The Hotels is very clean & bar staff very good but reception staff were rude and same downright ignorant. There was a variety of food but it was tasteless. We were charged 4.90 dinar (about £2.30) for less than 2 mines call to our rep. there was parrot in the lobby that squall must of the day. And there was few cats run around the place. There was no entertainment apart of a man on keyboard a couple of night a week, there were 2 shows but you had to pay extra for them.
When we booked in were given a timetable of meals and bar etc, most of things listed did not exist, such dinner from 6.30 to 9.30 and from10.00pm till midnight late supper. The real time there were 2 sitting 6.30pm to 7.45pm 2nd 8.00pm to 9.30pm, no late supper. At dinner you sat where the staff locate you (sharing table with other gusset) or you not welcome. It took 4 days to find us a table by ourselves. So the whole week we ate outside the hotel.
11-18\1\2012

Myself and My Husband stayed at this hotel over Christmas 24-27 December 2011. I was not impressed at the reception when checking in to the hotel as it took a very long time. I presented the receptionist with our accommodation voucher, he looked at it and looked at it again, asked when the hotel was booked and we also had to produce a Marriage Certificate as we were sharing a double bedroom (this I believe is because my Husband is from Tunisia).

The above aside we had an absolutely fantastic time and great Christmas at Riadh Palms hotel and couldn't have wished for a better hotel to have spent Christmas in. As we arrived on Christmas Eve it was right in the middle of the festivities as like European Countries the main day here is 24th rather than 25th. During the afternoon the animation staff were ringing bells around the bar and telling everyone to go out to the pool area…. Santa had arrived on a camel and his elves on a horse and cart behind, they threw sweets out to everyone and created a magical atmosphere, this continued for about 30mins to give a chance for everyone to take photos.

Rooms
Our room on both occasions was clean. The rooms are basic and not very large which personally doesn't bother us, cleanliness is the most important. They do have a TV and there bathroom has a separate toilet room. The first time we stopped here we had a sea view which was great and second time had a front view which was also nice, especially at night as you could see right out over Sousse when its all lit up.

Food / Christmas Gala Dinner
Our first meal when we arrived was lunch was very nice, a great selection and everything looked fresh and appealing. The restaurant waiters are very friendly and welcoming and do not hover for tips, if you order wine for instance, there is a waiter which was around with the bottles and tops up your glass without even asking you if want more! Thats good service.
We had a Gala Dinner during the evening of Christmas Eve. It was 9 courses! It was such a lovely evening, fantastic atmosphere and outside the restaurant the animation team had set up a nativity (at which they asked me earlier in the day to be Mary). The restaurant was all decorated with candlelit table and the hotel appeared practically full which again added to the great vibe. There was a live band and you could get up and dance during your meal. The only course I did not enjoy was the main course the turkey, this was because there were a lot of vegetables cooked in garlic on the plate and I am not keen on garlic vegetables, we were also very full by this course as I think it was number 5 or 6? We did not stay in the restaurant for the duration of the meal as it was going on and on approaching midnight and we wanted a bit of time in the bar.

Normal food aside Christmas Gala Dinner, was really nice, good selection, the hot (heated) food was actually hot (heated). There was a choice of two soups each day (these were a little watery), large salad selection, there was a section where they were grilling a different meat / poultry or fish every day and also a one meat carvary which you don't always get in AI hotels. There was a pasta section where you tell the chef what you would like in it and its cooked in front of you. The hotel also had a pork selection on quite a few occasions which being a Muslim country is nice that this if on offer. The only thing they didn't seem to have was pizza.
Breakfast again was a great variety to choose from, breakfast juices weren't great though.
We only used the crepe snack bar so cannot comment on other snacks (too full from the main meals).

AI Drinks and Bar
There is only one bar inside the hotel which can be used for All Inclusive, the bar staff here are very good and friendly, I only remember one of their names 'Gazi' I think he was very good and didn't keep people waiting for long at the bar as well as promptly clearing the tables. The other bar by reception is a paying bar as are the bars joint to outside of hotels English Bar (which is as much English as a Tunisian flag!) and the 'Czen' Shisha bar lounge. The pool / beach bar is all inclusive, we were disappointed that this was not open though, as all the other hotels in Sousse have their pool / beach bars open in January and there were a lot of guests spending time out by the pool and on the beach.

Pool / Beach
The pool is attractive looking however I am surprised that there is only one outdoor pool (although it is big) for the size of hotel. The beach is well kept and the hotel have made a wooden path down towards the sea (no sand in your shoes!). We did not use the indoor pool but it is a nice size.

Everything Else
There is a large arcade with 4 pool tables, air hockey, table football and table tennis (this is in a covered area I presume its open air during the high season). They have live music played every evening in the bar (the DJ caters for all ages). There don't appear to be any shows in the hotel other than the ones you pay to see in the hotel night club (shows suitable for all the family). We saw one on our first visit 'Fakir Show' we have seen this in other hotels but they use animals in this show (snake, lizard, monkey) hence payment (15TD pp).
There is quite a large area at the back of the hotel by the pool which is gardens which are relatively well kept and theres a Children's play area.
The hotel is in a nice location there are a few shops outside the hotel and a little bit of a mini supermarket as well as a cash point. It is 15 min walk along the promenade into Sousse centre and the Medina (UNESCO World Heritage Site). There are a few bars and discoteks within short walking distance from the hotel (there is a touch screen monitor on reception desk which suggests places to visit).

W can't wait to return to this hotel in few months, it really has such a nice atmosphere and nice clientele.
I would not like to stay here during the middle of summer as there is only the one outdoor pool and I would imagine with the size of the hotel it would not be enjoyable fighting for space in it.

I would definitely recommend this hotel as to us it meets every aspect important to make a good holiday

-Excellent Service (EXCLUDING the reception staff)
-Great Food
-Clean Room
-Fantastic Atmosphere

This was my 5th visit to Sousse, but the first to this hotel. I arrived on Sunday evening, 11th December at around 9pm. I was told that I was too late for a meal in the restaurant, but could buy something in the snack bar. Not the best of starts. For example in Fuertaventura earlier this year there was a plated meal and half a bottle of wine left in the room for me as I was arriving late. In Gran Canaria in December 2010, all those of us who were arriving too late for dinner were given a cold buttet style meal in the dining room. I loved my room (606). It was huge, with lots of wardrobe space and drawers. It also has a seperate bathroom and a seperate toilet. The problem was in December the evenings and nights were very cold and the heating in my room didn't work. Despite two requests for it to be fixed, it never was, at least not whilst I was there, and the bed was a bit too hard for me. The chamber maids were excellent. Very polite and friendly, and they kept the room immaculate. There was a safe available in the room and on payment to the reception desk of 40 dinars,you were supplied with the key and the code, half of which was refunded on production of the key when you were leaving.
The hotel lobby is very impressive and again very clean, as all of the communal areas appeared to be. The lower ground floor was used for dancing in the evenings. The pools were very nice and so was the beach /snack bar, and the gardens very well kept, with an opening and path leading directly on to the beach.
At the front of the hotel was a small parade of shops, mostly souvenir shops, but there is a small supermarket/general store there too, and there is also a cash machine in the parade.
For me, the restaurant was the worst part of the hotel. Tables were allocated, which I really disliked. You could sit where you liked for breakfast, but for dinner you had to sit in the same seat every night, and to make it even worse, you were allocated a sitting time and you could not change it. I didn't realise this was the case, and found the staff quite rude when they told me that I had come at the wrong time and was sitting in the wrong seat, and in future I must stick to my allocated time. I let it go, but was annoyed. Firstly because I object to being told when to eat and where to sit, and secondly annoyed by the attitude of the waiter who told me and who brought the restaurant manager to confirm it. The waiters in general were quite off hand almost to the point of rudeness. I thought the food distinctly average, a wide choice but nothing special, and not I thought particularly good quality. One thing which really surprised me it that the Riadh Palms is the very first hotel in a Muslim country where I have seen pork served.
Would I stay there again? maybe. My only real sticking point was the dining room and the lack of working heating in my room. The rest of the holiday was fine.

The hotel was OK, probably not a 4 star anywhere else but OK all the same. The rooms were basic but clean and functional and even had a TV with satellite channels !! The room was cleaned daily and the housekeeping staff were efficient and friendly.

The rooms with a sea view are much better than the rooms with a street view but the outdoor entertainment is very noisy on the beach side and lasts until 23:30.

The pool was nice but very busy (in July) and not always crystal clear, getting a sun lounger after 08:00 was impossible. People put their towels on the sun loungers as early as 05:00, despite signs forbidding this practice. The proximity to the beach and general situation is probably this hotel's best characteristic.

The staff were in general friendly, especially the restaurant staff. Interestingly, the bar staff who get most, if not all, of the tips, were the least friendly... until they were tipped :)

The 'all inclusive' food was bland, as I suppose it must be to cater to the majority of people. The variety of food was also disappointing. The beer was palatable but the spirits and red wine were not.

My biggest complaint with this hotel is that the only place where the wi-fi is available is in the foyer. The problem is that the foyer is directly above, and open to, the bar area where most of the guests were in a race to see who could finish their Duty Free cigarettes first. During the day the smoke wasn't too bad but after 19:00 it looked like the building was on fire and for a non-smoker with children it was very unpleasant.

The 'mini club' for the kids was terrible, we expected activities like archery, tennis, swimming, etc. but the girl in charge didn't have any structured plans and could only suggest face painting.

In case it matters, the mix of people was probably 90% Russian, the rest being made up of German, English, French and Irish.

Don't go to the market at Nabeul, the goods are mostly inferior quality and/or rejects and the merchants are very, very aggressive. If you do go and if you feel compelled to buy something do not pay more than 10% of the original asking price.