The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

The ‘royal’ in The Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski is more than just title; the New Cairo hotel certainly lives up to its royal billing and you needn’t look further than Bab Al Qasr for proof.

The hotel’s take on the traditional Ramadan tent officially launched on May 31 in style, with the legendary Hakim taking to the stage on a rambunctious Ramadan night that set off a month of great live entertainment featuring everyone from local stars like Mahmoud El Esseily, Hossam Hosny and Abdel Baset Hamouda, to underground acts like Massar Egbari and Ayamna El Helwa Band.

But it’s the tent itself that has really wowed, whose official fabric sponsor (yes, it has a fabric sponsor) is SEDA. Taking inspiration from the aesthetics of Egyptian and Turkish royalty, the pool-side set-up is bathed in magenta draping, beneath which are cosy, private pergolas whose touches of wood and colour pop for an elegant, comfy and airy atmosphere that brings together the traditional and the modern perfectly, while luxurious lounges line the stage and a colourful pattern brings life into the magical courtyard of the Palace.

Serving fetar and sohour throughout the month, Bab Al Qasr’s official carrier is Careem, with which the Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski has collaborated with to create a promo code (babalqasr2017) giving users 20% off.

But Bab Al Qasr is as pleasing to the stomach as it is to the eye. In addition to one of Bab Al Qasr’s sponsors, Farme Frites, serving complimentary fries to each table, the fetar set menu includes all kinds of mouth-watering mezzahs, delicious grills, lots of side dishes and yummy desserts, while the sohour buffet offers an eclectic range of foods across its salad, fresh dairy, foul and falafel stations, alongside plenty of cold and hot mezzahs.

Beneath the elegance and comfort, however, lays what the perfect Ramadan tent needs – a dash of playfulness. This comes in the form of the Virgin Megastore Game Lounge, where kids (or adults for that matter) can play video games.

For more information and reservations about Bab Al Qasr, call 01097111151 or visit the Bab Al Qasr Tent Facebook event page.