Would someone who has been recently tell me the best (and most economical) way to keep in touch with home (U.S.)? Are Internet cafes plentiful and within easy reach of hotels like the Mena Oberoi? We will not be taking our laptop because of trying to pack light.

Internet café abound, if you have tri-band phone that will also work.
Rich,
Photos of our travels in Egypt
www.franceinfocus.net/vlc6.html

Thank you. I was hoping you were going to say that Internet cafes were plentiful. That is the way I am going to try to go, then.

We stayed at the Ramses Hilton in Cairo and the hotel had internet. Sorry, I can't remember the charge. There were internet cafes as well.
Have a great time! Egypt is wonderful.

There are loads of Internet Cafe's in Egypt, but none very close to the Mena House. There is nothing very close to the Mena House, except the pyramids, and overpriced shops for papayrus, carpents and perfumes....but the hotel probably has a business center with internet connections in it.

Have a nice trip.

Four years ago made phone call Cairo (big hotel) to Boston. It was the worst overseas phone call reception I have ever had. Call had to placed through hotel "call center" - you actually had to go there. Connection was rotten, with lots of delay and feedback on the line.

Hard to believe all connections are this bad, but I would still go with the internet.

Try emailing Mena House re: internet access. The larger hotels. There's an internet center at the Ramses Hilton, the Sheraton Heliopolis & the Marriott Al-Gizirain and also at the mall at the Nile Hilton.

Thank you all. I never thought about e-mailing the hotel. Duh.

We went to the internet cafes in Luxor and Aswan and paid 10 egyptian pounds (less than $2) for an hour.

Every hotel I've been in has internet stations for guests and internet cafes are everywhere.

Mena House (Cairo) does have a business center with internet. It's more expensive than an internet cafe but I don't recall the charge.

Wonderful news. I would prefer to do it by e-mail, so that works out great.