The Rooms are well appointed with elegant private baths, air conditioning, color televisions and telephones. But all this is to be expected. It is the elevation of these amenities which speak to the tourist of the hotel's charm and elegance. Each room is different, with high ceilings, wonderful Nile views classic furnishings and bathroom fixtures and comfortable beds. Near the large swimming pool, surrounded by gardens and trees, one may find quarry marks from ancient times.
Public areas are splendid, with marble, fine wood and artistic draperies.
Designed as a Moorish hall, the domed restaurant features four red and white traditional door-key arches and is decorated with fine mashrabiya and stained glass. It was opened to celebrate the first Aswan Dam, a British construction, and opening night was attended by the Khedive Abbas Helmy, the sovereign of Egypt, Winston Churchill, who attended with King Edward VII's younger borther, as well as Dukes, Lords, and other dignitaries. In 1999, the Cataract celebrated its centennial, beginning the next hundred years of service. Anyone traveling to Aswan should consider this hotel for their stay. While certainly not inexpensive, as has been said, one may not afford to miss the opportunity of staying in one of the world's best known and most elegant hotels.