Seti Abu Simbel Lake Resort

We had a magic view and a nice buffet, and the staff were friendly and well organized. They made sure our stay went smoothly, and we’d come back. The one letdown was the hotel’s recommended guide for the Abu Sinbel visit. He spoke French, but mostly gave us a quick rundown of some photos of the site, which didn’t really convince us.

The room WiFi worked without any trouble, and the bathroom had been updated and was very comfortable. The staff were kind and friendly, and the atmosphere was lovely. A really nice hotel.

The pools are a great place to cool off, with plenty of peaceful seating around them. The food is tasty and there’s lots of it, and the staff are personable and very helpful. The colorful rooms are clean and well appointed, too. SETI I Abu Simbel Hotel is so close to the Abu Simbel temples, and the setting overlooking beautiful Lake Nassau is picturesque. It’s one of my favorite hotels in Egypt. I stay there every year and love everything about it.

We came here because we booked it more than six months ahead for the location near the temples. The grounds are magnificent and the pool surrounds are sensational. But for the price, this was the least useful place of our whole trip, and the most expensive. We’ve been in Egypt for 28 days, this is our third trip to Egypt and Abu Simbel in 20 years, and we’ve been having a blast. The locals in town were fantastic. Our best memories are of walking around, laughing with people and buying things in their shops, not of this crappy motel. If being close to the temples is your only reason, think twice and try further into town. The service was a mess. We waited 90 minutes for two cheeseburgers and cokes, then someone in our group of seven waited another 25 minutes for spring rolls. Food was bland, had little variety and cost too much. A latte or cappuccino was freeze-dried instant coffee in lukewarm milk. Learning to use an espresso machine isn’t rocket surgery. WiFi barely worked at the pool and reception, and not in the rooms either. The TV sucked. At the end of the day you just want to watch TV, drink coffee or have a whiskey or two, and upload your pictures to OneDrive in case you lose your phone. The last insult was dragging our bags over uneven cobbles to reception. My wife needs a kidney transplant, and this is our last trip before it happens. My daughter is disabled and I have a spine deformity. We passed numerous staff without anyone offering to help. I dragged three check-in bags and a sleep machine while the girls pulled three cabin bags across pathways with no ramps. They still don’t mind adding a service charge to everything. The manager threw together some drinks and rolls as we left, but it was a sad effort to understand our complaints. They need to work harder on service and less on keeping the grass green and tidy.