Zamalek or Maadi?

It depends on where you want to be near to in Cairo. Zamalek is in downtown Cairo. Close to mohandessin dokki tahreer. While Maadi is near to other places. But for night life, zamalek is better.

Both great areas. Maybe more expats in Maadi, more upmarket places in Zamalek. Distance to your work would be of importance.

Thanks for your response Andrewatef! does zamalek also have all of the other things I am hoping to find?

Thanks for your response davydavy21! I will be working from home so that wont be much of a factor. As long as my apartment is comfortable I should be fine in terms of work

You are welcome Amr. Yes, zamalek has all the other things u look for. There are lots of bars and restaurants in Zamalek. But for multicultural restaurant, Maadi is the winner!! I only go to Maadi to try new restaurants especially Korean. Anyways, good luck and I wish you enjoy ur life in Cairo.

Short Answer: Zamalek

ZAMALEK is like the Manhattan of Cairo, secluded peaceful you'll never have to run into a microbus or a tuk-tuk, or the shouting merchants buying old items or selling produce.

As for MAADI, it's alright I guess it's probably more affordable there are also other neighborhoods like MOHENDESSIN or DOKKI in the GIZA district that might be appealing as well. My concerns with these other neighborhoods are their close proximity to the chaos while Zamalek is an island that is usually not as loud and chaotic.

In Cairo, it's hard to tell the difference between an upscale neighborhood and a slum since they are all pretty much scattered with litter but there are some not-so-subtle ways of differentiating the two.
Like the aforementioned lack of tuk-tuks and microbuses.

Lots of checkpoints and police officials
As a woman, you are less likely to get harassed and cat-called.
The number of ex-pats residing in said neighborhood.
If the neighborhood accommodates "western" or "hipster" like shops, boutiques, restaurants, and cafes.
The beautiful greenery that shades the streets on a hot summer's day. Botanical Gardens and clean parks.
The architecture that reminds you of what once was.
The way people dress. I'm not saying this to be pretentious. The less modernized areas are more likely to give people (mostly women) a hard time. You'd have to dress to cater to those certain mindsets to avoid conflict. Not saying they have to wear burkas but ripped jeans, skirts, shorts, short dresses, and crop-tops will get some gawky stares and most defenitely make you uncomfortable enough to shelve them for your next trip out to Hurghada.

If I were to rate them on a scale of 1-5:
1. Zamalek
2. Maadi
3. Garden City
4. Dokki
5. Mohendessin

Basically, if you take a look at a map, the closer in proximity you are to Gezira Island (Zamalek) the better off.

Unless you were thinking of living in a lifeless, culture-less, limp, and lacking any sense of history satellite city then the aforementioned should be expunged from your memory. Since you're interested in living in an isolated oasis away from any sign that you are living in a country with a dense history and culture.