Aswan, or Life at the Old Cataract Hotel

View from our room of the
hotel pool and the Nile.

Pussy willows and lilies in the lobby
of The Old Cataract

The Old Cataract Hotel was once a Farouk Palace. It sits at a bend in the river looking at Elephantine Island and Kitchener Island and overlooks the tomb and one of the homes of Aga Khan. The river is dotted with sailboats called feluccas.

We went through the usual security to enter and while waiting for our room, we enjoyed very good lattes on the bar terrace. Coffee was not the cruise ship's claim to fame.

After getting settled into a lovely room in the new wing (with a huge balcony and great view), we hired a felucca for a sail around these islands. The wind was on and off so we tacked a whole lot. The felucca is a very simple wooden boat and the one we hired was well-loved (yar!) by the single operator. There is a single sail that is triangular in shape attached to a wooden mast. A wooden rudder is raised and lowered as needed. There is no optional motor, so the ride was very quiet and peacful. Two hours out cost us about $10.

Another felucca under sail.

Bougainvillea on Kitchener Island

Kitchener Island was a gift to a British military officer of the same name. He turned it into a botannical garden, with many different species of trees. At this time of year the bougainvillea is in bloom in many colors. Elephantine island has a residential population, almost alotgether devoted to tourism.

Denise forgot her hat so followed
the local custom and said it made
a big difference.

The hotel has a beautiful spa, which we of course took advantage of by getting pre-departure deep tissue Nubian massages. I regret we did not have time for the full hammam treatment. The hotel is beautifully decorated with  marble used for many walls and all floors except where there is carpeting.

Our felucca sailor preparing the sail
for departure.

The city of Aswan has about the same population as the state of Vermont. In addition to tourism, there are several new and large academic and research institutes housed there. Many shops offer cotton or papyrus. I observed all this from the cab coming and going. Once there, one does not want to leave The Old Cataract. The landscaping reminded me of a small campus; it featured fountains and nice walkways.

The staff was super-attentive and very helpful, especially when I flooded the bathroom because I couldn't figure out how to control the shower. The bartender took great delight in making me a very special just for me cocktail involving orange juice and vodka. This was no screwdriver. By his description it involved much shaking over ice. The bottom line was that I found it refreshing. However, I have to report that the food (NTFII) was disappointing. We conjectured it must be very hard to keep a good chef in such a slump for tourism. Go again though? In a heartbeat. Get a Nile-facing room in the new wing. Eat the Egyptian breakfast food. Find other restaurants for dinner. Go for a sail.