Riu Park El Kebir Hotel

We spent two weeks in this hotel in July 2010. We expected a sea view and got one but it was across the roof of another building and through the trees, overlooking a courtyard (well tended. Very busy, family hotel, most people must have got up early to put towels on sunbeds! Hotel adequate, will be refurbished after October 2011 but rooms are good, cleaning is also good and staff are very friendly. Food is average, plenty of choice but the salads are boring. The All Inclusive deal is good but wines are poor, and it seems to take quite a lot of drink to feel you have had any alcohol. Tips are expected by waiters and cleaners and bar staff. Entertainment is poor for adults. No nightlife nearby. Taxis are cheap and plentiful, only the brave would hire a car!!
The Thomson rep is superb. She knows the Country, the area and everything that you need to know to avoid being ripped off. Everything you can buy in the Medina is available in Jasmine Hammamet at a fixed price and will be much cheaper, but be prepared for plenty of hassle and haggling in the local shops! All the designer label products are fake and so "Burberry" tee shirts are 15 dinar to buy (£7) in the Medina you will be asked or will be expected to pay 30 dinar!!
This is a great place for a holiday. Cheap, cheerful and sometimes too friendly. Very hot in July and August (40+ degrees). It wont suit anyone who wants pure "luxury" or expects a hotel to be a real 4 star grade. It is worth £1700 for a two week holiday but not much mre than that!

This is a nice hotel with friendly staff but be aware of a few snags. As this is an all inclusive hotel you should be able to get drinks tea coffee ect within the hotel during the day (NO) If you require a drink before 5pm you have to trail down to the pool bar near the beach as this is the only one open until evening. The hotel is prominatly German/French and the sun bed run starts at 5.30am if you would like a sun bed after breakfast forget it. There is no outside entertainment! it is all done by the tunisian entertainment team.

4 readers found this review helpful

Just had a holiday at the Riu Park El Kebir lovely hotel nice staff cant do enough for you went quad biking for the first time spent my week at riu el kebir between 31th jan to 8 feb 2010 hit and miss with weather but when sun was out it was lovely won the bingo and did a bit of karoake

3 readers found this review helpful

Just came back from the El Kebir Hotel,
and had a great time there.
The staff could not do enough for you, and the food was very good.
The weather could have been a bit better, but it was
January.
Hammamet itself was a bit iffy, but being A/I we didnt
go out of the hotel.
The entertain was what you made it to be.
The annimation team worked very hard, and wasnt paid nearly enough.
The bar staff were excellent, No queing whatever.
I would certainly go back again, but when it was warmer.

20 readers found this review helpful

A genuine, honest review, from two 24 year olds on a honeymoon
I recommend you read this before you go
RIU EL KEBIR
HOTEL -
The hotel is very nice. We were disappointed at first because everybody made it out like we were going to be amazed, I think we were built up too much, so go there expecting little and you’ll be very happy. Everyone we spoke to said the same – after a few days, the hotel really did grow on them. I think all it lacked was the “wow factor” we were pretty much told to expect. It’s extremely clean, cleaners did a fantastic job. No cockroaches, ants or anything
STAFF –
Staff are very friendly. We tip them now and again (maybe 3 dinar/£1.50 per night) and we got a lot better quality drinks etc. as a result. They don’t expect much.
PEOPLE –
I must point out – a lot of foreigners, probably equal amounts of English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese. It’s a bit annoying as all entertainment has to translated 5 times (e.g. bingo) but you get used to it. Some of the foreigners don’t know how to queue and push in at restaurants etc, so be prepared to fight back!
POOL/BEACH -
Both very nice, kept very clean. Nice temperature, not too cold or too warm. Pool area very clean. No complaints at all.
FOOD –
Very good selection. Tunisian/Italian/Snack Bar/Main Restaurant. Try them all. Most are self service. There’s lots of choice in main restaurant, however the choice doesn’t change, so I recommend picking a meal each night rather than having a bit of everything i.e. have pasta one night, pizza the next etc. Lots of traditional food, lots of English food.
DRINKS –
You can get beer/cocktails/wine/mixers no probs, except they give you small glasses. MEN – take a pint glass away with you, hand it to the bar, they’ll fill it, no problem. If not, you can’t get drunk on beer as glasses are about 3rd of a pint so you need about 30 to get drunk! Also, ask for two or three drinks at a time. They’ll do it no problem.
NIGHTLIFE –
We heard so many mixed reports about Hammammer. This is the truth – believe me, we spent a lot of time looking! – there is no nightlife. If you want nightlife – go to Port El Kantoui. The pubs/clubs in Yasmine Hammammet or Hammammet are either for locals, closed down, or dead. The only chance of a late night party is to ask reps (Dario speaks best English) and they’ll take you to the local disco on a Saturday night. Don’t waste your time like we did looking for promised nightlife – it’s not there.
EVENING ENTERTAINMENT AT HOTEL –
It’s ok. They try. Everything finishes at 12 though. We took an Ipod and ended up sitting in lobby with some drinks and music, staff don’t mind, and had our own party! If you need nightlife on holiday DON’T GO TO EL KEBIR OR HAMMAMMET OR YASMINE HAMMAMMET!
EXCURSIONS
A lot of the ones advertised in brochures are not recommended i.e. waterpark (because of fatalities!)
The Zulu evening is excellent – well recommended. The Sahara is a MUST if you go to Tunisia. Except – STAY IN THE HOTEL. Don’t pick the desert camp. It’s awful and dirty. Loads of cockroaches etc. It was our honeymoon yet my wife couldn’t sleep and sat up crying half the night. Also take your own loo roll – the loos are filth, and we took hand wipes – well recommended. Have plenty change for tips too.
FEW OTHER THINGS
Don’t expect to get pool view if you haven’t paid for it.
The reps are quite good – they don’t pester you much, but try to get everyone to join in. It’s a happy medium I think.
CONCLUSION –
Ideal for a nice relaxing break. NO NIGHTLIFE. Hammammet is basically a [--] hole – it’s pretty much a 3rd world country outside of the hotel. Regardless what brochures say about Tunisia, especially Hammammet, it’s not a developed area. You’ll notice even in Yasmine (supposedly modern) that most places are closed down, and it’s almost like a ghost town. Lovely hotel, if you go, do some excursions. Go with an open mind, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
If anyone would like to ask any more info I’d be happy to help. Email me on blackandwhite_neilio@hotmail.com.

3 readers found this review helpful

I returned from my holiday to Tunisisa yesturday and felt I needed to write a review as soon as possible. After reading previous reviews before travelling I have to say I was concerned but decided to ignore them as you can't please everyone. However after experiencing the hotel for myself I have to say I agree with the poor reviews.
The hotel is very old and shabby, in need of a major facelift. Hallway carpets are covered in bleech staines and paint, mould in the bathrooms, toilet flush didn't work, shower holder was broken, paint peeling from walls etc.
The food was disgusting! Very little variety and of poor quality. I struggled to find anything I liked and spent the week living off chips and pasta. I spent the last two days of the holdiay being sick and having an upset stomach, which I find impressive considering I ate hardly anything! Two other members of my party were also ill, as were many others in the hotel.
The staff are friendly, but the males can be over friendly. They druel over all females regardless of age, as soon as my boyfirend left the table they were at my side. And be warned, they down large quantities of alcohol when they think no one is watching, in the resturant and the bars! There were also several occassions when my boyfirend saw waiters leaving the toilet without washing thier hands, lovely!
Evening entertainment was a complete joke. Of course you expect it to be cheesey etc but in this hotel it is non exsistent! Evenings consist of the "entertainment team" pulling up guests and getting them to make complete fools of themselves. No shows are put on by them, this results in evenings being very long and boring.
The location of the hotel is poor. It is in the middle of no where. There are three shops across the road and thats it. The centre of Hammamet is a 40min walk away so you are stuck in the hotel.
Also do not buy anything in the hotel shops. I wanted a scarf and the hoetel tried to charge me 35 d for it, I got it across the road for 6 d.
Please note that on arival to Monistair airport you are likely to be had. When we arrived there were massive lines of people waiting to get through passposrt control, which took forever. Then before we knew it a man took our passports and told us to follow him, we had no idea what was going on. He took us through passport control, so we jumped the line, which many were not happy about, and then he demanded we give him money in order to get our passports back, claiming "I am very poor!" Be warned!
I must say the weather, beach and quiet pool were lovely. You have to be up mega early to reserve sunbeds, if you don't you won't get one!
Overall this was not the holiday I was expecting. I use Thomson every year but this was by far the worst holiday experience I have had. I stayed in a Riu hotel in Bulgaria last year and it was ten times better than this one. It should not be a 4 star!
And just to add, one member of our party caught swine flu whilst there, so be aware.

2 readers found this review helpful

The location of the hotel is Fantastic everything close by beach pool local shops across the road, shopkeepers very friendly and not too pushy.
The hotel was immaculate the staff throughout from reception the cleaners chefs waiters fantastic helpful friendly couldnt do enough for you.
Thalsso spa is a must, the weather hot.
the excursion to the Sahara is a must but wouldnt advise taking young children me and my husband went as we were on our honeymoon, we couldnt imagine taking our children it is a long trek but certainly worth it and best way to see the REAL TUNISIA, FANTASTIC. We didnt need to go out of the hotel after that 2 days so we spent the rest of the holiday relaxing on the beach.
We had such a great time we have booked to go again this year with the children and i cant wait nor can my children.

2 readers found this review helpful

Fantastic hotel, everything brilliant. people lovely. pool and private beach immaculate. Rooms very, very clean. bar staff very helpful.plenty of sunloungers and parasols.. food great, something for everyone. I definately want to go back to this hotel.

3 readers found this review helpful

This resort is excellent could not fault it in any way, all the staff are very friendly and helpful. There are a couple shops right outside the resort for buying gifts and a "supermarket" more what we would call a corner shop. If you are brave enough to go into Hammamet or any of the other towns / citys beware, you will get alot of hassle from people trying to get you to go in there shops, once your inside its very hard to walk out with out buying something.. The weather was fantanstic, sunny and hot ( about 38 all week). I cannot understand people that have marked this resort down. It really is an excellent holiday.

1 reader found this review helpful

We spent a week at the Riu Park El Kebir Hotel in May.
We found it spotlessly clean and the staff very friendly. The animation team worked very hard.
Our one disappointment was the sea view, we paid extra for this as we assumed we would be looking out over the pool, beach and sea like so many of the rooms do. Our view was an old scruffy building with the sea in the distant background. So beware when booking a sea view!