Masa Nubian House

Forty minutes by felucca from Aswan's Corniche, Masa Nubian House sits on the Nile's western bank in Gharb Seheyl, a Nubian village of sand-and-mudbrick homes painted in indigo and ochre. No cars reach the property; guests arrive by boat, arranged through the front desk.

Rooms open onto a shared courtyard with garden and mountain views rather than corridors, and the kitchen serves Nubian dishes cooked to order. A rooftop terrace faces the river and Elephantine Island opposite.

The setting suits travellers seeking a slower Aswan stay away from cruise-ship docks and downtown traffic.