Well, the carpet is stained and rumpled. Some wallpaper needs replacing. There's no room safes. The room keys are bigger than a taxi. The fridges make noise. The A/C isn't very good. It's an old hotel. Soon, it will close for rennovations. What a shame if they remove the dank. Part of this experience is the old world hotel rooms.... more

The Old Cataract is certainly amoung the most famous hotels in Egypt. There are so many stories, starting with Agatha Christie who spent weeks here while writing "The Death on the Nile", Winston Churchill who enjoyed a tea on the terrific terrace overlooking the Nile, or Lady Di as one of many Royals spending time here to visit southern Egypt.... more

Old world atmosphere with huge rooms if you book a Deluxe Nile View (make sure you have a decent room as this is not a hotel to skimp in). Decor is delightful but fading, bathrooms need a revamp as the last one seems to be about 20 years ago. more

Beware of being shoehorned in to the Old Cataract for more than an overnight stop - it's a curiosity and a museum, not a comfortable hotel. Above all, beware of booking rooms through travel agencies (particularly the notorious Voyages Jules Verne who may overcharge you shamelessly for a minute shabby room) or any situation where you can't cancel on arrival... more

Stayed at the Old Cataract overnight en route to Abu Simbel. The prime location of this wonderful colonial hotel is it's greatest attribute,commanding superb views of the nile and a great photo opportunity for an amazing sunset.The staff were gracious and on the whole polite and the booking agents for excursions (based within the hotel) had every possible combination of... more

We stayed for one night post-cruise at the end of November. We were disappointed in the tiny room we were given (supposedly an upgrade), but still pleased that they were able to give us a room at 11:00 AM. We had dinner two nights (went off the boat the night before) in the 1902 restaurant, which is a very impressive... more

The Old Cataract is an old hotel. It delivers an old world luxury experience even tho' it is a Sofitel. In Aswan there will be vagaries of water supply etc. and one has to have a bit of understanding here. The rooms vary from tiny to huge and acceptable to wow! The Nile views from the terrace and from some... more

What a wonderful old hotel suituated on the banks of the Nile. We were upgraded to a suite which made the adventure even better. Contact me if you want more. Better still, go! more

After reading the reviews on Tripavisor, my expectations were probably a little too high. On the positive: Building is very nice, location fantastic, the terrace magnificent. The rooms were very large, even the standard rooms, though they felt a little cold and spiritless. On the negative: The service was in general not attentive and in particular in the restaurant and... more