Holiday Reviews > Africa > Tunisia > Port El Kantaoui > Port El Kantaoui Hotels > Vincci El Kantaoui Aparthotel > Read Reviews
Vincci El Kantaoui Aparthotel ReviewsPage 1 2 3
| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2008 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomson |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss K Austin |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
Well I really don't no why everyone is putting horrible comments about his hotel :S
Ive just came back and it was one of the most lovely hotels i have ever been in, the waitors are soo lovely and great with the children :) The weather was very hot and the pool was a great size, plus the indoor pool was very nice aswell, very big plenty of space to swim in :D The food was very nice plenty of choice and room was cleaned ever day :) There is a animation team they do water arobics and do it at 11:30 everyday :D The bar is lovely and lots of choice of drinks to chose from :D
Please ignore all those comments by the other people because you would be missing out on a great hoilday :D
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2008 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomas Cook |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss CF Hello19 |
| Overall
Rating: |
1/10 |
| Comments: |
Catastrophic!!
It was really horrible. They do not know the concept of "the satisfaction of the client". The waiters were absoluletly hideous. They were almost yelling at us if we were asking for something. It's like they do not like "to work" or "service". So one can wonder why they are doing this job?? They never smiled. I have never seen this anywhere else. And i have travelled a lot ! You were served "if" they felt like it. The room was dusty and not clean. The internet never worked. The food was ok although it was always the same.
I've never ever said that about an hotel... but don't go there ! It's a real nightmare.
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Oct 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
First Choice |
| Submitted
By: |
Juce |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
For a self catering holiday, this accommodation was fantastic.
I've read the other reviews and most complaints seem to be about the quality of food or dining room.
The hotel is large and was very clean on my visit. The room was fine, the kitchen area was very small, but don't want to do too much cooking anyway and as long as the hob and fridge works thats fine! There are a couple of nice bars in the hotel, both very different from eachother. The reception is very grand and I always found staff to be friendly. Only pain was the fact that they played quite loud music around the pool, but I never hang round the pool on holiday anyway, much prefer the beach.
ANYWAY the restaurants around here are so good and so cheap that you don't need to / want to cook in your room. The main harbour quite a pleasant 10 minutes walk away, yes its next to a main road but the path is wide, sandy and lined by trees between you and the road. There are always plenty of people about so you feel quite comfortable. The restaurants in the harbour are lovely 2 course meal (very filling) and a bottle of wine for 15quid for two and its really really lovely... cooked in authentic couscousiares the food really must be sampled. There are plenty of restaurants like this, both around the harbour and also, instead of turning right into the harbour, turn left into the little circular park area with the fountains. First restaurant on the right is particularly lovely.
Also made a few taxi rides (about 4 pounds, get price before you get in) into the nearby city of Sousse - for medina exploring, yes you get hassled a bit, but the more tanned you are the less pestering and if you just ignore them they go away. OOhhh went to the fish market and bought a mound of king prawns to cook back at the hotel. Yum, also do some beautiful tunisian breads.
The beach was ok, yes its a 300m walk, but I always found it to be clean although sometimes did have to wait for a sun bed if got there after 1130am.
All in all thoroughly enjoyed!
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Oct 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Airtours |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr M Wilson |
| Overall
Rating: |
8/10 |
| Comments: |
Well after reading all the mixed reviews, my other half and I were worried about getting there and finding this hotel to be as bad as quite a few people had said. I can categorically say that this hotel is nowhere near as bad as people make it out. Granted it might not really be a 4 star hotel by English standards, but generally it is a really nice hotel.
The hotel looks the part from the outside, the guy on the door, George I think his name was, was a really nice guy, helpful, talkative etc. The reception area was clean and welcoming. Our hotel room was really nice and the maids kept it really clean and brought new towels everyday, made the bed etc and were really nice to talk to. The indoor pool is really good, and it was a good job too as the weather while we were there wasn’t as great as we'd hoped. The outdoor pool is an ok size, its just the area around it for sunbathing is abit small.
We didn’t try the restaurants in the hotel (so can't make comments) as the marina had some really nice places to eat. Would definitely recommend going there for food, La Mediterranean being the best.
The only small complaint I can even think of in this hotel, is the reception staff are abit off-hand especially when it comes to changing money. But if that’s the only complaint there is, I think this is a really good place to stay.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Select |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss A Serak |
| Overall
Rating: |
2/10 |
| Comments: |
Lousy hotel!
I'm just wondering how they got 4*, when they don’t even deserve 3*. So, I was there during first part of August this year for a 11 days and I was so disappointed.
The hotel was in a bad position, the entrance is almost on the main street. Hotel does not have their own beach, so you have to go out and walk by a side street for 300m to reach a pretty short and lousy beach; which is actually a rented beach. It is dirty, they do not have enough places for all guests, and you have to fight for your place. It is also very dirty, so I can't recommend it for a nice swim.
The swimming pool is special story; it is so small like the pools in a private house. Its always so busy that you can't enjoy your bath or swim at all, and also closing time is at 1800.
The rooms are so basic that you wonder how this hotel still could keep 4 *. We had double room with cooking hob, which was not working, then the TV does not have remote control at all and will not work without it. They have only one electric plug.
The room service was awful - we had to ask for two days to get bath towels. For a whole week we got only one little soap. The rugs in hotel corridors are dirty because they have totally different hygienic standards and they obviously do not care too much about that.
Restaurant is also bad, same food and overcooked. They have a terrible chef, so rude and unprofessional.
So, after all of these remarks I could only say that it is not a nice hotel for your holiday, and I can't recommend it to anyone.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jul 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
First Choice |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss K Smith |
| Overall
Rating: |
8/10 |
| Comments: |
We had many concerns about going to Vincci Hotel after reading mixed reviews from other people. However all these worries were for no reason. Yes ok its not our usual standard of 4* accommodation but the hotel was clean, all staff were friendly and our rooms were of a decent size and were cleaned every day. We went half board therefore ate in the hotels restaurant most evenings- the food was Ok not amazing but definitely nowhere near bad either, although after eating in the same place morning n night for 2 weeks your going to become bored of the choice no matter where u are. There was generally a good choice of food for both breakfast and tea - although it was the same choices everyday so try to just stick to eating one meal in a sitting rather than eating bits of everything as you'll soon become bored with the choice. (I had a habit of eating little bits of everything.) As a picky eater myself the choice was fine and my younger brother also enjoyed all meals and food and choice was no problem.
As many people have said the outside is a little small however we had no problem with ever finding a sun lounger (this was during peak season end of July into August). The pool attendants were very helpful in moving sun loungers and umbrellas so we could move and all sit together in the sun/shade we wanted. The entertainers sam meena and zezu where amazing during both the day and night to entertain the kids and the big kids amongst us- i would recommend going to the beach party was really good and a nice change.
Finally i would suggest really listening to your rep ours gave us some brilliant advice on what to look out for when out and about - bartering, falling for scams and paying for taxis. One thing if you go to Tunisia i would recommend 100% going on the rep organised trip (overnight) going to the amphitheater and the camel ride in the Sahra - it was amazing being on the camel at sunset then watching the sunrise the next day over the salt planes- an amazing trip that i'll never forget!!It was a little pricey but well worth it!!
Don't worry about coming to this hotel you'll only have problems if your stuck up, and don't realise the general differences between us and other european people in the hotel (e.g their lack of queuing - its just us Brits who do that - even tho it makes sense!!)
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jun 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Not Specified |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs J Ward |
| Overall
Rating: |
2/10 |
| Comments: |
The Hotel Vinnci is supposed to be 4 star but is more like 2 star.
The bedrooms are very small and tacky but they are very clean, towels are changed every day. The main problem was with the dining room.
There was never enough food to feed the amount of guests staying at the hotel. When dishes became empty they were not replenished. When the doors were open it was like a free for all, people would push you out of the way so that they could get to the food first, and it was like a cattle market.
There was 1 plate of eggs to feed 750 people, we asked for some more but they said they had none. Everybody was complaining to the Manager but nothing was done.
Even the reps complained and got nowhere. We ended up eating at restaurants in the port which are excellent, especially the Mediterranean.
The outside swimming pool was really small and there was not enough room to sunbathe. There was music every day that would perforate your eardrums if you sat by the pool.
We had lunch at the pool bar and got wet through from the people diving into the pool.
The inside pool was excellent and we swam in it every day.
Do not book a trip with the person in the hotel foyer and beach, he seems very friendly but be warned he is not a nice person.
We have been to Tunisia 4 times and this has been the worst hotel we have stayed in we would not recommend it to anybody.
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jun 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Airtours |
| Submitted
By: |
Dr D Dillon |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
Just back from this place and my husband and I had a great time. Although it was 93 degrees but hey this is Africa in the summer so to be expected!
People working at the hotel were friendly and we ate in two of the four restaurants and the food was excellent.
Although we have no children - children by the pool each day were looked after by entertainers Sammi, Zazuu and Meena who were great fun. Parents were close by at all times. These guys really work some hours, as at night they are the ones that are getting the kids up to dance so that parents can relax. I would recommend this to friends with kids.
The rooms were clean and beds were changed every day. One day in particular, I was impressed as we had the do not disturb sign on the door and were sunbathing on the veranda. Having gone out for dinner we came back to fresh towels and sheets.
We were hassled to go to various bars in the port itself but a firm no and you are left alone. Although, it seemed to happen on our first few days when we were white and not towards the end of the week when brown.
All in all, had a great holiday and am actually on line at the moment looking at prices there for later in the year.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Oct 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Booked Independently |
| Submitted
By: |
silvasands |
| Overall
Rating: |
2/10 |
| Comments: |
If you have a choice, then don’t stay here. The Royal Kenz is by far the better of the two. We had a last minute holiday and ended up here.
Food was extremely disappointing and I do begrudge having to pay extra for decent juice in the morning instead of fizzy pop!
There is also quite a wait sometimes in the evening before one can enter the dining room, they had an outdoor area which was nice to take one’s coffee to at breakfast but they closed this area after our first day!
Do watch the men at reception as everyone we made friends with had had the wrong money given to them when changing currency, including my husband.
When we told the rep, we were simply told to do our own checking, there was no complaint made on our behalf and one doesn’t like to complain in person just, incase they take a dislike to you !
It was clean but the pool is in an area which attracts a lot of shade and has a small poolside so we never sat there or swam.
Paid for a disgusting meal at the poolside on a day we were stuck at the hotel, due to torrential rain.
Entertainment....no thanks we refused to pay every night for what appeared to be less than 1 star.
We did take the trip to the desert and were tired but impressed. Don’t bother hiring the stuff to ride on a camel, I wish I hadn’t. Take a bottle if you want to collect some Sahara sand.
If you stay at the Kenz, you don’t have to book on the beach to horse ride, walk out across the road and book it yourself, if you want to save a bit and check out the horses.
I had a fit... in 2005 as my daughter and myself were put on horses which had flimsy reins, loose saddles and we galloped on hard mud roads without any hats for protection for the whole hour.
I don’t think our insurance would have covered us had we fallen off and been injured. It was exhilarating, however.
OK cafe at the beach, a short stroll away and plenty of places to eat at the port. If you book the pirate ship, you can haggle over price.
Don’t be taken in by men who say they’ll translate your name in to Arabic as they write it on a postcard and then demand money for it.
Eventually they turn nasty, rip it up and make you feel, well anything from annoyed to intimidated.
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Oct 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
First Choice |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs H Ford |
| Overall
Rating: |
8/10 |
| Comments: |
On booking the holiday I was a bit nervous as some people had told me of some horror holidays they had experienced.
However I was pleased to arrive at the Vincci - very polite and helpful staff and a room that thankfully looked just like the one in the brochure.
The beach was a very short walk away and the indoor pool at the hotel was a nice bonus.
As we were self catering it was nice to walk into the port area, which housed many local restaurants.
Have to recommend the cous cous restaurant, it was so good and value for money and the waiters were not touting for business.
The hotel shop was much overpriced but the local shop, which is a very short walk away, was well equipped and cheaper. I would also mention that the Mexican at the hotel was a bit of a let down - slow service and they tried to charge us double!
On out flight home I was listening to other holiday makers complaining that their experience of staff in their hotels and some locals was rude and overbearing, but I can assure anyone going to the Vincci, this will not be an issue.
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Manos |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs T Cowen |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
Overall the holiday was fantastic: Our party was myself my husband we are in our early thirties and out 15 year old daughter.
The Hotel was lovely the staff were very friendly and it was very, very clean, I would say it was on our standards 3* rating but the Tunisians 5 star. First arriving we informed the taxi driver where we were going and his reply was oh 5 star superior. Which was what we wanted to hear after reading the other reviews earlier.
The staff came everyday to change the towels and to do your room but if you put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door handle they do not bother you until early evening but only to change the towels.
The food is not for the young ones as it is a bit too healthy for them they were turning their little noses up, my daughter is 15 years and all she wanted was a good old fashioned home made shepherds pie. But we did go to a brilliant Mexican res., within the hotel quite often as the food was gorgeous. Try the Chicken de polo it was the biz, there was also a lot of Italian style pasta dishes with no heat for younger ones (but do not compare that with the Mexican food as they get upset )
The beach is lovely they do like you to stay on the Vincci part which I wasn’t too keen on at first but, preferred it after a day or so as they really look after you, waiter service on the beach and you don’t really worry about your belongings either as they watch them for you. Although you cant help keeping one eye on your stuff anyway If you are hassled by the local young ones (14yrs - 20yrs ) while in the sea and you look uncomfortable the staff chase them don’t be worried about this as it only happened once and they never bothered us again.
You must try the cafe next to the beach as the food is great we didnt try it until the last day more fool us.
The outside pool was too small we did not go at all but had a look and that had its own cafe and waiter service also just a bit too small for me plus it was full of British, ( I like to talk to try and talk to all nationalities so we went to the beach, ) it is only a 10 minute walk from the beach to the port, but on a night it is absolutely heaving if you do not like it too busy do not go, during the day was much better.
Only downfall was the hotel super market if you could call it that they do not have any food really for S/C people which you can understand they want you to eat in the Hotel, but I ran out of coffee and paid £2.50 for a small jar of Nescafe there is plenty of creamy cheese, cheese, bread, fruit and tins of tuna but that’s about it food wise, plenty of biscuits and crisps but you pay through the nose. Although outside it is really cheap as 10TD is only £4.
We got on very well with the staff in the Mexican res., and he said the hotel is much better if you go in June, July and August as they have full staff, but any other times they only have half the staff.
If you go to this Hotel you will enjoy it we had a 2 bed roomed apartment. With two balconies with a view of a local mansion, other hotels and the sea. Beautiful. We also found out that The President of Tunisia lives further along in Port El Kantaoui, so that must mean something. Enjoy!
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Airtours |
| Submitted
By: |
jayneyb |
| Overall
Rating: |
5/10 |
| Comments: |
The Vincci hotel is mainly a good hotel. The facilities are good, the rooms are big and the meals are fabulous. There is so much choice of food, something for every taste. There is a daytime and evening entertainment programme.
The Tunisian people are very friendly. Ask for a room with a pool view as the rooms facing the road are very noisy and would be reminiscent of sleeping next to the M25. Port El Kantaoui is a lovely resort, and the marina is beautiful and packed with people every evening. The nearby resort of Sousse is very busy and a taxi only costs 5 dinar (£2.40).
The only bad points are that the pool and surrounding area is ridiculously small for a hotel of this size and it’s difficult to find somewhere to sit. As the hotel and apartments are built around the pool, much of it is in shade all day.
Every afternoon, even though it is a family hotel, the entertainment staff drag out enormous speakers and bang out dance and house music for 2 hours that is so loud the furniture in the rooms is shaking.
Also not a place to visit if you are fond of a tipple. Alcohol is very expensive and the bars are not very good. Once you manage to get someone to take your order you will probably wait 15 mins for your drink even though there is no one else that wants serving.
Every round comes to a different price and spirits are in the region of £4.00 -£4.50 a measure. I don't think I've ever had such a sober holiday! Tunisia is lovely but next time I would probably visit a different resort.
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| Board Basis: |
Half Board |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jul 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Airtours |
| Submitted
By: |
M Kline |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
This was my first trip to Tunisia, and I had an excellent holiday! My accommodation at the Vincci in Port El Kantaoui was not worth the concern caused by some of the reviews I read after booking. My room was quite a small double but plenty big enough, with a balcony, very clean and the maid service was very good. With half board I had breakfast and dinner included, and found the food to be well presented and a great choice. Not worth 4* status? I'd disagree. 4* in Europe is different than in Asia, Africa, India, but the hotel had a great range of facilities, good location and the staff were very helpful.
The amount of hassle is no more than in Egypt, less than Morocco. All to be expected in a country trying to make money and lose its 3rd world status. Traveling as a single female I like to think I'm pretty street-wise when it comes to hassle and street vendors, but there was no need to be hard on them. The Tunisians are friendly people and a polite 'La, shukran' gets the message across quickly.
I will definitely go back to Tunisia again, and would recommend both the resort of El Kantaoui and the Vincci hotel.
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jun 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
First Choice |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss H Miller |
| Overall
Rating: |
7/10 |
| Comments: |
A week before heading on holiday I came across the comments on this page and have to say that I was dreading my holiday and tried to change. I was unable to do so and when entering the hotel braced myself for the worst! I shouldn't have worried though as we had a great time and would recommend it to anyone wanting a relaxing, cheap and very sunny break.
The hotel room was clean, no nasty smells and the maids were excellent, changing towels and linen daily. The hotel was also 5 mins from the beach and the marina, and I felt safer at night here than I have done in many places such as Greece and Tenerife as we did not see any drunk people. Although beer and wine are cheap vodka is approx £60 a bottle so take some duty free!
You can also get Heineken beer after passport control at duty free prices and take this if you don't fancy the local beer, Celtia, although it was OK and only 30p a can. Drink can only be bought in restaurants and from the state shops which your rep can tell you where to find. It is not a "getting drunk" type of holiday and you do not see some of the sorry states that you can in Spain etc.
There is a small water park close to the Vicci which was only about £6 to get into and this was an excellent way to spend some time.
After reading previous reviews we decided not to eat at the hotel and I have to say that the restaurants in the marina were all excellent. Try Emirs, La Daurade, Cous Cous Pot and also try Ojji for starters! A 3 course meal with wine for 2 people cost around £30-£35 in one of the top end restaurants or as little as £15-£20 if you want something simple at a pizzeria.
Although overall the holiday was very good, there were some problems. The reception staff are not the best and you have to be very careful when changing money, and check that they have given you the correct amount. I would also not run a tab at the bar as I doubt this would be accurate.
However you can change your money at the marina although remember to take your passport. The pool area was fine although in high season it could get very crowded. As for the hassle from shopkeepers, yes they all want you to come into their shop/restaurant and it is worse at night. We found that saying no thank you and carrying on walking was the best solution. And no, the hotel is not 4* although for the prices we paid we got more for our money than we expected.
Overall I would recommend it as a cheap holiday for couples, and would recommend the Vincci on a Self Catering basis. For the amount of time you spend in the room they were more than adequate, and don't go expecting it to be like Spain!
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| Board Basis: |
Self Catering |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jun 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Airtours |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs JM Garrett |
| Overall
Rating: |
8/10 |
| Comments: |
Hotel and apartments are very nice, 2 beautiful pools, indoor pool is wonderful really warm, hotel is well situated, a 3 minute walk on the flat to the town, and 1 minute to the beach, ideal for wheel chairs and buggies, we had 2 small children with us, 1+ and nearly 4.
The beach is small and narrow and could do with being cleaned a bit, we found the base to a glass bottle on the way into the sea, so watch your feet, you do get hassled a bit from water sport, fruit and nut sellers, but they are very friendly and mean no harm but they are persistent. Each hotel has a bit of the beach which they like you to sit on, we hate to be sitting on top of each other, so we have a pop up half tent to keep the kids in some shade(£4.99 aldi) and sat were we wanted much to their consternation, they got used to it.
Self catering facilities in the apartment are very limited 2 rings. A fridge and sink, all in about 1 meter. little ones can and will try to turn on rings, as the surround is all metal it all gets hot, so not ideal. choice of supermarket food is very limited, all bread is crusty, no tinned beans, soup, pasta, no cooked meats, no cans of beer, choice is much more limited than either Spain, Portugal or Greece, but self catering is new to Tunisia, cooking utensils are also very limited, no kettle, can opener, please don’t be put off we had a lovely time the kids really enjoyed it, the port area is lovely with loads of places to eat.
We did 2 weeks and if you want relaxing beach based it will suit, if you look to be entertained think again. We met load of people who were based at Sousse and Monastir on all accounts don’t stop there. We went to Sousse did a bit of shopping found a terrible place to eat, the best thing about Sousse is the beach and the road out.
In my opinion Port el Kantaoui is a nice place to stay, take provisions if traveling with kids, 1 week is about right, have a good rest, get a tan, loose some weight, we did. Pay no more than 15 dinars for the rip off t shirts.
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