Sofitel Old Cataract Aswan

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Style: Traditional Elegance

Atmosphere: Lively

131 Rooms

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Note: From May 2008, Sofitel Old Cataract Aswan will be closed for 24 months for renovations.

These days Northern Egyptian cities like Cairo and Alexandria feel less and less exotic, but Aswan, one of the world’s highest and driest desert places, still lies some distance off the beaten path — once there it’s worth checking in somewhere with some history, like the Sofitel Old Cataract.

If it’s a contemporary look you’re after, there’s the New Cataract just next door; but anyone who revels in the feel of a time gone by (and who has no need of New Cataract amenities like wi-fi or DVD players) will lap up the ambience in the famous Old Cataract. Looking out across the Nile it’s clear the builders knew a good view when they saw one — it’s worth paying extra to ensure your room has a balcony, so impressive is the sight.

This is the hotel that inspired Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, and that era seems close indeed, enjoying French cuisine in the famous 1902 restaurant or high tea on the terrace, taking in the views of the Nile and Elephantine Island, watching the feluccas’ steady, unhurried progress. Even the garden view rooms are drenched in Old Egypt atmosphere, but the river view rooms are the hotel’s strength, and the Presidential and Agatha Christie suites are as opulent as a pharaoh’s tomb (though considerably sunnier).