Hotel is in a good location on the edge of Port El Kantaoui, approx 30 mins walk or 5 minutes in the frequent taxis. Nice hotel, could do with a spruce up with a few cracks here and there. But lets be honest, this is a hotel in Tunisia so obviously it is not quite the same as a 5* accomodation in Europe for example.
Rooms good size with a balcony, request a pool view or risk looking out at the dusty main road instead ! No tea/coffee making facilities in room, nor iron. Ironing service available at reception at a cost. Beds huge, bigger than a Queen size and longer than my 6'4" body needs ! Plenty of storage space, TV in room with only 2 English channels - BBC World News and 24 hour new i.e. less than 5 years old movies. Fridge and safe although our safe needed a new battery and bit of repair. Took 4 hours to sort out as the manager was "in a meeting" but when he was available, the repair man got on it right away.
Waiters very good especially "Mohamed" who even took time to arrange a pretty flower petal displayon our table when he knew we were leaving the next day. Genuinely friendly and multi lingual. The hotel has guests from Germany, France, Italy, UK and Russia, although apparently Russian guests do not visit this time of year.
Food is buffet style, plenty of choice 3 times per day. There are 3 places to eat inside, going all inclusive is recommended as meals at lunch time are expensive at 25 dinars per person. Beer costs 4.5 dinars which is dearer than most restaurants. Food at breakfast is fruit, continental and local cuisine. You can request fried eggs but for anyone looking for bacon & sausage, you will not get that. There are small mini sausages and plenty of tea/coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice is available as you wait for a small cost. Evening food varies daily, expect to see plenty of lamb and beef. Please remember it is a Muslim country so you will not be seeing loads of pork produce, although one evening there was a special treat of slow roast pork. Deserts are AMAZING with great pastries, ice cream, cakes, fruit etc. You will not go hungry.
The local Celtia beer is very tasty, quite like a continental pils. Various wines and soft drinks available with cocktails available in the piano lounge and bar.
Holiday rep "Michael" hard to track down, he was there the morning after we arrived but did not turn up later that day when scheduled to take our bookings for trips. I contacted the central office and had to pay the coach driver the days we took the excursions. The full day Roman Empire trip and the half day visit to El Djem highly recommended, although the full day trip took a wierd diversion on the way back to pass through Tunis even though that was 90km to the north of Douga !
Bar staff and reception staff mostly good although 1 isolated instance of bar waiter being rude to my fiancee while I was in the toilet hassling her for payment of our 2 drink bar tab. Even his colleague told him I was going to return soon, sadly it seems he was of an older generation that does not respect ladies. This was a one off. Be advised a tip of 1-2 dinar is quite sufficient for most things. The average monthly wage is 400 dinars as quoted by tour guides so a tip of any notes ( 10 dinars + ) is very generous and should be reserved for exceptional service or at the last meal to your appointed waiter. You get the same waiter all week as long as you don't move location of your table.
Beware hawkers who claim " Hi remember me ? I am the waiter from your hotel " then try to lure you into dubious dealings. This is most noticable around the Medina (Old Town) in Sousse, if ignored or told no they typically stop bothering you. Beware of 2 men operating around the marina of Port El Kanyaoui offering "pirate boat trips for a deposit, pay the rest tomorrow". They have NO CONNECTION with the boat operators, it is a scam. Trips from the Marina only operate in the summer season, else you can book a trip on a similar boat via your hotel.
Set your taxi fares before you go. From this hotel to the marina you should only pay 3 dinars, to Sousse is 6 and to Sousse Medina 8 dinars. Never ever accept the first price, same goes to any stall holders you chose to buy from. Prices in hotels & restaurants, supermarkets are fixed but make sure the shelf advertised price matches the price on the bottom of the box as some locations will try to over charge. Tunisia is a comparatively poor country so many traders see tourists as a good way to get more money. Cannot blame them, tourist levels are down over 50% this year, just be aware.
Pool oudoors is C-O-L-D until after 2 pm but is a good size. A morning dip will make you feel alive for sure, better to use the nice 32 centigrade heated indoor pool ! Just big enough to have a short back and forth swim. The gym and sauna cost extra unless you are all inclusive, pool towels cost 10 dinars each to hire for the duration of your stay but fully refunded on return when you leave.
Entertainment on the evenings poor, but we stayed in winter season. During the daytime there is free aqua aerobics, archery and crazy golf with numerous spa activities at a price (unless all inclusive).
Decor overall good, hope you like cats as there are 8-10 wandering the grounds around the pool. Look out for "Jasper" the very cute currently 4 month old ginger kitten, very friendly he will be on your lap as quick as you can blink ! Staff turn a blind eye to feeding the cats from the buffet food as long as the cats do not get into the hotel. Cats are everywhere in Tunisia, expect to see them at most outdoor restaurants looking for tit bits. Dogs are very rare, locals do not seem to keep cats as pets but tollerate them. No mice/rats/reptiles/snakes spotted anywhere in our 1 week stay.
Room Tip: As for a pool view, hundreds of rooms available. Suites are x2 bigger than normal rooms. Sound proof...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
