staff was friendly, but occasionaly very busy as they do host some large groups. On New Year's Eve, one member of the staff , Mohamed, escorted us to a local restaurnt for dinner, and then to a cafe for coffee and a sheesha, he went above and beyond the call of duty, and we all found him very entertaining.
All in all, we loved the Victoria best of any of the budget hotels we stayed at in Egypt. I highly recommend it.

After reading some of the reviews I was a bit apprehensive but this is a hotel with a fair bit of old world style and ambience. On approach it does not look at all encouraging, being in a neighbourhood of shops selling all manners of machinery and car parts, but this is what makes its interior feel so elegant and calm -- the outside traffic noise becomes considerably muted once you step inside.

The rooms are large and although some might call them shabby they have a not-too-faded elegance and the beds are great (the bathrooms are by contrast cramped and definitely run down, but reasonably clean). I had paid slightly extra on Ebookers for a garden view room although initially they tried to give me a street view room (which was actually quite lovely with tall windows and wooden floors). Eventually I was given a room at the back though still without a garden view. The other complaint is that the boiler seems to be turned off between breakfast and early evening so dont plan on a mid-morning shower, especially in winter.

Although the immediate neighbourhood is not at all inviting, the main downtown drag is only 10 minutes away on foot and the traditional bazaar is about 20-30 minutes walk. And as I said you do feel an immediate sense of calm when you step in out of all the noise and pollution of Cairo. However, very finicky travellers should probably go elsewhere, like to one of the hotels along the Nile.