Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan

We enjoyed our time here with our family, we had 5 rooms that were incredibly expensive and the price did not match the accommodations. The New building is really dated and worn out, due for a remodel. Our rooms were very large and had beautiful corner views with balconies and views of the Nile, even our bathrooms had spectacular views.

The pool area was very nice but the service was slow, getting towels or chairs was a bit of a chore, with the staff sometimes pushing back against our wishes to move chairs and such, not the "yes" answers you'd expect for almost $3,000 per night times 5 rooms!

We ate a couple of times in the terrace ans the atmosphere was great but when we requested an extra table to accommodate our party of 8 we were told no, then the manager needed to approve it, then it was done. Again not the type of service you'd expect at a luxury hotel.

The old building is very nice and would be perfect if service levels could reach the levels of the setting and building.

When arriving youre dropped off a ways from the entrance to the hotel and getting a golf cart to take us to the hotel entrance or the new tower we were staying in was always a long wait and seemed like a chore.

Being able to take a felucca ride and a boat ride to the Nubian Village straight from the hotels jetty was super convenient.

Excellent, legendary hotel in Aswan. Beautiful room with stunning views of the Nile and a salon. Food was also excellent. Staff were friendly and went out of their way to ensure our state was perfect.

wow, unbelievable athmostphere.

Had afternoon tea overlooking the Nile and a wonderful guided tour of this beautiful Hotel by Nardeen who was very knowledgable and very professional. The service was excellent and efficient and the view was very special at sunset. Well worth a visit for the experience … you can book for lunch, dinner or afternoon Tea. Come smartly dressed as it is required and the ambience of the hotel is superb. If you like to “ feel” a place then book in to stay as the traditional part of the hotel particularly is splendid and very atmospheric. Thank you to Discover Egypt for organising our Egypt adventure and for Wings tours for booking our afternoon Tea here. It was something we will remember along with all the other “treasures” Egypt keeps giving.

As expected,sensation. Large, spacious and elegant. I would have stayed a month, but time only permitted a short stay.

Fantastic Property with lovely staff. Nardeen (who was an excellent host) was kind enough to give us a tour of some of the historical areas of the hotel including Winston Churchill’s and Agatha Christie’s suites. 6 Star Property and service.

Sofitel Legend Old Cataract is a truly beautiful and classy hotel that stands out as the best place I stayed in Egypt. The atmosphere felt grand and opulent, with every detail reflecting elegance and history.
I had the opportunity to stay in a spacious suite that interconnected with the Winston Churchill suite, which made the experience feel even more special. The suite was beautifully designed, with a large and very comfortable bed that made it easy to relax. The marble bathroom was impressive, generous in size and finished to a very high standard.
One of the highlights was the balcony overlooking the Nile, offering peaceful and unforgettable views.
The hotel grounds are also lovely, with a nice garden that adds to the charm and serenity of the hotel.
Dining at the hotel was excellent throughout my stay. Breakfast offered everything you could need, including freshly squeezed juices, fresh fruit and vegetables, pastries, egg menu as well as Egyptian and Middle Eastern dishes. I chose to have dinner at the hotel each evening and was consistently impressed. The food was delicious and nutritious every time.
My favourite dining experience was at 1902 restaurant, which requires dressing up and adds to the sense of occasion. Every dinner there was outstanding, both in quality and presentation.
Although the hotel was busy, the service remained strong. The concierge was particularly helpful and resolved any issues immediately, which made the stay smooth and enjoyable.
Overall, I found Sofitel Legend Old Cataract to be a really special place to stay, comfortable, beautifully set, with great food and genuinely excellent service that made the whole experience feel memorable.

The minute you entered the grounds you were transported to another time, one of serenity, elegance and superb hospitality. I would be amiss, if I didn’t mention the extra courteous attention that HerbSimon gave to my two daughters and I as we visited for a relaxing afternoon. Even the gate security man took our pictures. The entire experience was uplifting and I would highly recommend a visit.

Lovely stay, everything was spot on and the staff were absolutely brilliant. Would definitely come back.

We did afternoon tea at The Old Cataract this afternoon and it was absolutely wonderful. My expectations were low as reviews were fairly hit or miss, but I would 100% recommend it.

We haggled for a motorboat taxi from the dock ( I agreed 800 egyp for return journey for 2 people, plus tips) and they dropped us off at 4pm at the jetty with agreement to pick us up at 6:45.

It was a few steps up from the jetty (i jettisoned my heels for safety!) And we let the security guard know that we had pre booked with the manager and didn't need to buy tickets and he escorted us into the promenade.

From there we were met with the most lovely cavalcade of waiters who escorted us to a prime seat on the promenade. The afternoon was genuinely fantastic, I wasn't expecting much but the scones and cakes were amazing. They also provide a birthday cake and sang for me. My husband also let me know that the included English breakfast tea was delicious. The cocktails seemed quite expensive (circa £25-30 per) but the wine was very reasonable. We ordered two bottles during our stay, of local chardonnay for £25 per bottle and it was really surprisingly lovely. In total our bill for two people for food and drinks was £126 (plus tips, we tipped about £18ish on top) and it was an absolutely amazing experience, and we would 100% recommend it!

They just don’t make them like this anymore! Staying here was like being transported back in time in the best possible way. The grounds, the buildings, the architecture and the decor are immaculate. We were treated to an upgrade to the Sir Magdi Yacoub suite—world renowned heart surgeon—which was just over the top. We dined twice on the gorgeous Veranda, once for lunch and once for dinner. Service was a bit rough during the lunch period, but proved to be much better at dinner time. Food was solid, but not extraordinary. We also dined at the 1902 restaurant which was positively beautiful, but, alas, the menu was very small and the food not particularly French as billed. Gigantic room was nearly empty on a Saturday night which felt odd. Breakfast was also held in the 1902 restaurant and was more of a lively affair with many, many selections from which to choose. We also were fortunate to be able to spend an entire Sunday at the pool which was warm and inviting, but drink service was hard to come by and the flies were just horrendous—apparently it is fly mating season, who knew. We also availed ourselves of the Lobby bar which, again, had all the pizzazz and charm of a bygone era. The staff in the bar were extremely attentive as well as amusing. The Old Cateract is possibly the best reason I can think of to visit Aswan.

Great hotel, charming atmosphere of times past… with all the comfort and services of the 21st century.
The staff is well trained, friendly but very respectful, they bend over backwards to assure the wellbeing of customers.
There are many staff members we have met and all were helpful and efficient. I want to mention Shaza, who lead the tour in the Agatha Christie and Winston Churchill suites, Martina as host during breakfasts and in The Terrace restaurants, as well as waiters Kamel and Hussein. The lady in the concierge ríe was also very helpful and her informations were very useful. The gardens and swimming pool are finely attended. What a pleasure!
Its three restaurants offer excellent cuisine, with Europeans and Egyptian tastes depending on which one you choose. Ambience music nice and discrete.
This has been a highlight during our trip to Egypt.
Old Cataract was a dream of sorts for us… and the dream came true.

AWESOME- no other word can describe this place! The mix of history and fabulous service with lovely people is rare to find- but this place is magnificent.

Truly wonderful relaxing 3 nights of excellent food- the restaurant staff were all so professional, Mr Hussain in the 1902 was exceptional. The luxury rooms in the old hotel were huge and serviced perfectly by Ossama. Sunset by the pool or on the terrace was breathtaking. A real escape in a historic gem.

Impressive hotel with its historic legacy and a newer building with stunning rooms, overlooking the harbour area of Aswan. We had room in the new building on the 7th floor, with a larger terrace, including a seating area and a separate area with deck-chairs. It was just a joy sitting there, watching all the action on the harbour. The pool area was empty, as most people are on excursion during the day. Hence, take a day extra to just enjoy the hotel. The restaurants are very good, however, the French one is only indoor and requires a formal dress code. Nevertheless, the Arab restaurant is excellent and not as crowded as the main restaurant. Because this terrace is the most famous one, it is also attraction a lot of selfie-making tourists, taking hours for the perfect picture instead of enjoying the view…(a general problem one encounters traveling these days…)

Located centrally on the water, this hotel is truly majestic in its looks and in service.
As we checked in, we were greeted by Nour. She showed us the property and escorted us to beautiful rooms, very very spacious, with a separate sitting area and a huge walking closet. View was amazon.
Hotel had many services like spa etc.
Restaurants need attention. Terrace restaurant, with the most beautiful view of the sunset has a great menu.
But the kitchen is far away and food was always cold, by the time it arrived at the table.
VERY SURPRISED FOR A LARGE RESTAURANT LIKE 60 people, only one server. Server was amazing, but he could not serve so many people
Hotel needs to help him

Truly appalling service. We visited for cocktails and sunset at 5pm. You have to buy a voucher at the reception for approx £25 per person which is knocked off whatever you spend. There is no explanation of this and we spent 15 mins trying to even do that with long queue of people we thought were checking in.
We then got access to the hotel grounds and went to the bar to be told we couldn’t use the bar as we were outsiders - charming. We had to use a different outside terrace or lower level terrace.
We went to the first terrace and was told there were no tables as they were all booked for afternoon tea. We went to the lower terrace to be told the tables were all reserved. All empty I might add. But apparently all reserved.
Why sell tickets for cocktails at sunset if you cannot seat people or take orders - it feels like a scam just to charge entrance. Everyone that also had tickets was confused and angry and the staff all looked bemused and disinterested at how busy it suddenly was.
We eventually persuaded the waiter to let us sit at one table because my parents in their 80s were getting frustrated. He took orders for four drinks and didn’t return for 20 mins.
We then went to complain to someone but a table came available on the upper terrace - we asked if we could sit and were told there are no reservations so yes we could sit . We then had another woman come over to tell us we couldn’t sit down as there was a waiting list. We argued and just sat down to later see NOBODY on any wait list.
At the same time the lower level terrace we were told was all reserved was completely empty.
Another waiter came over after 15 mins and we explained we ordered cocktails (at this point) 40 mins ago and he said they clearly were not coming so we reordered.
Now we had a table we decided to eat - having missed the sunset due to the walking around to find a table or a waiter.
Drinks came. Food did not. After almost 45 mins the waiter came over and sheepishly said ‘can you repeat your order’. He hadn’t ordered it. This was really clear but wouldn’t admit it.
We eventually got starters at 7:15pm having arrived at 5pm
The food wasn’t even hot.
We complained and were simply told it was a busy time at sunset and there were a lot of Chinese visitors. We said that’s no excuse and if you don’t want outsiders to visit then don’t charge them to come in and just refuse. Or just get more staff. He agreed and said everyone was tired because of Ramadan.
This just is not a valid excuse. It’s Egypt. It’s Ramadan. It’s Chinese new year. This must be one of the most visited hotels at sunset - how can they not know that and staff
The entire entrance and drinks and food came to over £350 - no apology - not even a free drink as a sorry. Honestly appalling. And as we left the outside restaurant for guests had three tables eating, the inside bar and inside restaurant not a soul - maybe you should be kinder to people from outside who are not guests prepared to spend more money in your hotel than the actual guests. Sort yourself out Sofitel.

To describe the service at this hotel, the only fully appropriate term is SHAMEFUL.

A five-star hotel that charges a €30 entrance fee just to get in, only to provide this kind of treatment. Low-quality food arrived after 1 hour and 45 minutes of waiting under the sun, with flies hovering around us and mosquitoes biting us. We waited half an hour just to get water. The food did not arrive all at once but in 15-minute intervals. There were 10 of us seated at a table meant for 5, and when we asked for the situation to be improved, we were treated with indifference and dismissiveness.

It’s truly a shame because the location is beautiful, but it’s frustrating to hand over money to those who live off a reputation built decades ago and presume they no longer need to care about hospitality and customer service. Many other people around us were also unhappy with the poor service.

To sum it up, the experience simply put me in a bad mood. I strongly recommend that management seriously reconsider how they handle non-hotel guests and their restaurant service, because I will be telling everyone I can not to set foot there.

The only thing that makes this hotel receive good reviews is location. It is located in a very beautiful site of Aswan providing magnificent Nile view from many room types.

HOWEVER, a more important thing that needs to BE IMPROVED is FOOD HYGIENE. I got a severe food poisoning from the food I consumed here. I'm confident about this because I chose to dine at the restaurants in the hotel for my whole stay. Even with on the trip to Abu Simple, the lunch box was provided by the hotel (with quite expensive additional charge, of course). My symptoms started about six hours after the last meal I had here and there is no way that I could get this from any food from elsewhere (I stayed for 2 nights, more than 48 hours, not eating outside). It was so bad. I had chill, persistent nausea that lasted 3 days, and frequent watery diarrhea for 5 more days. It was one of the worst food poisoning I ever had.

This illness ruined the rest of my trip, which was a wonderful Nile cruise. I had a very difficult time going on excursion to many temples and I had to skip visiting Valley of the King, which is one of my dream destination because of this.

I am aware that there are some risks of getting food poisoning during travel. It's totally understandable if you get it from some poor-hygiene street food. But it shouldn't be from one of the most luxury hotels in Egypt like Sofitel Legend Old Cataract.

Moreover, their "renowned" service is something unreal. I think it is just a pretentious service to escalate the guests' experience more than a sincere willingness to service. To explain this, the staff who checked us in was very polite but acting like a robot. He explained everything with a well-trained flowery language. But when we asked for a USB charger that we forgot to bring from home, the only thing he could do was insisting that the hotel only had a normal adaptor without USB port. No further assistance. On the next day when we mentioned this to the chauffeur that drove us to Abu Simbel, he just simply made a quick stop at the mobile shop on the way back and we got our USB charger. That's it! We wonder why the staff at the hotel couldn't recommend this. It was so simple.

Overall experience at this hotel was awful. The only good thing that impressed us was the view of the Nile from our room's balcony but the illness ruined the rest of our trip and gave us a bad impression of going back to this beautiful country.

Had a wonderful afternoon tea at the beautiful Old Cataract Hotel watching the sunset over the River Nile The location in the Promenade Bar was superb, the tea and food excellent, and Soliman provided impeccable service. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough!