Iberostar Selection Diar El Andalous

"We stayed at the Iberostar Selection Diar El Andalous July 2026. We flew into Enfida Airport, landing at 09:35, passport was a bit slow and got to baggage reclaim at 10:00. There was a LONG wait for the cases, ours were some of the first to arrive at 10:30, though some guests who arrived a day later told us they had no such delay. Found our transfer and arrived at the hotel at 11:15, we checked in but our room was not ready so went to the Star Prestige Lounge on the 4th floor to change in the toilet/shower room. We returned to Reception to complete check-in, pay the Tourist Tax and at 11: 30 our room was ready. We had room 477 which was about the furthest you could get from reception/lobby (may be because we had asked for a quiet location). The Star Prestige room numbers start at 400 nearest the reception so if you want only a short walk from the lobby you need to be in 400-420 ish. There appears to be only one pair of lifts in the hotel and with Star Prestige rooms being on the 4th floor it is either 62 steps down to the pool level or a long walk along the multiple corridors to the lifts. Our room was compact with a small balcony with a sea view partially obscured by a couple of tall palm trees, though nearby rooms were less or not at all affected by trees. There was adequate shelf and hanging space but very little drawer space. There was a 32-inch TV (small by today’s standards) which had only 4 English channels (BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, ITV2), all these channels would periodically freeze may be 2 or3 times a day which was very annoying (particularly because it was Wimbledon fortnight). Hand/body wash, shampoo and conditioner are in dispensers in the bathroom, there is no other “vanity” product supplied. There was a hair drier that worked ok. The shower head was floppy but I decided the easiest solution was a bit of tape that did the trick. The room was serviced daily to a high standard. On arrival there was a problem with the room safe and it was fixed within a few minutes of reporting it. Air con was sufficient and quiet but not very controllable. The air con and power sockets required a door card to be in the slot to work. The mini bar was restocked daily. Wi-Fi was free and good in the room but in the evenings it was often difficult to get a reliable connection in the lobby and terrace (probably because of the number of guests wanting a connection at that time). The hotel should be commended for its almost complete elimination of single use plastics but it does mean that for your room you have to fetch water in the carafe from the water dispenser at the end of the corridor. There is no ice making facility available anywhere in the hotel but any of the bars will give you a glass or carafe of ice cubes. All meals are served in the Buffet restaurant (apart from dinner in the A la Carte Tunisian and Italian that you could eat at once each during your stay). We always ate soon after the Buffet opened – 06:30, 12:30 and 18:30. At these times breakfast was quiet and dinner moderately busy but lunch was very hectic, no idea whether it was easier later. There was a huge selection of very good food. Always plenty of salad choices but there was very little European style hot food, so sometimes you need to be adventurous. There were always some simple chicken and/or turkey and fish dishes and very good pizzas (and chips) to fall back on. I cannot understand anyone saying the food was not good, it was just different. Tea and coffee at breakfast is self-service from machines, I was not impressed by the coffee. I craved for a decent cup of freshly percolated coffee! The machines were not used at lunch and dinner so you can get coffee from the machine in the lobby or get tea from the bar. Alcoholic and soft drinks are waiter served at lunch and dinner by very pro-active staff, house wine was acceptable. The only place single use plastics were used was for fizzy drinks (Coke, Sprite, Fanta etc) that were served in the restaurant from the standard 2 litre plastic bottles (and fizzy water in the bars). The A la Carte restaurant alternated between Italian and Tunisian, we tried both and both provided good (but not exceptional) food in a nice quiet environment, but the choice of food is very restrictive. The stated dress code in the A La Carte was long trousers for men, but this was not enforced. There are two pools, both get fairly crowded at times. Many sun loungers get reserved very early each morning, before breakfast, but if you are not fussy where you sit then there is not a problem getting sunbeds later in the morning. The pool bar had a machine for coffee and hot water (a variety of tea bags was available), also a machine to provide chilled water (still and fizzy). The bar staff were friendly and efficient with very little waiting time. Being Star Prestige we sat in the dedicated area of about 30 sunbeds about 50 yards to one side of the pools (pity there was no Star Prestige pool). The barman there, Kamel, was very attentive. Besides drinks there were snacks available every day from about 11 am. Very pleasant and quiet compared with around the pools, though it was very hot during our stay and could have done with more breeze. The nearest toilets were in the lobby so quite a walk. During our stay there was building work on the neighbouring land close to the Star Prestige area which was annoying at times but out of control of the hotel. There is also the Star Prestige lounge on the 4th floor which is smaller than the pictures make it look. During our stay it was so very hot there and only used by two or three couples. Daytime entertainment was the same every day on or in the pools and on the beach, run by a very enthusiastic team. The entertainment schedule (day and evening) is on the hotel app and on screens by the restaurant. Evening entertainment started in the lobby and/or terrace and on the terrace stage – some good, some not so good. Bar staff were excellent serving drinks in the lobby and on the terrace. At 9:30 each evening there was a show in the amphitheatre, we went to two shows, not over impressed. I wouldn’t rate the hotel as 5 star by British standards but a good hotel with good food, good facilities and exceptional staff. A pity there weren’t more dining choices and no Adults Only or Star Prestige pool. As an active couple in our 70’s we tend to go for adults only but we enjoyed our stay."

"After a late arrival and being booked into a disappointing room, in terms of smell, cleanliness and mattress quality, we were treated amazingly well by the hotel reception staff and management and moved early the next morning to a room of the standard we were expecting. Our experience of the staff in general has been outstanding but the care and attention from Lamei and Layla from the housekeeping team deserves special merit. Lifeguard Dali stands out as a super friendly, helpful, funny guy but all the other lifeguards and pool bar staff we have met score 10/10 too and cant do enough to make sure you are comfortable and hydrated ! Restaurant staff need to be mentioned too, as they have all been very friendly, and the service is always super efficient. Food choice, quality, replenishment and displays are of the highest standard we have experienced over many 5* AI holidays in the last 10 years. We are convinced that if we had any issues at all, they would be addressed quickly and that is an important thing to be confident about."

"I just spent 4 days at Iberostar Selection Diar El Andalous. I’ve been to two other Iberostar hotels before and had an excellent experience, so I decided to give this one a try this year. To start with the positives, even though check-in wasn't supposed to be until 3:00 PM, they gave us our room early, which was great because we didn't have to waste time waiting around. The receptionists were super friendly and welcoming right from the start. The food was honestly amazing—the chefs and kitchen staff were extremely polite, fast, and professional. The housekeepers were friendly too, and the rooms were kept spotless. My room had a garden view, but I could still see the beach, which was a nice bonus. Also, the spa facilities were good. Now for the negative side. My very first impression was that the hotel just didn't feel as fancy or 5-star as the other Iberostars I’ve visited. The air conditioning was a major issue. In the reception area and restaurant, it was surprisingly weak. The AC in my room worked fine, but the one in my parents' room was terrible, and I actually overheard several other guests complaining about the exact same thing. The entertainment and animation team by the pool was weak—maybe a 2/10 at best. Last year when I stayed at Iberostar Royal El Mansour, the activities were super fun, the team was engaging, and almost everyone joined in. Here, only about 8 or 9 people participated. On top of that, I even overheard one of the animators using profanity near the bar area, which was pretty unprofessional. (Quick side note for anyone planning to visit: one of my family members got diarrhea, but I think it was just from eating too much melon/summer fruit rather than a issue with the hotel's food hygiene. Just keep an eye on how much fruit you eat!) Overall, compared to a place like Royal El Mansour, Diar El Andalous easily beats it when it comes to the food and service. But if you're looking for top-tier entertainment, working AC, and that true 5-star luxury feel, it falls a bit short."