We moved to this Hotel because the Isis in town was too noisy. This Hotel has an 'open-plan' airy feeling to it. Exceptionally friendly Staff, who were genuinely friendly and professional. We were only B & B, and the Breakfast was pretty good for this part of the world. Some fresh Juices would have been nice and the Coffee was excellent. We ate in the Hotel on the first evening and again food was good, but not good enough to keep us there for the following nights. A couple of 'Niggles' were the temperature of the Jacuzzi outside the Sauna was too cool, and there was 'Piped' 1980's dull music all around the main parts of the Hotel which was very tiresome. The Pool however was excellent and plenty warm enough to swim in January. They also provide a free shuttle bus and River Boat down and back from Luxor which is a bonus as you are approx 3 miles from Luxor centre. All in all, I would definitely go back again.

As others have commented, the standard of service was inconsistent. Some of the staff were really well trained, there was a brilliant woman on the front desk who knew everyone and was very efficient. Other times, the staff were willing enough but didn't seem to have had any training and didn't seem sure about the right thing to do. Other times, I really wondered about the staff. I ended up wondering about the hotel's policy on choosing staff, as will become clear later in this review.

PLUS POINTS: Nice pool, friendly staff at the poolside bar. Nile side location with pleasant gardens, and a free boat shuttle into Luxor town which is about 2 km away. The boat shuttle was really pleasant. Communal areas are pleasant. Rooms fine, though like others I found the TVs didn't work, flat battery probably. Laid back atmosphere. Quite a good selection of shops in the hotel and a little convenience store just outside where you could buy everyday things you might need without going into town. Generally the food in the evening was super, there were not only international dishes but also local type dishes available. They also had a fun buffet evening in a well decorated tent one day a week. Reasonably priced.

MINUS The lack of heating in communal areas meant one did not wish to linger in lobby or bar during colder weather. Breakfast not that great, the bread always seemed chewy and I think it was left over from the previous night (it was always nice at night). So were some of the salads, the cheese would be slightly curled up at the edges, etc. Also, horrid little plastic pots of inferior jam, what's so hard about getting a few jars of decent quality jam and honey?.

My anxiety was in connection with whoever cleaned the rooms. Sometimes it was OK but on other days the room was barely touched. The bed had been made but towels not picked up, nothing tidied, toiletries not replenished, floor in the bathroom not cleaned, toilet left dirty. I did not complain, perhaps I should have done, but I had already fussed about a few things and didn't want to be spending my time moaning

After I left, I discovered some of my money had gone missing. I cannot of course be sure when it happened so I can not directly accuse the cleaner who had spent so little care and time on cleaning our room. What happened was this. The safe was dodgy, at one point it jammed shut. After it had been opened, it then didn't subsequently lock properly, although I didn't realise this. A day later, I noticed it was open, so I checked everything inside. Nothing seemed to be missing. My roll of spare money which I had left in it appeared untouched. But when I got home I discovered the money was $100 short in the form of a $100 bill. I am NOT saying that it was necessarily stolen in the hotel, as of course it is always possible for two bills to stick together or for me to simply make a mistake. Please accept that I am uncertain about exactly how the money went missing. BUT the combination of exceptionally hasty cleaning on a couple of days plus the weird trouble with the safe, and then the disappearance of the money, means that I feel uneasy. This makes me wonder about their policy on hiring staff at this hotel. There is a lot of unemployment in Luxor at present. There are bound to be many good, honest and conscientious people currently desperate for a hotel job. Tripadvisor reviews for this hotel have been consistently rather critical of the level of service. Why not do something about it, monitor guest satisfaction if necessary and replace the staff who are only there for the ride? Sofitel is an international chain with a reputation to preserve - it should be possible to deal with this and I am really surprised that it is not someone's job to monitor Tripadvisor reports for Sofitel properties and raise such issues with individual hotels

Stayed here for a week of sun in January 2012. Overall pleased with our choice and the holiday represented very good value. We had a first floor room which was very clean, comfortable with excellent heating (needed at night in January!). The bathroom was a little tired with the odd cracked tile and the shower was very difficult to control and would produce hot then tepid water. We went all inclusive and felt the service, quality and choice of buffet food at breakfast and in the evening was good. At lunchtime we were able to order anything from the poolside restaurant menu which had lots of choice including full meals (e.g. seabass) and was very good. Service in the main bar was poor and occassionally verging on surly. For two evenings they did not have any tonic water and throughout the hotel drinks were served in ridiculously small glasses. On a couple of occassions a request for another drink within 10 minutes was greeted with a raised eyebrow! Bar staff appeared very friendly to some guests but were observed being very cool and sometimes rude to others. This inconsistency created a strange atmosphere in the bar. The public areas were also very cold at night and did not seem to be heated which did not encourage lingering in the bar for long after dinner. Although drinks were stated as being served on an all inclusive basis until midnight the bar was usually closed by 11.30 as most guests had gone to bed. The hotel was very quiet during our stay so there were plenty of sunbeds available and no queuing for food at the buffet or for drinks which made it a very relaxing and pleasant experience. It is however a shame that when we checked out the staff on reception seem utterly disinterested - no eye contact, mono-syllabic etc. Our TV remote stopped working after the 3rd day (and therefore we couldnt hear the TV) and after 4 calls to reception to get another one or new batteries, over two days we gave up! This hotel has lovely rooms, public areas, good food and the potential to be excellent, but, although some staff are great, others leave you feeling like you are inconveniencing them.

We stayed at the KARNAK from 18th Jan 2012 for 7 nights. From the get go the staff were the most helpful we have ever had the good fortune to meet.
In the restaurant, Said, the new manage has an excellent and most professional team ensuring that every wish of each guest is met end always exceeded. The food is superb an plentiful with a very wide selection - you must try the local delicacies - utterly scrumptious!!
The waiters in the restaurant will always spend time with each guest and there is an ever present smile at each meeting - handshakes abound and the service is top notch - I did hear some recently arrived English guests having a moan - COMPLETELY UNFOUNDED!!! If you do go all inclusive, you will still need to sign for item taken - never fear, the system does work and you will only pay for stuff outside the A/I agreement, like your laundry - another great service - my shirts came folded like new with cardboard inserts and razor sharp creases. each So they had to wait for a slice of cake for a couple minutes - Please!!! the staff in the restaurant made our holiday complete.
Our room was very clean and comfortable and the bed was MASSIVE!! the room was cleaned every day and fresh linen and towels provided every day also. The valets even made animals characters from towels - the crocodile was the best....and fresh flowers to garnish to boot!!
the pool was superb and spotless, the pool bar was a high point for it's staff again! Lunch by the pool never disappointed either - Sundowners for coffee and shisha is a must do.
We had a fantastic relaxing holiday made special by the hotel staff from top to bottom and we will certainly come back again - the only down point of the holiday was having to leave!!!

go and enjoy for youreslves!!

John and Alison - room 2020