LTI-Pyramisa Isis Island Resort

LTI-Pyramisa Isis Island Resort Review

Sometime around New Year's 2006, a German couple checked in to this sprawling, low-rise retreat in the middle of the Nile. As of this writing, they haven't checked out yet. You can usually find them by the pool, the one that's out past the mango and grapefruit trees, the one with the swim-up bar. It's a bit of a walk to get there; more than two-thirds of this island's 30 acres are devoted to landscaping, including the organic vegetable garden that supplies the hotel's buffet restaurant. Other German, English, Belgian, and French guests come for the spa's "sand bath" treatment—Aswan is famed for this rheumatism treatment. In winter, the hotel's island location is popular with birders hoping to catch sight of migratory species. They all stay in spacious, carpeted rooms done up in homey apricot-toned fabrics. And they no doubt feel as if the Nile view from their ample private balcony is theirs alone. In fact, for a hotel that can handle close to a thousand guests, the place can seem deserted until mealtime or check-out.