HECA/CAI - Cairo - Cario Marriott - September 2026

This is a downtown hotel that you might stay in with a partner for a visit to the touristy things in Cairo or before a Nile Cruise. It’s not the place or area to stay for spotting. 

The hotel is a typically high end Cairo Hotel, It Has two towers, The Zamalek is the northern one and  the Gezira is the southern one, both are 19 floors with executive floors at the top and floors booked by tour operators towards the bottom. The Marriott club is in the Gezira tower and has views over the Nile.

Any Nile facing room in either tower will give distant views of the approach by looking north, when I was there is was hazy every morning and this blocked any view of the approach, but this cleared by Lunchtime. High floors work best not sure what the view is like from the lower floors. Views after dark are also difficult but possible.

The Gezira tower garden view room have no view of the approach but approaching aircraft from the north can be seen turning base leg. The non Garden view (don’t know what that’s called) should have the best view of the approach as you are facing it.

The Zamalek tower garden view rooms should have a view of the approach but I don’t know how much of that will be blocked by the Gezira tower. The other side the rooms face the highway and you should get a better view of the arrivals from the north.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/PPHTqAyu64JUE9jR9

HESH/SSH - Sharm el Sheikh - DoubleTree by Hilton - January 2026.

DoubleTree by Hilton Sharm El Sheikh - Sharks Bay Resort. This hotel is in two parts either side of the road, and you need the Mountainside area (which is actually the cheaper of the two parts). 

I stayed in room 4104 (a King Single) where can you view departures as they climb out from the room balcony, which overlooks the central pool area. A small gap between block 4 and block 5 allows very quick views of the runway. A short walk from the front door - along the corridor - gives good views onto the main apron. 

View from outside room 4015.

Hotel room map for Mountainside. Ideally rooms upstairs in block 4 (bottom left) are desired.

Ideal rooms would be 4108-4126 where the front room door has a view - across the corridor - of the terminal and 95% of the main apron. Rooms 4115 & 4120 are also confirmed as King Single. All rooms have a pool view, but – in the winter - the balconies in block 4 tend to be in the shade all day. You must ensure that you don't have a ground floor room (room numbers starting 40), as this will prevent spotting.

The terminal ramps are well lit up at night, allowing easy identification of the contents. It should be noted that the General Aviation ramp is not visible from the hotel. As with most airports in the area, the whole airport is surrounded by a high wall, and it doesn't look like the GA ramp can be seen externally from anywhere.

The airport has two parallel runways 04L/R & 22L/R, due to the prevailing winds runways 04L/R are usually in use.

Taking telescopes, binoculars and telephoto lens into the two Sinai provinces of Egypt are not allowed, and they may be confiscated on entry. They will be returned when you fly out again, but check in early as it took me an hour to get my telescope back. So you have to rely on FR24/ADSB Exchange, however coverage below 5000ft is almost non-existent, which makes relying on the FR24 airport arrivals/departures web pages very difficult, so you have to keep on your toes when tracking movements.

I found the easiest way to spot was to watch departures from your balcony as they climb out, and then wait for them to pop-up on FR24 above 5000ft.

On the 12th day I was here they switched runway direction. From the room balcony I found it made no differences to seeing departures lifting, you can see arrivals on the approach through the palm trees. However you have to know where to look, and it took me while to find the optimal seating location on the balcony.

For those who collect aircraft 'over the top' then Airway L677 runs in a NNW direction (northbound flights only), and is used by many aircraft from Saudi Arabia and those avoiding Iranian/Syrian airspace heading for Europe. About 50% the aircraft trail, but generally most aircraft can be seen from the hotel balcony. During my 14 days, 11 of them were largely clear skies.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HLqx4Nx5erh9GEzG8

Credit Sean Meager.

Mobile phone pictures of the runway/terminal from external corridor outside of Room 4105.

HECA/CAI - Cairo - Le Meridien Cairo airport - April 2024

On a ground tour of the sights of Egypt but worked some nights at the Le Meridien Cairo airport so some spotting info which may help anyone coming through. The hotel is modern and not overly expensive. It sits opposite T3 Egyptair and offers a choice of rooms facing south 05C/05R or north (pool view) 05L. Airport views as offered to the south mostly look at the terminal, not over. Both r/w directions in use during our stay. 

We had #446 airport view with club access. If landing on 05C/R you get a 15 second look out the window over the threshold or a better look as they depart away from you.  If on 05L north of the hotel you can step out of the room into a glass atrium and easily see the runway. When on 23R that atrium is your friend or from the room you can see taxi out to threshold and landers 23L/C. They get airborne just over the terminal. So, suggest even number rooms floor 4/5, anything from *40-*50. From these rooms you cannot see the approach to Almazah so needed 7x and Gulfs missed. They show on FR24 as landed at HECA but they are not at the main airport. Some rooms are offered as airport view with balcony, I guess anything on the western end may offer a good view of the mil base subject haze. 
 
Nothing read off by eyeball! FR24 the only app with any (half) decent coverage but even that is hit and miss,many things do not track or show. SBS would be very useful but wouldn’t dream of bringing it into the country. I read that bins, scopes and larger cameras are frowned upon and may be confiscated by security. I brought a small monocular and been ultra discreet, it may help we are on a proper tour, the guide met us airside (!)and smoothed our way through passport and security but security is everywhere. Solo travellers may have more hassle. I’ve not had a look at the stored ramps and can’t see them from the hotel. Likewise mil ramps too distant. Like Nick I couldn’t see a safe way to get to T1 which is nearer these ramps. 
 
Traffic as expected: plenty of Saudi (SVA KNE FAD), smaller types from Middle East carriers (KAC IYE Syrian etc) and a good variety of Egyptian carriers.  

A good hotel for our needs- my wife is quite happy by the pool area whilst I do the lonely vigil at the window. Some interesting visitors with plenty of good stuff after dark but it really can’t be seen. Also incredibly frustrating for a/c seen but doesn’t track. You will fill some nice gaps.  

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nvcSn8CKZqF9Dvi67

Credit Ian Nicholas

HECA/CAI - Cairo - Hilton Heliopolis - September 2023

Located about a terrifying 10 minute Uber ride from the airport, Cairo traffic is sporty at best. The hotel had been selected for us by the customer, and I had no input, nonetheless I had reasonable expectations based on the location. The Hotel is located close to the airport adjacent to the flight path for 05C and R on one side and 05L on the other, it has three wings and is six floor high. Even numbered rooms X022 – X040 ”should” have rooms that face the ramp at Almaza airbase and beyond that, the approach to 05C and R at Cairo. As many will know if you check in using the Hilton app you can select your own room so that was the plan, I had been reserved a king sized room by the customer and the first issue was that there was a limited number of king sized rooms available on each floor and none in the XX22 to XX40 range. At that point wanting to be sure of a room with some sort of a view I selected room 5119 which was at the extreme end of the wing closes to the airport. I arrived at the hotel just after 01:00 Looking out of the window in daylight I realised a couple of things

1)   The Hotel may be six floor high but the buildings around it are 8-10 stories blocking any view I was extremely fortunate that one of the buildings had been demolished leaving a brief view of aircraft on approach, once the replacement building has been built the view will go again. 

2)   The wind was up and therefore there was a lot of sand in the atmosphere, and the approach was only just visible. Fortunately, I was able to make out aircraft landing on 05C but 05R was impossible.    

The Le Meridien hotel on the airport looks like it would be great for spotting, it’s got rooms facing every runway and is connected to the Egyptair terminal by walkway. The lift lobbies and other corridors look to have a lot of glass so I imagine that regardless of the view from your room other runways and airport areas can be seen. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9PLjErDJYXC9DDKH7