Meshra Katto

Pros: They sent a boat to pick me up at the southern dock and brought me to the island which was nice. Very nice view from the terrace. The owner was super helpful and helped me organise a trip to Abu Simbel and the bus to Luxor. Bed was comfortable and Wifi worked for the most part.

Charming and inspirational place from which to explore Aswan.

Pros: Superb location on the river with stunning views of the dunes opposite. Very peaceful and inspiring situation. We were a group of artists looking for subject matter and the place more than delivered. The staff were outstanding. Nothing was too much trouble for Mohamed, and a special mention for Zizu who drove us everywhere in the boat. A charming and wonderful team. We were truly sad saying goodbye. The food in the restaurant is also really good- I recommend the fried fish and chicken moussaka tagine especially.

Cons: The bathroom was quite scruffy and our bedside table had a broken piece of glass on top. It was all quite rough and ready. But I would go back again tomorrow despite these reservations!

Relaxing stay at an authentic Nubian guesthouse

Pros: The location on Elephantine Island is superb with an amazing sunset view from the upstairs terrace and the riverside restaurant. Mohamed was a very welcoming host and happy to help whenever he could. Zezo was also very helpful, ferrying us around in his motorboat whenever we needing dropping off or picking up. The food in the restaurant was good quality home cooking at a reasonable price.

Pros: We were extremely happy with this stay. Our room had direct view on Nile, the same can be said about breakfast terrace and small restaurant belonging to this place. Coming straight from chaos of Cairo the calmness of Nile was great. Apart from that the staff was great, always helpfull. Breakfests were the same every day, but they were tasty. And the room itself was spacious and clean.

Cons: Close proximity to Nile has one drawback - music blasting from boats at random night hours. Every night at least 2 of those will pass along and you will hear it for about 10 minutes each. It's unavoidable in this area, so just writing it down as something to remember about.

A perfect place to stay, away from the bustle of Aswan, with a fabulous view

Pros: Very helpful owner and staff. Incredible location with the best view in Luxor - sitting in the guesthouse dining area you look across the Nile at the Aga Khan’s memorial and the St Simeon monastery. The modern buildings on the East Bank are all way behind you and the kingfishers dart above the water. There is greenery around. BTW When new houses are being built, please take care of your big mango trees and palms - they are so important to the ambience.

Cons: We had no complaints. One small idea for an improvement would be for a small shaving mirror in the bathroom. Thank you for the mirror in the bedroom.

Get place to enjoy the tranquility of Elephantine Island

Pros: It’s in a lovely spot overlooking the water. The owner Mohammed is very friendly and happy to offer advice or organise trips for you. The roof terrace is perfect place to watch the sunset.

Cons: The room we had was quite small with a tiny bathroom. There was no shower enclosure so water gets everywhere. A bathmat or long handled squeegee would have been useful.

Pros: We had an amazing 3 night stay at Meshro Katto. Beautiful location on Elephantine Island away from the hustle and bustle of the east bank. Easy to walk around Elephantine and get the ferry over. Owner Muhammed was very helpful, friendly and honest. He arranged a trip to Abu Simbel for us and other guests. The hotel has a private boat and Zezu was very helpful at taking us across to the West bank and Kitchener Island. Our only regret was not eating at the hotel earlier in our! Breakfast on the roof terrace and dinner in Kush restaurant was amazing. Thank you.

Pros: Very chill stay by the Nile. Spacious room, balcony with view of the river. Good breakfasts, good dinners at the restaurant. Very kind and helpful staff. It was peaceful and relaxing.

Pros: Lovely and peaceful spot, overlooking the Nile. Staff were incredible helpful in all manner of things: organizing a boat pickup and drop off, giving me recommended prices on activities and when we had an issue with our shower they promptly changed our room for us while they sorted out the issue. Restaurant is quiet with great views and large portions of delicious food my mother and I had to share as we simply couldn’t finish one by ourselves. We loved our stay and our time on Elphantine Island!

An absolutely perfect stay in Aswan!

Pros: Mohammed and the entire staff were absolutely adorable during our 5 days stay on the Elephantine island. I would definitely recommend staying on the island, which is well connected to Aswan by public boats, way calmer than the city, and it has the best views on Nile river. Everything was perfectly planned from the start: Mohammed organised our night coming from the airport with a private taxi and boat. The rooftop on the Nile river/Sahara desert and its dunes is really cool. Special words too for the Kush restaurant just in front, also hosted by Mohammed and its team : We had the best Egyptian cuisine there. You can hear (and taste) that everything is homemade specially for you. The team can also let you go wherever you want thanks to their boat, which is very useful in Aswan. A really really nice stay!