Friendy people, good food.. The downside : the flies over the food by the swimning pool's restaurant, which I found very anti -higienic. the animation team needs to improve a lot, as their so called " showes" were hard to follow...we were expecting something tipically from the Country and instead we had " chinese school" theatre (a disaster) and latino nights.
The room was not very impressive for a 4 star hotel - the shower was awful, just " dropping " and sometimes in the hours that everybody came from the beach, we hardly could wash under it. The fridge in the room didn't work, the toilet was not very well cleaned.
The beach was OK, apart from the very annoying sellers.

As this was our first visit to Tunisia we came away not sure if what we experienced was the norm. Im glad the other two reviews help clarify what we also saw! I think if you visited this hotel at a quieter time it was be a different holiday - for us it was too busy and the food disappointing also out of the hotel the area is shocking with litter and rubble everywhere. Sorry Tunisa we would not come back to Mahida but may try another resort - good points are the staff who were friendly the beach,sea and the sunshine.

Please dont listen to previous bad reviews about this hotel ! i dont usually do this but felt compelled to write this reviews as the previous comments from those tehre on the 54th paint an ufair picture.

The staff cannot be more helpful and friendly as they always are at Riu hotels nothing was too much trouble in particular firas,jo and bar man Hamdi made my holiday very memorable and fun they went out of there way to interact with guest and get to know everyone personalLy.

if you are thinking of booking this upgrade to a superior sea view as it is well worth it these rooms have been refurbished.The beach was amazing crystal clear water which was a lovely temperature watersports are great value for money you can haggle to get a ticket for 5 goes on any for a discount rather than paying as you go.The scuba diving is a must great guys and a fab experience even if you dont dive.We went into the medina at night which we loved as it was buzzing never felt threatened or pestered at all not like in egypt.Entertainment staff work really hard all day and night and there is always something on if you want it no pressure if you dont want to join in.The food was good most of the time the italian and the tunisian are well worth booking into really enjoyed these.
Hope this has helped if you go have a great time hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

I couldnt agree more with Big Apple 6. Everything in the previous review was spot on. How sad that RIU staff and management allowed this appalling behaviour to continue for the 4 days that this Tunisian bunch of heathens were present. Whilst I understand fully the decline of interest in Tunisia because of the changes in government and the distance from the new airport, did they really have to stoop so low and advertise special offers that would attract such s**** to their Hotel?Shame on youRIU. I personally got what I expected from the holiday. The closeness to my local airport from home, the price , the sunshine and RIU's generally excellent quality were what attracted me, but I shall think again when choosing RIU in Tunisia. We have stayed in Mahdia before and knew that there was very little outside of the Hotel, this didnt particularly bother us. We were in room 640 which is as far away from Reception, bar and Restaurant as you could get.(be prepared to walk a fair distance to your room). I saw this as a bit of a minus until the wild bunch arrived, I will say that looking back, I am so glad we were out of the way of them. Our room and service were very good, however, the beds were terribly hard and the pillows could do with some upgrade. We met some lovely people at the Hotel, Belgians,Austrian, aTunisian(So there not all animals) and of course English. There was a fair mix of all nationalities, but one thing in common was the Tunisians who were celebrating Ede, they managed to upset everyone. I found the food was of a reasonable standard,but yes it does get a bit samey after the first week, most of the staff were very helpful and extremely polite. Watch out on your last but one day, they will all tell you that the day you are leaving is their day off,so are looking for their tips. My chambermaid knocked us up at 07.20 the day before to say goodbye (for the 2nd time). She wanted the tip in her hand, she wouldnt trust that you would leave it in the room for her to pick up after you'd left. Our waiter told us the same, only to meet him in the Tunisisan Restaurant where very early breakfast is served for the early leavers, he didnt expect to see us there! Ah, I am working extra he said.Spirits are very weak from the bar areas, but if you ask for a double, the waiting staff are only too happy to oblige, the drink then becomes a little more like home.Bell boy was hopeless, he's vety pleasant and full of chat, but he doesnt do suitcases, beprepared to carry your own to the room and again to the coach on your way home, he will however rush out two minutes later to wish you a safe journey and take a tip. Hope this review is useful and that you will enjoy the holiday if you dont expect too much.