"🇹🇳 Iberostar Selection Kantaoui Bay – Our Honest Review & Helpful Tips!
We stayed here for a week in October 2026 and enjoyed it so much that we’re already booking to return next September! ❤️
I wanted to include the practical details I couldn’t find before we went, from rooms and food to the beach, spending money and getting home.
✈️ Arrival at Enfidha Airport
Unfortunately, our holiday didn’t get off to the best start. I’d booked special assistance because of my spinal condition and needed a wheelchair. At baggage reclaim, a German lady accused me of not needing one simply because she’d seen me walk to the toilet! I gave her what for! 😂 She had no idea about my condition or the difficulties I face. Being able to walk a short distance doesn’t mean someone doesn’t need assistance, and people shouldn’t judge without knowing the circumstances.
Thankfully, our hotel was the first transfer stop, around 20–30 minutes away.
🏨 Arrival and Check-in
We arrived at around 9.30pm, and check-in was straightforward. Hand luggage and suitcases are scanned on arrival, which we found reassuring, particularly given the tragic terrorist attack at nearby Sousse beach in 2015.
Top tip: Download the Iberostar app and check in before you arrive to help speed things up.
We went straight to the restaurant after check-in and were pleasantly surprised to find hot food available for late arrivals, rather than just the usual ham, cheese and bread rolls. We changed £20 at reception and received around 75 TND. A member of staff took our suitcases and showed us to our room; we tipped him 5 TND, approximately £1.25.
🛏️ Rooms – Read This Before You Book!
The rooms are fairly basic but very clean. Unfortunately, our patio door wouldn’t close and lock properly, affecting the air conditioning, so we asked reception to move us the next morning. We cheekily asked whether a pool or sea view might be possible, too! We were told to return later after other guests had checked out.
We started on level 1 and moved to level 3, where we had a side sea view. We appreciated being allowed to view the room before deciding whether to move.
On our last day, we went to reception to ask about our transfer, and Hedi came to the rescue! He’d been incredibly helpful throughout our stay and became our go-to person whenever we needed anything. He told us, “I’ve got a surprise for you!” and had arranged another room for our final night, with a full sea and pool view overlooking the courtyard. Despite the location, it wasn’t noisy, and it was a lovely way to finish our holiday.
A huge thank you to Hedi for his kindness and excellent customer service. He really went out of his way to make our stay special.
We had three different rooms in one week, which wasn’t ideal, but the staff did their best to accommodate us.
Room tip: If possible, ask for floors 3 or 4. Even a side sea view is worth having, and the views from higher floors are lovely.
☕ Tea and Coffee in Your Room
There’s a kettle/coffee machine and a fridge. I took UHT milk sachets, Nescafé sachets, my own tea bags and extra coffee because the rooms only had a few supplies. You can also get milk from the restaurant or lobby bar.
Top tip: Take your own tea bags, coffee and UHT milk if you enjoy a cuppa in your room. Take a proper mug, too, because the cups provided are tiny!
The Iberostar app is useful for room requests. I requested an extra blanket one evening, and it was brought straight to our room.
🧹 Housekeeping and Cleanliness
The cleaners came in daily to make the beds and provide clean towels, which was lovely. We’ve stayed at places where the cleaner barely appears during a week, so this was a pleasant surprise. As we’d stayed in three rooms, we had three different cleaners; we left some leftover coins for the cleaner looking after our final room as a thank you.
The hotel was constantly being cleaned, inside and outside. Staff were always keeping everything tidy, which really stood out to us.
🍽️ Food – Main Restaurant
The choice of hot and cold food was amazing, with something for almost everyone. Seafood lovers are in for a treat! Most nights there were king prawns, mussels and octopus, alongside salads, cheeses and cold meats.
There was freshly cooked pasta, spaghetti Bolognese, various meats, curries and plenty of vegetables, cooked well and served piping hot. The desserts were amazing, too, with lots of choice, including different ice creams and sprinkles.
The restaurant staff were lovely and attentive. Someone came to our table shortly after we sat down to take our drinks order. Choices included water, beer, Fanta, cola and red, rosé or white wine. We didn’t tip the restaurant staff because we sat in different places and usually had different servers, but the service was consistently good.
🌴 The Beach Bar Restaurant
The beach bar had a great selection, including hot dishes, salads, pasta, rice, chicken Kievs, spaghetti Bolognese, cheese, boiled eggs, sauces, pizza, cakes and melon. The servers came over promptly to take our drinks orders and were friendly and efficient.
🪰 Let’s Talk About the Flies!
I know this can put some people off, so I want to mention it honestly. Yes, there are flies, but you’re eating outdoors!
We tended to go when lunch service first started. Hot food was kept in lidded containers, while cold food was displayed under cling film, although some holidaymakers left the covers off. Birds occasionally came down and tried to nibble at the serving ladles, too.
Did we find it a problem? Honestly, no. It didn’t spoil our experience. Flies can be part and parcel of eating alfresco, and personally, I wouldn’t knock the hotel simply because there are flies when dining outside.
🍹 Drinks, Bars and Water
I’m not a big drinker; I only drink brandy. Having tried Tunisia’s local fig brandy on a previous visit and not liked it, I brought a bottle from Duty Free at Luton Airport. I needn’t have bothered! The hotel served Napoleon brandy, the same type I drink at home. A nice surprise!
The hotel lemonade is lovely and tastes similar to Sprite, while the cola is similar to what we’re used to at home. Coffee drinkers will find Nescafé machines in the lobby bar and other areas.
💧 Water
The hotel doesn’t provide bottled water in the usual way, but there are filtered water dispensers on every floor, just outside the lifts. You can choose still or sparkling water, and it’s lovely and icy cold. There’s also a glass water carafe in your room that you can refill. We used the filtered water for our kettle and for brushing our teeth.
🥤 Insulated Cups
We always take insulated cups for our drinks. The staff will fill them for you at the beach and pool, and they help keep the ice frozen much longer in the heat. Much better than repeatedly getting small drinks, and your drink stays lovely and cold while you’re relaxing on your sunbed!
🏖️ Pool and Sunbeds
For the first couple of days, we chose sunbeds on the grass near the beach bar. This area was less crowded, with more space between beds, and it’s close to the infinity pool. There are also clean toilets in the block by the beach bar.
Be aware that there are no parasols on the grassy area, although palm trees provide shade in some spots. I sat near a lower tree for shade, but unfortunately, that was the only time I got bitten twice, so choose your spot carefully!
We tried the main pool one day, but you’ll need to get up extra early if you want sunbeds that stay in the sunshine throughout the day. The beds are quite close together, which wasn’t really our thing, so we returned to the grass. It gets extremely hot around the pool, and there are no parasols on the grassy section. There are also cabana-style daybeds around the outer edge of the pool near the spa. We didn’t use the spa, so I can’t comment on it.
🌊 The Beach – Our Favourite Spot!
We spent our last few days on the beach, and honestly, it was the best place to be! We even managed to get front-row sunbeds overlooking the sea.
After our first visit, my sister put our towels on the sunbeds at around 7.30am. From the following morning onwards, the lifeguard kindly arranged our beds for us each day. The sunbeds are the usual plastic type, but the lifeguard provides padded cushions. These were incredibly comfortable, especially with my spinal condition, and made a real difference. We tipped the lifeguards 10 TND, approximately £2.50, but not every day.
A special mention to Mohammad, our beach waiter. He was fantastic and continually checked whether we wanted another drink. We tipped him around 10 TND a day because he was such a lovely chap and provided excellent service.
One thing we loved was being waited on at the beach or pool instead of constantly having to get up and go to the bar. The staff really helped us relax and enjoy our holiday.
🌊 The Sea and Water Sports
The lovely breeze made the beach much more comfortable than sitting around the pool in the heat. We went into the sea several times. It felt a little chilly at first, but once we were in, it was lovely! We spent ages floating around and really enjoyed it. You could walk quite a long way out and still stand up and see the seabed.
The sea could get a little choppy when there were scattered clouds, and we noticed more seaweed at those times, but it didn’t put us off.
There were horses and camels available for rides along the shoreline, plus water sports including sofa rides, jet skis, water skiing and parasailing. Jet skis cost 90 TND, although I can’t remember the other prices.
The animation team even brought their big speaker down to the beach for aqua aerobics in the sea, at the same time as the pool session. A great idea for anyone who prefers the beach! For us, it was perfect for relaxing, enjoying the breeze, swimming and being looked after by the lovely staff.
🏖️ Beach Sellers – Bargaining Tips!
You’ll see what are often called the lucky lucky men walking along the beach. There were around five or six during our stay, selling towels, cigarettes, fruit, children’s kites, pool inflatables and cover-up dresses.
You can ignore them if you’re not interested. Just be aware that even saying hello can lead to a conversation, and they’ll happily keep chatting away! 😂 They’re not allowed to come directly to your sunbeds, so you can relax without them approaching your lounger.
If you fancy buying something, always barter! I bought a lovely, large, good-quality cotton towel. The seller initially wanted 100 TND, around £25, but we eventually got him down to 20 TND, around £5. I was really pleased with my bargain! It seemed that whatever you looked at, they started at around 100 TND! 😂
Bargaining tip: Decide what you’re willing to pay and stick to it. If the seller won’t budge, walk away. Nine times out of ten, they’ll call you back and agree to your price. As a rough guide, we worked on 1 TND being worth around a quarter of a pound sterling, although exchange rates change.
🧺 Pool Towels – Don’t Forget Your Ticket!
The towel exchange point is next to the pool bar, in what looks like a little shed. You can exchange towels daily, but it closes around 5.30–6pm, so don’t leave it too late.
Make sure you receive your towel ticket at check-in, with your room number on it! We weren’t given one, and the attendant was reluctant to give us towels without it. Save yourself the hassle and check you’ve got your ticket when you arrive.
🎭 Animation and Evening Entertainment
The animation team are friendly, with plenty going on during the day, including aqua aerobics, water polo, pétanque, darts, volleyball and more.
There’s evening entertainment every night, including circus and acrobatic performances, Tunisian nights, karaoke, activity shows, strongman performances and fire shows. The shows we watched were entertaining, with plenty to keep you occupied if you enjoy evening entertainment.
However, sunbathing and being waited on all day is exhausting work! 😂 Most nights we were back in our rooms by 9pm. We weren’t there to party every night; we wanted to relax and unwind, and that’s exactly what we did.
♿ Getting Around – Mobility Tips
As someone with a spinal condition, I sometimes need to stop and sit down when walking distances. I found the walls along the way down to the pool and beach helpful for stopping and resting. It’s a small detail, but worth mentioning for anyone who has difficulty walking or needs regular breaks. The padded beach-sunbed cushions were also particularly comfortable for my back.
🔐 Hotel Security
We were impressed by the security around the hotel. When cars and coaches arrive, guards use a mirror on a stick to check underneath vehicles before opening the gates. There’s also security at the beach entrances and exits, which we found reassuring.
At the beach entrance, there are shelves where you can leave your flip-flops before walking onto the beach—a handy little touch. We felt reassured by the security measures throughout our stay.
💰 Money and the Hotel Shop
We didn’t venture outside the hotel or book excursions, as we were happy relaxing by the pool and beach. We only changed £20 at a time at reception, receiving around 75 TND. Exchange rates vary, of course, but changing smaller amounts worked well for us.
The hotel shop was reasonably priced for your usual holiday gifts and souvenirs, so it’s worth a look if you want to bring things home for family and friends without leaving the hotel.
✈️ Important Advice for Enfidha Airport
Please plan ahead if you have leftover Tunisian dinars. We understood that you could spend them in the shops before the next security checkpoint, but not once you had passed through into the duty-free area. We were told security may ask about any remaining TND, so check the current rules and plan to spend or exchange your money before going through security.
Airport food is expensive, so if possible, eat before leaving your hotel rather than relying on buying a meal at the airport.
❤️ Would We Return? Absolutely!
Despite a few hiccups with our rooms, we enjoyed our holiday so much that we’re already booking to return next September! That probably says everything about our overall experience.
We loved the food, beach, service and relaxed atmosphere. The staff made us feel looked after, and there was plenty to enjoy without even leaving the hotel.
A special thank you to Hedi on reception, Mohammad on the beach and the lifeguards who helped make our days so comfortable. Their friendliness made a real difference.
For us, it was a holiday where we could relax, enjoy the sunshine and be thoroughly spoilt. We loved sitting by the beach, having drinks brought to us and enjoying the food without worrying about going anywhere.
Would we recommend Iberostar Selection Kantaoui Bay? Yes, absolutely!
I hope these tips help anyone planning a stay, especially those looking for practical information that’s difficult to find before travelling.
We can’t wait to go back next September! 🇹🇳❤️"
