Nubian Lotus — Hotel in Elephantine Island

After more than a year of researching hotels for my independent travel to Egypt I decided to contact Marta and Osama, owners of Nubian Lotus Guesthouse. Over a period of several months I would email them with questions and they always responded immediately. Other traveler reviews were persuasive, but it was Marta and Osama's personal communications that sealed the choice for me. || Marta had emailed me directions from the train station to the public ferry dock where I'd take the ferry over to Elephantine Island. After landing, it was a short walk through a village to their home. I was met with a smile and shown to my room-a darling studio apartment on the second floor. Marta, Osama and their two children live on the ground floor while an open-air terrace/kitchen occupies the third story. The view of the Nile, the west side of the river and the boats sailing past was absolutely beautiful.|| Before I arrived, I had to contact my hosts to explain that my traveling companion had a family emergency and needed to return to the USA. Was their a chance they could move me from the larger apartment to a smaller unit? Yes, there was. That room was perfect for me (or a couple). Clean interior, little kitchenette, tiled shower with rain-drop shower head and pristine linens for the bed and bath were oh so welcoming. Marta asked what I wanted for dinner and at what time. Since it would be a few hours I decided to do a walk-about in the village. Friendly people greeted me as I strolled the path. Ah, peace. No traffic noise, just the occasional braying of a donkey.|| Dinner was delicious. Marta and Osama offer an Italian (because she is) and Nubian because he is) menu. Sitting up on the terrace, dining al fresco while watching the Nile and its inhabitants made for a relaxing meal.|| The bed is quite comfortable and I slept like the proverbial hog. I also felt very safe and never locked my door the entire three days.|| I wanted to go for a sunset trip on the river so Osama contacted a young cousin who arrived with his motorboat. Since the river is just a few feet away from the guesthouse it was easy to access the boat. Off we went for a trip up the Nile. My Captain was young, but deft at skippering the boat around the island, between huge boulders and other vessels. I ended up hiring him for two more trips on the river! When he asked if I liked music, and I agreed, he played a Bob Marley set. What?! This 70 year old traveler and teen-age boat captain shared a love for reggae on the Nile. || Marta and Osama grow their own vegetables and herbs. The mango trees are everywhere so fresh juice, very fresh juice, is available all the time. I loved it!|| One day I walked to an extensive archeological site on one end of the island. Several international groups are researching the site in an ongoing effort. If you enjoy history, ancient history, this would be the perfect morning visit.|| Nubian Lotus Guesthouse was the respite I needed after I'd been in Cairo and Luxor. Away from city sounds, there is peace. Marta and Osama exude calm with old world excellent hospitality. If I'm ever lucky enough to return to Egypt I will stay with my Nubian family again. Thank you, Marta and...

I can’t recommend Nubian Lotus highly enough. The owners and hosts Osama and Marta are so so lovely - incredibly helpful and friendly - and really made our week-long stay an absolute delight. Nothing is too much trouble and our numerous chats on the rooftop gave us such a great insight into Nubian and Aswan life. Osama helped us so much getting around (either in his boat or on the local ferry) as well as organising taxis and tours for us (including Abu Simbel and Philae temple). It is such a charming guesthouse on the banks of Elephantine Island (the quiet side away from the city) with beautiful views over the botanic gardens island and the sandy dunes of the west bank. The rooms are modern, comfortable, spacious and clean with basic cooking facilities included. Option of Egyptian or basic breakfast included along with a menu of very decently priced Italian and Egyptian meals if you choose to stay and have dinner on the rooftop. Only watch out if you’re a light sleeper - even though the island is much quieter than staying in the city it is not uncommon to hear barking dogs and braying donkeys during the night, along with calls to prayer - so earplugs are recommended. The island is easy to walk around and a chance to encounter and talk to lots of friendly locals. It’s a five minute walk to the ferry stop on the city side of the island - ferries run continuously throughout the day to the other side (KFC stop) from about 6.30am to 12 at night so you never wait long and the trip is only 5 Egyptian pounds each way - so the city itself is also on your doorstep. It’s also worth getting Osama to drop you on the West bank so you can walk along the top to the Tombs of the Nobles. We were really sad to end our chilled stay but when back we wouldn’t chose anywhere else to stay. Thank you so much Osama & Marta for your warmth and...

Martha and Osama are amazing hosts! They were really responsive and helpful. They helped us arrange an airport pickup and the entire process was seamless, which was very nice because Egypt can be very intimidating. ||||Our ride was waiting for us and the second we walked out of the airport and Osama was at the end of the car ride with his boat, waiting for us. We didn't have to wait at all, which was really nice because the sun was scorching!||||The room was very clean and had everything you need: A/C, hot water, a small kitchenette, tea and coffee, a comfortable bed, and wifi. The wifi was really strong and significantly better than other places we had been in Egypt. We were both streaming the entire trip and there was no issues at all and even were able to download some movies from Netflix before our long travel day.||||They also serve food and drinks, all fresh from their garden! The food was very good. I loved the Egyptian breakfast they served us each morning. The fresh mango juice was absolutely delicious.||||The view is just gorgeous and we saw one of the best sunsets I have ever seen! ||||We had to check-out very early the next morning and they packed us breakfast to go! Martha also picked some fresh mint, lemongrass, and aloe vera from their garden as a little going away gift. We made the mint and lemongrass into tea at our next stop and it was very nice. We saved the aloe vera for our sunburns.||||Osama helped us with our bags and walked us to the ferry in the morning. They are incredibly thoughtful hosts and made us feel right at home and went out of their way to make sure our travels were as comfortable as possible. ||||We only wish we had booked...