Aswan Hotel
 

I have read many trip reports and studied Tripadviser but am no closer to having a good sense of what hotel to choose in Aswan. If the Old Cataract were open I wouldconsider a splurge and stay there - but that seems not to be.

From reviews I have read Moevepick seems another viable option - but I would prefer somehing less expensive and am having in finding something that seems to fit the bill. As a point of reference Longchamps seems to pick the right boxes for me in Cairo.

My plans are still coming together but I think it will be two nights in Aswan.

Hotel Longchamps is a PERFECT hotel in Cairo. Movenpick (to me) was beautiful on the island but huge!I think that I read one poster say on another thread that you will "walk forever" if your room is at the end from the lobby.
That said-I would stay on shore and pick any of the regular names that come up. We got an upgrade to the Iberotel (which was beautiful,newly opened and on shore) but if you have to get up before dawn to get to the airport for Abu Simbel it really isn't worth the extra money.(think around 330am)
We flew into Aswan from Cairo-toured everything and spent the night there before heading to Abu Simbel the next morning. Then we came back to Aswan and spent the night docked on our boat in Aswan for our second night.

Dutyfree, can you please say more about the Iberotel in Aswan? We are booked there next week and I see that the tripadvisor reviews are not good. Did you stay there and find it okay?

I like the Basma Hotel in Aswan. It's not fantastic, but it's not bad. It is just up hill a bit from the Cataract so the views of the river are great.
Here is their web site address - http://www.basmahotel.com/

We too would have stayed at the Cataract had it been open, but it was not to be. We ended up at the Isis Pyramisas. The grounds of the hotel are beautiful, very nice pool, on an island in the river, so views are great. Another of those hotels with huge (but very pleasant) lobby. My complaint was that the room was terribly "plain" -- Motel 6-ish -- which I thought odd for a place with such nice common areas. It isn't Longchamps-like, but it may fit the bill price-wise. As I recall, the beds were not great, but the bathroom was large and very good shower.