I stayed in an $83-per-night viral Airbnb overlooking the Great Pyramid of Giza. The tub that hooked me on Instagram was odd, but the view made it worth it.
Courtesy of Libryia Jones
- Libryia Jones, 44, booked an $83-per-night stay at a viral Giza Airbnb she first saw on Instagram.
- She said it was much harder to find than she expected, even after prepping by reading the reviews.
- Jones said the experience might not be for everyone, and that travelers should do due diligence.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with account director and content creator Libryia Jones, 44, about her experience staying in a viral Giza Airbnb with sweeping views of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Whenever I see cool Airbnbs on Instagram, I'll save it to a folder. I saw this Airbnb with views of the Great Pyramid of Giza. In the video, the guy is in bed and the woman is in this tub. The window shades start to come up and the pyramids come into view. I was like, "This is amazing!" They made it look really, really good. They made it look super sexy.
A friend of mine runs a group for travelers of color called NoMadness Travel Tribe. I've been a member for 10 years or so and they were running a group trip to Egypt this past February.
So, when I found out that I was going to Egypt, I went back to my folder and was like, "Oh, let me go check this Airbnb," and it was available.
I thought I was prepared, but finding the Airbnb was a hassle and the building was even older than I expected
I read the reviews that warned me about the exterior and said it was tough to find. It was a lot more difficult to find than I thought.
When I first got there, my Uber driver didn't speak English. We were trying to communicate to figure out where this place was. And then someone on the street stopped to try and help. Then, a bunch of guys came over. At one point, I'm surrounded by five men.
I'll be perfectly honest, there was a moment of panic because I'm a woman by myself in a foreign country. But I tend to believe there are more good people than bad in the world. And I genuinely felt like they were trying to help me.
And they were. One of the guys recognized the pictures and said there was a popular Airbnb just down a side street. It was all just a bit disorienting when you land in a country where you don't speak the language and it's not a touristy area.
The outside of the building didn't necessarily match the inside, but I knew that going in. One thing that you'll find on Airbnb is a lot of times, people don't post photos of the exterior or the surrounding areas.
I will say, I was still a little shocked when I got there. The building was a lot older than I thought it was going to be.
The elevator was such a paradox. On the one side, it was very old-world charm and beautiful. And on the other side, it was like, "Is this up to code?"
There is no feeling like seeing the pyramids in person
The views made it all worth it. When I walked in, that was my first time seeing the pyramids in real life. I saw them in full for the first time ever in this room.
On the way to the Airbnb, you don't pass by them in full view or anything. I could only see the tops from the car.
You've seen them on television and social media before. They're in movies, they're in pictures. You've "seen" the pyramids. But, in person, it was just completely breathtaking. My photos cannot even do it justice. It's not even about the view itself, it's about the experience of seeing them.
Courtesy of Libryia Jones
My plan was to just stay for one night, but I actually booked my hotel for longer than I was supposed to. It was too late to cancel the Airbnb and the hotel was nicer, so I ended up just spending the day there. I hung out, lounged around, had some coffee, and talked to the doorman. He had a friend who ended up showing me around.
These guys are very enterprising. They know that there's a popular Airbnb, so they'll hang out and make conversation. He offered me a day rate to take me around Cairo, which I declined. After our day, though, I did tip him afterwards.
I thought the stay was worth it, but it might not be for everyone
I think for some people, it wouldn't be worth it. The views are great, but there's really nice hotels near the pyramids, too. There's even a Pizza Hut where you can get good views of the pyramids.
For me, it was worth it. It was a really good value. One night was $83. It was nestled in this community where I could get away from touristy Cairo.
Courtesy of Libryia Jones
The food that I had around the corner from the Airbnb was some of the best food I've had my entire trip. Chicken kebab, rice, baba ghanoush, hummus — the whole meal was just $13.
I always read the reviews of a viral Airbnb beforehand and I usually don't book an Airbnb for the very first night of a trip
Just keep in mind, when people are sharing these viral Airbnbs, there's quite a bit they're not showing you.
The tub I originally saw ended up being very weird. The video that I saw on Instagram made it look all sexy. It was kind of a hot tub/sauna situation, but it was literally right next to the bed. It was very strange.
Courtesy of Libryia Jones
When booking these viral spots, you need to read the reviews. People pointed out that it was tough to find and someone specifically said they had landed late at night, like I did. If I hadn't read beforehand, I would have been really uncomfortable getting there at midnight.
In general, I try not to book an Airbnb the first night if I'm flying in late. You can't predict how difficult it's going to be to find. Whenever I fly, if I'm going to land after 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., I'm just going to book a hotel that's easy to find. Keep it safe. Then I'll go to an Airbnb the next day in the daylight.
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