Hotel: Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan
Built in 1899, this magnificent property has graced the cataracts of the Nile for over a century; its grounds, facilities and luxurious accommodations a welcome retreat after exploring some of Egypt’s most impressive monuments.
Only five properties in the world are deemed prestigious enough by Sofitel to be tagged with their ‘Legend’ label. They’re described as: “Timeless and iconic addresses, where heritage meets modernity.”
That is certainly the case at the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan, a hotel that’s been sitting on my bucket list for as long as I’ve wanted to visit Egypt.
The earth-toned buildings of the property, and the expansive grounds they’re located on, are situated on a prime site along the river opposite Elephantine Island and its ancient ruins.
The Nile is stunning here – narrow and interrupted by granite rocks and islands, it is a now a much different river to what we spent the previous five nights leisurely sailing along from Luxor.
Taking full advantage of its prime positioning, the hotel offers mesmerising views from various vantage points down the Nile and across rocky outcrops to the eastern desert where the Mausoleum of Aga Khan proudly stands.
Sunsets are pretty special here…
You’re also a short walk from the center of Aswan and it is well worth venturing out in the evening to explore the bustling souk. It’s a bit of a change from those in Luxor and Cairo as it much more focused on meeting the needs of locals rather than tourists.
The hotel consists of two buildings – the historic Palace Wing, and the newer and more modern-styled Nile Wing. Which you choose to stay will largely depend on your tastes (and perhaps budget), I wanted to experience the sense of place of the palace.
Opulence is a way to describe the gorgeous Palace Wing. Moorish domes, Byzantine arches and Persian carpets all combine and fuse together with Sofitel’s integral French ethos.
Photos of past guests adorn walls of passages and you can see you’re following the footsteps of the last Tsar of Russia, to Winston Churchill, Princess Diana, and of course Agatha Christie who wrote and set portions of Death on the Nile at the hotel.
We arrived at the hotel early after disembarking our dahabiya Malouka by Nour El Nil. Be sure to read about this incredible voyage! Of course at 8:00 a.m. I wasn’t expecting our room to be ready (and it wasn’t), but I would have expected a warmer welcome than what we had.
We advised reception that we wanted to drop our bags at the hotel as we were heading to Abu Simbel for a few hours (by flight). Our driver was collecting us at 8:30 a.m., so we went and sat in a quiet part of the lobby.
We weren’t offered a welcome drink, a coffee, a snack, nothing. Just handed a registration form and left to our own devices. When I asked where I could get a water, he replied “over at the bar”, which was unstaffed and not set up.
Anyway, I shouldn’t have been that surprised. Good service in Egypt I just don’t think comes naturally to them.
After our trip to Abu Simbel (a real highlight of Egypt), we arrived back at the hotel around 2:30 p.m. to a slightly warmer welcome, quick explanation of the hotel, then shown to our room.
We had reserved a Palace Cataract Suite Nile View (I wanted this room category and didn’t want to take the chance on the Virtuoso upgrade failing from Garden View) and received a great room with a large balcony on the top floor of the Palace Wing.
The room was of very high quality and set out like a typical junior suite (no separate bedroom). The bathroom was large with a massive tub and a separate toilet. I really liked our room and it was by far the nicest we had in Egypt, probably reflective that this property was a bit of a step up from the two previous Sofitel hotels we’d stayed in.
We changed and headed down to the pool area for lunch and to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing. The hotel’s extensive renovations completed in 2011 saw a complete redesign of the pool area, and it still looks fresh today, providing a great place to relax.
However, surprise, surprise, we experienced pretty incompetent service again from the pool wait staff, mirroring our experiences in Luxor and Cairo.
I just struggle to understand why it is difficult to bring a menu, come back for an order, bring cutlery and napkins with meals, ensure plastic is not in a meal (!), and so on.
Travis actually put this on his social media and hotel management must’ve picked it up, because we were contacted and service recovery started to kick in. Apologies followed for our arrival experience that morning and our lunch experience.
Their efforts in recovering were more than adequate and the level of service we received at our dinner that night at the hotel’s The Terrace restaurant and the following day at the pool for lunch was excellent – but it should be like this all the time!
Unfortunately we only had one night to enjoy the hotel so we didn’t get to see or experience many of the facilities, such as the expansive spa. I’m sure we’ll be back at some stage though – I really would recommend a couple of nights here, especially if it’s towards the end of your Egypt trip – it’s a great haven to relax and unwind.
Sojourn Summary
This is a great property unfortunately with a few service issues that just seem endemic to Egyptian hospitality broadly. I’m more forgiving here though and still rate our stay very highly. Definitely choose a Nile view room in the Palace Wing – it’s an absolutely fabulous building and I’ll not soon forget lounging out on our terrace and just appreciating special moments in time.
Sojourn Essentials
My sojourn rating: ★★★★★
Hotel’s own rating: ★★★★★
Hotel’s website: https://sofitel.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-1666-sofitel-legend-old-cataract-aswan/index.shtml
Loyalty program: AccorHotels Le Club (https://www.accorhotels.com/leclub/join-loyalty-program/index.en.shtml)
My room type: Palace Cataract Suite Nile View
My dates: 27 April 19 to 28 April 19 (one night)
How I reserved: Virtuoso rates available when you book your sojourn with me (benefits include: upgrade on arrival, subject to availability; daily continental or full breakfast for two for duration of the stay, served in restaurant or via room service; complimentary roundtrip airport transfers; early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability; and, complimentary Wi-Fi). These special rates are available through select travel agents and are equivalent to the best available flexible rate at the hotel (which are generally room only).