Reviews of Iberostar Phenicia Hotel, Hammamet

I have just returned from 2 weeks holiday at this hotel and it was brilliant! The weather was great and the hotel was fantasic. The staff cant do enough for you and the hotel is very clean.



The rooms are basic but very clean. The staff are friendly without being over friendly.



Although I must say that the food is quite repetative, the breakfast are good if you can stomach cheese, cold meats, salad and German sausage. But there is food avaiable through out the day, endles Crepes and Ice cream for all!! Dinner was great, pasta avaiable every night, Tunisian Special and something from the grill avaiable every night also.



I highly recommend the massage and the horse riding, the shop is also very nice and the jewlery shop is great (got some good bargins in there!!)



The reception staff are great and they really took the stress out of checking in and checking out. We were not allowed to touch our bags at all, the porters unloaded the bages from the coach and took them all in the hotel, we were all asked to go into the disco and reqister. We were give a sheet that you have to fill in with all the parties DOB and passport numbers then you are tagged!! (so you can get fed and watered lol!!) Once that has happened we were taken up to our rooms and shown in by the porter again. All in all a relaxing start to the holiday.



One other thing that was a pain is the sunbed situation, my dad was getting up at 6.15am just to get 4 sunbeds (and then it was usually the last 4) people were reserving beds on the beach and by the pool and they were also paying the pool guy (who is already paid by the hotel and he should not be accepting the tip!!).



We went out the Yasmine Hammamet & Hammamet Madinas and they were ok but not great. In the Old Hammament Madina the stall holders were horrid, blocking your path and touching you, feel free to swear at the esp if you are a woman!! They will be mortified....lol!!!



The holiday was brilliant could have done another few days there

The best holiday yet!



I'm 16 and i went with my family of 5, we all LOVED IT. Anyone who complains has very little ground to go on as far as i can see, nothing was dirty or unhealthy and i believe that the staff were some of the most helpfull people i've ever met... i seriously think anyone who could say otherwise need their heads checked... and yeh ok so some people say its just so they can get tips... well to be honest at the wage of about £3 a day who can blame them... they aren't looking for much just the odd few dinars (£1) here and there...



Lots of people have complained about the entertainment and i can see where they are coming from but to be fair to the animation team, they constanlty do their up most best to make you enjoy it... and are always on the go, on the nights of beach parties they dont go to bed untill atleast 1.30 then are up bright and early at 9 for the first activity everyday...i certainly wouldn't be able to do it! You will NOT be bored with the lack of activities unless you are fussy... and the evening performances where a bit dodgey at times but with the amount the animation team does during the day whether its aqua-robics, volleyball, darts, cards, bowls etc it's surprising they have time to put anything together for the evening! They constantly do their best to help make you feel involved. And they are reallllllllly friendly.



The reps are brilliant.. any problems such as blinking light bulbs etc just ask the rep and it will be sorted immediatly.



If you are thinking of going then a few things to bear in mind:

- Take immodium as chances are you will have a bad stomach... take a few of these and you will be sorted

- When on the beach sit on the second row (or back further) so the beach sellers cant hassle you

- You will be hassled by shopkeepers to go into their shops if you go into the market, so wear sunglasses so you can pretend you can't see them, they'll tell you ANYTHING to get you in their shop such as :- 'I'm from your hotel'. 'theres a festival lasting 2 days this is the last day everything will be gone tomorrow' ' can you tell me what/how much...is this in english' (whilst leading you into the shop) 'i love you' ' you are beautiful'

'no hassle' (they are lieing).

- When the camel goes up and down the beach stroke it and such if you want but if you don't want a go DONT sit on it, even if its just to take a picutre because as soon as you sit on it the man will get the camel to stand up and walk you down the beach on it and you will have to pay him.

- Dont take first asking price in the market unless its a fix price shop, haggle! (It will have a sign saying fixed price if it is)

-Take lots of cash because there is no cash machine in the hotel (its a 2 minute walk)





I personaly have already started saving for next year... i think the people that have complained alot are just way too hard to please, if you are reasonably laid back you will LOVE IT.



Pools - A*

Beach - A*

Staff - A*

Cleanliness - A*

Weather - A*

Overall - A************

Just returned from my third stay at this hotel. Once again everything at the hotel was excellent. Meals were very good especially dinner. A good selection of drinks were

available on all inclusive. The cleanliness of rooms could not be faulted and the staff as always were very friendly. Look forward to staying again at this wonderful hotel in a beautiful setting.

Lovely looking hotel with really nice swimming pools. Weather was fab for the week my boyfriend and I went, got a great tan, so please be warned when going in June/July etc its going to be hot, hot, hot!



Bedroom we stayed in was small, but it met the basic needs and in all fairness we weren't on holidays to stay in our room. Food was nice, a bit repetitive, but that didn't matter. The beer was poor, I was drinking it ALL day and was still standing by the end of it, so I suggest you have a bottle of wine with your evening meal to get things going.



Only major down-side for me was the entertainment. Its was VERY, VERY POOR! Honestly the people who go around in the day asking if you want to play volley ball, darts etc were the same people doing the evening entertainment, it was rubbish. And because there are no such bars outside the hotel we were stuck. Every other evening there would be a keyboard player in the large open reception area and everything he sang was in French (I know this is the second language of the country, but come on!)... It was like spending the night in an old peoples home, even my Nan who's 75 would have been bored, and thats no lie! The only night I enjoyed was the karaoke night, us Brits just got a bit tipsy and had a laugh, so we made our own entertainment.



So please be warned, even though this is a lovely 4* hotel with great staff the evening entertainment is only 1*, thats the only thing that spoilt our holiday. Oh and yes they are very noisy corridors in the evening, very thin walls!



Personally I won't be returning back to Tunisia, not enough to do for me.



Thanks for reading my comments..



Clare & Stuart :O)

Got home yesterday from a fantastic week long break! The hotel and staff were brilliant. The food and drink was all really good, especially the fresh pancakes. We were a little anxious about taking our 4 year old but the staff were brilliant. The only downside was that the rooms are all off long echoing corridors, so it was a little noisy at night...but have enough wine and it's not too much of a problem!

Have just come back from two weeks all inclusive at the Phenicia. First of all I would say, even though this is advertised in the winter sun brochures, if it important to you to have sunny weather don't go until at least April. We had about 4 really good days and the rest of the time was cloudy some days even quite cold.

The hotel itself was really nice, very clean. There was a large reception area with 3 different bars, an arab cafe, 2 pools (one heated) and a pool bar. Tennis courts, mini golf, horses and private beach. Also a shop which was well stocked with snacks, magazines, toiletries and gifts.

The room was clean and had plenty of space for all our stuff. The television had 3 english channels, one of them a movie channel. The cleaning staff were trustworthy and friendly.

Food was lovely, buffet style and also a different selection cooked freshly in front of you. Snacks available between meals including crepes (chocolate ones were lovely!). I would say it is definately a good idea to tip staff at the beginning of the holiday, we did that with the staff at dinner and got excellent service all the way through our stay but didn't with the bar staff and got mostly ignored when trying to get a drink!

As long as the weather is good there is plenty to do at the hotel, if not it can get a bit boring. The evening entertainment was at times quite awful! Although other people did seem to enjoy it. Bingo was on every night.

The only other thing about this hotel is the area that it was in, there is nothing nearby to see or do. Yasmine Hammamet however is only a few mins away in a taxi and costs about a pound to get there. Here you will find plenty of shops and places to eat.

Overall the hotel was really nice but I wouldn't return here unless it was in the summer and I just wanted to relax.

What a fantastic holiday!!! We were unlucky with the weather at the beginning of the 11 days but the hotel more than made up for it. I cannot praise this hotel enough. The staff are among the friendliest and most helpful people I have ever met and made you feel special. The food was lovely and there was a great choice for everyone. The hotel was immaculate and was always being cleaned. I must also say that the entertainment team were brilliant and ensured that the children were occupied and felt comfortable. We will definately visit again.

My friend and I stayed at hotel Phenicia for 3 nights/4 days. The hotel was lovely. Our room was very clean and had a member of staff come in every morning to clean and change our towels. We stayed as an all Inc guest and was definately satisfied with what that consisted of. The food was great (very tasty), we definately didn't starve as food was available more or less throughout the whole day. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks were available to us not forgetting unlimited drinks. The actually hotel was very clean and spacious.

Its based right along the beach, it has a shop on site and a couple of swimming pools. Other activities are also available ie. volleyball, golf. The staff are really nice & friendly (genuine). I think the staff played a big part in making us feel comfortable. Our break was at the beginning of March and we had a slight surprise to find out that we were one of the youngest. There were a lot of OAP's which caught us of guard but as we were leaving the younger people started to arrive. Go to the market AT YOUR OWN RISK! very, very stressful.

On the whole Lovely hotel, Great people, yummy food. Would definately go back minus market visit. Would definately recommend.

When we arrived at the hotel it seemed a little too quiet for me, this may be because of the time of year. There was a nice chilled atmosphere and it had a huge reception area where we could sit and have a quiet drink.

The next day we got up and explored the hotel, there was lots to see and do, so it is unimaginable as to what it may have to offer in the summer season. The animation team got us involved in lots of daytime activities, beach volleyball where it was just the right temperature to play, obviously not in our swimwear. Darts, archery, crazy golf, aerobics and much more! The entertainment on an evening was very original and made us laugh and everyone seemed out to have a good time, plenty english families there as it was half term.

The majority of people there this time of year though seemed to be the elderly and many golfers. On a nightime it was us who firstly initiated the dancing on the dancefloor, but as soon as a few people start there is soon mnay other people you have never spoken to before come and dance with you and you make friends of many nationalities!

The staff are very friendly and a tip to the waiters and porter boys now and again wont go a miss and makes your stay alot easier and care free, the staff do alot for you!

Highly recommended for couples, young people, older people and generally those out to have a fab chilled holiday available all inclusive or half board, plenty to eat and drink although food may sometimes become repetitive you will always find something you like to eat.

The hotel was great, as were the staff. The weather in January is pleasantly warm and my husband and I have both returned home with suntans after only 1 week. Our main complaint was that as we were Half-Board, and we had to pay for lunch, coffees, sunbed mattresses etc. The staff never had any change available, as 90% of the guests were All-Inclusive and did not need to carry any money with them. This led to a variety of problems, even being yelled at by another guest who objected to the waiter going off to get change while he was kept waiting for his beer!



Eventually we got into the habit of having plenty of small change, but bear this in mind for the first day or so of your holiday.

We booked online through First Choice and found a good deal for this hotel. I am 18yrs and I travelled with my parents who are in their 50's.We found this hotel to be very well maintained, everything is always very clean, no litter or empty cups around.



The rooms are a little dated and our room had some wall paper peeling off, not quite what you would expect from a four star hotel. The bathroom was very clean and bright white, towels were changed every day and you can request towels for the sunbeds with a small deposit which alot of people found worth doing.



We had a beautiful view of the sea and below the smaller, quieter swimming pool. You could see all the way up the coast and admire the sunrise. Our room was located on the top floor.



We arrived at the hotel at around 3pm (it was very hot!) make sure you bring bottled water for you transfer coach journey because it becomes very stuffy in the midday heat. We were greeted with a sparkling grapefruit juice which was a pleasant welcome. After we filled in a few forms we took our bags up to the room and then went for a walk around the premises. Very spacious grounds and the pool/sunbed area is enormous. You’re not sitting on top of each other as I find in many places and you do have a table and an umbrella if you require it.



Water sport activities are available along the sea front (although we didn’t do any!). The sand is lovely and again, no litter. At the beach there is a beach bar just a few metres away which is very handy along with some toilets. At lunch time there is a BBQ on the beach which was a great because you didn’t have to walk back to the main premises which would have taken 10miinues because it’s so big!



Staff make the best crepes I’ve ever had. You can try chololate, jam, lemon and sugar. I found the chocolate ones were the best but there can be a queue for them sometimes (but it’s worth the wait!).



Well there are alot of the good points now onto the bad:



Entertainments is absolutely rubbish, and I mean poorer than poor. Some nights its karaoke, others is some kind of act put on by the staff, and between all the translating from Tunisian to french, english and german you lose the plot a little! Most guests staying at this hotel when we travelled were French which makes it hard to talk to people.



Local area is busy, full of men that like to leer and stare because I’m a young girl. They make rude comments that make you feel very uncomfortable and made me not want to leave the hotel! They stop in your path so you can’t get past and make the whole journey from the hotel to the town unbareable.Maybe some people will respond differently to this I just know that it is the complete opposite to the UK and I was not familiar with this kind of intimidating behaviour.



Food is all French: french sausages, french beans - everything is french! Breakfast was the worst. I mainly ate some toast each day because their selection of eggs looked like something someone just threw up. Flies on the fruit. Cereal was knock off corn-flakes (french again).



Lunch was a little better with more selection. Always chips, always pizza; some variation between the days sometimes fish, sometimes beef items. Overall lunch was.....OK.



Dinner was much the same as lunch, the pasta was very nice which I ate most nights.Very hard to find something I liked to be honest because most of the dishes were french and very odd. One night there was lasagne which was nice.



If you are a party of 2 then you will be forced to eat with other people. These people may be french, german who knows but you have to sit with them and looking around I could see many couples were very uncomfortable because the tables weren’t exactly big! We were a 3 so we were fine but I would have hated to have been a 2! Couples beware!



We arranged to go on a boat trip though our rep, however this got cancelled. No fault to the hotel I know, just very annoying because we were very much looking forward to it.



That’s about it. I wouldn’t really recommend this hotel to families, young girls or young couples. However it is very suitable for older people. Weather is excellent it was always around 45degrees midday so you must wear sunscreen. The best sunbeds do go quite early around 9 o’clock you will struggle to get one at all and if you do it will be right next to the pool.



Staff were friendly, clean, modern hotel with beautiful furnishings in the main area. The food and entertainment let this hotel down the most.



If you’re 40+ this hotel is for you!

If you’re travelling with kids, no no.There’s quite simply nothing to do other than sunbathe all day!

Have just spent 2 weeks at this hotel and although First Choice have this a a 4* hotel I would not agree with this. We had requested a top floor room when booking but on arrival we were allocated a 2nd floor room. We arrived on the Sunday. The room was shabby and in need of decorating. The bathroom was only 2*, if that, and not very clean - there was pubic hair on the shelf which had obviously been left by the previous occupant and not cleaned off by the cleaning staff. The bed covers were stained and when we turned one of these down there was a blood stain inside the cover!



We saw the rep and requested another room but was told we had to wait until Weds to get another room as the hotel was busy. They then sent a bowl of fruit and bunch of flowers to the room as an apology. We duly got a room change on the Weds and although the bedding was cleaner, the room was in need of decorating.



The one big bug bear we had was that you are allocated a table in the dining room, which seemed ok as you wouldn't have to search for a table on each visit, but what they failed to mention in the brochure was that you are then seated with other people you don't even know. We hadn't booked our holiday with these people so why would we want to have our meals with them?!! If we had been given this info in advance we would not have booked this hotel.



The food was ok - whatever you had in the first week you got the same choices in the 2nd week. But at least the hot food was piping hot and the cold was chilled and no flies. Have previously been to a hotel where all food was warm!! Vegetarians may struggle with some of the choices though.



Our other bug bear with this hotel is that there is one main bar open in the reception of an evening and there is simply not enough chairs available for everyone. This meant you had to go to dinner early to get a seat for the evening to enjoy your drinks or the only other alternative was to go into the disco bar - no good if you wanted a relaxing evening!



The swimming pool and grounds were very good and there were plenty of sunbeds so we didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn to beat the Germans with the towels on the sunbeds.

The one saving grace for this hotel is the staff - they were always helpful and polite the majority of the time. There were a couple of staff who preferred to serve the Germans and ignore the Brits, but then they lost out on the Brits tipping them. Most had a good understanding of English and were very helpful.

Can’t recommend this hotel highly enough, staff were really friendly and helpful and a little tip goes a long way.



Food was excellent plenty of choice, but be aware that you are going to put weigh on, on this holiday; the sweets were too die for.



Rooms are basic but everything you need and very clean. Clean sheet and towels every day.



Overall place very clean plenty of loungers so no need to be up early to book them and also very nice and clean beach. 10 out of 10 in my book!



If I have one bad comment to make it would be the market, the hassle, if you are like me all markets are the same so I don’t go unless I want the hassle that you have to expect. So just chill out by the pool.

Stayed at this fab hotel and it was great! Food catered for every taste and everywhere was clean and spotless.



All staff were so friendly and please, thank you and a small tip were much appreciated and ensured you were well looked after!



Only one thing, we dined at the a la carte one night as part of all inclusive and were disappointed! The food was better in the main restaurant you just got waited on hand and foot!



Bottled water is available free at any of the bars. Shop in hotel is expensive you are better off going to nabeul market but not throw the rep as it’s a rip off, better to get a taxi outside hotel for a fraction off the cost!



Only complaint about the room was lack of drawer space, but it is cleaned every day. Would go back tomorrow if I could!



Only thing I would say is when you get to arrivals you need to fill in an entry visa card-white one- and give it the man with your passport, we didn’t know this as they don’t tell you on the plane and wondered what everyone was doing!

We have just come back from Tunisia and had a fantastic time, 100%.



Worth it so much that I have just booked to go back in August woohoo.



The services was brilliant and the staff were more than helpful (very good looking) throughout my stay and the grounds of the hotel were beautiful.



The rooms were very nice and the beds were so comfortable well when you actually get into them LOL...



If you are looking for a relaxing/enjoying holiday I would recommend the Phienica hotel 100%.



The food was massive and the local beer taste like miller beer at home... it’s drinkable because its free when you’re all inclusive that is... the local pubs and disco bar's are truly enjoyable they don’t close till 4 in the morning.



The markets are crazy but they sell very nice stuff especially handbags and designer stuff.



There is not one bad thing I would say about the time I spent in Tunisia.