Vincci Nour Palace Resort

We have just returned from our worst holiday ever!
We have been visiting Tunisia now and again over the last 25 years and this is the worst hotel we have ever stayed at.
The food was appalling, boring and cold and the restaurant was more like a hot, dirty canteen.
The crockery was often dirty and most of it is chipped, so we decided to pay extra and eat in the a la carte restaurant which had better surroundings but the same food.
We were not told that the hotel was all inclusive for guests from other Countries which would have dissuaded us from going. As soon as the staff knew we were British they wanted money for everything.
The Management were most unhelpful.
The entertainment was terrible and the evenings were extremely boring.
The only positive thing I have to say is that the room was clean as even the weather was bad which at least is not the Hotels fault.
Do not waste your money by visiting this terrible place.

Well, I have to agree with other people, this is no way a 5* hotel more like a three. Most of the waiters were nice and friendly although on some occasions you had to wait a long time for a drink. If you were around the pool and in one case, one night at tea time I didn’t even get my drink.
The entertainment is poor and if you can speak German.French or Italian you’re laughing as you won’t have much problems speaking to the staff. Although they do try their best.
As for the rooms, I thought that they were nice until I had a water leak in my room and was moved to another. The last 3/4 days of my holiday the bedroom was clean but the bathroom was in much need of a refurbishment. The water didn’t drain straight away from the bath and also had chips in it and the soap dish was green with dirt. If you do want clean towels, make sure you wet them through so they’ve got to change them.
I went for the weather which is great and enjoyed the tours I went on but I would not visit the place again. Well not at least for 10-15 years as there is no nightlife or pubs to go to. I hope I haven’t put you off too much as the tours are well worth it.

This is the worst hotel I've had the misfortune to stay in. Arrived late in the evening. Dinner which we'd paid for was dried up and inedible. Drinks scam prominent.
Told the rep about it and, despite this and a letter to Air tours and received a bland reply ignoring our complaints. Thank goodness it was only for a week.
The beach is super, the pool and outside also. Bedrooms are poor and somewhat run down.
If you want to eat well priced food and drink turn right outside the hotel and walk 600 m to a brilliant and cheap restaurant. Hotel Dining room is just like a canteen. Waiter’s friendly but service slow and poor.
Be careful ordering drinks in the evening and check both the amount and the price, both changed with regularity. Reported this but Bar Managers refused to speak with us. Pity, we're quite easygoing normally.
Ah well, back to Port El Kantoui via with a different operator. First letter of complaint in 45 years so we've been lucky I guess.

1 reader found this review helpful

Can't think why there are such vastly differing ratings for this hotel, could it be to do with the time of year guests use it? Anyway the facts as my family saw them.
Positives:
Excellent large clean pools - both indoor and outdoor, good spa facility.
Close to private beach.
Good sized rooms, good air conditioning and clean.
Food good with satisfactory choice although I'm no Egon Ronay.
Staff generally courteous and polite, particular mention for waiter Mustapha in the restaurant.
Some organised activities on site during the day and paragliding, banana boat, etc on beach at competitive prices.
Negatives:
Extortionate Hotel mark up on food and drink over the one local supermarket (500% on bottled water, 300% on soft drinks, 150% on tea/coffee). Alcohol very expensive as hotel has local monopoly - drank not a drop in 2 weeks!
Gate security staff rigorously enforce policy of preventing guests bringing drinks/food purchased outside into hotel.
Lip service paid to pool safety, lifeguards looked inept when a child got into severe difficulties. No visible beach lifeguard. No apparent emergency equipment.
Beach dirty, litter a big problem in Tunisia, motor boats in close proximity to swimmers.
Poor and repetitive evening entertainment.
Constant hassling for tips and attempts made at every opportunity to sign guests up for excursions.
Probably enough sun loungers but guests' greed means you have to stake your claim before 7.30 to get one.
Mostly French guests, some polite but many were extremely rude and impolite despite my 'heroic' attempts to speak in French, especially in the restaurant.
Hotel has a generally shabby look apart from the impressive reception area.
Half board does not include water or tea/coffee at evening meal.
Nowhere to go to outside hotel in the evening as it is not close to any other nightlife, going for a simple walk not even an option as local men are intimidating and roads dangerous. Avoid Medina in Mahdia like plague....pickpockets and hassling rife.
Summary:
As has been well noted 3* not 5*.
May suit some people's needs but all the British we spoke to, probably 6 parties, were of the same opinion as us that this hotel is not suitable for British families. Some were far more scathing than us and had very bad experiences.
Will most certainly not be going back to either this hotel or Tunisia ever again.
You have been warned.

1 reader found this review helpful

I agree with both the bad and the good reviews of this hotel! It is definitely not a UK 5 star, but then I don't think anyone who goes there pays UK 5 star prices (we certainly didn't).
The place was clean, but a little shabby. I found the staff friendly, except for the 'flower boy' who followed you around and hassled you to buy expensive jasmine bunches.
Food was ok, but not great. Pool was nice; don't have kids so not too concerned about lifeguards etc. Beach was ok - quite crowded but had a couple of cheap places to buy snacks.
It's definitely not the place to go for a luxurious break where you just stay in the hotel, but as a base for exploring the area it was ok - we used the train to go into Mahdia and up to Merida, which was a nice excursion. The train station is about 150m from the hotel.

This is a real let down. Hotel looks amazing in photos and lavish on arrival but then.....you realise what a horror it actually is.
Food is repetitive. Rooms like a travel lodge. Rude and clingy staff.
Bar prices are over the top, that’s why you can only get half board, as they want to sell you booze on site, as there are no other places to drink or any shops selling alcohol.
Pool and beaches are dirty as this hotel is situated on a headland with strong winds...but hey don’t let me put you off.....oh yeah nearly forgot...5 star on what planet?

Going along with previous comments on this hotel, I must agree with other people when they say how poor this whole operation is. The staff were rude and not at all accommodating.
Given English was not their first language staff did well in communicating - this was about the only good point to mention.
The pool is large and accommodating but only staffed by 2 life guards which are not able to see the whole pool which can be a problem if you have children. Also the beach is in similar circumstance in that there is one life guard who usually sits near the back of the beach on a chair clearly with no vision of the sea. And to also not that there is an indoor pool with no lifeguards.
This definitely was not a 5 star rating. The rooms were hot as the air conditioning only worked when your key card was in the electric slot which meant you had to be in the room for it to cool down.
Overall weather was great its a shame the sunshine is wasted on such an establishment.

Just come back from two week stay at this hotel with our two children and had a fantastic stay. The rooms were large, clean and well air conditioned.
The staff were friendly and helpful. This hotel is used to dealing with Italians, Tunisians and the French therefore English is possibly their third or fourth language, however they do speak English. The food was Mediterranean and Tunisian fayre and well worth trying. If you are planning to go have booked to go, embrace the people, the place and culture.
Try to speak French if you can it will be appreciated. There is a small mall of shops and restaurants to the right of the hotel that serve cheap meals. The beach is safe and clean, and the pools are great. We would recommend this hotel and hope to return in the future.

Good points:
The weather and that’s it.
Bad points:
This is definitely not a 5 star rating, the rooms are like a travel lodge in Britain. There is one English speaking channel on the TV.
I found the reception staff rude and the manager also, the people who were nicest were the waiters.
The drinks were all extra, and over priced. The reception area does not have a queuing system and therefore the reception staff are dealing with 5 different people at once and because of this it took me 45 minutes to check out.
The meals were poor and the entertainment was all in Italian, so there is no night life there. Only go to this hotel if you get a really cheap deal, its not worth it otherwise, and make sure you don’t get burnt by the sun otherwise you will not be allowed in the pool with a t-shirt on to protect your skin. (This included a 9 year old boy who could then not go in the pool for 2 days).

Never again! 5* hotel? No way! 5* prices? Definitely. Flies crawling all over the buffet food, awful wine starting at £13 for a 1/2 bottle, dirty beach, dirty pool & flies everywhere, threadbare towels, poorly cleaned bathroom, poor hygiene in general actually.
Quadruple plus UK prices for mini bar (all hotel beverages outrageously overpriced), single sheets on a double bed, one English TV channel (TV caters well to Germans), no water etc can be brought into hotel if purchased elsewhere, not much around outside of the hotel beware of persons in town pretending to be employed in your hotel & wanting to 'show you something'. You have been warned. Great weather though.