Vincci Taj Sultan Hotel

I read the reviews but hoped that the negative ones were fussy travellers. Unfortunately they were not. Beautiful hotel. Very impressive until we approached the reception desk. Surly and rude. The first room we were shown to was small, dark and had a view of the adjoining wall. We were moved to another room with beautiful views over the pool and were happy with that. We requested two more pillows. 3 phone calls and six hours later they arrived. A lightbulb in the bathroom had blown. although we requested they change it the day we arrived - in 7 days it never happened. THE FOOD - appalling. cold, unimaginative, no cooked green vegetables. Last nights wilted, sad cucumber and salad dished up for breakfast. Soup, boiled eggs, coffee were always lukewarm if not cold. The only time we got a smile from reception staff was when we paid on the last night. Would not return and that was the general consensus of all other guests that we spoke to.

Booked the holiday on goingplaces about 6 months before the trip as i couldnt resist such a good deal! My boyfriend and I stayed at the hotel from the 27th Aug to 10th Sep and loved every minute. After booking i read some bad reviews on this site so i was a bit aprehensive about the whole thing, but i wish i hadnt bothered taking into account what everyone else thought! As soon as we arrived at the hotel i was somewhat relieved, as the entrance and reception area was better than i had expected. Check in was quick, but as soon as we passed over our details we were told the hotel was full, and that they had to put us in a temporary room for the night! I was expecting the worst, to be in a little cramped room in bad condition, but we got the opposite! We were lead to one of the grande business suites, with 2 bathrooms, massive balcony living area and bedroom. It was nice to feel like royalty for once in my life! We were moved the next day to a standard room, which didnt really compare to our night of luxury, but still more than adequate. It was was kept VERY clean, fresh towels everyday. Only thing is it was on the ground floor, and with no lock on the patio door i was a bit weary of theft, (i have experienced this in a previous hotel), so we kept all money in locked suitcases, but had no problems with that. There was always plenty of sunbeds by the pool every morning, mostly because a lot of people opted to lay on the beach instead which was absolutely packed! loads of watersports to chose from, we did the banana boat and parasailing, quite cheap about £4 for banana boat and i think it was about £10 for parasailing but i cant quite remember. The entertainment team are always trying to get u to do activities and things, which are quite fun when its too hot to lay in the sun. I did aquagym most days. Got to know some of the entertainment team- especially Fares, we stil have contact with him, great lad, hes a good laugh. There wasnt too much to do outside the hotel- wel apart from shop, so being a woman i was fine! the Medina is just a 5 min walk up the road with lots of shops, u do have to haggle with the shop keeper, but fluttering ur eyelashes and starting to walk off usually does the trick. There were a couple of fixed price shops but not many. After speaking to the rep we decided against visiting the theme park as there was a serious health & safety accident earlier in the year, so the company no longer deals with them. We werent told what this accident was, but it was enough to put us off,-after all you can visit a theme park in England anytime. Did go on a couple of other trips tho- half a day on a boat; got to see some dolphins :) and watched men do extreme things with knives and a board of nails! Also went on a trip called 'African Dream'; where u look round an animal park, followed by a meal (hardly appetising) whilst watching african dancers. I only have one complaint which prevents me from giving this hotel the full 5/5, and thats the food. There wasnt really much selection, with a distinct lack of vegetables. But I always found something to eat, even if most nights it was pasta or pizza from the separate counter. Did get sick the 2nd night, but dont think it was down to the food as my boyfriend was fine & i hadnt eaten anything (apart from crisps) 12 hours prior to being ill, (food poisening usually kicks in fast.) Overall excellent holiday! Sun everyday, not one drop of rain, and we couldnt have asked for a nicer hotel. Looking down at the other hotels when parasailing, it looked like we had made the right choice. Would recommend it to anyone! I would definitely consider going back, but probably after trying some different destinations first!

Generally nice and very grand looking hotel – highly recommended. Food –Recommend selecting half-board as this will include a dinner buffet. There is a lunch buffet also laid on but most people (mainly families) probably want to go out in the day and relax at the hotel in the evening. The dinner was a 100 item buffet! All 3 courses were good. Good selection of salads for the starters. Main course options always include a variety of meat (halal), fish, rice and are varied daily. Usually a mix of mainly European dishes and at least 1 or 2 local Tunisian dishes. In addition, there is Spaghetti and pasta selection available everyday with is cooked in front of you by the pasta chef with your own choice of sauce. Desert included fresh fruit, ice cream and at least 20 types of cakes and tarts – those people with a sweet tooth, like me will be spoilt. Breakfast was mainly continental. So for those of you who like the ‘full English’ – you will be disappointed. No baked beans, fried bread or bacon. Entertainment – very good. There’s always something going on every day at the pool and in the evening bar. Highly family-friendly, the entertainment staff at this hotel are very skilled and multi-lingual. Check the notice board hidden by the reception desk for the events timetable. The beach I would say is average – grey sand and invaded by deck chairs. But I highly recommend the pool activities and the beach-front restaurant (called ‘Sinbad’?) for lunch. Reception - staff and procedures are awful. Service is slow and highly paper-intensive. For newly-arrived guests, the check-in process is slow. They were asking people to wait in the lobby whilst they were processed – this can take up to 15mins. This can be a little irritating for people with kids who have just come in from a long journey – but the grandeur of the reception lobby can ease the mood somewhat. They will also ask for your print-out from your travel agency / website. But don’t let the front desk detract you from the real-holiday you are there to enjoy. Currency is available here which is useful. UK people and first-timers - If you are at the bar and want an ‘English’ tea, please mention this specifically. Please also do remember that for most people here - English is probably their 4th or 5th language. (after French, Arabic, Spanish etc.) and so under the circumstances is spoken quite well. A few words about Hammamet in general - If you have not been to Hammamet before – it’s basically a small tourist sea-side town with very little authentic Tunisian flavour. We never heard a single ‘adhan’ (Mosque’s call to prayer) in the time we were there; it was near-impossible to find a proper kebab in the town – most restaurants assume tourists only like pasta, burgers and chips! We eventually found a good grill place near the old medina. The new medina in Yasmine Hammamet is like a Disney version of what a real medina should be. Shopping - The original medina and the new medina are OK for some shopping and live entertainment. Please be aware of the aggressive salesmen and their techniques. Some shops will offer tea / drinks to make you stay, quote prices in dollars / pounds / dinars to confuse you and will pre-warn other shops - so be aware of what’s going on. But once you have a bargain purchase – it is highly satisfying! My wife was extremely skilled at getting a Chanel leather handbag for a fair price that she demanded. Stick to your guns and walk away if they are getting too aggressive with the haggle. Use the classic formula for haggling – a quarter of the offer price and negotiate from there. I would highly recommend a day excursion to Tunis as the holiday would not be complete without checking the capital city and its Parisian boulevards. To summarise, if you want a relaxing resort break at your hotel then this will satisfy – just don’t expect the typical authentic North African experience. [Please also see photos taken on my Palm Treo.]

Okay let’s start with the good, as this won't take much space.... The hotel has a nice big pool in comparison to other nearby hotels and is right on the beachfront. The beach itself was generally pretty clean. The entertainment staff did their best to get the holidaymakers involved in the various activities on offer. Right the bad... from the word go we (my girlfriend and I) experienced a series of problems with this hotel and its poor staffing. Our first room was directly above the "entertainment area" (which is anything but entertaining for the record) and we were subjected to an evening of wall bangingly loud horrible pop music from the eighties.! We did also notice hair on the sheets. The pillows were small; solid lumps of rock and needless to say very uncomfortable. We were begrudgingly given a new room in the opposite wing of the hotel. This was far better noise wise but the shower was faulty and would leak water all over the bathroom floor. So you would essentially step out of a shower into a bath. The food - was very limited in its range from day to day. most of the food was traditional but very poorly made and often regurgitated in a similar dish the next day. The hotel itself is definitely looking very tired and in need of major redecoration - do not believe the catalogue pics - it is nothing like them. The laughably poor excuse for a fitness centre is basically non-existent and is positioned next to what i can only guess is some kind of sewage outlet. it is disgusting as are the indoor swimming pools' changing facilities. There is only one computer to use for Internet use and that wasn't working when we were there. If you want a cocktail in the bar think again. I ordered a mai tai which (as I explained to the hotel manager) tasted something like "-- in a glass". Lastly and most importantly, the staff are awful - really slow and really unhelpful - particularly the concierge who never once managed to satisfy me with a decent answer to a single question or enquiry that we had. The general response would centre around the phrase "yes yes in a few hours" - hoping that we might forget and go away. We visited numerous other hotels along the beach front and found many others (including some 4*) that were better in all of these points than ours. To help you I would name the sofitel, the iberostar and the vincci lela baya amongst others. To conclude - THIS IS UNQUESTIONABLY NOT A 5* HOTEL IN ANY FORM. if you want friendly and helpful staff do not go here, and if you do, don't say I didn't warn you...

After reading the bad review, I was a little concerned that we had booked a hotel that may have regretted but I can honestly say it was a great hotel. The hotel itself is very well maintained and clean and the service was excellent during our stay. The hotel foyer leads out onto a huge (and I mean huge) pool which was a little chilly but great when the weather was as hot when we were there. Beyond the pool there is a barbecue seating area with shade and although the food is fairly limited you can get chips, pizza's etc and stay out of the midday sun. Beyone this a few feet away, you are straight on the beach which is private for the hotel. I must say I did not see one piece of seaweed in my entire stay. The water was clear even when you were up to your neck you could see down. In the mornings you will see the designated staff cleaning any rubbish up though it is minimal. The food is as you would expect abroad though there was a large choice and you should find something you like. You hire the towels for the pool or beach from reception but you get your money back when you return them. If you like a particular seat on the beach, you can give the lifeguard a Dinar or two and he will save you it for the next day. There is not much evening entertainment for the adults in or around the hotel but there is for the children. Daytime the adults have aerobics, belly dancing, volleyball etc Overal we had a great holiday and the hotel and service were a good standard. We would definately return again to this hotel There is a little supermarket five mins walk away where you can pick up the bottled water very cheap but it is best to bring some in during the evening as I was told off in the day time :-) Enjoy your holiday, I am sure you will

We have just returned from a holiday in Tunisia staying at the vincci taj sultan, I have to say I disagree with the above review, the beaches were very clean and the water (sea) was very clear, the only time we had a problem with any sea weed was just before a storm or just after, lets face it we can,t beat nature. The hotel was always spotless, if you smoke there is always a young bell boy ready to empty the ashray as soon as you flick any ash into it , the rooms are very clean and done on a daily basis, clean towels in the rooms every day and bedding. The food, depending on what you like is of a good standard, remember this hotel caters for mainly the french and so on, while we were there i think there was only 4 or 5 english families, not that it made any difference as the tunisians speak, english, french, german and a little spanish, so again we were well catered for. The pool is of a good size, plenty for all to use, its fresh water and very clean, good for those with kids. Entertainment, this must be the downside, its ok again or those with kids, but for an adult well erm say no more, but i must admit , the entertainment staff do go out of their way to make everyones stay an enjoyable one. As for 5 star, i would put it a close 4 star but then again we have different standards here in the uk so it is quite possible that the 5 star status is correct for north africa. If you decide to venture into hammamet itself then a taxi will cost around 6 TD, but always ask prior ro getting in, oddly enough even tunisia has an english bar and an irish pub, haha but be aware of beggers, (kids) politly tell them no thank you ( la shukran) and they will leave you alone. Hope you enjoy you,re holiday and the tunisian experience as we did.

Well here is my honest review about the hotel ... I just got back from Tunisia, stayed at the vinci taj sultan ... When we first arrived it looked like a very pleasant hotel ... We got a sea view room which over looked the pool and the sea, very nice room which started off as a plus ... sadly after going down to the beach it quickly changed, the beaches were of very poor standard, not what I expected, ALLOT of sea weed littered the beaches and was not cleaned up, this was case for our entire stay. The beaches in Yasmine are terrible, water is dirty and the evening walks along the beach are not enjoyable, sinking your feet into sea weed and sea weed balls. During our stay, breakfast and dinner, was of very poor/low qualify, I have had better quality of food at a 2 star hotel than I did at, Vincci Taj Sultan, which was such a let down and made staying there a very disappointing one. I would also recommend to book any rental cars through AVIS, not the guy at the hotel .. AVIS gave us better rates, including, Fully collision protection waver which they fail to mention at the hotel, side stepping it by telling you all is fine and there wont be problems but the long and short of it is, wind screen is not covered, wing mirrors and lights, which could add up to allot, if damaged. Hope this is some help and you end up enjoying your holiday at the better hotel.

I thought the hotel was OK, good for families although a bit rough aroung the edges. We got a deal for 7 nights, 130.00 each including breakfast, flights and accomodation, so we could not really complain. When you arrive they give you a special card that you have to present at the restaurant that designates if you are entitled to just breakfast or full board. When we checked in the guy on the desk gave us a full board card (by mistake) so we ate dinner as well a couple of nights for free. It also entitled us to the 8 course xmas dinner!! There were many Europeans there and I think we were the only couple who spoke English, which was OK - but the crowd there was quite old - or with kids. I used the wireless internet connection in the hotel lobby - hey, if they are not going to lock it, then its their problem - although towards the end of the holiday, I think they knew what I was doing. We got away from Hammamet because it was just too touristy for 2 nights by going to Ain Duam (in the mountains) and then to a place called Tabarka. Hammamet is a real toursit trap and the old market there is a hassle. We ate at the Marina a few nights. We found a lovely restaurant on the promenade - can't remember the name - but the food and service was excelent. I would recommend Tunisia if you get a cheap package, its well worth it.

Wev just come back from tunisia and we stayed at the vincci taj sultan hotel and it was brill.17 of us went and we all said we would go back again.The pool was MASSIVE it was fresh water and warm enough to plaY IN All day.the staff was brill too they was all ways here to help,the staff was frendly and all ways wantin`to have a laugh and a joke.The food was ok you all ways had plenty to choose from and it was a 3 corse meal any way so you was full.I recommend you take your whole family to tunisia and i promise you it will be the best holiday ever!!!! .

After reading fairly poor reviews for the taj sultan we went with some trepidation, we found all the negative reviews to be totally unfounded. The staff were absolutly great- really friendly and helpful. The food was really very good, slighlty on the cold side if you like hot food, but a good variety and reasonably good quality, certainly if you want english food, then Tunisia is not the destination for your holiday. The hotel itself is very nice and palacial - good indoor (very warm) and huge outdoor (unheated) swimming pool. All very clean. There are plenty of places to sit during your stay, inside and out. The rooms are very comfortable with good bathrooms. The only critcism of the hotel I could make (and this is to find some fault!) is some of the finishes are a bit poor, the paitwork could do with touching up etc, but nothing to worry about and certainly would not spoil your stay. Tunisia itself is another issue all together, would not recomend it to anyone who wants an active, cultural or sightseeing holiday, it is for people wanting to sit around and stay reasonably close to thier hotel. We went on the two day Sahara excursion, this was a long way - 1200km trip but the sights were interesting. The people pestered you everywhere we went and in the end we didn't want to go out.