Reviews of Fourati Hotel, Hammamet

Hotel layout

Doesn't look much from the outside, but once through the entrance gate it opens into a tree lined grove leading to a marble reception area.

I was told that the site covers some 6 hectares. The accomodation is set roughly like a large square of 3 storey buildings, the gardens are inside that square full of large palms, shrubs, tratoria, bars and seating areas with mosaic pathways throughout. The beach is about a minute's walk through the gardens.



Reception

Not a good start - hostile female receptionist, it was as if we were interrupting her from some other more important task.

Got to our room around 2:00pm to hear loud disco music blasting away at the pool (thoughts - oh no, not another Grand Canaria type resort) fortunately it stopped in under an hour - it was just for a water aerobics session.



Rooms

Basic, perhaps even primitive but clean, which is all we wanted. Face it, if you want all the home comforts you don't book into a 3 star hotel. Every day the floor was cleaned, beds made and the towels were changed. Fantastic views fom our balcony.



Facilities

3 pools, massage rooms, in house cafe, bars, beautiful gardens, etc.



Entertainment

I'm probably different to most here, but frankly I would have been delighted if there was no entertainment at all. I enjoy pop and disco music the same as most, but I really would like to be able to choose when I listen to it. Every day from 5:30 pm in the center of the gardens, so there was no escape, the same "entertainer" started an endless procession of karaoke backing tracks and pretend to play the keyboard. He would occasionally join in, and proceed to murder the song (my wife and I are entertainers). And nooooo, it isn't sour grapes, honestly!!! :-), but at least people can choose when to listen to us. He finishes at 10:30, then the disco, or other entertaiment would begin and often carry on into the small hours; we didn't get a lot of sleep!



Food

Again, this aint no 5 star hotel, it was adequate. Sometimes a lot of queueing.

Table arrangements weren't explained by the rep.

For info.: you are given a blue ticket on your first day, give that to a waiter who will set aside a table for you for your whole stay; the ticket stays on the table. This applies to the evening meal only, breakfast appears to be a free for all.

We had two brilliant waiters looking after us, bearing in mind that I didn't get around to tipping them till the 3rd day.



Outings

We didn't go on any, but friends we made there said the excursion organisers tried to pack too much into the day.



Locals

They don't command our sort of income, and are all deperate to make a crust, so they do come across as rather pushy. If you're not interested in what they have, just politely refuse and keep walking.

The worst part for us is the way they treat their animals, the hotel has a few semi-feral cats (friendly) which appear to rely solely on holiday makers for food and water. Outside the hotel, there is often a carriage with two emaciated, parched horses standing in the hot sun, yet we still see people giving the owner trade! There were many other horrific instances of neglect/indifference, but this is turning into a rant, so I'll stop now.



Would I go again?

Loved the hotel and setting, but no, not unless they made a drastic cut in the noise pollution (Oops sorry, entertainment).

We have been going to the Fourati since 2003, both with my parents and with friends. Having been to Tunisia at another hotel we found the Fourati absolutley fantastic. The staff from cleaners to management are friendly and helpful. This is a 3 star hotel and represents total value for money. The meals are varied and plentiful, my Dad is a little bit picky but even he was pleasantly surprised. Yes if you are there for 2 weeks the menu will be repeated but there is enough variety you can always choose something different. The large outdoor pool is kept really clean by Nassa the head pool attendant and anything he can do to make your stay better he wil do. He is a lovely man. The entertainment team is led by Samir and he does a fantastic job there is always something on at night and during the day the entertainment is there if you want it but if you dont there is no pressure. Samir is always on hand to help with anything you could possibly need. I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting a relaxing or fun filled holiday in very pleasant surroundings. Yes we always tip the waiters but then that is the polite thing to do when you have had really good service but there is no need to go over the top. Anyone who does not like this hotel must either be extremly hard to please or they are expecting a 5 star hotel but only want to pay for a 3 star. ( There are people out there that expect more than they want to pay for)

The following details are from my recent holiday in HAMMAMET SOUTH, TUNISIA! The hotel fourati is situated about 7 kilometres from Hammamet Centre! And lies within a group of hotels,shops,cafés and bars,you could describe it as a mini village,which is just one road off the main highway,and very close to the sea! Walking in a easterly direction, you exit the main reception lobby of the hotel fourati,and steps take you down into a sunken garden,which is sea level! Continue through the landscaped garden for about 100metres,and you end up on the hotels private beach! Either side of the gardens are two Bars,a nightclub,outdoor amusments,ie table tennis ect ect! And also tennis courts!Within the confines of the garden,there are many seating areas,to relax and shelter from the sun! There are two outside swimming pools,one of them close to the reception area! The large indoor pool spills out onto the outside pool,and the larger outside pool overlooks the beach! The main restaurant overlooks the gardens on the 1st floor! We are talking about a 3 star hotel,and in my opinion,the standard of service is of a high quality! And the rooms are comfortable and spacious,the staff are very polite and friendly! To many guests,the food is most important,all i can say is,you will see various different ways the food is cooked/presented! This was my second stay in Tunisia,and ive throughly enjoyed myself each time,so much so,that ive rebooked my next trip in November 2008!

I think people that rate this hotel low are being unfair. You get what you pay for. Do not book a 3 star hotel and expect 5 star. I stayed at the Fourati with my husband and family. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The rooms were clean and serviced properly everyday. All our facilities worked except for the remote for the TV. When I asked reception to swap it, they replaced it straight away. The food was plentiful. If you are there for two weeks then the menu is repeated however there is so much choice you dont need to eat the same menu twice. If you use the pizzeria or the fast food bar the food is also of verygood quality. Pizza's cost around £4.50 for a large 14inch size. You must try the Crepes for breakfast/brunch.

The staff are very helpful and very pleasant as are the locals working on a couple of stalls outside and the people in the shop over the road. We are returning again July 2008

All booked and cant wait :)

What can I say?



Hotel Fourati was truly amazing. A really lovely Hotel with many attractions.



A large outdoor pool and a smaller pool located on the site. The smaller being tucked away with a bar at the pool side.



The best part of this holiday was the small pool. Hidden away there was only 10 - 20 people daily around this pool whilst the bigger pool was busy.



Swim across the pool to and sit on the underwater seats whilst being served at the pool side - Very relaxing.



Clean and well kept Hotel and grounds. Staff very friendly and very helpful.



Apartment also very clean and very well kept, one of the best I have come across.



Food was extremely good and the service fantastic, help you areas with lots to choose.



Local area very nice, walk straight from the grounds onto the lovely beach. Nice relaxing holiday with good entertainment.



For a bit of excite look for water sports on the beaches, safari’s in the Tunisia Desert. Camel rides - they are fun.



A really super holiday, exceptional good value.

INTRODUCTION:

Can I just say that I am quite disappointed with the narrow minded reviews that have been written, and I refuse to believe that the people that they were written by have actually visited the hotel.



I loved the hotel, as I went with my two kids who really wanted to stay a second week.

When I first came, it was nighttime, and I was unhappy. The entrance to the hotel wasn't too charming. The front display of green lights, however, was beautiful. When we were escorted to our hotel room, I was a little disappointed, because I thought the holiday would not be what I previously thought of it. In the daytime, however it was a beautiful sight to behold. We browsed round the brilliant facilities. Here are just some:



FACILITIES:

- 2 outdoor pools

- 1 heated indoor pool

- A cold jacuzzi (to cool off from the weather)

- A Turkish bath

- A Gym

- 2 Massage rooms

- A beach



NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT:

The night entertainment was so good! From belly dancers to snake enchanters, to Miss Fourati (chosen from audience & voted by audience) - You name it!



DAYTIME PLEASURES:

Here is where the fun came in. They had everything you could want, swimming with dolphins, pirate sea adventures, Sahara exploring, camel riding, and water skiing.



FOOD:

The food was...interesting and exotic. British, German, Italian, Spanish, Tunisian menus. There was also a fruit variety and salads.



CONCLUSION:

Overall, I thought this was a holiday to enjoy, and that the hotel rating was well above three stars.

This was our second visit to this hotel in as many years. We found the hotel lovely, the staff were very helpful when we arrived. We were shown our room it was not what we booked so went to reception and shown our tickets and within five minutes we were given another room which was fantastic, loads of space, big balcony with a fab view of the sea.



We have all ready booked to go back to this hotel in November 2007 and we are taking my partners parents and brother and wife in May 2008 for two weeks.



If people want posh hotels they should book five star not three star but I would give this hotel more than its three star rating we love it and hope to have many more holidays in this hotel.

WHY SUCH A LOW RATING?



When one goes on holiday the accommodation is your home and it is important that the standards are good. Regrettably not so at the Fourati which was the Hotel allocated to us 'On Arrival' basis



RECEPTION

We unfortunately arrived on a Thomas Cook flight that had been delayed 3 1/2 hours (No fault of Cooks - mechanical problem with aircraft at Newcastle) but it meant we arrived at the Fourati about 1.30am. A sullen receptionist issued a room key but I had to ask to be shown the way. Unbelievably the man that was tasked to guide us to the room did not know where it was! It took about 15 mins of wandering around, up and down stairs and along passages until our room was located. Accommodation at the Fourati is in separate blocks of 3 floors set out in the mature grounds.



BEDROOMS

This was the first blow. Briefly the room was dirty. The towels were grey and stained. The air conditioning did not work (later mended) and the telephone did not work (or nobody wanted to answer). The shower was faulty. The paintwork and decoration was shabby. The balcony furniture was filthy. The toilet seat didn't fit. We were not the only people to find this situation. One other couple were issued with a room in which they found previously used and unmade beds!



FOOD

The chef should be removed - or maybe he has - because the food was as miserable and tasteless as the accommodation. Repetitive, unimaginative, poor quality. Interestingly word of this low quality has spread outside the hotel as we received sympathetic comments from locals.



GROUNDS

The gardens have been established over many years and in the central area are well tended and beautiful. However other parts, between the accommodation blocks, are rough, have been little cared for and look decidedly forsaken. The pitch and putt course for example is decaying and unused just adjacent to a children’s play area.



LOCATION

Superb - walk through the garden and you are on the beach. Lovely sand but getting full of 'fag' ends discarded by smokers. Even here a little housekeeping is needed.



SERVICE

Employees mostly very friendly in the dining room and bars. Some of the waiters were a bit grumpy.



This could be a super hotel. It’s an old building that for the sake of ongoing maintenance has been allowed to slowly decay from its former glory. Certainly by today's standards does not warrant a three star rating. The question arises whether Thomas Cook have inspected it recently because one thing is sure The Hotel Fourati is not doing Thomas Cook any PR favours.

Just got back yesterday and felt it necessary to warn people about this location,

I gave the hotel 3 out of 10 but the holiday I would give 7! The weather and beach were absolutely lovely! This is where we spent most of our time as it was the best thing about the location,



Food 2/10 I am 6 feet 4 UK strongman competitor, so am a fussy eater, I ate chicken breast and rice for all 7 days! My fiancé did try some of the other stuff and didn’t find it too bad but as everyone says it is very repetitive and not to my liking.



Room 4/10 pretty clean, didn’t know that you had to tip the waiter for him to change the sheets and towels! I think that this is very bad! When I tipped him the sheets and towels were changed! The towels were a bit grotty but the sheets were ok and the room was clean but a bit dated and the shower wasn’t very good,



Entertainment and Bar 2/10 , Bar 1/10 first night I asked for a cocktail and vodka and orange which came to 14 dinar, which is about the same price as England but when everywhere else is so cheap, found it very expensive! But the worst thing was the amount of vodka that he put in was so small! I told him how bad this was, he laughed! I was very annoyed! Tried the bar again the last night, he made a point of pouring it in front of me, but still put hardly any in, as they fill the glass with ice! Ask for no ice!

Entertainment was always cancelled! Rubbish!



Beach 8/10 lovely! Weather was amazing, but there was a bit of litter if you take a walk, beach bar expensive, volleyball good!



Shopping 5/10 some prices really good, but they try to rip you off all the time!!! BE AWARE!!! do not buy anything until you have checked all the shops, make sure that you ask for a price and on the first occasion walk away, if you really want it go back again another time, we brought a lovely Chloe handbag for 60 dinar prices started at 180!



Which was a joke! I am a very big man so some of them were scared of me; I would imagine it to be very very intimidating for a small man or woman!



They all try to be your friend then sell you something; just don’t talk to them at all! So what if you are rude ignoring them, they don’t really want to be your friend!



Location and excursions 3/10 location in between yasmine Hammamet and Hammamet, pretty poor, some good shops, taxis cheap, make sure that they start the meter, never pay over 5 dinar for a trip to either of the local centres!



I heard one couple whilst we were there were charged 40 dinar! We went to the water park in port el Kantoui, 38 dinar but the entrance fee is only 15 so they are charging 23 per person to get there? Take a taxi and spent as long as you want there, get a fixed price from the driver though! Nice little water park, port was gorgeous! Some better boats and shops here.



Yasmine Hammamet was lovely, try and stay here, all 4 and 5 star hotels! Medina isn’t too bad, but again I was ok with the battering system, not for the faint hearted!

Hammamet didn’t like this at all! We went at night very intimidating!

Supermarkets are tiny!



Overall weather was perfect, location poor, we didn’t spend much money, but only as I was very very vigilant! Beware of these people.

I stayed at the Fourati in July 2006 and found the hotel to be good value for money.



The food can be a little repetitive but of a good standard. Rooms are very comfortable and staff could not be more helpful. Very child friendly as well. Compared to a hotel I stayed in Turkey.



I found the shopping could be a bit of a hassle but a firm NO is taken as a NO and not a maybe. Listen to the advice of your Rep regarding haggling. After all if you can be ripped off you will be no matter where you are.



Look at the price of food and souvenirs at the new Wembley Stadium!



Overall I was very happy with the standard of all my holiday. Lots more Brits in the summer. Thank you Fourati for an enjoyable experience. I am going back this July 2007.

The Hotel would have been lovely when it first was built; it was originally a privately owned villa. But over the years it has got very shabby; it really needs lots of work to spruce it up again.



The staff were really very friendly and could not do enough for you, but the food each night was really the same thing, no variety, and not that good, and I can imagine that there will be long queues each night at the buffet in the summer.



The hotel has lots of different people staying, Russians, Germans, Slovakian and French there were only two other English couples when we were there.



The Medinas were a nightmare, hassle all the time, I have been to Turkey where you tend to get hassle , but Tunisia is a nightmare they just will not leave you alone, eventually you just cannot be bothered to look around the shops as you get no peace.



Also they put their prices really high for you to haggle, but be aware, they asked for 165 dinar for a shawl but up the road in a fixed price shop you could buy one for between 3 -10 dinar, so don't feel as though you can get a bargain with bartering.



Check the fixed price shops first outside of the medinas before you go in, so you know what sort of price you are looking at.



One more thing do not take anything what is offered to you, picked flowers; help with your bags, because they will want paying.



They tend not to have buses as they have yellow taxis everywhere, which are really cheap usually under 4 dinar from our hotel to the centre of Hammamet, just make sure that they set the clock before you set off.



Overall it makes the place sound like a nightmare, but as I said before some of the people are really helpful, but you have to be very much on your guard all the time.

I stayed at the Fourati hotel from 11-18 Feb. 2007, with my Tunisian fiancé.



The room was basic but very clean, the cleaner came in every day and changed the towels.



The staff were very helpful and treated us very well.



There are 2 outdoor swimming pools plus one indoor pool with snack bar.



We were half board and found the food quite good if a tad repetitive.



We requested breakfast in our room a few times and it only cost 3dinars (for 2 people).



There is a nice clean beach which is owned by the hotel and you can book a camel ride if you like. There is a shop selling the usual tourist stuff and several bars with entertainment.



Outside the hotel there are shops and restaurants etc. taxis are very easy to get and are very cheap.



My only complaint is that I could not stay longer. I would recommend to anyone!!

I'm surprised at some of the other reviews as I thought this was a lovely hotel with friendly, helpful staff and reasonably good food, though it was aimed more at French and German visitors than UK.



Tip your waiters and cleaners a couple of days in to your holiday and the service will be exceptionally good....ten Dinar is nothing to us, but a great deal to them. Scowl and mutter and you'll get what you deserve. There is a really nice small bar, run by Samir who speaks perfect English, if you don't want to go to the bigger one.

I shall go back to this hotel as soon as I can!.



Any visit to Tunisia is improved by learning to say please, thank you, hello and no etc in Arabic, and a bit of French will be helpful too. As a single female I was a bit wary about the Medina at first, but really enjoyed it and did not feel intimidated at all. Saying "no" with a smile is all you need to do, and remember that all the people are doing is trying to make a living out of your leisure time.



Obviously keep your eyes open and don't carry valuables, but it would be a shame to miss out on the buzz and fun, and if you get lost just keep going straight until you reach the outside. There is a government shop where haggling is not allowed, although the manageress is quite persuasive, so if you want to buy without too much hassle go there.

We arrived at 02.45 on 9/4/06.we were so tired that all we wanted to do was fall into bed. We were led down to a lower level and shown the rooms, and my partner, her two children and myself gasped.



We could not believe how grotty and disgusting the place was. It was riddled with damp and smelled so musty that it made us wretch. The bedclothes stank and were ripped, the towels may have been laundered at sometime, but not anytime recently. We all just sat on the edge of the beds until we could speak to the rep at 09.30. There is so much more that I could say but there is not enough room.



Sufficed to say, I gave a rating of"1"because there was no zero. I cannot understand why Thomas Cook have this hotel on their books. Thoroughly disgusted.

This hotel was cleaned regularly, although the food was not up to what I would call UK standards a me and my wife ate more eggs than we could handle and my wife ate rice and chicken for six days of the holiday.



The hotel was in Hammamet but our of the centre not quite as it sounded in the brochure, we were well and truly out of it there are few bars here as most of the entertainment is in hotel bars a little Butlins I thought we had bingo belly dancers and even snake charmers mmmm.



The beaches where fantastic and the weather was great.



Warning!!!!! Don’t what ever you do get cornered in a medina shop you will!!!!!! End up buying what you don't want.



The medina is definitely if your English as intimidating as it can get they stand in your way the exit signs are deliberately incorrect so you end up round and round in circles not a place to take your wife or loved one.



They speak in Arabic of French behind you back and sout asda price and cheaper than matalan then corner you and try to intimidate you into a sale not for the weak hearted or short tempered.



Try the medina at you peril the normal shops are nearly as bad barter with me they say make me happy have look in my shop they say tugging at your clothes.



Then make me happy would you like tea say no walk out buy anything don't be intimidated.



So in all its a nice place to look at in a brochure lovely to see without it's medina’s.



Go if you can hack it