Hotel Marhaba Royal Salem Reviews

Arrived just before midnight–no welcome drink (other check-ins got drinks). Advised not to drink the water-asked for bottled. The bar refused to serve as we wouldn’t be issued all-inclusive cards until the next day! Reception said “all inclusive stops at midnight. Bar is closed, u can BUY water” U only get Tunisian currency in the country & the exchange wasn’t open, so we had no money & refused to pay on principle. After lots of complaining water was abruptly thrust at us. Rooms are basic for a 4*. The double bed (2 single mattresses on a solid base) was uncomfortable. There was no information about the complex, no kettle, or clock & just space where the fridge was (available if you pay). The hotel was half full but we were put in 1 of 3 rooms with no balcony. 3 clean, but tired looking outdoor pool areas across the hotel complex-1 noisy, the others small. Lots of sunbeds, but no space to put them–even in a half full hotel. Mattresses are given out by attendants but 1 day we were ignored for hours. They don’t provide pool towels (shop sells expensive ones) & other nationalities reserve beds at dawn. Cutlery was rarely on tables in the dining room. Spoons were as rare as hens teeth. Meal times are restrictive–they start packing up breakfast at 9.15. Don’t expect a proper breakfast if u enjoy a lay in. Coffee is only available in the restaurant at breakfast - 1 station for all guests. Meals were awful. We’ve been to much less developed countries & experienced better. Food is bland & portions are extremely small! Once I saw the restaurant manager given a large slice of cake. Immediately after I got the standard 1” square serving. At the cheese station I attempted to cut cheese & the knife was abruptly taken from me. Limited fruit–brown & bruised apples or melon with flies. We’re adventurous, but for 3 days the most appetising food was plain pizza & under cooked chips. Other guests can buy nice pizza’s or burgers. AI can choose from 2” square slices of cheese & tom pizza or chips. Those buying drinks are served pints of beer to tables, AI guests queue for 1 drink per guest & beer is in wine glasses. 1 day a pint was poured, they realised we were AI, tipped it away & produced a small glass. Staff were rude, unhelpful & interested in half board guests who are paying. The internet café had been broken for weeks & a word of caution–when the glass lifts go up, the male lounge bar staff look up in the hope of catching an eye full–be warned ladies in skirts.

Beautiful entrance/reception, but the expression dont judge a book by its cover comes to mind. Dont know where the star rating comes from.

The all inclusive package is really deceiving. Firstly you are issued with a card which you need every time you want food/drink but the tills often cannot read the cards, we were sent to reception on several occasion to get a new card - each time this happens you are made to feel like some sort of freeby grabbing greedy scam artist! The cards also distinguish you from the paying guests, ie the bar staff ignore you and serve them first! drinks are served in smaller meaures/plastic cups rather than glasses and from a very limited selection. By the time you get served you are practically dehydrated. They were not too mean with the water (given litre bottles), but the card system means you cannot get water and a coke or at the snack bar you are made to feel positively alien if you ask for a coke, pizza AND chips. The 'rule' also limits your drink selection, ie only one cocktail on offer, as you can only have a shot and one mixer!

We enjoyed the food in the main buffet restaurant, great selection, especailly vegetable dishes which are their specaility but again drink service was awful, we had usually finished most of our food before our drinks were brought. However, the house wine is good - first night I asked for white and my husband asked for red, thinking we would get a glass, but you get a bottle!!

Other guests in the hotel (mainly Russian) were the rudest people I have every encountered, their rudeness is only overshadowed by their immense greed - they shove as much food on their plate as possible, most of which they leave and waste.

Pools/Sunbeds - several nice pools and the beach to pick from but you do need to get up at the crack of dawn to get bed. Had a go at the water sports which were brilliant, guys on the beach remember you when you go back for more !

Bedrooms - less than average, in dire need of refurbishment, especially the bathrooms. However, the maids work extremeely hard and are very thorough, always came back to our room (as the two teenagers with us always had the the do not distrubt sign on), never missed us out, got clean towels daily and changed sheets regularly.

Anyone who has been all inclusive to Mexico/Caribbean etc will find the Tunisian version disappointing, the level of service is to a much lower standard.

We have just returned from the Marhaba Royal Salem hotel in Sousse. Another couple we met, visited the same hotel five years ago, and raved about how good it used to be and how disappointed they were this time.
To be honest, any Tunisian hotel that's over five years old, will become neglected and careworn, since the Hotel owners don't pay Tax on any Hotels for the first 4 yrs. After that time, they spend less money on its upkeep!

The lobby is impressive,(as they usually are),and the staff were polite and helpful, with greetings, considering we arrived after midnight.

Our room was a decent size, carpeted, with a six foot wide double bed, average sized bathroom, with tap attatchment shower, and seperate toilet, linked to the bathroom by one mirrored door. The rooms were clean although the tiling and bath silicone were a bit delapidated. The hair dryer wasn't very good and made me wish I'd taken my own. There is a slot on the wall just inside the door to your hallway for your heavey door key to fit in, which enables all the electricity to work, inc hair dryers and razors. The rooms lacked any welcome pack, water dispenser, cups/saucers, or refridgerator. -Only self catering appts have some of these.
as drinks are served in small glasses, and from May - september, temperatures sore up to 110 degrees,Frht, Tunisia can be a thirsty country. When we experienced the next days food, we also realised that it can cause hunger pangs, which eats into your spending money by the end of the week!

The Buffet Breakfast was served in the very pretty and smartly set out dining room.- Once you had chosen your table on the first morning, it was yours for the rest of your stay, so choose well.
service was prompt and polite,which is normal throughout Tunisia.
The morning choice was usually, sweet pastries, french baguette loaf, rolls, tunisian sliced white bread, (next to a very slow working and antiquated Italian toaster), the chef would make fresh pancakes, omlette, or fry eggs. There were scrambled eggs, and boiled eggs,(normally very undercooked, and in-edible. Sausages were undercooked tiny chipolatas, and the bacon was the most revolting i've tried to eat. To be fair there were also tomatoes, fresh oranges, juice, salad, figs, cereals, and yoghurt - not sweetened or fruity like our own! This is also the only chance you'll get to drink tea with milk, and a few guests asked if they could put English teabags into a small pot of boiled water, which the Restaraunt manager didn't seem to mind.

The evening menu,was basic Buffet. There was pasta, German- style boiled potatoes, french fries, olives plenty of salads, cheese, and pork sausage slices (which Tunisians think is Ham),fresh oranges, dates, and a selection of delicious looking gateaux and cakes,- although you will only be given a tiny portion of these, fresh cut strawberries, and a freezer with an Ice-cream selection.
But meat or fish were only served buffet style 2 evening a week. For the other 5 nights, the main meal was a choice of about four dishes, which were on display as you entered the dining room. These seemed to consist of a small piece of fish, accompanied by diced potatoes, another plate contained four small meatballs in an unappetising ball of spaghetti, a vegetarian option, and tiny pieces of minced pork or lamb with cous-cous.
Everyone at the hotel, including the elderly people we spoke to, had to subsidise their lack of meat and fish, with food from the cafe's and restaraunts during the afternoons.
We later discovered that as there is No mass farming or commercial fishing in Tunisia, both fish and meat are very expensive to buy,so Tunisians live mainly on cous-cous, and vegetables.

They are also ruled by Islam and as a result, aren't supposed to drink alcahol.
Beer is weaker than in the west, and served in small glasses or in old-style rounded bitter glasses, which are never topped up as they are in Europe!
Wines are very expensive and shorts like Bacardi, Jack Daniels, Rum and Brandy, are even more expensive, and very hard to buy anywhere except expensive hotels and clubs. Measures seem to be smaller than those in England too.
Cigarettes like Marlborough,Benson and Hedges or Rothmans, are easy to find, but you'll have quite a search on for tobacco. Filter tips aren't available at all.
Locals smoke the 'Shisha' which is the communal large water based pipe available in most cafe's bars or restaraunts.
Tunisians have to apply for a license to smoke cigarettes.

There is no concept of public safety in Tunisia, and you'll find pavements or walkways unfinished without warning signs, kerbs are high, and there are seldom any ramps or hand rails.
Littering is normal, and rubbish bins,are rarely seen, although most bars and cafe's are kept clean by the quick attentive staff.
surprisingly there is seldom any vandalism, or serious crime.
This could be because no-body wants to experience Tunisian jails, which evidently, make our prisons look like summer-camps.

Their currency is the 'Dinar, and the 'Milime.
1000 milimes = 1 dinar
2 dinars,390 /400 milimes = £1.
10 dinars = £4.70 (about)
just look at the amount being asked, half it, and take a little more off, for an acurate guess.

If you're feeling hastled and worried about how to tip, as many people seemed to be, then follow the advice a very honest tunisian manager gave to us: If you feel you have received very good service, or that someone has been very helpful, tip 1 - 2 dinars.
If your service has been good and you have eaten a meal or been drinking in the same place for a while, and the bill comes to an uneven amount [say for instance, - 19 dinars,300 milms], then to leave 20 dinars without asking for the change would be acceptable.
If however,you offer a waiter, porter, or anyone else a tip and they ask for more, then, leave nothing. Even in North Africa, this is still bad mannered.

The beaches are dirty with no litter bins, and rubbish is ploughed under on the hotel and tourist beaches. Going for a romantic stroll at midnight isn't an option due to the rusty metal, or concrete fragments hidden in the sand. It'a pity, because the sand is soft, and the water is cleaner than around our coasts, and remains shallow for quite a distance.
speaking of water, the outdoor pool of the Marhaba royal salem, is right behind the indoor spa pool, but is small and in shade throughout the afternoon. From March the hotel management turn off the pools heating, and consequently, the water is very cold.

The larger outdoor pool of the 3 star sister hotel, the Marhaba Salem was warmer, but as there is a poolside bar, a disco, and games constantly organized here, sunbeds and tables around it are often in short supply during the summer months.
It may sound obvious, but take plenty of sun protection cream, and strong aftersun or burn cream. Even during May, temperatures can reach 90 degrees Farenheit, and after that they can go over the 100,s. Even olive skinned people can burn!

If you travel out of the hotel complex, Tunisians can be very pushy, and children will openly ask for 'a dinar please'.
It really isn't a good idea to give them money like this, as most tunisians are poor by our standards, but not as poor as people in many other countries in the world. Begging isn't illegal there, but any self-respecting Tunisian, wouldn't want to take something without giving a service or help in return.
Avoid the boys who approach you with kestrels or falcons on their arm, and ask if you want your photo taken with it. Although you're using your own camera and film, they will expect dinars in payment, and can be insistant.
You would be better to take the opportunity to give food or water to the thin, overworked horses which pull the carriages from one town to another. Most of the drivers don't mind, and they won't charge if you have your photo taken feeding the animals either!

One last word of advice. Tunisia isn't a strict Islamic country like Saudi or Yemen, but they are Moslems, and there are still dress codes in towns and Cities.
It is wiser to keep shoulders and knees covered, however hot it may be.
A loose fitting short sleeved shirt or top, with 3 quarter trousers, joggers, jeans, or a long loose skirt, are acceptable, but a strapless boob-tube, and short skirt, tight shorts, or no T shirt on men, is seen as disrespectful, and will only get the wearer a lot of hassle from men of all ages, and looks of distain or remarks from the women. Enough said.

Stayed summer 2004 at Tour Khalef and found the food discusting. This Xmas chose the Marhaba Royal Salem particularly because of reviews about food and because it had an indoor swimming pool which was used everyday due to the cold temperatures in the outdoor pool and sea. 24 Dec started by Santa visiting and giving everyone a gift of chocolates, followed by a buffet and then Xmas Gala Dinner and Show. Waiter service with at least a 6 course dinner. Tunisian entertainment followed by Russian Dance Show - absolutely brilliant evening. Xmas day Santa came in on a Camel followed by a donkey and gave every child a present. Weather was cloudy on most days, had the sun but was quite cold.

I myself and the children love the hotels in Tunisia because of the cats which we love to bits. I even had them sleeping on my lap when sitting out by the pool. The hotel does ask that you do not feed the cats as they feed them themselves. One cat even lived inside the hotel.

We already went on the Sahara Explorer Trip in summer so this time we just visited Tunis for the day to do some shopping, did'nt really do anything that you could'nt do in Sousse. I think we should have gone on the Tale of Three Cities Trip to see Sidi Bou Said which I was told is very beautiful and next to a marina. We took a yello taxi (which reception telephoned for) cost 4Dinars each way (4 people)to Port El Kantaoui and celebrated my husbands birthday in the port, it is such a beautiful place and has some very fancy and expensive yatchs and boats. Another taxi to Sousse cost 3Dinars each way. In the medina in Sousse/Tunis you can get Kaftan's and jewellery for cheap prices. They usually start of asking for 40 Dinars and I usually walk off saying too expensive (I love having the power to control them). They then shout after you and drop the price to 25Dinars, again I say too expensive. In the end I offer less and we come to a compromise at 10Dinars for a Kaftan and 2Dinars for a set of earings or bracelet. Make-up at a fancy shop in Tunis when converted to pounds was much cheaper than in UK. There is an Irish Pub called O'Connors (turn right outside hotel on main road and at the roundabout turn right, it is not far down on the left just before you get to the beach.

The Medina Shopping Centre on the main road at hotel entrance is very good and the food is excellent for lunches. We arrived late 10pm and they stayed open so that we could eat. Pizzas 5Dinars (£2.40), Burgers 1Dinar 500 (80p). Local chocolate (very nice) is very cheap 1Dinar 400 for a large block where as a small Kit Kat is 2Dinars 500 or more. We drank bottled still water every day 2Dinars (90p) for a large bottle. I think my children lived on chips. They ate cookies, pancakes, eggs, omlettes, bacon (yes bacon) every breakfast. Most nights the main course was selected from samples shown as you enter the restaurant and the waiter brought it to the table all other courses ie. Soup, Salad, Entree, Pudding is buffet style. The hotel also had themed nights - Tunisian and Spanish. A drink in the hotel cost 2Dinars for coffee or soft drinks. The airport is a pain make sure you complete an entry/exit card before getting into the queues as this will quicken things up. You have to hand in all Dinars before going through to Duty Free but I was allowed to keep some to pay for coffee and sandwiches. However menus are in Dinars they will accept Dinars, Sterling or Euro's and will rip you off with the exchange rates when it comes to paying for the food. We walked to Sousse along the beach which can take 45 - 60 minutes. Both our rooms had great sea views. We did find our television on a few times but nothing was ever stolen. The maids tend to leave the balcony doors open. Staff very helpful.

My 12 year old daughter got a bit scared with the local boys either touching her bottom when swimming past in the indoor pool, and when she was complimented on her beautiful eyes while in Sousse. They loved my sons spikey hair and always called him the boss. The Tunisian people love children and if you pay attention to one of their children they will come and give you a kiss on th cheek. Nothing to worry about. We did hear stories about teenage boys being offered d*ugs on the beach at night, so would not recommend venturing out alone especially with a wallet full of money. Keep to the hotels and don't wander out at night unless being dropped off by taxi at a particular hotel or restaurant.

Our friends were trying to go to Hannibal Palace in Port El Khantaoui but the show was cancelled due to a lack in people attending, they said it was very quiet. Our hotel was also only half full. An extension was being added next door to I think the Marbaba Salem Beach Hotel. A large pool with slides is planned for the summer season. No disruptions or noise to disturb us with the building going on. On the beach be careful of the man who force feeds you nuts he even tries to give you a packet for free, just keep your hands in your pockets, he's is harmful enough. We had two rooms and the children slept together in their own room, no problems as the hotel is very safe and I would recommend it to anyone.

We upgradedto the Royal from the Hotel Salem as this hotel was very old and shabby with a vey small room for three but it was clean.
Royal Salem rooms are lovely, food good all staff helpful, pools inside and out freezing on the whole OK. You are advised not to leave the hotel at night not that there is anywhere to go.

There is a very clever scam going on at this hotel. We handed our keys in at reception as we did every day. We came home early from the hotel next door due to the terrible show that night and the key was not behind reception when we were 120% sure that we handed it in. While we were waiting for a master key to be found our daughter went up to the room and heard the TV on inside. This only comes on when you insert the key in the power slot as you go into the room. She then came back downstairs to tell us. We all went back up with a member of staff who opended the door and looked at us as if to say we had left the key in the room. We were baffled but it was late and we said there was no explanation we must have left the key as our ipod, digital camera and mobiles were all on the side where we left them.

As we were coming home the next day we started packing and when I looked in my purse I found that £60 (I put £100 in there that morning to changed to dinars but only changed £40) was missing. I thought I might have lost it but when my daughter looked in her bag £15 was gone.
We spoke to the manager who dd not believe us, he said a chambermaid was stealing once but she stole from 4 or 5 rooms and because this had only happened to us it could'nt possibly be true ! The Police refused to come out as they said we needed an interprator and Thomsons 24 hour helpline just said a rep would see us the next day.

Later on the people in another room on our corridor were leaving for the aiport. We asked them had anything gone missing from their room (we did,nt mention money). They had £180 stolen from a drawer but told Thomson and the police it was lost while out shopping so they could claim on their insurance. They always took their room key out with them so the staff were using a master key. They said there was always someone in the room during they day as one of them was in a wheelchair so this happened at the same time as us between 7pm and 11.30pm when the staff know you are at dinner. Others we spoke to the next day had baby food stolen and two mobile phones and this was only speaking to 5 people.

Do not trust the staff in this hotel, they are entering rooms with your keys and master keys and there is nothing you can do about it which is very frustrating. We think someone was in the room when our daughter knocked and thats why they left the key in the slot, they couldnt return it to reception as it had already been seen as missing. This has been reported to Thomson but I know nothing will come of it. If this happens to you make sure you write it in the complaints book on the reception desk (I did but I suspect its not there now)and please let everone know on this site.