Don’t think about it twice – book this minute! This little resort is a real gem. If you are interested in complete rest & relaxation in a true Mediterranean Paradise, look no further. This place is it.
You will feel as if you were staying a friend’s beautiful, welcoming, well-appointed beach house.
The resort is made of 10 individual bungalows, each different from the other. I visited all of them, and I really would not know which one to choose. They are all simple, but just adds to their charm. Everything is spotlessly clean, and they have air conditioning (vital as it was usually in the 90s F – 30C even at the end of September).
All of these rooms are literally steps away from the beach. They have a cute little fake door (see pics) separating the “living” part of the resort from the beach, which we referred to as “the Door to Heaven”. Beyond that point, all you had in front of you was a pristine while powdery beach, and the most turquoise, crystal-clear, warm, incredible see I have ever seen. And I take one Caribbean holiday every year – this is right up there among the top 3 beaches I have been to in my life. The resort guys put out sun beds under the straw parasols for you as soon and they see you heading out there.
The real soul of this place is its great manager, Ms. Mess. She will make you feel at home, in a very discreet and non intrusive way. Everything is personalized in the true sense of the word here.
Meals are awesome. We got the “demi pension” formula, with dinner and breakfast. However, we ended up ordering salads every day for lunch, as well. They were spectacular, very copious, and a great bargain (something like 5 Euros for two). Breakfast is served poolside, on lovely mosaic ceramic tables (local craftsmanship, from Nabeul). The cast-iron chairs are also from Nabeul, hand-made and very elegant. Breakfast always included tea/coffee, bread, croissant, jams, and fruits. For dinner, you don’t get to chose, there is no menu - Ms. Mess comes around in the morning and tells you what’s on. If it is something that you really don’t like, she’s very open to substitutions, and she’ll go out of her way to make sure you are happy. Dishes offered were very varied, but invariably very good (and I am a picky eater) -lots of grilled fish, or great Mediterranean sauces with olives, capers, tomatoes. It’s simple, local food – what your grandma would make, if she were Tunisian. There were always great baskets of fruits, and plenty of fresh-from the market veggies. Arab Tea with peanuts always capped off the meal, and you could enjoy at your table as long as you wanted. Dinners were usually served under the patio, as it could be relatively chilly (and I mean 70F-20C chilly). The great thing is that the patio has lovely, comfy benches, so you could just lounge there for ours after dinner. I loved the upholstery of the outdoor cushions on the chairs/benches – vivid colors, bright and elegant.
My husband and I had an unforgettable 6 day stay at the end of September 2008 (Sept 14-19). One day we were the only couple in the entire resort, with all that paradise to ourselves. Then a lovely French couple arrived, and we enjoyed getting to know them. A few more people showed up at the week-end, but just for 2 nights. It was always extremely quiet, almost surreal.
I should point out that we went there after a week touring Tunisia, so we had done all of our exploring and sightseeing before – all we wanted was just chill out, enjoy the beach, read, take long walks. Perfect spot for that. I am really looking forward to going back. If I lived in France or Italy, where you can get cheap flights to Monastir, I would just got for the a long week-end as often as I could!

We stayed in a bungalow in the Residence Dar Sidi for a bit of relaxation from the rest of Tunisia and we were not disappointed. Each room is a separate entity and we chose one with a sea view. There was a lovely beach about 10m from our door where we spent a lot of our time.

The meals we had in the hotel, particularly a BBQ fish were delicious and the owners and staff were always very friendly. It may be difficult to get a long here if you don't know any French but I only had GCSE French to get along with and this was fine. It should be noted that the accomodation is not actually in Mahdia itself but located in a bit of a wasteland. We tried walking into the town but gave up and got a taxi - it may be possible to do but not that easy, or indeed scenic.

We found this place to be totally unlike anything else in Tunisia so if you want a bit of relaxation and don't mind getting taxis into town then this place is great.

Great place to stay if you want some peace and quiet, away from crowded hotels and poor service.

It is located in Mahdia's neighbouring town, Rejiche, off the road that runs along the beachside. It took us some time to actually find the place since there are no signs at all, and not that many locals actually know the place.

We arrived quite late at night, when most of the staff had already left and the kitchen closed, but the director Mrs. Mess kindly had someone prepare a great fruit salad and some tea before we went to bed.

The actual property has direct access to a very nice beach and is made up of little local style houses where the 11 rooms are located, and a larger house with the restaurant. They are arranged around a charming courtyard/garden with a swimming pool.

Our room was quite comfortable with a large bed, TV, heating/air-conditionning, bathroom with a shower.
All rooms have different decorations. The place is extremely quiet. At night the only noise we could hear was the sea.

Breakfast in the morning was very good with very friendly service, only interrupted by an annoying call from work asking me for a report.
Of course this place isn't equipped as a business hotel, but again Mrs Mess kindly offered me to use her own computer and internet connection.

Overall our stay at Dar Sidi felt much more like staying at someone's beach residence than at a hotel.

We have been at Dar Sidi with a German film crew to shoot a travel movie for a week.
The whole resort, the food, the people...everything has just being excellent.
We will be back there at time.