3 Best Hotels in Aswan and Lake Nasser, Egypt

Sprawling across the northern portion of Elephantine Island, the Mövenpick offers uber-comfortable rooms decorated in bold geometric patterns and rusty desert tones. The otherwise low-rise hotelscape is dominated by an odd tower that looks like it could be for air traffic control but actually houses Panorama, a wraparound restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows that display some of Aswan's best sunset views. A LE350 day pass allows nonguests access to the pool and restaurants.

Opened in 1899, the Old Cataract is one of Egypt's grandest hotels, well known for its scene-setting role in Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile (you can even stay in her suite for a whopping US$8,000 a night). An impressive roll call of famous folk have overnighted here, including Winston Churchill (who also has a dedicated suite), Tsar Nicolas II, Princess Diana, and Jimmy Carter. 

Nubian-style bungalows are scattered around a verdant garden replete with waterfalls and a swimming pool right at the edge of Lake Nasser. The whitewashed walls and faux-stone details are of another era, but rooms are clean and comfortable.