For the first time we flew to Tunisia to compare where it is better or better to have a rest at the beginning of summer (Turkey, Egypt).
The price before NG was "junk" about 1000 dollars. for 4 for 14 hours. at Oasis Travel Ukraine.
The tour operator was pleased with the replacement before the departure of the hotel from Kheops 3 * to Hotel Club President 3 *, and upon arrival settled in
Novostar Nahrawess Thalasso for 4 hours.
The carrier Bravo changed the time and the airport of departure (from Zhulyan to Boryspil) did not warn the Tour Operator.
So it turned out to be a "fun" and long journey.
My answer is that it is better in Tunisia - unequivocally - it's food. Nowhere in the "budget" (Turkey, Egypt) will you be given such a variety of meat and fish (lamb, veal, sardines, sprats and shrimp) at the same time.
Weather; softer than in Turkey, there is still no sweltering heat and windy.
Sea: sandy beaches, the entrance is shallow, but definitely worse - the water is colder + 22-23, in the afternoon it storms and brings algae to the shore.
Nature is the same as in Egypt.
Another plus of Tunisia is animation, a team of 10-12 people arrange wonderful dance and cabaret shows.
The difference between 3 and 4 star hotels is very big: in
Novostar Nahrawess Thalasso new rooms (there were 4 of us settled in 2 adjacent rooms), the dining room is clean, personal service, ice cream and shrimp every meal, good slides, an indoor pool, and a pool with sea water by the beach.
I was struck by the choice of alcohol: liqueurs (especially banana and citrus), the local Bukha moonshine was not impressed.
Walk 300 meters to the sea through the spa center.
.
PS As for me, the rest in Egypt at the advising time is better (the sea alters + good food).
Result: I fell in love with the sea, the beach is super, the sand, the water is clean, I didn’t need a sunbed in figs, why is it if it’s such a beach, you lie down at the very water and enjoy it when the waves wash over. By the way, our compatriots are engaged in sunbeds in the morning with towels, after which people disappear and come when they feel like it. Stupidly in my opinion and the opinion of tourists from Europe. But they have always been free. The food is delicious, varied, it is impossible to eat everything. They lie about breakfast, which is monotonous. Muesli, natural yoghurt with jam. . . pancakes, donuts, etc. Fans of fast food, sausages and olvier salads were dissatisfied. There is no such thing, thank goodness! Europeans are mostly French, their floor is a lot of Europeans. Some come with very young children, the children are calm, well-mannered, unlike ours (8-10 years old), obvious copies of their mothers! This is tin. I think everyone understands exactly who I am describing. In the dining room, just like their ancestors, they scoop up plates with a mountain, rush, fall... fu... shame. They do not always clean the tables on time, but if you politely and with a smile ask to clean the table you want to sit at, then the request is fulfilled fast.
The staff is sociable, polite, pleasant (both you and they are to you) Of course, they were dissatisfied, but it’s just Boorish from the times of the SOVKA. So if you don’t consider yourself to be the type that everyone owes you everything, then you are right here. I liked it very much. Sometimes the elevator did not work, and after 5 days of rest, when a large number of Russian tourists arrived, they noticed that they began to dilute lemon juice and sprite with water. Rescuers are survivable, sociable, keep order on the beach and chase merchants.
From entertainment fitness, water aerobics, water polo, volleyball on the beach. Somehow we heard the phrase that this hotel is for pensioners or relaxation. By the way, there are few pensioners, mostly French.
The Russian language, even at the reception, is poorly spoken, but this did not interfere with my absolute lack of knowledge of English. My daughter spoke for me. Some were infuriated that at the reception they hardly understood Russian. Dear, before you go somewhere, carefully check with the tour operator where you are being sent and whether that hotel corresponds to the desired vacation. Yes, whether it is four times beautiful or for some unknown reason chosen by you, if the type of rest in it does not correspond to what you want, then pass by, do not spoil the rest for yourself or those around you. I advise this hotel to anyone who wants moral and physical relaxation. Relaxation, food, sea, sand, sun. . . a week and you are as good as new. If you want to hang out, choose another. Holidays with children are also not here.
I draw your attention to the fact that I am not a brawler and do not find fault, but on the contrary, I am sympathetic to many points, but the hotel is really terrible. Conversations in the hotel confirm this, everyone wants to write complaints, but still I am sure that the flow to this hotel will be good, as it is clear that the hotel was very rich a few years ago. At the moment, the written negative reviews are true, and in each of them I can add additional negativity.
I'll tell you in order. The arrival turned out to be early - they were sitting on suitcases, this is normal. But on the other hand, we walked around the hotel, explored the territory, walked through the buildings.
It immediately caught my eye that it is not customary to clean in the hotel, in the toilet water floods the summer slippers with thick soles, the toilets are dirty and very old, the plumbing does not seem to be washed at all, it is dry in the other toilet, but the feet stick to the floor, on the floor in large dead cockroaches in the corridors, dusty glass elements of the interior, the carpet in the dining room is dirty. As I later noticed, mechanized labor is not accepted in the hotel, that is, everything is cleaned by hand, there are no vacuum cleaners. On the plus side, we were given a food card before check-in, that is, we were able to eat.
The room was a delight nonetheless. Quite clean, decent size. Cons - weak central air conditioning, two small beds pushed together instead of one large, lack of lighting, poorly working shower (no pressure).
Below are a few significant drawbacks that just affect the overall impression.
The dishes are washed by hand, they are always dirty.
In the dining room, birds fly, which freely walk around the tables and drag buns from gaping tourists. And a lot of annoying flies. Terrible unsanitary conditions, according to conversations, many have stomach problems.
For breakfast there is an insane queue of 15-20 minutes for an omelette or pancakes, which are fried only in front of you and on request. Or eat cornflakes with cold milk, which is often sour. There are no other options for breakfast at all. Delicious pastries in the form of croissants are brought in small baskets that are instantly empty, then you have to wait for the next batch. Sausage and cheese (terrible) are cut by hand by one person who constantly disappears somewhere. Brewed and instant coffee are acceptable. Breakfast also has "juice" from a cooler.
At lunch and dinner with queues a little better, you stand for 5-10 minutes. Again, the problem is in the distribution, as it is impossible for several people to take hot at the same time, the approach is from one side with one spoon.
The chef puts good products personally, God forbid, snatch a bigger piece of beef. For lunch and dinner, drinks are not freely available, you have to queue for drinks. The portions are very small, so it's best to take two glasses per person and ask for a pour.
Surprised by the lack of fruit. Put watermelon and sour plums. All. There are no more fruits. I'll make a hint - when you exit the hotel to the right and then to the right you go to the local market, where fruits are 1-2 dinars.
The queue does not depend on the time of arrival for a meal, there is little time, and there are a lot of people. I am glad that in such an international team of vacationers there are no problems with understanding the feeling of the queue.
The hotel does not have the concept of snack bars for casual snacks. Be prepared to tighten your belt, as a snack in the understanding of this hotel is a grandmother with pancakes that she bakes in front of you. Or a small melon pie.
This action lasts about 30 minutes (the dough is over, the pie is over). Again, for all this you need to stand in line.
There is a very noticeable problem with drinks. Tourists are provided with one bar next to the pool and one next to the sea. Near the sea, the bar does not work very long, and in the very heat, the drinks in it run out very quickly. So, you can add legends about a bar with a pool. You are given one All Inclusive card for two, which you present at the checkout. There are no bracelets like in normal hotels. The cashier punches your drinks, after which you sign the check and put the room number. Drinks are issued 1-2 per card, then you need to queue up again. The procedure takes up to half an hour. At the same time, two-thirds of the plastic cup is poured. If you have a goal to sit and drink beer, then this is not in this hotel. Or for money. Please, 5.5 dinars per mug.
It turned out to be a very unpleasant moment that extra drinks are punched in the check, the cashier gives them to his compatriots who are not resting on the all-inclusive system. Based on this, we had a conflict when we asked to pour more drinks, about 2.5 per card came out, but the cashier and bartender refused and poured one per card, while all spent in one check. I explained to the cashier that he usually punches too much, asked us to punch too much. After the refusal, the administrator was called with an interpreter, the next day they wrote a collective complaint to the director. We are previously unfamiliar people of different ages, that is, we are not members of a single random drunken company. The next day the cashier was removed, a day later he returned back. Changes for the better are not noticed.
The hotel does not have elementary water coolers, water is supplied once a day after 20-00.0, 5 liters per person per day.
During the day you can ask for a drink at the bar, but I'm sure that there is tap water. It is better to buy - 600 millimeters in the aforementioned market.
There is no security at the hotel, during our vacation a tourist drowned in the pool. Let him be drunk at night, or maybe he ran into someone, but this does not negate the essence of the matter. Other hotels have attendants who regularly make rounds.
There is no water park, but it is being built. To the left of the hotel there is a paid water park (15 minutes walk), but it is rather weak and traumatic.
The animation is very boring, the nightclub is empty. True, for me it is not very important, maybe someone liked it.
Do not forget that the hotel has a huge SPA center, apparently, the all-inclusive service is not the main thing for this hotel. The procedures cost quite decent money, separate restaurants are open for SPA clients, they say that they are better there.
I note that the hotel is not purely touristic, the hotel is regularly inhabited by locals. They have their own customs and habits, somewhat far from European ones.
I advise you to choose another hotel, we went on several excursions, many are delighted with their hotels, but we all have a negative. Although, as one woman said, "The main thing is the sea", but I do not agree, all the same, we pay money for the service.
We settled in a dirty room, called the reception several times to clean or relocate, no response. And not only us, half of the group was placed like that. They cleaned it up in the evening. . . The hotel itself is very old, like most hotels in Hammamet, a lot of greenery, an interesting design of courtyards, arches of flowers, pools. . . that's just a little dirty. . . Once it was beautiful and well-groomed by the French, now it's run down. The restaurant also does not particularly adhere to hygiene rules, which is only worth watching as 1 cook prepares omelets from dirty eggs for breakfast, but with gloves, takes a plate, napkin, etc. with the same gloves, having collected a huge queue of hungry tourists. The choice of dishes is not large, but you will not stay hungry, of course there will be no delicacies.
The beach turned out to be a big plus of the hotel, you need to walk a little along beautiful paths lined with flowers, we liked it. The beach is excellent: wide, long, with a beautiful entry into the sea, suitable for families with small children.
If the hotel is repaired and the management is changed, all categories of tourists can safely go to it!