Hotel Sahara Beach Reviews

Firstly I found this holiday very disappointing indeed so much so that i had to cut my holiday short by a week. On the first few days of my arrival to Sahara beach me and my partner found that the food was nice and the views were beautiful but some strange and very rich foods offered.The accommodation was acceptable, small but ok to suit me and my partner.On the Tuesday I started to feel ill and spent the next 4 days in bed, unable to get up and had constant diarrhoea and nausea. Thus leaving my partner to have a miserable weeks holiday. I saw the local doctor (at a cost) at the infirmar on the complex to which he prescribed some anti parasitic drugs, smecta (for electrolytes and diarrhoea) and injections every 8 hours (in my bottom!)which was an anti spasmodic. A diagnosis was not given to me. After vomiting and becoming increasingly weak on the 5th day on the Sunday I decided along with my partner to get a flight home to Newcastle (we live nr Sheffield),again at a cost! I then went to see my local GP asap to which he said hed never heard of the drugs prescribed and that they were very outdated! He also explained that i would almost indefinatly have contracted some kind of food poisoning from the bacteria in the food. There was alot of people suffering the same symptoms as me and more and more people kept saying theyd had a bout of the illness also. I am now going to see my own GP for futher assessment and am just so grateful that I could come home. I cant help but think this was a waste of a thousand pounds and I must admit I would not venture there again, sorry to disappoint but I just wish to express my thoughts and hope no one gets the same horrible illness as Ive got.

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I first visited this hotel 20 years ago as part of a group of four grown women. This time round I was part of a family unit and regretted it. I simply could not relax. I was bitterly disappopinted as I loved Tunisia in 1988. Quite frankly, North africa is no place for a family wanting to venture outside of the hotel complex. You are *constantly* harrassed and my eldest daughter was sexually assaulted by a shop assistant as she stood next to me in a shop in Kairuouan medina. I spent almost two hours in a Tunisian police station, the experience of which was akin to a scene from Midnight Express. My partner felt like he was a bodyguard for the rest of the holoday and thus could not relax at all.

I have taken some time to review this holiday as I simply didn't have the emotional energy to do so until now, but here goes. Airport - Upon arrival, be sure to collect a card *before* queuing to get through customs. You will need one for every member of your party. Complete as you queue up. You will need passport number, address of hotel etc. You will be harrassed by porters wanting to take your case to the coach park. Wages are so low in Tunisia (around £150 a month) so expect to tip for *everything*.

Hotel - The porters will steam out and attempt to take your case off you and pile them up at the door - they will expoect a tip. Don't give them your case, take it to the door yourself. You will be given a cold lemon drink and shown into the Skanes bar, where you will need to complete your registration forms. Our rep, Lynne, chivvied us up to get us seen before the Italians :-) There then follows more queuing as you are allocated your room(s) and then have photos taken for all inclusive passes. A porter will take you to your room. Do tip. One Tunisian Dinar is roughly equal to 50p. Tip what you think the service is worth. Rooms are small, but adequate and cleaned every day. We were lucky with our maid and she really looked after us. The temperature was in the mid 40s and she was so hot we brought her cold, bottled water to drink. The tap water is not drinkable nd will make you ill.

Beach is nice but not as clean as it once was. Expect to be up at 5.30am - 6.00am to get a sunbed by the pool. The hotel is quite tired now, but it is closing at the end of this season for a much-needed overhaul. They are apparently halving the numnber of rooms to make larger, more modern rooms and bathrooms. Could write more, but have run out of space.

we have just returned from two weeks at the saraha beach on arrival our check in was quick and effiecnt and the porters took our cases to our room

the rooms were clean and tidy a bit on the small side if you have three beds in them our sheets and towels were changed every day

the resurant had a good variety of food something for everybodys taste if you just wanted a snack at dinnertime the beach bar was good a bit of a queue but you did not have to wait very long

the weather was in the high fortys so you needed some shade our second week the hotel was very busy so we had to get up at six o clock for a decent spot

the enteraimnent staff well what can i say they were briiliant they made themselves known and we had a great laugh with them plenty of activities all day long the shows on the nightime were excellent just like to say a big thank you to medi rico maggy mido camoro angelo billy mo-mo and everybody else for making this holiday the best ever so much so we have booked up for next year

would reccomend this hotel to everyone

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Just got back from 2 weeks at the resort and we had a fantastic time. The rooms were cleaned daily with fresh towels and not allways by men we had women on our floor. The staff were allways polite and happy to help. The entertainment team were brilliant my children (2, 5 and 10) loved the hotel run kids club so did we as we got 2 hours in the morning and afternoon children free. The evening entertainment was good but only on for half an hour for the kids (mini disco) but they enjoyed it. The food was good didn't think it was the best but to be honest no one fell ill and you had a great choice at each meal loved the desserts yum yum. On the way to dining hall there are a few shops but we didn't get bothered to much by the shop owners and as long as you are firm with them and say "no" on the first day they tend to leave you alone for your stay. We went with thomson and the rep was only there part time ( not his fault ) but the two excursions we went on were not suitable for my youngest children but was recommended by the rep. Would recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a good family holiday with no stress. Only downside was the location of the hotel a little out of the way but the hotel do provide transport to the local towns for a price. Oh and don't forget to tip :)

We visited at the end of April 2008 for a week and decided we wanted a holiday where we just relaxed and not going off visiting places,just stopping in the complex. We chose this hotel because my partners parents had visited it before and were impressed. We were not disapointed. Our room was adequate,it had a seperate bathroom and shower, there was no TV but this didn't matter. Our room overlooked the sea, in a hotel with over 1000 rooms! In Summer this place would heave, but at the end of April it was quiet, there was loads of places to lie in the sun by any of the three outdoor pools. We went all inclusive, and you must,as the drinks aren't cheap by third world standards. Lager £2 pint, wine £1 small glass and cocktails over £2. The food in the large restaurant is excellent, varied and served correctly, either piping hot or cold. I even saw temperature probes been used which is very reassuring. The staff were very friendly and helpful, the waiters were excellent. You have the same one's for your stay and your own table which no-else will use. Expect to give them a tip at the end of your staff if you are impressed with them. We played tennis and archery on several occasions and crazy golf. There is plenty to do there. The evening entertainment for adults started at 9.30pm and rarely went on for more than an hour, it consisted of themed shows with singers/dancers and dubbed vocals. It was ok, but could have been better. It was in english however so it wasn't all bad. To sum up, if you want a holiday where you relax by the pool and eat and drink as much or as little as you want with some activities then you cannot fault this hotel. We heard that it may be having a revamp in the future too. However the grounds make this hotel special and are beautiful and right onto the beach. Even in April the sea was warmer than the outdoor pools! We would like to go back next year for pure relaxation !