"Just back from a week at The Hotel Phenicia, and we’ve had an amazing time! 🌴☀️
Here’s my honest opinion from someone who can be a little bit snobby when it comes to holidays. 🫣
Arrival & Reception
The transfer took around an hour, and unfortunately, we were the last drop-off. However, once we arrived, everything was very smooth.
As soon as we got off the coach, our luggage was taken into the large reception area. The staff were friendly and welcoming, and we were greeted with a drink and pastries — always a good start! 😋
As a group, we were shown where all the facilities were, given our keys, paid the local tax and then taken to our rooms. We didn't have to touch our luggage, which was a lovely touch.
The Room
Our room was spacious, with plenty of storage, a TV, fridge and tea and coffee-making facilities. There was no kettle initially, but we simply asked for one and it was brought to us.
The lovely lady looking after our room also came and introduced herself, which was a nice personal touch.
The room was clean and we were on the ground floor, with a view of the trees. To be honest, we didn't spend much time in the room anyway!
The Pools
There are three pools. One is adults-only and heated, while the large main pool is cooler. There’s also a jacuzzi pool next to the bar.
There are plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas, and the pool area has clean toilets and showers conveniently located nearby.
There are stairs from the pool up to the bar, as well as a ramp for buggies and wheelchair users.
The waterfall wasn't operating while we were there, which was a shame as it looks like it would be very impressive.
We didn't actually spend much time around the pools because we're definitely beach people, but there was plenty going on, including a gym, yoga, foam parties and lots of other activities.
The Beach 🏖️ WOW!
The beach was fantastic and, for us, was definitely one of the highlights.
There are plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas, so you're not packed in like sardines. There's also a bar with lots of seating, serving burgers, chicken, crêpes and ice cream — all included in the all-inclusive package. 😋
There's also a restaurant open from 12:00–2:30pm, again included in the all-inclusive.
If you're feeling adventurous, there are loads of watersports available, including canoes, paddleboards, jet skis, banana boats, inflatable sofas and parasailing.
Example of pricing - The jet skis, and 30 minutes cost 120 TND (approximately £30), which we thought was very reasonable.
Food & Restaurants 🍽️
We didn't manage to make breakfast very often — holiday lie-ins are important! 😂 — so I can't really comment personally, although other guests told us breakfast was okay.
The main restaurant has two evening sittings: 6:00–7:30pm and 8:00–9:30pm.
You're allocated a table for your stay and have the same waiter each evening, which actually worked brilliantly for us. Every night we arrived to find a bottle of water, a beer and a bottle of wine waiting for us. 🍷🍺
There's plenty of food available, although, to be honest, if you have a little bit of everything every night, you may start to get bored.
Our approach was to choose something different each evening — Bolognaise one night, chicken another, and so on — and we were perfectly happy.
Snob alert! 🫣 I wasn't particularly keen on the meat, but I'm a very fussy meat eater, so that's probably more of a me problem than a hotel problem!
The vegetarian dishes, however, were lovely, and the desserts were absolutely delicious. 😋😋😋
There are also Chinese and Mediterranean restaurants. These aren't included in the standard all-inclusive package and come at an additional cost. We didn't try them ourselves, although we heard some very good reviews from other guests.
Entertainment 🎤💃
The entertainment team were fabulous! 🤩
There was something happening every evening, and the team were full of energy, friendly and clearly loved what they were doing.
They also organise an afternoon out on The Crazy Train.
If you're going, have a look on YouTube before you go — and definitely consider giving it a try. We highly recommend it! 🚂🚂
Other Facilities
There's a shop on site, which we found to be reasonably priced, so it's handy for those little essentials and holiday bits and pieces.
Overall Impressions ❤️
All of the staff were incredibly friendly and nothing seemed to be too much trouble. The whole hotel was very clean, and there are plenty of facilities to keep you occupied.
Is the hotel perfect? No.
Yes, it's dated.
Yes, the outside could do with a lick of paint.
Yes, some of the rooms could do with updating.
And yes, some of the hallway carpets have seen better days! 😂
But here's the thing — none of that stopped us from having a fantastic holiday.
Tourism in Tunisia is starting to recover and is gradually getting back on its feet following the difficulties the country faced after 2015. Security is definitely present, but we never found it intrusive or bothersome.
If we want the hotels and tourism industry to continue improving, then people need to keep visiting and supporting Tunisia.
For a reasonably priced week away, we were more than happy with our stay at The Hotel Phenicia.
Would we go back? Absolutely. ❤️
If you're looking for a luxury, ultra-modern, everything-must-be-perfect experience, this probably isn't the hotel for you.
But if you want a friendly, clean, fun, all-inclusive holiday with a fantastic beach, great facilities and lovely staff — we'd definitely recommend it. 💓💓
Top tip: Pack your own mugs! They provide T-cups, and if you're anything like me, a proper mug is essential. 😂☕ Take large water bottles, they have full up stations dotted around the hotel, and plastic glasses, they'll fill them up with your favourite tipple. 🥂🍷🍻"
