LTI Hammamet Gardens Hotel

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I would never had imagined myself writing a review of a hotel but having stayed at this one I felt I had to let other people know how bad it is. We have stayed in Tunisia before so my complaint is not with the country or the people.
We arrived at night and as they keep the hotel so very dark at night our first impression was good, only in daylight could we see how tired and scruffy this hotel is. Beds are difficult because the wooden frame they sit in mean they cannot be pushed together properly. The whole time we were there our bath wasn't cleaned. We had quite a few cockroaches on our balcony, so don't leave anything on the floor of your room.
Twice the porter let himself into our room without knocking first.
The reception staff were totally unhelpful, you cannot get access to the internet while the change counter is shut, which is most of the time. Complaints were ignored, such as no toilet roll in communal bathrooms, bathrooms filthy.
Several people, including us got stuck in the lifts; they are not reliable at all.
Tunisia can be a smelly country, but to have to walk past an open sewer pipe to access the beach is a bit off-putting!
Our biggest complaint though was the food, I normally love the food in Tunisia, but here it was awful. I ended up with an upset stomach. The food is dull, bland and low quality. We were served different variations of the same food every single meal time to the point we couldn't face another meal there. The odd hair in food is understandable but not when you find an animal hair in the pork! Compared to other hotels there the staff were unhelpful and not interested at all.
Don’t expect a proper All Inclusive experience here, it is very limited, both to what you can have, but also the times you can have them.
We decided after 4 nights there to get the first plane home, and incurred £300 costs to get home, but it was worth it to not have to stay another night here!

The hotel building is quite nice looking, although there were some serious safety aspects - electrical wires handing from walls - glass in swimming pool.
The room was quite spacious. We went all inclusive. The food (although you won’t starve) was very poor. It was mainly geared for Italian, German & French, some of the meat wasn't even cooked properly and the children's menu was diabolical - 1 option (usually pasta).
Continental breakfast was all you got options for. The restaurant staff were quite polite, as were the maids.
There are 3 pools - not exceptionally clean. When you venture outside the hotel grounds - it’s like hitting a extremely poor part of Europe. The shops were virtually nonexistent and the few that were you couldn't walk passed without the shop keeper trying to pull you in - so much for gentle bartering - it was a nightmare-every shop you walked passed trying to get you to buy. Hammamet Yasmin further up is a much nicer place.
The all inclusive drinks finished dead on 11.00pm. You could up grade at extra cost to "Gold" service which entitles you to their whiskey, brandy etc - but to be honest it’s not worth it.
No we wouldn't go back to this hotel again.

I have read all the reviews on this and other sites for this hotel and I have come to the conclusion that most of the complaints are about Tunisia and not the accommodation.
We returned from Hammamet Gardens last week and like a lot of others were very worried before going when we read the reviews. If you are in that position now please do not worry.
The hotel is not 4* more like 3*. But still ok. The lobby is spacious and clean. We found the reception staff friendly and cheerful, even at 4am when we were waiting to come home. Our luggage was taken to our room on arrival by a bell boy. We made sure we had a few coins to give him.
The room was large and clean. Some of the fittings were past their best, but nothing was broken. The maid worked really hard she cleaned the room each day and changed the towels when asked. You have to put your towels on the floor if you want them changing. There were often flowers left on the bed.
The food, which is often criticised, was good hotel fayre. There wasn't any typical English food so if that's what you want you will be disappointed. Whilst we were there we had Sardines, Red Mullet, Muscles, Prawns all freshly cooked, the Sardines particularly well. The fruit was delicious, really juicy and fresh. There was chicken, Beef, salads, cooked veg. They did a lovely pumpkin and squash bake and the Aubegine was some of the best I've had. Everything was well cooked, nothing swimming in oil, although the Tunisians do cook things in lots of oil remembers.
The French influence was evident in the sweets which were fantastic, creamy and light. We did have stomach upsets, but that was not poor food hygiene, it was a change of climate and different food. I have been to some very good hotels and had the same problem. It's soon sorted out with a dose or two of Imodium.
The waiters were very polite and friendly. We always had our table saved for us and if there was not one free for any reason, one was soon sorted out. This was not down to lots of tipping. We did not tip until the end of the holiday.
The drinks were fine. We did not experience any problems. It was all self service so we helped ourselves as often as we liked. The Beer was good. I didn't think it was watered down. The Wine was ok, not the best, but Tunisia is not renowned for its wine. All the bottled water we had was sealed on arrival.
The pool was lovely. We enjoyed a swim each day. The entertainment goes on a bit, but most people were enjoying it so who am I to complain.
I didn't feel like a second class guest for being AI. I think you have to have a sense of humour about things. If you smile and joke with the staff they appreciate it. When we did they remembered us and always had a few cheery words when we met. I think this gets you a better service rather than tipping and why not? Everyone likes to be appreciated.
If you haven’t been to Tunisia think about it before you book. Remember this is Africa. It's quite poor, a bit scruffy, and quite smelly and attitudes are different. It is usual to tip for services. The people are friendly, but it's quite an in your face approach and women will get comments. Expect to be hassled and they are very persistent until they get the message. You must be firm. If you go to the Medinas smile and walk on and they leave you alone. At no point did I find it intimidating, however if you are concerned try the medina in Yasmine first, it’s newer, wider and less intimidating.
I much preferred the older end of town. The old Medina is really something else. Its 9th century, very narrow and winding and the shop keepers are very persistent, but manageable. You have to haggle and remember they are the experts. You will likely as not pay too much, but it's not a fortune and the experience is good fun. You will be offered Mint tea in shops it's traditional.
The only place we got ripped off was in Yasmine where a restaurant tried to charge us double for a Lobster! But there's always one.
The other thing to remember is that Tunisia is not a traditional British holiday destination. You will be in the minority and they cater more for the French and Italians who make up the bulk of their guests.
All in all Tunisia is a challenging and different place to visit and Hammamat Gardens is an adequate hotel as long as you know the facts.

Holiday was for two weeks 08/08/2007 - 22/08/2007. I went with my mum and brother to this hotel, my mum had been before in 2003. Enjoyed it the first time and decided as a family holiday to go back.
Well where do I start? The cleaners had a smile and hello every morning, fresh flowers on your bed when you arrived. Each morning a bottle of mineral water left in room. The food was good, some times a little to rich for me but there were alternatives. Bar and waiters were smart polite and friendly.
But the best of all were the animation team. What a great bunch of guys they worked so hard and always had a smile on their faces... Salam... Labbas, to each and every one of you. But if you decide to go to Hammamet Garden Resort. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I did. Happy holidays.....

Me and my daughter went here for our first holiday in 4 Years and all I can say is that the hotel and the staff were fantastic. We where lucky enough to be at the hotel while they celebrated there 11 years. The entertainment staff put on a fantastic show helped by the people holidaying at the hotel. The entertainment staff even accompanied us on a night out to a Tunisian disco/pub after they finished work which was great.
The waiters in the hotel were fab; Sahsi was great, helped make our stay really great. The Food was all wonderfully presented and tasted great. I cant say I found much I didn't try or like. The only down side was there was not a lot of English in the hotel which made it hard to mix in for both adults and kids, but that really wasn't a problem.
I would definitely return to Hammamet Gardens again. Keep up the good work guys.

I do not understand how people can give a bad rating for this hotel, as it is the best hotel I have ever stayed in.
The staff are really friendly and the beach is within walking distance. If you have little children you can use a horse carriage which is going from the hotel right to the beach without any extra charges.
The buffet in the evening is very nice and a wide range of food and drinks.
There is a bar by the pool where drinks and food can be purchased throughout the day.
So if you think about going on holiday go to the hotel Hammamet Garden. I will go back there again this year as well.

On arrival we were very thirsty they charged us £6 for 3 bottles of water were it is only 20 pence a bottle at the local shop, the reason why we bought the water from the hotel is because it was 4am in the morning, this was to carry on for a fortnight of being ripped off by waiters.
The only good thing about the hotel was the swimming pool, the rooms were not filthy but cracked tiles everywhere, the waiters were very unkempt on border line of being scruffy, the food was terrible, I personally was sick so was my wife.
I also spoke to other English residents and each and every one of them was ill as well, there was no adult entertainment, even the beer was undrinkable. I don’t tell lies, this was the worst holiday of my life.

I am not quite sure if some people are talking about the same hotel that I stayed in, as we found the whole experience most enjoyable.
We had a late night flight which meant we didn’t arrive at the hotel until 2am, however the reception staff and our tour operator ensured we were shown promptly to our room, allowing us to complete the necessary paperwork the following morning. The room was spacious and clean with a very comfortable queen sized bed and air conditioning. Our room had an amazing view of the pool.
Food & Drink: Breakfast may not be what the English are used to but there is a variety to choose from. Fresh omlettes are made to everyone request alongside pancakes fresh fruit, cereal and hot dishes. Yes there are limitations but over all the breakfast was enjoyable. Being half board anything we ate during the day was at our own cost but extremely reasonable when you calculate Tunisian Dinars into £. Evening Meals - For a vegetarian there was few options however there was always something for even the most fussy eater's like me.
Pasta was always available and the menu changed daily giving you the opportunity to try something new, there was always something though if you didn’t fancy the Tunisian Dish. The fact that it was buffet style would indeed mean it was busy at peak times although there was always plenty of choice, the waiting staff were very happy yo help if they could drinks may take longer than your used to but how many restaurants do you go to that cater for around 200 people at peak times?!
The hotel its self: On first appearances we were very happy with the hotel, the pool was exactly what you wanted - although busy at times, regarding sun beds near the pool, yes if you want one you have to get up early and put a towel on the bed, but in the past 5 years I have always had to do this in any resort I have been to. If you didn’t mind not being directly by the pool there were plenty of beds with less then 45sec walk to the pool!
It was strange having to walk through another hotel to get to the beach which did take about 10min but you are on holiday to relax so a short stroll really isn’t asking a lot.
Overall we have had a brilliant holiday - the hotel and its staff ensured we enjoyed our stay and we would definitely go back.
I hope anyone reading this enjoys there stay as much as I did.

We arrived on Sunday 11th June approx 22.00 hrs where we had a few problems checking in, but this was not a fault of the hotel but of the tour operator we traveled with (Medhotels.com) Once we had the key we went up to our standard room.
Rooms:
Rather than a double bed, we had two rock hard singles pushed together, the air conditioning did not work, no remote control for the television, no fridge, dirty and shabby interior and a dirty bathroom but stayed there purely because we were both so tired.
The next morning we spoke to our rep who went and spoke to the manager about our room. I did not manage to get the managers name but I have never come across such appalling and rude service by the management of a hotel in all my life!
He led us to the room, told us that the air conditioning was not on in the whole of the hotel until the 15th June because it was not hot enough! (As it turned out, the air con was still no on by the 16th because the manager did not feel that it was hot enough. It was pointed out to him by several people that he may be cold but us English are not used to living and sleeping in a furnace! And when eventually it was turned on, it barely made a difference!) We had to pay a deposit for the remote control, fridges were not included and if we still wanted to change rooms we would have to wait until the following afternoon.
After speaking to other people in the hotel, we went and spoke to a lady called Sonia on reception who immediately wanted to help us, and gave us two options. We could have another room in 4 hours or we could upgrade for another £200 to the junior suite. We upgraded.
This room was lovely, carpeted floor, queen size bed, sofa, dining table, Fridge, Jacuzzi bath etc. It was well worth the money!
Food & service:
We went all inclusive but what we were not told was that the all inclusive option was only available between 10.00 - 23.00 hrs. Any time after that you had to pay for your drinks. There was no diet coke, only Coke, Sprite or Tango as soft drinks. The Beer was a mix of Beer and Fizzy water (A waiter actually admitted this to us) and the only other alcohol available to the all inclusive guests was house wine and the two local spirits.
The restaurant was a buffet style but you were not seated, it was first come first serve which at peak times meant that it was very hard to find a table which was laid and clean. All the tables are put in threes or fours so you could end up sitting next to a complete stranger whilst eating your meal. Ordering drinks took forever and everything has to be signed, even though we were all in.
Breakfast was probably the most edible meal of the day but please don’t expect your normal eggs and sausages etc. It is a very small choice which is not good quality. They did not even have fresh orange juice... only lemon, strawberry or pear squash!
Lunch was so hot in the restaurant that it was hard to concentrate on eating your lunch anyway. There was not a good selection of food and if you have children or are a vegetarian (like me) you will probably live on chips, potatoes, pasta and bread! (And still get a dodgy stomach for the whole week)
Dinner was much the same as lunch with all the same dishes. Basically, food was very poor in quantity and quality.... I think I actually lost weight on this holiday!
The Service received by the waiters in the restaurant was awful. Your requests are not dealt with any urgency and most of the time take so long that you just give up! The service of drinks in the bars and around the pool was ok but still took a while.
Location & surroundings:
The pools were good, but were very worn out and needed some improvements around the edges. They are both freezing! It is a race for the sun beds each morning, most gone by 08.00.
The beach is a good 10 - 15 minute walk away out of the hotel and you actually have to go through another hotels reception to get to it.
Entertainment:
This was the only good thing about this hotel: The Animation team are absolutely fantastic and work so hard. We are not normally the type to get involved with all that but they were great guys and made our holiday bearable. The shows are great, particularly the fire show and are well worth watching.
In General:
I would not recommend to any one they stay at this hotel. There were so many unhappy people there and a lot of complaints were just ignored. I do not think this should be a four star hotel at all.

After arriving at the resort we found the rooms spacious and clean, the entertainment area and pool were also clean. This is where the good part of this hotel ends.
We arrived on the Wednesday night and our first meal was Thursday breakfast and the food appeared good. However 4 people including my wife were taken ill with severe diahorrea and vomiting by 3pm that day and were subsequently admitted to hospital, no help was forthcoming from the holiday rep or the hotel management, they put the blame on us that we drank cold water to quickly and there was nothing wrong with the food.
My son in law is a qualified Chef and we then checked all the meals before eating and found that the standard of cooking left a lot to be desired. Consequently we ate out every meal. The chicken was presented with blood still floating in the dish this was pointed out to the Chef but no action was taken.
I would not recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a good break in Tunisia. Ali Baba and the thieves are allowed to pester you about excursions and they are quite aggressive in their pursuits, do not take them up.
In my opinion this hotel is not worthy of a 4 Star rating and should be avoided at all costs. We moved out and went to the Chich Kahn Hotel in Hammamet Yasmine and the service and food there was excellent and we would definitely go back there.