We have holidayed in Tunisia several times before & decided to try Djerba for a change for a 2 week stay this year. It is definitely different and much hotter from the mainland.
We stayed at Cesar Palace Hotel, Djerba. Although the hotel is shown as a 5* as advertised in the brochures it is probably a 3* by European standards. Anyone who has been to Tunisia will know not to place too much reliance on the accuracy of their hotel star rating as this seems to relate more to the facilities available rather than the quality.
It is a bit remote but taxis are cheap and the island is only small. The hotel reception, bar and dining room area are all clean but in great need of some modernization. The ceilings are a bizarre plaster molding effect designed to look like the inside of a nomad tent - however they just make it a bit dark and gloomy - overall the rather tacky effect does take a bit of getting used to.
The staff are excellent though (with the exception of some of those in reception - but that seems to be common everywhere you go in the world). The waiters and bar staff are friendly & helpful and always ready to share a joke - Tunisians do seem to have a really good sense of humour . The food is very good and plentiful - but once again like the rest of Tunisia it is aimed at the European market rather than British tastes. Most of the staff can speak some English (we managed to get by with our pidgeon-french). Drinks were more expensive than we are used too on our other holidays to Tunisia – this may be because they have to transport them all from the mainland - but having said that they are still reasonable.
The rooms are based outside in several small blocks. They are clean and spacious but dated and like the main block in need of modernization. However, they are cleaned everyday and have air conditioning – thank goodness. Our room had a small colony of nocturnal ants living in the bathroom who seemed to like the toiletries and in particular a Listerine bottle we took with us. To us this was no inconvenience (it is after all an area near the Sahara and you must expect some local wildlife) but I would imagine that other visitors might not be so happy.
The facilities are shared with the sister hotel Djerba Palace and it is difficult to see where one hotel finishes and the other starts. There are several bars and places to eat on the joint complex. The majority of people staying at both hotels are French (about 80%) and during our first week we were the only English speaking people. The entertainment is mostly in French - many hotels in Djerba have outside theatres which have shows on at night (they are also quite noisy affairs – in French of course) – but as usual by about 11pm they have all finished. There is also a Thallassa and Disco on the complex – sorry but I can’t comment on anything to do with that!
There are 2 pools on the complex – a large and rather noisy one (disco music and games for most of the day) and a smaller much more quieter one (this is where we spent most of our holiday as it suits us). They are both clean and have plenty of sunbeds available.
The beach is a short walk away – 200m approx. It gets very busy however there are also plenty of sunbeds available there. The beach itself stretches either way for several miles and there are plenty of water sports available.
The weather was extremely hot during our stay and we spent much of out time under the shade of palm trees. We did have every intention of getting out and about but to be honest we found it far too hot to do this & preferred to just chill out in the hotel complex instead (we have been on a Sahara trip on the mainland before).
Our holiday was with Panorama and we decided to book their Express Transfer to the airport. This includes a taxi and express check in facilities for 60 Dinar (£24) per couple. Ours turned out to be a white knuckle ride through the back streets of Hamt Souk - not for the faint hearted!
All in all we had a really nice time despite not doing much and came home thoroughly chilled. The hotel was OK and the weather was hot. We both agree that we would like to go back to Djerba some time in the future but just for a week and probably not to this hotel. As with rest of Tunisia you will either love Djerba or hate it – it is definitely not to everyone’s taste and I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone.

Arrived in Djerba to spend a quiet week relaxing and we were not disappointed.

Clean swimming pools, decent beaches and extensive facilities: this was adequate enough for a week of sunbathing and reading.

We stayed in the spa building and indulged in a heavenly reasonably priced massage. The room was basic (5 star rating was a stretch) but roomy enough with welcome air conditioning. Although there were minor issues with the drainage, the rooms were cleaned reguarly and the service was friendly and unobtrusive.

Evidently, the entertainment and the buffet provision was geared towards the French and German visitors who made up 75% of the tourists here. We enjoyed the pastries created by the resident French chef nevertheless.

The one criticism is that no drinks (even water) was provided with the evening meal. Being half board, we had to pay for drinks separately and the price of these was quite steep, even the mineral water.

We felt no need to venture outside of the complex and did not partake in any of the 'trips.' If we had spent more than a week here then there was danger of us being bored. We would consider returning if we needed a quiet week of sun, sea and chill out.

We went for one week allocation on arrival so were over the moon when told it was a 5*. I wouldn't really agree to English standards that this is correct, more like 3*, but it was tidy and nice anyway. The rooms are clean but have the usual faults that most holiday places do. The complex is large and the two swimming pools seem adequate in size to house all holiday makers at the end of Sept. The beach is REALLY close, we went jet skiing and paragliding- all lots of fun and the guys who run it will give you a bit longer if you smile nicely!
There was an excellent selection for the food, although it was mainly catered to our European counterparts and not very English at all, but it was yummy anyway.
The area was very quiet, we went to the crocodile sanctuary which was ok and the casino for a meal (very yummy) but that was about it. The entertainment is french and the only English TV channel was news 24 so I ended up watching Deal or No Deal in French- quite wierd!
The staff were fab, really- they couldn't have been nicer. After the 1st night, we didn't need to order drinks as the waiter knew them off by heart! The taxis aren't expensive but they are pretty dated and driven at speed!
Overall I would say-
Take good aftersun as it's damn hot.
Watch out for Ramadam (their fasting festival) as we hit the 1st week of it and it did have an affect on the activities available.
Go with no expectations and enjoy what's there.
Any questions you're gagging to ask email me: clustersmile@hotmail.com

What a great place Djerba is!! a desert island with white sand beaches, beautiful warm surf in which to swim with excellent beach cafe's at frequent intervals along the beaches. The Tunisian people are very friendly and most helpful, if you can speak French you may find communicating a little easier but they are very understanding and speak most main languages with ease.
The hotel called Cesars Palace is most welcoming, very nice rooms, well appointed with balcony, the restaurant is very good, great service and fantastic food, The island is quite small, approx 18 miles square, flat and interesting. We will return to this location and hotel without any problem and we are looking forward to it already. There is always a down side to everything and I suppose if you want lager louts and loud discos you will be dissappointed!! there aren't any!! we did not come see either. The airport is probably the best one we have been through, ultra modern, new and very efficient, good duty free shops and even the coffee bars were not a rip off on their prices!!! £1:20 for a decent mug of coffee, sensible prices when compared to the usual overpriced rubbish found in many airports.
Happy holidays
Martin & Diane