Your rating of this hotel:
4.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms:
4.0
Service:
2.0
Cleanliness:
4.0
Food:
5.0
Amenities:
5.0
Such a holiday in Tunisia is not suitable for everyone!
THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW is to clearly inform about the intricacies of the hotel itself and show its advantages and disadvantages, which go side by side here. My review will be long and informative enough. This is my 4th trip to Tunisia, of which there were 2 info tours. The best season in Tunisia, when the weather is the most stable, is from mid-June to mid-September. Although May and October have their advantages. The reason for buying this tour was the anniversary birthday of a friend. But due to the manipulations of the operator, this celebration was celebrated on the road, and not on the beach. For changing the city of departure from Kharkiv to Kyiv, for shifting the departure time from morning to evening, our separate claim is to the tour operator "Oasis Travel". Personally, my motive for booking this resort was initially the early booking price tag of $1185 for Dbl std for 11 nights (04/09/2016-15/09/2016).
SETTLEMENT. We arrived at the hotel at 00.30 local time (02.30 am in our opinion).
After that, to celebrate, the tour operators assigned 4 stars to the complex, initially it was a three-star. On the site of our operator, this information was indicated rather vaguely (see photo), while others do not have it at all. For those who will now teach me to put money in my passport, so that they give me a "good number" I will say right away: why on earth ? ! With our bait, we ourselves are to blame for the fact that they are used to ripping off money from us for the appropriate resettlement (in Marhaba, the trick did not work with us) ...But at the same time, our citizens constantly stupidly forget about tips for porters, waiters and maids! So, about the difference between these numbers. Economic (the room itself): S=12m2 (3.5x3.5). The filling of the room: 2 shifted one and a half beds with forging at the head, the length of the mattress is 175 cm. Therefore, those who are taller than 170 cm, be prepared for feet hanging from the bed, digging into the ribs and spine, springs, holofiber falling in the pillows.
2 bedside tables, TV (2 Russian channels), built-in wardrobes in the dressing room, balcony plastic furniture (table + chair) on the concrete balcony area without outlining railings, empty mini-bar, not working phone, no coffee table and chairs. Other disadvantages: inside, the floor tiles are more like paving slabs, everything is old and dilapidated, the terrible noise from the central air conditioner is working and the audibility of how the neighbors' drain tank is working. From the outside, a view of the chain-link mesh that encloses trash on the territory of the neighboring Marhaba Beach or you can go to the animation stage, the sucky show lasts until 00.00, i. e. 02.00 in our opinion. Afterwards, at the same tables or on the summer terrace of the lobby, drunken youth frolic until the morning, who do not sleep until dawn. And closing the balcony door does not save from this fun, the hotel has amazing acoustics! In general, from 21.00 to 02.00 you will be surrounded by a musical cacophony of evening animations and discos.
Air conditioning is available from 15 June to 15 September. For reference: smoking, alcohol, sunburn and lack of sleep reduce immunity, and with the door closed, people are automatically forced to turn on the air conditioner. As a result, 75% of hotel guests coughed and sneezed, often without covering their mouths - as if I were in some kind of leper colony or tuberculosis dispensary. As a result: either stuffy, or noisy, or flies for ...sitting. If you are a light sleeper, early riser or eat with small children who can't explain what earplugs are (you can't do without them! ), weigh the pros and cons before booking Marhaba Resorts and the resort of Sousse in general, because it is a party resort. And if you are given a metal key with a heavy keychain - this is already a bad sign ...These numbers do not reach the level of 3 *. There were no cold snacks upon arrival at night, about which I was assured by Guest relations in personal correspondence ...
She also informed that the "Birthday cake" service at the hotel is paid: 5 dinars per 1 person, and the minimum cost of a cake starts from 25 dinars (equivalent to $12). Water, at our request, was brought by a receptionist, who was powerless to replace the room immediately without deductions from the baksheesh, but promised that this was a "misunderstanding" for only one night. Thank you! Water at night was priceless and he kept his promise. With us, the rooms were replaced by four more fellow travelers from Kyiv, who were extremely dissatisfied with this "misunderstanding". Hungry and tired, having managed to take a nap somehow for 3 hours, the next day at 12.30 we all, being persistent, changed the number to the one that corresponded to the paid category. Everyone was moved to the Central bloc and suspect the best of the worst 3 rooms in the neighborhood: frontal sea view and the last 4th floor (see photo). Fortunately, we are still able to overcome the ascent of the spiral staircase outside the building ...
For from the only elevator, the way with luggage was long and it was much more difficult to find an elevator in the corridor labyrinths with thresholds and steps without ramps. But if such an incident happened to you during the high season, I can’t guarantee the replacement of the room, as well as its extension after 12.00 on the day of departure. Half of the standards are already worn out and not repaired. And if I didn't have a photo of the room categories and didn't take a screenshot of the information from the operator's website, then who knows...This is the hotel management strategy, it's outright fraud and extortion! What is the Standart room: S=18m2 (3.5x5). In addition to fresh painting from Economic, the standard room is distinguished by the presence of two soft chairs at the coffee table, good tiles, a mattress length of 190 cm (relatively comfortable), an empty, stupidly opening mini-bar with an approximate temperature of + 15C, the air conditioner at minimum power cooled well and was almost inaudible, linen closets are placed inside the room.
There are 3 outlets: 1 in the bathroom, 1 in the room, one hidden in the closet. If you have a lot of gadgets, I recommend a tee. But pay attention to the photo of the outlet, the protruding pin will be an obstacle for round electrical plugs. Adapters are sold in the shop at the hotel. I also recommend taking your own hair dryer and a small electric kettle, you will understand later why. The tap water is brackish (outdated distillers) and very chlorinated, there is always hot water and good pressure. To prevent hair from becoming tow on the 2nd day, rinse with mineral water from bottles. The safe was not rented. At least we didn’t have incidents with theft, which is not uncommon here: we carried money and credit cards with us, we almost don’t wear red tsatsok, and we didn’t leave a chance to profit in our room. Phones still do not charge if you are not in the room - there will be no light without a card inserted into the slot or a weight key fob.
Only one key card is issued, and when the second is issued, the first one is blocked automatically. We calmly left our passports in a suitcase, we carried photocopies with us to the city. The bracelets of those living in the Central Bloc were turquoise, those in the Club were white. For the loss of a bracelet, a fine of 30 dinars ($ 15) is provided, with a late check-out they were not cut off. Near the reception there is an unguarded and accessible luggage room.
CLEANING. When checking in, the floor was washed once, after 7 days the bed was changed, towels are collected during the day and returned after 16-17.00. This is how the laundry works, there is a shortage of spare kits. We hid dry towels in the closet to dry off at lunchtime. The garbage was regularly taken out, the bed was made, shampoo, shower gel and soap (although it is like paraffin) were always there. If cleaning wasn't required, we put a "do not disturb" sign on the door outside. Tipping was left every other day when there was a need to take out the trash and change towels.
1 time the air conditioner leaked (the balcony door was closed), 1 time it leaked from the bidet hose. In general, due to the design of the enclosing glass in the bathroom, a little water always accumulated on the floor - the foot towel suffered first, you need to direct the hose towards the taps and squat. A couple of breakdowns were fixed within 30 minutes after calling the reception on tel. 3414 (spoke in English). Both maids and repairmen work only with open doors. There are no claims against them.
TERRITORY. Moderately large, clean, green. Always smiling gardeners do their best, and from 7.00 the cleaners wash and clean the territory of the night party from cigarette butts and sticky stains. With the help of free Wi-Fi at the reception, I easily called home via Viber, watched youtube online. We were lucky, Wi-Fi also flew in the room, but on the beach even text is weak. Sports shoes are required for the gym (1 hour per day free of charge).
On the beach, self-service with sun loungers.
And if we wanted to sit under large canopies with regular shade (there are three of them, although there are 4, there are four frames), we occupied a sunbed until 8.00. After all, half of the beach "mushrooms" are dilapidated and the shadow from them is like broth from under eggs. We brought our own thick towels. The hotel has old blue and white ones, there is a problem to change them for fresh ones. Towels are issued against a deposit of 20 dinars ($ 10), which is returned only in dinars and it is not clear where to put them on the day of departure. You will have to run around the airport on the way back in search of the only exchanger capable of exchanging the remaining TND for dollars, losing on commissions and only if you have a certificate "On exchanging $ for TND". It is forbidden to export dinars from Tunisia. It’s easier to buy from merchants right on the beach or in a hotel store, the prices are adequate. Chaise lounges-mesh without mattresses - I personally was comfortable, but many complained about their absence. Sea: 20m goes aground, then deep.
There are showers and toilets on the beach and by the pool. Regarding the sewage storm drain, which goes out to the sea - if it exists, it is at a decent distance from the hotel. It was not too critical for me personally: no feces and fuel oil were noticed, the sea was muddy 2-3 times in the afternoon. Of course, we refrained from swimming - a common practice of dumping sewage in other visa-free resorts.
THE DRINKS. Alcohol is issued from 10.00 to 00.00 in the 2nd lobby and at the Central Bloc pool, in the beach bar and near the quiet Club Club until 17.00, if available (2 disposable cups in hand, with rare exceptions for tipping the bartender). I did not feel any discrimination or hostility on myself and did not notice on others. On the beach, I drank the only thing that I could take myself and without a queue - it was tea bags. And I try not to drink local strong alcohol at all. I prefer to take our vodka and cognac (1 liter and a block of cigarettes per person) and buy additional whiskey in Dyutik.
But I did a tasting: I liked rum, gin, pastis (a sambuca-type liquor), and whiskey and booze (an analogue of vodka) are a rare muck, the strength is only 20-25 degrees. They can only be ordered in the lobby at the reception or in the evening at the bar by the central pool, not in the dining room. In the lobbies of the two buildings, they were pounding a kind of cocktails, mixing all this shmurdyak with ice, soda or Upi, because it is difficult to drink it in its pure form. Coffee machines were freely available, well, that's it. On the beach and in 2 restaurants, only beer and young dry wine of 3 colors are served. Juices are only powdered, even purchased in packages of $ 3 per 1 L are disgusting. On the beach, beer/wine often runs out in the middle of the day and can be refilled up to 30 minutes before the bar closes, or not refilled at all. And if there is no queue at the bar, the phrase will definitely sound: "Sorry ALL finished! ". But the main problem of many hotels in Tunisia is drinking water!
Because of her, be prepared for salty tea and coffee, diluted milk in the shade for coffee for breakfast (even a sprite that reeked of chlorine - I spat it out of habit into a nearby urn) ...In five days, either get used to it or give up everything these drinks during the holidays. The food is also cooked on such brackish water from large bottles, its origin is not known to me. But if you use water from 1-1.5l. bottles, which were handed out one at a time to each vacationer from 19.00 to 22.00 in the lobby bar (with or without gas), having your own electric kettle and good coffee, this problem will be slightly smoothed out.
NUTRITION. Breakfast 7.30-10.00, lunch 12.30-14.30; dinner with seating is divided into 2 shifts: 18.00-19.15 (30 min. break for changing the serving) and 19.45-21.00. On the first evening, the restaurant administrator assigns a certain table to the room, at which you have dinner on the 1st or 2nd shift of your choice.
Because of this, I personally had a feeling of some kind of sovietness: to have time to have dinner in the time range of an hour to fifteen, and from the 1st shift of people in 15 minutes. before the end of the meal, they were already asked to "round off". The hotel solved the problem of the lack of normal snacks by allowing vacationers to take food out of the restaurant. Therefore, it is often possible to see around the territory that someone did not bring his own dirty plate to where he filled it. The range of food for 4 * is surely good! But here the quality of cooking time and again is not necessary. The same meat products, vegetables, first courses will cook well once: these are french fries, stewed peppers, harmful fish pangasius, beef stroganoff from turkey, cutlets on the children's table, well, chicken is generally difficult to spoil ...Although it was possible - barbecue from fillet the only time cooked on the beach was raw.
Yes, and they did terrible with other products: the beef was not finished, the rubber liver was overcooked and not processed from the chaff, the couscous was oversalted and overcooked, the eggplants were fresh and dry, the first courses were also edible every other time, there were not enough tomato-cucumbers for them and the salad some chopped greens. As salvation, there is mayonnaise and olive oil, ketchup and harissa. There is NO boiled meat or some steamed meatballs for those who are on a diet. From a conditionally children's menu: fries, pasta, pizza and sometimes meatballs, which adults scatter in the blink of an eye; rice porridge for breakfast is not milky enough, but there are excellent yoghurts, muesli, milk in jugs and honey. There are no milk shakes or paid fresh juices. There was always veal for lunch and dinner; alternating chicken with fish. Less often cooked turkey, meatballs. For 11 days of vacation, 2 times for dinner there were frozen small shrimps. And in honor of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, 1 time there was soft lamb on the rib ...
However, this evening there was still a problem with the availability of clean plates! People, like restless people, walked around the food and came to saliva. And I remembered the once held action "Barbecue on the Beach" with a queue, like at the Last Judgment. Fruits were seasonal, 1-2 species at a time. The strawberry season lasts until about the end of May, and dates usually ripen in mid-November and their presence was a surprise for us. I really liked the grapes, apples, peaches. And plums and watermelon with melon, like grass. For some reason, there were no oranges, grapefruits and bananas. For dessert, delicious biscuit canapes and profiteroles with cream cheese filling, and in the evening excellent ice cream. Breakfast is standard: eggs, scrambled eggs, good boiled sausage and pastries. We had no cases of poisoning and did not go hungry. But the principle applies absolutely everywhere: "Who managed, he ate! ". That is why one of us, if he saw something relatively appetizing in appearance, immediately put it on a plate for both ...
After 3 minutes, this simply could not have happened or replenished when the dessert had already been eaten. On no trip I ate with anyone from the same plate, immediately the organization of the public catering of Marhaba forced me to sink to the level of cattle with its smart-ass issuance of dishes. By the way, for those who are not in the know: going to a restaurant in the evening, especially for lunch or dinner in openly beachwear (in a pareo over a wet swimsuit, in a T-shirt and shorts for swimming), how to put on sandals on socks is a bad form. Still, they would come to a restaurant in pajamas and a long linen robe ...But there are always individuals who think something like this: "I'm on vacation, so I can do anything. " Please don't be like that, don't be ashamed to look the part at dinner.
MAIN PROBLEMS 4 * complex Marhaba Resorts (more information for the top management of the hotel):
1. Giant lines.
They are behind everything: for beer and wine on the beach; for scrambled eggs, meat, ice cream and fruit in restaurants; for rubber pancakes at the pool bar. Often for 10-15 minutes there are empty containers with main dishes, and from the middle of the day the beer and wine in the beach bar ends and is not replenished. Looking at the 40-minute queue at the bars, the desire to drink a beer or cola simply disappears. There is a solution: competent distribution of workers - you need at least 3 bartenders at the beach bar and deploy machines with soft drinks in bars for self-service; Control over the timely replenishment of main dishes / dishes in the restaurant and drinks in bars; to make omelettes and pancakes, cooks need more powerful stoves and personal promptness. The creation by managers of artificial excitement and slowness in a hotel designed for 1500 people is unacceptable. Everywhere there is a shortage of hardworking personnel.
Only their smiles save the impression, and their work without proper supervision is a bad way to manage and save money! In 4 * hotels in Egypt, they switched to a la carte distribution of meat dishes a long time ago, but I have not seen such incredible queues there.
2. Conduct master classes for cooks who do not know how to cook for Europeans - then people will impose less different food because of the created excitement, so that later they will leave part of it on the plate because of inedibility. Set up a children's menu, a dietary table. Introduce "snack time" into the hotel concept: by the pools and on the beach during the day, in the lobby or in the restaurant at night (sandwiches, burgers or canapes; fruits, biscuits, donuts, etc. ). Taking food out of a restaurant leads to a catastrophic shortage of dishes and often large-scale theft, to unsanitary conditions in rooms and corridors, for this, Room service has been invented all over the world. For newly arrived guests, at least 1.5 liters of water should already be available in the rooms.
And the service "Cake for a birthday man for his money" is a complete disregard for ways to encourage the consumer, that is, non-price methods of sales promotion. While eating in restaurants, variety in the music lounge selection would not hurt, and not the eternally wheezing Alegrova with her "I'll part the clouds with my hands", Chill Out radio to help! And enter the dress code for guests during dinner.
3. Provide the territory of the beach, pools, evening animation with a sufficient number of personal ashtrays. Purely not where they clean, but where they do not litter.
4. When checking in, notify your guests in writing about the rules of civilized behavior on the territory of the hotel at night, about the possibility of imposing a fine and more severe measures to pacify insane brawlers.
5. It is necessary to change the booking system - accommodation, make it more transparent and appropriate! Your Economic rooms will never become Standard without major repairs and soundproofing.
In hotel ethics, there is a classification of rooms that are inferior in comfort to the main number of rooms and are offered to customers at a reduced price at the stage of buying a tour (ROH, Econom, Promo room, etc. ) - this is a category of rooms provided at the discretion of the hotel administration (may be damp , without repair or balcony, without a window or the declared view, located near a source of noise or unpleasant odors). Start at least by replacing mattresses and pillows in Neptun & Medina cases; from purchases of bath towels and bed linen for the hotel (completeness is required for replacement).
6. Update ancient beach towels, arrange for their provision and replacement. And I'm hinting at the purchase of the cheapest electric kettles, since there is such a problem with water quality, so that tourists do not drag their own with electric plugs that are not adapted for Tunisian sockets.
7. Theft from the rooms, there are security omissions!
Managers should impose a strict ban on maids from opening a room at the request of a tourist under any pretext: "I don't want to wake my wife; the door slammed shut and I forgot the key inside, " etc. The answer should be one: "Come to the reception. " Ideally, video cameras should work in the corridors. All this is a positive image of the hotel. In the meantime, these measures have not been taken, vacationers, watch your valuables and money yourself or rent a safe at the reception: 2 TND per day + deposit for the key 20 TND.
8. Service and its misinterpretation. From the hotel staff you expect not complete inaction with a silent expression on your face: "No money - no honey! " or other familiar remarks with a greasy smile, but the fulfillment of their direct duties! Phrases: "Welcome to Marhaba Resorts! ", "Would you like to drink? " and "Bon appetit" would definitely be appropriate. All employees of hotels in Tunisia receive a monthly salary of $ 300-400.
TIPS - this is just an additional bonus to the employee after his quality service and they should be left at the discretion of the client! And the inhabitants of North Africa made it the norm for the Slavs to set a clear fee, charging a fee or gifts before rendering any service that is due to them anyway ...However, this is no longer a tip! This is a bribe, a bribe, or, as the Arabs call it, "baksheesh. " And it works precisely with our post-Soviet mentality. Wealthy tourists from Western Europe know how to respect themselves and defend their rights, and do not shower banknotes on lazy slickers in order to get a "glass of water" already paid for and an acceptable room to stay. And this is just the setting of rules for employees by hotel managers.
If I were a manager at Marhaba Resorts, a week and a minimum financial investment would be enough for me to eliminate these problems - they are all elementary solvable!
And the hotel would have become a full-fledged 4-star (by Egyptian standards, even a "five-economy" or 4 * +), and not remain a three with a claim to 4 * - the Marhaba Resort has excellent potential for this. And do not start "Israel's Lament" that there is a crisis in Tunisia. The usual cost of a tour for two at Marhaba Resorts for July-September without a discount for early booking or not a day before departure is far from friendly: about $ 1150-1300 for 7 nights. This is 25-40% more expensive than the price list of hotels in Egypt on the 1st line, similar in terms of territory, food and the Arab level of service. Stay ahead of your competitors. And you might think that after the jump in 2014, the dollar exchange rate from 8.2 to 26.5 UAH. per dollar non-crisis : )))
FINDINGS. There is no particular difference in the standard rooms of the buildings. But at Central Bloc (Resort), the restaurant seemed to me more comfortable, bright and with an open area for smoking. I note that at least in the central block there is not a single room looking at the entrance to the hotel and the busy roadway - this is a fat plus.
At this stage of the development of the hotel, I would recommend it only for active young people aged 18-30 who appreciate a good range of food, active animation and beach and disco holidays. Although the contingent of vacationers said otherwise - there were many families with small children and those over forty. And many of these tourists, oddly enough, were satisfied with the choice of the hotel: they ate, drank, took a nap, got drunk and life was good. But! . . It is always extremely unpleasant for me that the Russian language spoken by such geniuses as S. Yesenin, M. Bulgakov, L. Pasternak and many others can evoke associations with the behavior of young people who do not think that because of their night screams, a mother cannot put her child to sleep, the elderly have a headache from chronic lack of sleep ...Associations with people who leave behind mountains of half-eaten food and dirt ...
Associations with the defiant behavior of some women and men, thinking about some kind of superiority over the staff and not appreciating their work and the right of other tourists to a good rest.
I thank all the staff of the Marhaba Resorts hotel for trying to make my personal stay in Tunisia as comfortable as possible. I sincerely wish you a good season in the coming years. Watch your competitors, strive for the best and work for the future. Bonne Chance!
P. S. Judging by the real reviews, since September 2016, the hotel management has not taken into account most of my recommendations.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW is to clearly inform about the intricacies of the hotel itself and show its advantages and disadvantages, which go side by side here. My review will be long and informative enough. This is my 4th trip to Tunisia, of which there were 2 info tours. The best season in Tunisia, when the weather is the most stable, is from mid-June to mid-September. Although May and October have their advantages. The reason for buying this tour was the anniversary birthday of a friend. But due to the manipulations of the operator, this celebration was celebrated on the road, and not on the beach. For changing the city of departure from Kharkiv to Kyiv, for shifting the departure time from morning to evening, our separate claim is to the tour operator "Oasis Travel". Personally, my motive for booking this resort was initially the early booking price tag of $1185 for Dbl std for 11 nights (04/09/2016-15/09/2016).
SETTLEMENT. We arrived at the hotel at 00.30 local time (02.30 am in our opinion).
After that, to celebrate, the tour operators assigned 4 stars to the complex, initially it was a three-star. On the site of our operator, this information was indicated rather vaguely (see photo), while others do not have it at all. For those who will now teach me to put money in my passport, so that they give me a "good number" I will say right away: why on earth ? ! With our bait, we ourselves are to blame for the fact that they are used to ripping off money from us for the appropriate resettlement (in Marhaba, the trick did not work with us) ...But at the same time, our citizens constantly stupidly forget about tips for porters, waiters and maids! So, about the difference between these numbers. Economic (the room itself): S=12m2 (3.5x3.5). The filling of the room: 2 shifted one and a half beds with forging at the head, the length of the mattress is 175 cm. Therefore, those who are taller than 170 cm, be prepared for feet hanging from the bed, digging into the ribs and spine, springs, holofiber falling in the pillows.
2 bedside tables, TV (2 Russian channels), built-in wardrobes in the dressing room, balcony plastic furniture (table + chair) on the concrete balcony area without outlining railings, empty mini-bar, not working phone, no coffee table and chairs. Other disadvantages: inside, the floor tiles are more like paving slabs, everything is old and dilapidated, the terrible noise from the central air conditioner is working and the audibility of how the neighbors' drain tank is working. From the outside, a view of the chain-link mesh that encloses trash on the territory of the neighboring Marhaba Beach or you can go to the animation stage, the sucky show lasts until 00.00, i. e. 02.00 in our opinion. Afterwards, at the same tables or on the summer terrace of the lobby, drunken youth frolic until the morning, who do not sleep until dawn. And closing the balcony door does not save from this fun, the hotel has amazing acoustics! In general, from 21.00 to 02.00 you will be surrounded by a musical cacophony of evening animations and discos.
Air conditioning is available from 15 June to 15 September. For reference: smoking, alcohol, sunburn and lack of sleep reduce immunity, and with the door closed, people are automatically forced to turn on the air conditioner. As a result, 75% of hotel guests coughed and sneezed, often without covering their mouths - as if I were in some kind of leper colony or tuberculosis dispensary. As a result: either stuffy, or noisy, or flies for ...sitting. If you are a light sleeper, early riser or eat with small children who can't explain what earplugs are (you can't do without them! ), weigh the pros and cons before booking Marhaba Resorts and the resort of Sousse in general, because it is a party resort. And if you are given a metal key with a heavy keychain - this is already a bad sign ...These numbers do not reach the level of 3 *. There were no cold snacks upon arrival at night, about which I was assured by Guest relations in personal correspondence ...
She also informed that the "Birthday cake" service at the hotel is paid: 5 dinars per 1 person, and the minimum cost of a cake starts from 25 dinars (equivalent to $12). Water, at our request, was brought by a receptionist, who was powerless to replace the room immediately without deductions from the baksheesh, but promised that this was a "misunderstanding" for only one night. Thank you! Water at night was priceless and he kept his promise. With us, the rooms were replaced by four more fellow travelers from Kyiv, who were extremely dissatisfied with this "misunderstanding". Hungry and tired, having managed to take a nap somehow for 3 hours, the next day at 12.30 we all, being persistent, changed the number to the one that corresponded to the paid category. Everyone was moved to the Central bloc and suspect the best of the worst 3 rooms in the neighborhood: frontal sea view and the last 4th floor (see photo). Fortunately, we are still able to overcome the ascent of the spiral staircase outside the building ...
For from the only elevator, the way with luggage was long and it was much more difficult to find an elevator in the corridor labyrinths with thresholds and steps without ramps. But if such an incident happened to you during the high season, I can’t guarantee the replacement of the room, as well as its extension after 12.00 on the day of departure. Half of the standards are already worn out and not repaired. And if I didn't have a photo of the room categories and didn't take a screenshot of the information from the operator's website, then who knows...This is the hotel management strategy, it's outright fraud and extortion! What is the Standart room: S=18m2 (3.5x5). In addition to fresh painting from Economic, the standard room is distinguished by the presence of two soft chairs at the coffee table, good tiles, a mattress length of 190 cm (relatively comfortable), an empty, stupidly opening mini-bar with an approximate temperature of + 15C, the air conditioner at minimum power cooled well and was almost inaudible, linen closets are placed inside the room.
There are 3 outlets: 1 in the bathroom, 1 in the room, one hidden in the closet. If you have a lot of gadgets, I recommend a tee. But pay attention to the photo of the outlet, the protruding pin will be an obstacle for round electrical plugs. Adapters are sold in the shop at the hotel. I also recommend taking your own hair dryer and a small electric kettle, you will understand later why. The tap water is brackish (outdated distillers) and very chlorinated, there is always hot water and good pressure. To prevent hair from becoming tow on the 2nd day, rinse with mineral water from bottles. The safe was not rented. At least we didn’t have incidents with theft, which is not uncommon here: we carried money and credit cards with us, we almost don’t wear red tsatsok, and we didn’t leave a chance to profit in our room. Phones still do not charge if you are not in the room - there will be no light without a card inserted into the slot or a weight key fob.
Only one key card is issued, and when the second is issued, the first one is blocked automatically. We calmly left our passports in a suitcase, we carried photocopies with us to the city. The bracelets of those living in the Central Bloc were turquoise, those in the Club were white. For the loss of a bracelet, a fine of 30 dinars ($ 15) is provided, with a late check-out they were not cut off. Near the reception there is an unguarded and accessible luggage room.
CLEANING. When checking in, the floor was washed once, after 7 days the bed was changed, towels are collected during the day and returned after 16-17.00. This is how the laundry works, there is a shortage of spare kits. We hid dry towels in the closet to dry off at lunchtime. The garbage was regularly taken out, the bed was made, shampoo, shower gel and soap (although it is like paraffin) were always there. If cleaning wasn't required, we put a "do not disturb" sign on the door outside. Tipping was left every other day when there was a need to take out the trash and change towels.
1 time the air conditioner leaked (the balcony door was closed), 1 time it leaked from the bidet hose. In general, due to the design of the enclosing glass in the bathroom, a little water always accumulated on the floor - the foot towel suffered first, you need to direct the hose towards the taps and squat. A couple of breakdowns were fixed within 30 minutes after calling the reception on tel. 3414 (spoke in English). Both maids and repairmen work only with open doors. There are no claims against them.
TERRITORY. Moderately large, clean, green. Always smiling gardeners do their best, and from 7.00 the cleaners wash and clean the territory of the night party from cigarette butts and sticky stains. With the help of free Wi-Fi at the reception, I easily called home via Viber, watched youtube online. We were lucky, Wi-Fi also flew in the room, but on the beach even text is weak. Sports shoes are required for the gym (1 hour per day free of charge).
On the beach, self-service with sun loungers.
And if we wanted to sit under large canopies with regular shade (there are three of them, although there are 4, there are four frames), we occupied a sunbed until 8.00. After all, half of the beach "mushrooms" are dilapidated and the shadow from them is like broth from under eggs. We brought our own thick towels. The hotel has old blue and white ones, there is a problem to change them for fresh ones. Towels are issued against a deposit of 20 dinars ($ 10), which is returned only in dinars and it is not clear where to put them on the day of departure. You will have to run around the airport on the way back in search of the only exchanger capable of exchanging the remaining TND for dollars, losing on commissions and only if you have a certificate "On exchanging $ for TND". It is forbidden to export dinars from Tunisia. It’s easier to buy from merchants right on the beach or in a hotel store, the prices are adequate. Chaise lounges-mesh without mattresses - I personally was comfortable, but many complained about their absence. Sea: 20m goes aground, then deep.
There are showers and toilets on the beach and by the pool. Regarding the sewage storm drain, which goes out to the sea - if it exists, it is at a decent distance from the hotel. It was not too critical for me personally: no feces and fuel oil were noticed, the sea was muddy 2-3 times in the afternoon. Of course, we refrained from swimming - a common practice of dumping sewage in other visa-free resorts.
THE DRINKS. Alcohol is issued from 10.00 to 00.00 in the 2nd lobby and at the Central Bloc pool, in the beach bar and near the quiet Club Club until 17.00, if available (2 disposable cups in hand, with rare exceptions for tipping the bartender). I did not feel any discrimination or hostility on myself and did not notice on others. On the beach, I drank the only thing that I could take myself and without a queue - it was tea bags. And I try not to drink local strong alcohol at all. I prefer to take our vodka and cognac (1 liter and a block of cigarettes per person) and buy additional whiskey in Dyutik.
But I did a tasting: I liked rum, gin, pastis (a sambuca-type liquor), and whiskey and booze (an analogue of vodka) are a rare muck, the strength is only 20-25 degrees. They can only be ordered in the lobby at the reception or in the evening at the bar by the central pool, not in the dining room. In the lobbies of the two buildings, they were pounding a kind of cocktails, mixing all this shmurdyak with ice, soda or Upi, because it is difficult to drink it in its pure form. Coffee machines were freely available, well, that's it. On the beach and in 2 restaurants, only beer and young dry wine of 3 colors are served. Juices are only powdered, even purchased in packages of $ 3 per 1 L are disgusting. On the beach, beer/wine often runs out in the middle of the day and can be refilled up to 30 minutes before the bar closes, or not refilled at all. And if there is no queue at the bar, the phrase will definitely sound: "Sorry ALL finished! ". But the main problem of many hotels in Tunisia is drinking water!
Because of her, be prepared for salty tea and coffee, diluted milk in the shade for coffee for breakfast (even a sprite that reeked of chlorine - I spat it out of habit into a nearby urn) ...In five days, either get used to it or give up everything these drinks during the holidays. The food is also cooked on such brackish water from large bottles, its origin is not known to me. But if you use water from 1-1.5l. bottles, which were handed out one at a time to each vacationer from 19.00 to 22.00 in the lobby bar (with or without gas), having your own electric kettle and good coffee, this problem will be slightly smoothed out.
NUTRITION. Breakfast 7.30-10.00, lunch 12.30-14.30; dinner with seating is divided into 2 shifts: 18.00-19.15 (30 min. break for changing the serving) and 19.45-21.00. On the first evening, the restaurant administrator assigns a certain table to the room, at which you have dinner on the 1st or 2nd shift of your choice.
Because of this, I personally had a feeling of some kind of sovietness: to have time to have dinner in the time range of an hour to fifteen, and from the 1st shift of people in 15 minutes. before the end of the meal, they were already asked to "round off". The hotel solved the problem of the lack of normal snacks by allowing vacationers to take food out of the restaurant. Therefore, it is often possible to see around the territory that someone did not bring his own dirty plate to where he filled it. The range of food for 4 * is surely good! But here the quality of cooking time and again is not necessary. The same meat products, vegetables, first courses will cook well once: these are french fries, stewed peppers, harmful fish pangasius, beef stroganoff from turkey, cutlets on the children's table, well, chicken is generally difficult to spoil ...Although it was possible - barbecue from fillet the only time cooked on the beach was raw.
Yes, and they did terrible with other products: the beef was not finished, the rubber liver was overcooked and not processed from the chaff, the couscous was oversalted and overcooked, the eggplants were fresh and dry, the first courses were also edible every other time, there were not enough tomato-cucumbers for them and the salad some chopped greens. As salvation, there is mayonnaise and olive oil, ketchup and harissa. There is NO boiled meat or some steamed meatballs for those who are on a diet. From a conditionally children's menu: fries, pasta, pizza and sometimes meatballs, which adults scatter in the blink of an eye; rice porridge for breakfast is not milky enough, but there are excellent yoghurts, muesli, milk in jugs and honey. There are no milk shakes or paid fresh juices. There was always veal for lunch and dinner; alternating chicken with fish. Less often cooked turkey, meatballs. For 11 days of vacation, 2 times for dinner there were frozen small shrimps. And in honor of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, 1 time there was soft lamb on the rib ...
However, this evening there was still a problem with the availability of clean plates! People, like restless people, walked around the food and came to saliva. And I remembered the once held action "Barbecue on the Beach" with a queue, like at the Last Judgment. Fruits were seasonal, 1-2 species at a time. The strawberry season lasts until about the end of May, and dates usually ripen in mid-November and their presence was a surprise for us. I really liked the grapes, apples, peaches. And plums and watermelon with melon, like grass. For some reason, there were no oranges, grapefruits and bananas. For dessert, delicious biscuit canapes and profiteroles with cream cheese filling, and in the evening excellent ice cream. Breakfast is standard: eggs, scrambled eggs, good boiled sausage and pastries. We had no cases of poisoning and did not go hungry. But the principle applies absolutely everywhere: "Who managed, he ate! ". That is why one of us, if he saw something relatively appetizing in appearance, immediately put it on a plate for both ...
After 3 minutes, this simply could not have happened or replenished when the dessert had already been eaten. On no trip I ate with anyone from the same plate, immediately the organization of the public catering of Marhaba forced me to sink to the level of cattle with its smart-ass issuance of dishes. By the way, for those who are not in the know: going to a restaurant in the evening, especially for lunch or dinner in openly beachwear (in a pareo over a wet swimsuit, in a T-shirt and shorts for swimming), how to put on sandals on socks is a bad form. Still, they would come to a restaurant in pajamas and a long linen robe ...But there are always individuals who think something like this: "I'm on vacation, so I can do anything. " Please don't be like that, don't be ashamed to look the part at dinner.
MAIN PROBLEMS 4 * complex Marhaba Resorts (more information for the top management of the hotel):
1. Giant lines.
They are behind everything: for beer and wine on the beach; for scrambled eggs, meat, ice cream and fruit in restaurants; for rubber pancakes at the pool bar. Often for 10-15 minutes there are empty containers with main dishes, and from the middle of the day the beer and wine in the beach bar ends and is not replenished. Looking at the 40-minute queue at the bars, the desire to drink a beer or cola simply disappears. There is a solution: competent distribution of workers - you need at least 3 bartenders at the beach bar and deploy machines with soft drinks in bars for self-service; Control over the timely replenishment of main dishes / dishes in the restaurant and drinks in bars; to make omelettes and pancakes, cooks need more powerful stoves and personal promptness. The creation by managers of artificial excitement and slowness in a hotel designed for 1500 people is unacceptable. Everywhere there is a shortage of hardworking personnel.
Only their smiles save the impression, and their work without proper supervision is a bad way to manage and save money! In 4 * hotels in Egypt, they switched to a la carte distribution of meat dishes a long time ago, but I have not seen such incredible queues there.
2. Conduct master classes for cooks who do not know how to cook for Europeans - then people will impose less different food because of the created excitement, so that later they will leave part of it on the plate because of inedibility. Set up a children's menu, a dietary table. Introduce "snack time" into the hotel concept: by the pools and on the beach during the day, in the lobby or in the restaurant at night (sandwiches, burgers or canapes; fruits, biscuits, donuts, etc. ). Taking food out of a restaurant leads to a catastrophic shortage of dishes and often large-scale theft, to unsanitary conditions in rooms and corridors, for this, Room service has been invented all over the world. For newly arrived guests, at least 1.5 liters of water should already be available in the rooms.
And the service "Cake for a birthday man for his money" is a complete disregard for ways to encourage the consumer, that is, non-price methods of sales promotion. While eating in restaurants, variety in the music lounge selection would not hurt, and not the eternally wheezing Alegrova with her "I'll part the clouds with my hands", Chill Out radio to help! And enter the dress code for guests during dinner.
3. Provide the territory of the beach, pools, evening animation with a sufficient number of personal ashtrays. Purely not where they clean, but where they do not litter.
4. When checking in, notify your guests in writing about the rules of civilized behavior on the territory of the hotel at night, about the possibility of imposing a fine and more severe measures to pacify insane brawlers.
5. It is necessary to change the booking system - accommodation, make it more transparent and appropriate! Your Economic rooms will never become Standard without major repairs and soundproofing.
In hotel ethics, there is a classification of rooms that are inferior in comfort to the main number of rooms and are offered to customers at a reduced price at the stage of buying a tour (ROH, Econom, Promo room, etc. ) - this is a category of rooms provided at the discretion of the hotel administration (may be damp , without repair or balcony, without a window or the declared view, located near a source of noise or unpleasant odors). Start at least by replacing mattresses and pillows in Neptun & Medina cases; from purchases of bath towels and bed linen for the hotel (completeness is required for replacement).
6. Update ancient beach towels, arrange for their provision and replacement. And I'm hinting at the purchase of the cheapest electric kettles, since there is such a problem with water quality, so that tourists do not drag their own with electric plugs that are not adapted for Tunisian sockets.
7. Theft from the rooms, there are security omissions!
Managers should impose a strict ban on maids from opening a room at the request of a tourist under any pretext: "I don't want to wake my wife; the door slammed shut and I forgot the key inside, " etc. The answer should be one: "Come to the reception. " Ideally, video cameras should work in the corridors. All this is a positive image of the hotel. In the meantime, these measures have not been taken, vacationers, watch your valuables and money yourself or rent a safe at the reception: 2 TND per day + deposit for the key 20 TND.
8. Service and its misinterpretation. From the hotel staff you expect not complete inaction with a silent expression on your face: "No money - no honey! " or other familiar remarks with a greasy smile, but the fulfillment of their direct duties! Phrases: "Welcome to Marhaba Resorts! ", "Would you like to drink? " and "Bon appetit" would definitely be appropriate. All employees of hotels in Tunisia receive a monthly salary of $ 300-400.
TIPS - this is just an additional bonus to the employee after his quality service and they should be left at the discretion of the client! And the inhabitants of North Africa made it the norm for the Slavs to set a clear fee, charging a fee or gifts before rendering any service that is due to them anyway ...However, this is no longer a tip! This is a bribe, a bribe, or, as the Arabs call it, "baksheesh. " And it works precisely with our post-Soviet mentality. Wealthy tourists from Western Europe know how to respect themselves and defend their rights, and do not shower banknotes on lazy slickers in order to get a "glass of water" already paid for and an acceptable room to stay. And this is just the setting of rules for employees by hotel managers.
If I were a manager at Marhaba Resorts, a week and a minimum financial investment would be enough for me to eliminate these problems - they are all elementary solvable!
And the hotel would have become a full-fledged 4-star (by Egyptian standards, even a "five-economy" or 4 * +), and not remain a three with a claim to 4 * - the Marhaba Resort has excellent potential for this. And do not start "Israel's Lament" that there is a crisis in Tunisia. The usual cost of a tour for two at Marhaba Resorts for July-September without a discount for early booking or not a day before departure is far from friendly: about $ 1150-1300 for 7 nights. This is 25-40% more expensive than the price list of hotels in Egypt on the 1st line, similar in terms of territory, food and the Arab level of service. Stay ahead of your competitors. And you might think that after the jump in 2014, the dollar exchange rate from 8.2 to 26.5 UAH. per dollar non-crisis : )))
FINDINGS. There is no particular difference in the standard rooms of the buildings. But at Central Bloc (Resort), the restaurant seemed to me more comfortable, bright and with an open area for smoking. I note that at least in the central block there is not a single room looking at the entrance to the hotel and the busy roadway - this is a fat plus.
At this stage of the development of the hotel, I would recommend it only for active young people aged 18-30 who appreciate a good range of food, active animation and beach and disco holidays. Although the contingent of vacationers said otherwise - there were many families with small children and those over forty. And many of these tourists, oddly enough, were satisfied with the choice of the hotel: they ate, drank, took a nap, got drunk and life was good. But! . . It is always extremely unpleasant for me that the Russian language spoken by such geniuses as S. Yesenin, M. Bulgakov, L. Pasternak and many others can evoke associations with the behavior of young people who do not think that because of their night screams, a mother cannot put her child to sleep, the elderly have a headache from chronic lack of sleep ...Associations with people who leave behind mountains of half-eaten food and dirt ...
Associations with the defiant behavior of some women and men, thinking about some kind of superiority over the staff and not appreciating their work and the right of other tourists to a good rest.
I thank all the staff of the Marhaba Resorts hotel for trying to make my personal stay in Tunisia as comfortable as possible. I sincerely wish you a good season in the coming years. Watch your competitors, strive for the best and work for the future. Bonne Chance!
P. S. Judging by the real reviews, since September 2016, the hotel management has not taken into account most of my recommendations.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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