The hotel is superb with a large lobby decorated with taste in Arabic style. It is well located close to the main sites of Kairouan, including the many mosques of the Medina. As a result, don't be surprised if the nearby muezzin takes care of the wake-up call at about 5:00 a.m.
The room was large and clean, decorated with style, arranged with nice furniture, with a small terrace overlooking an inner courtyard. You may be puzzled by the bathroom door which serves either as the bathroom door or the toilet door.
We had diner "a la carte" in the same restaurant used also as buffet for half-board guests. Fortunately we could get a table near the swimming pool. Food was ok. Waiters were full of good intention but of notable inefficiency.
Buffet breakfast was complete with fresh fruits, eggs, delicatessen, etc. Still, it is weird to be charged extra for Italian coffee and fresh fruit juice.
Traveling on our own, we were surprised to find La Kasbah with so few guests, barely one bus load of American tourists. This lack of activity let you feel the pinch: in spite of welcome drinks and makrouds the service is rather terse; no air-con in public areas; no amenities in the bathroom; limited number of towels; restrained air-con in the room; no free wi-fi.
In short, a very good hotel which needs to get back scores of guests to run at full capacity and to be able to return to the performance of a five-star hotel.

I have stayed at La Kasbah nearly a dozen times, the most recent being in July 2011. Kairouan has few hotel options and despite shortcomings, La Kasbah is the only hotel that goes beyond the basic, no frills hotel.

One's initial reaction upon entering the hotel, with its wonderful tile work, setting amidst the historic architectural walls of this provincial, historic city is impressive. But their 5 star rating should be reduced by at least one star and on an international standard, perhaps 3.

Until the front desk staff learn that greeting clients with a smile and trying to provide service are important to travelers, they will never be worthy of 5 stars. I have stayed in La Kasbah before the Revolution, when it was typically filled to capacity, to two recent stays post-Revolution, when so few guests were in the hotel that rooms were only open on one floor, so as to consolidate efforts of service and maintenance.

However, the cost for the hotel management to train their staff that a smile and pleasant greetings can enhance the experience for guests is a that in money, is nothing, but in implementation, is worth a lot. La Kasbah and its management have yet to learn, that a smile and the attempt to provide service go a long way!

If one is to overnight in Kairouan, this is still the hotel we would recommend, but that is only because there is no other option in town and when tourism picks up in Tunisia, a new competitor who provides service and comfort will very easily take the monopoly from La Kasbah which they have abused and taken for granted of for so many years.

I spent one night in this hotel and I wish I could have stayed longer. The room was clean and beautifully decorated. The main lobby of the hotel and well as the area around the swimming pool were beautiful and very welcoming. The staff was extremely helpful with any questions we had.

Magnificent building that is exquisitely decorated with thoughtful and tasteful design. However, I got the distinct impression that the we were among very few guests staying at Hotel La Kasbah. This was evident at the poolside as well as in the restaurant at breakfast time. The result was that even on the warmest days, the majority of the public areas (lobby, etc) were without air-con and without lights (long corridors leading up to rooms!). Air-con inside the rooms were also under-performing. Wifi is now normally provided free of charge at even the most basic hotels - not so at the La Kasbah where the charges per hour (and restricted to a single device only) were over the top and then only available in the lobby and not in the rooms.