"This hotel is lovely. Clean and with really helpful staff. There’s just a couple of things that really let it down
Check in - the process was quick and easy. I had emailed before arriving to request a room close to all the amenities due to a disability. I received a lovely email back saying that while they couldn’t guarantee it, they would do their best.
The room was only 3 doors away from main reception and was perfect for my needs.
The Room - we had a double pool view room. It was a little dated, but it was spotlessly clean and equipped with a fridge, kettle, cups etc., and a hairdryer in the bathroom.
The balcony was on the small side, but had a table and two chairs and was big enough to accommodate both of us comfortably.
Water was hot for baths/showers and the air con is great! It’s so cold and it’s the quietist air con we’ve ever had.
Restaurant - Again, a little dated but clean and perfectly functional.
Food is typical buffet style. It’s OK. A couple of times we’ve had food that wasn’t very warm, but we’re quite easy with our food so didn’t complain. My partner is pescatarian and we both found that there was plenty of food for us.
Italian restaurant - this is one of three restaurants that you could go to once during your holiday. The other two were at this hotel’s sister hotels and you had to walk or take a taxi to those.
We only used this one as it was in our restaurant.
We went on a Friday evening and the staff were as usual friendly and helpful. The surroundings were lovely, although there is only stair access as far as I could see.
We tried to gain access from the lift, however the access was at the other end of reception so we had to use the stairs.
The food was delicious, but bear in mind there is no menu - you are all served the same food.
My partner is pescatarian so having red meat served up wasn’t ideal, but he just left it.
Pools - we tried both outdoor pools. The quiet pool is exactly that. Used mainly by older guests, (we are in our 50’s and felt young!) it’s fairly easy to get a sunbed at the moment, but in peak times that might be an issue.
The bigger pool is louder, with the animation team based there and music on all day. It was fine for us and again we got sunbeds with no problem. There are lots of sunbeds around this pool, but people were still leaving towels out early in the morning to get their favourite spot.
We used the indoor pool a couple of times and it was wonderful for my back! It was like walking into a bath 🙂 - we are allowed to go free to this pool between 12 and 3 each day (it’s a saltwater pool in the Thalasso spa)
The spa jets don’t work in it - or at least weren’t turned on - but just being able to use the pool was good enough for me!
Do bear in mind that the outdoor pools are not heated. This was fine for my partner, but as I have a spinal disability, it was too cold for me to use them.
You can rent towels from the desk in reception. It’s 20 dinar and you can keep the same towel and just hand it in at the end of your holiday to get your money back, or swap for a fresh towel daily.
The beach -
They have a private area on the beach with a beach bar. The sand is beautiful and the sunbeds are nice, although my husband had to change his as the side was tearing and he’s not a huge man.
The bar here only serves soft drinks and beer
The toilets….Oh my word. I have never seen toilets as bad as these anywhere. Because of the water taps, the floor had been flooded repeatedly, and in turn this had cracked the Lino and made the flooring swell. It honestly felt like you could go through the floor at any time. (See pictures)
Also, there is no private access to the beach. It states it is a walk of a few minutes from the hotel to the beach. It took me over 15 minutes to walk there down a dirty road outside of the hotel grounds.
For those with disabilities, there’s nowhere to stop and have a break - from a bench to a cafe.
For anybody reading this, there are no shops on the road to look at, no coffee shops to try etc.,
The spa - I only had one massage; just a simple back massage. I asked her to be gentle on my lower back and she was.
She was also kind enough to apply a natural soothing balm to help with my pain.
The gym - my partner goes to the gym daily while on holiday and has been really disappointed with this gym, it very small and Of the 4 resistance machines, 2 were broken and there aren’t enough plates for the bench presses .(only 2 x 20kg and about 6 very small plates)The only real positive he could find was that it has a full rack of dumbbells.
The hotel itself is lovely. It’s not a huge hotel, but having a disability I prefer this. The staff are really nice and go out of their way to make your stay as pleasant as possible.
We want to thank Maitre Chokri and Mohamed Ali for their service in the restaurant, Waheed and Mohammed in the pool bar/restaurant and Mo at the beach bar.
They went over and above to make our holiday as good as it could be.
If the hotel sorted just a few things it would make a huge difference to people’s overall enjoyment -
1) The beach facilities, the loos and the loungers and perhaps offered a shuttle for people who can’t walk that far.
2) The gym. Just fixing the existing machines would help. Why have them and not fix them?
3) The food. Mainly keeping it hot long enough for people to enjoy it the way it’s supposed to be eaten"
