More Traveller Reviews of Diar Lemdina Hotel
Top Tunisia!
from donnie37
I have just returned from Yasmine Hammamet with my fiance' - we stayed at the 5-star Diar Lemdina (on a B&B basis), which was an absolutely top-notch hotel; the rooms were fantastic and the standard of maid service/cleanliness/staff friendliness was second to none. Unlike other reviewers, I did not want to go and do any shopping and I did not enjoy the "hard sell" around the Medina - however, this is very easy to avoid and after a few days, we found routes around the place that avoided most shops and actually had the quietish holiday we were looking for. The hotel has its own section of beach, patrolled by staff; so shades and sunbeds are free! Two lovely pools within the hotel were also well staffed and offered waiter service for drinks. We visited old Hammamet too but found the Medina to be much the same as the new one. We also did the 2-day Sahara trip which, although tiring, is an absolute must for a first-time visitor. The temperature (first two weeks in July) was perfectly managable - this from a fair-skinned Scot! We were expecting heat but sea breezes continually cooled the air. We saw some other touristy areas (Sous, PEK) and were not impressed at all. Also, other UK visitors were in other 5-star hotels in the area and were not particularly happy. My advice to anyone thinking of travelling to Tunisia would be to go to Yasmine Hammamet and stay at the Diar Lemdina - two weeks, two people,5 star, just over a grand. Can't beat it!
Wouldn't hesitate to recommend
from Clairelle
I am a Kantaoui girl,having stayed at the Kanta numerous times. The Diar Lemdina, as a hotel, compared very favourably. We had a wonderful apartment, over two floors, just steps from the beautiful pool. The Hotel is ideally located on the edge of the Medina, ideal for evenings out. The Medina in Hammemet Yasmine is manufactured and bears no resemblence to the Medina in Sousse for example, but that's not always a bad thing! We were self-catering and didn't struggle to find a different restaurant to eat at each evening. We didn't have a bad meal! Staff in the holel were friendly and effcient. As some of the other reviewers have commented sales techniques in the Souk can be 'high pressure' but when the Souk is busy it's easier to slip past. I would recommend both the Hotel and resort to others. The resort is fairly spaced out but seems to centre around either the Medina or Marina areas. I'd book a hotel at either of these depending on how busy you like your evenings to be, the Marina being the quieter option. I don't think I'd like to stay somewhere in between the two as there isn't much going on.
Nice Hotel - Good Quality and Clean
from caramilk
My husband and I stayed at the Diar Lemdina from June 16-22nd. We booked the hotel through Medhotels.com and used their transfer service to get to/from the Tunis airport. The transfers went flawless and were definitely worthwhile. The hotel itself did not disappoint. Our room was very clean and well-kept, and the facilities were all very nice. Being in the medina was fun, although the salespeople are very pushy. Beware of anyone who may tell you that they recognize you from the hotel: they don’t, or that it’s your lucky day: it isn’t. Other than that, wandering the streets of the medina was fun, and the ambiance was charming. We booked half-board with breakfast and dinner included. And while the food was good enough, it was very repetitive and became a bit boring after a while. I enjoyed being able to sit outside to eat on the terrace overlooking the medina. For anyone wishing to purchase their own alcohol or groceries, there is a large store underneath the Blue Ice Patinoire (skating rink) that I would recommend. It is within walking distance of the Diar Lemdina and is, I believe, the only store in Yasmine that sells alcoholic beverages. (Note that the hotel may not be aware of this, since they referred us to a store in Hammamet, a 15-minute taxi-ride away. Knowing in advance would have saved us some time and money.) We had the opportunity to book two tours through our Medhotels representative while in Tunisia. The first was a tour covering the Bardo Museum, Tunis, Carthage and Sidi bou Said. The sites were wonderful, but the schedule was packed, so there wasn’t much time at each location. Renting a car might be an option for anyone who wants to spend time at any of the fascinating sites. The second tour we took was the 2-day Sahara tour. This was the highlight of our holiday; a wonderful, unforgettable visit of southern Tunisia. Again, it was a whirlwind tour, but in our opinion was worth every cent. Price for the tour was $135 (TND) with an optional jeep excursion for $35 TND. Well worth it. Price includes overnight accommodation and meals. All in all, I highly recommend this hotel and would definitely return in future.
Nice Hotel, shame about the resort.
from brookater
Two of us (21+22) went to Yasmine Hammamet for £250 each HB 1 week. Hotel- Clean and Tidy, nice pool. (Good 3*) Food- Good, healthy and fresh. Good choice. No burgers and chips here! :) Staff- Friendly. Rooms - Spacious, cleaned daily. Kitchen area with fridge, small hob and crockery. Resort- This is the main thing that disappointed us. Yasmine Hammamet is totally soulless and full of hotels (nice beach though). Excursions- We went on a coach tour to Carthage and a few other places. Would have liked to go on Jeep Safari to the desert but unfortunately we were on a budget. Prices - Tunisia is extremely cheap, souvenirs, food and excursions were well worth the money. We were advised to pay a third of the asking price, however we paid about a tenth. (5dinars max for a hat.) Medina outside of the hotel is, as others have said, rather Disney Land, and we received more hassle than we were prepared to put up with. Many would step in our paths and even attempt to pull us into their shops. However we were told that this does not happen in high season when it is much busier. Overall Positives- Nice beach, pool and staff. Negatives- Had book 7 days 7 nights half board but on our 7th evening we were not allowed dinner because we were checking out that day! Very typical resort, did not feel like we were anywhere near Africa! If you like a relaxing holiday then come here. We would not recommend to pay more than around £250 for 1 week half board for this however. 1 week was more than enough time to see the sights.
A great choice of hotel
from wanderer069
Booked into this hotel after reading reviews and weren't disappointed. We booked into a studio suite, selfcatering but were lucky enough to get upgraded to a senior suite (tonnes of room for two people). The staff were friendly and helpful and the hotel clean and pool area lovely. We ended up eating out most nights as buying veg proved to be a problem! None of the local shops seemed to sell any. Towards the end of the week we discoved a fruit and veg shop located on the outside of town. However, eating out is very cheap and we had some great meals.
FABULOUS HOTEL RESIDENCES DIAR LEMDINA ***** 5 STAR
from KERRIE3673
Just back from a wonderful week staying at Residences Diar Lemdina fabulous hotel and very helpful friendly staff, apartment excellent and clean, overall we had a fab week and Im sure the staff will remember the 14 of us that come from Exeter England the Pool was great and even the shopping was an experience having to grab your bargains, the only slight hic-cup we found was trying to find some food the kids would eat and a fruit shop which we went by taxi to Hammamet to get - Thank you to all the staff at Diar Lemdina for showing us a great week shame we couldnt have stayed longer - I would recommend this hotel def worth a visit to see old and new Tunisa at its best with Camel rides, snake charmers and all the locals - Kerrie & Jack Exeter Devon ENGLAND :O)
A great week
from StaffsGlobetrotters
We have just returned from a great week at Diar Lemdina. The apartment was really comfortable, although the kitchen was a little difficult to self cater in as it had only two rings and one pan! The local shop didn't sell a huge amount so we had sardines and bread a lot! We ate out every evening (the local restaurants were gernerally good), which even for a family of five proved quite cheap. The outdoor pools were lovely, as was the indoor pool we used when it rained (!), although I would warn those with smaller children that there isn't much of a shallow end. There is however a paddling pool at one end of one of the outdoor pools. Being on the edge of the medina gives the place a real atmosphere, although it is newly built it feels authentic. The shop keepers can be a bit pushy, we had to learn how to walk quickly and smile politely without being drawn in if we didn't want to be. We did however, buy some lovely souvenirs of our stay. I would recommend the resort.
the five stars disappeared after we got there?
from mamof3
Lovely hotel,good food we went half board,weird thing was that when we got there the hotel had 5 stars displayed under its name at the front of the hotel, but about 2-3 days later all the stars were removed,we never did find out why?, well it didnt put us off,and they didnt come back all the time we were there. the medina itself is something else make sure you do barter and if you do get hassled at the medina with ridiculous prices say a really low price back,it worked for us, you soon get used to how they work and you do get left alone, would i go back there No, we did get friendly with one of the waiters at the hotel, and he took us to his village and so we seen how they really live,so yes unfortunately seen alot of poverty,it does make you realise how lucky you are living in uk. Hotel was immaculate the maids and waiters are fantastic,they do a great job,so i did tip well, they are on very low wages we were told by our rep, But we did find that when we went end of march and first week in march 07 there wasnt enough sunbeds at all no matter which pool you went to, they were always taken,so most of the time we had to go to the beach which at that time of the year was slightly cooler, the inside pool is great,the children loved it, so hot and clean. Do go on the desert sahari safari, that was excellent and such good value for money,sorry this report is all topsy turvy, just trying to remember everything, we did 3 excursions while there, its a pity we as a family dont like cous-cous because all 3 of the excursions had this for the traditional dish, but it didnt spoil our fun on them.Anyway hope you have as much fun as we did there.
Not a 5 star but a really nice hotel
from guitargaz
A really nice comfortable hotel. Set in one corner of the medina it's good fun going out of your room and into the busy courtyard ouside. Lets get one thing straight, tunisian hotel star ratings mean absolutely nothing, it's not a five star hotel, more like a good 4 star. It's worth paying the extra to go half board, the food in the hotel was better than most of the restuarants we went to. The rooms are spacious and decorated in a traditional tunisian style with a lounge area, kitchen (we didn't use it) and large bedroom. A good choice for a lazy, relaxing beach holiday at a reasonable price.
Life in the Medina
from Tullus
Our family of 5 (kids 14 - 21) stayed here for a long weekend in February and we loved it! We were upgraded to senior suites, with lounge, kitchen and WC downstairs, and double room with bathroom upstairs. All arranged around the swimming pool court. A pot of tea on the terrace after breakfast was lovely! We booked for B&B, but for 10TD / person could go half board. The breakfast buffet was superb, and particularly recommended for families with 'picky' members, who can have what they like. The dinners were also excellent, especially for the price. Three courses, all buffet style at the weekend, a choice of main courses the rest of the week, beatifully cooked and presented, with the most delicate flavours. We were especially pleased that they took the trouble to help out our vegetarian on the non-buffet evening. Our favourite for lunch was 'The Viking', with much tastier Italian food than we found in the restaurants inside. A lovely place, great service and a very pleasant terrace. The rooms are comfortable and clean, the staff are very friendly and helpful. They can arrange airport transfers for you, at 80 TD a car for up to 4 people to Tunis airport. Because there are 5 of us, we got our own large taxi back, which cost 100 TD (On the way to the hotel, we had haggled for a large taxi for 65 TD) My only note of caution relates to the medina itself, rather than the hotel. If someone tells you that he was your waiter last night, ask him where he works: they were NOT your waiter last night, and want to take you to their friend who is running a shop in the medina. The 'hand-made' (by machine) carpet show, which was alleged to be there for only one day all of the days we were there, is especially unscrupulous.
More hotel photos
1 reader found this review helpful
brilliant holiday! we went as a big group there was 11 of us, 3 kids and 8 adults! when we first arrived the staff were brilliant they got our bags of the coach and got us straight to reception and checked in, on of the couples we were with had to wait about an hour cause... more