Saadia Hotel

As I write these comments I am still taking Imodium two days after leaving the Saadia hotel. Our children were sent home from School yesterday with rancid smelling diahorea the first complete day they have attended only today.
The Hotel was never listed as 'A bit basic' in the brochure, but this is what we were told on entering the bus by the Thompson rep when boarding from the airport. (A Gypsies warning I think) The hotel never had any of the activities listed in place the only thing the animation chap (the Red coat type person) organised was water polo, however, most of the time the people and children were playing this in the pool anyway. I asked about Archery, I was told no targets printer problems, I asked about table tennis, I was told no balls, I asked about golf, closed for season, and so on and so forth. The towels always smelt of some thing we could not quite put our finger on. The room was however clean but very basic.
The beach was very far from clean, and the Saadia beach allotted area itself was and is located next to the raw sewage pipe outlet in proximity to the saadia beach hut by about 5meters flowing directly into the sea. There was no paragliding, no jet ski, the beach chairs were broken and dirty. A camel regularly passes up and down the owner touting for business while the camel through no fault of its own does its business all over the beach area, the resulting mess quickly covered after it has finished with flies, we managed one morning at the hotel beach.
I and my family have suffered from stomach cramps the whole time we were there. The dinning room still only has 1 toaster. Vermin infested cats move freely all over the Dining room tables and chairs, add to this the birds who occasionally fly through dropping there waste as they go.
This hotel needs a wake up call regarding its approach to food hygiene. Simple things like netting cages over the salad trays to keep away the abundance of flies that crawl all over the food between disturbances made by people taking the food. It needs sorting out before it is too late, we resorted to buying tinned tuna etc in an attempt to stave of the runs.
The good points, the country is picturesque the people very friendly in their approach to tourists, the 3 cities tour was excellent and our guide very informed and helpful. The galleon ship trip was eventful and the food on board although basic was freshly cooked and tasty (one of the few meals although cooked on a wooden ship on a bbq that we enjoyed) the aqua palace would rival any found in the UK and excellent value for money. The hotel pool was clean and ample sized. The mini pool was warm and a good size and depth for the children to play safely in.
We would go back to Tunis it has a lot to offer but, I would rather suffer hell and high water before I ever stepped foot in this hotel and in particular its dining room ever again, our rating is RUBBISH.

I have been going to Hotel Saadia for the past 11 years now, each time I have been I have had a wonderful time. The Tunisian staff are really friendly and always happy to help.
Don’t make the mistake ,most tourists make and listen to every word your Travel rep says, more often than not they are trying to scam you into spending ridiculous amounts of money on an excursion that would cost less than half if you had common sense to barter with the other Tunisian excursion organizers.
These Tunisian excursion organizers all have families to support too so show a little them consideration instead of take the word of the reps. Put yourself in their shoes!
On the other hand, trips to government shops via the Tunisians can easily be avoided so you can go out and explore Sousse and Monastir yourself and if you feel like a walk, just at the back of Hotel Saadia there is a short road up to Sahline, there are shops here where you can easily pick up souvenirs and have a good time at the same time.
The bus is about 25p per person depending on which direction (Sousse is about 9km away and Monastir is about 8km away), if you don't fancy the bus then catch a taxi. They might look intimidating to begin with but you just have to be nice and friendly! This way you don't end up getting stressed!
You have got to take upon your selves to make the holiday good so don't blame any little incident on everybody else! Happy holidays!

My wife and I stayed at the Saadia from October 8-15 and had a good time (not brilliant but good). The flight over from Gatwick on the Thomson flight was very good and the reps at the airport made sure we got on the right coach. I think the people at the customs desks went on training courses on how to stay looking morose and unsmiling for the longest time! Journey time from the airport to the hotel was exactly four minutes so yes you could see and hear the planes landing and taking off but it didn't impact too much on noise levels unless you were a very light sleeper.
The rooms were typical Tunisian, very plain and dark with enough furniture and stowage space for clothes but with no European add-ons like tea making facilities or hair dryers or television (which you could rent from reception if you were square eyed). Our room which was on the first floor overlooking the pool was spotlessly clean, towels were changed every day and a nice touch was the sheets and fleece patterned like a flower petal (this included my wife's nightie). The bathroom was sparse but adequate.
Once the curtains were drawn on a night the room was dark even with all the lights on but with enough light from the bedside lights to enable you to read in bed. The hotel reception staff were very friendly and would do their very best for you. The Thomson rep at our hotel was Emma and she did a great job of explaining the hotel and way of life in Tunisia (a real eye opener), tours were explained in full and we made up our own minds which activities we wanted to be involved in, no hard sell.
We found out that the hotel would be closing for the winter months in a few weeks time which may explain the lack of plates in the dining room. Things like cutlery, plates, saucers, cups, spoons were abundant at 7am and nowhere to be seen by 7.30am. Some of the items were chipped but you could always pick up another plate if one was available. One evening soon after the dining room opened for dinner there were no dinner plates left so we had to make do with soup bowls!
We heard several complaints and sometimes the food was nearly cold but by the end of the week the meals were hotter and the temperature of the water urn had been turned up so we could enjoy a hot cup of tea instead of lukewarm. I would strongly suggest to Thomson that they buy the hotel an industrial toaster for the dining room because a two slice toaster for 700 guests was a bit laughable. We were not very impressed with the food at the start of the holiday but it did get better even though the choice of fruit was very limited.
I have to state here and now that if you are allergic to cats then this is not the hotel for you, there are several moggies running under the tables and begging at every meal so you have been warned! The pool area was excellent with loads of space to relax, there was an entertainment area and a snack bar which was excellent except for the extremely long wait for your food. Children were catered for with their own pool for the toddlers and plenty of room in the main pool to cater for swimmers and water polo players.
The surroundings were ideal, palm trees everywhere, brilliant. We found the indoor fitness centre along with the Turkish bath and hairdresser quite quaint, the exercise equipment was held together by masking tape and one of our friends managed to drop a weight from a piece of equipment just by moving it! A good haircut cost me 15 dinars (about £6) in the hotel hairdressers then our rep Emma said she could cut it for 5 dinars! Because of the hotel's location it was a matter of taxis everywhere but they were cheap once the price had been agreed. Stay away from the horse drawn carriages outside the hotel, they will rip you off as much as look at you.
The beach was a short walk down the road and the Saadia had it's own section which was clean. The same can't be said for other parts of the beach which were covered in all manner of flotsam and jetsom but some of the hotels had their patch of beach cleaned daily so quite a pleasant experience. The sand is like icing sugar which is great to walk on. There are beach activities to cover all tastes from paragliding to riding on a banana boat. We went to the port which is north of Sousse (purpose built for tourists) and had a great walk around. Because it was the third week of Ramadan most of the restaurants were closed but you could always find somewhere to eat.
Sousse was ok but I wouldn't want to stay there as a resort. We had an outing by coach to Tunis which was very good, the rep was very informative and we learned even more about the country and the way of life, a very poor people and with 75% unemployment no wonder they are trying to sell you stuff all the time. We had a wonderful trip on a galleon for several hours and I felt great with my pirate hat on! We didn't go on the Sahara experience but met up with some people who did and their impression was they were rushed all the time and the sights were too touristy, not enough of the real life of the people.
We found Monastir very quiet even though there were market stalls all round the walls of the Rabat, an interesting day out with a little marina to walk round too. Back at the hotel and after the evening meal you can settle down for a quiet night, not! The kids disco started at nine with the same music being played every night, I know all the words to Agadoo and some German kid’s song by heart now! The entertainment was different every night and I have to hand it to the guys doing the entertaining, they worked very hard to get as many people as possible involved. The bar staff were very good and the drinks very reasonable though it took a few bottles of their Stella to get me tipsy and giggling like a schoolgirl! All in all quite a good experience but I think the hotel should be downgraded by one star as quite a few guests thought the hotel would be more European and not at all what they expected.
The reps made sure we all got to the airport on time for the flight home, everything was explained and we arrived back in Gatwick tired but happy. Now I have seen Tunisia I won't be going again because there is a whole world to see out there but I do have some very fond memories of our holiday to look back on.

No rep from the airport therefore no assistance when you are arriving at 1am and staff not happy when you take your own case to the room as the hand is always out for the tip. A lot of illness around which could be attributed to a number of things though the food was getting a lot of the blame.
We are not picky eaters but we found chicken which was not cooked through and lamb burgers which were raw on the inside, a disaster waiting to happen. Rep not interested in listening to complaints. Some people had paid over £350 for a week I felt very sorry for them, even the rep called it a budget hotel. Anyone remember seeing it described as that. The staff worked hard to keep it clean.
The two sliced toaster is still there as it was according to a reviewer in August. Not the place for anyone who has a disability though it does not say this in the Brochure. I think Thomsons need to wake up they have become too complacent. Once they have your money you don't exist. Even at the airport going back you are continually asked for money by the Customs and the Police. After you have told them you have no more Dinar and gone through the metal detector you then get asked for British Pounds.
Even the toilet cleaner wanted £1 before she gives you a tissue as they have taken all the toilet rolls out and she has the bag full of them. Sorry Tunisia you have let yourself down I will not be back. Some are poor, others greedy scammers.

We have just returned from a week staying at this hotel, I kid you not, it's awful. We arrived at 2.30am to chaos in the reception area, a busload of very weary travelers, I personally had been up 22 hours at this point and instead of giving us our keys to the room we were required to fill in more government paperwork, this was on top of the paperwork we had to fill in at the airport, so half asleep I did that, then we were led to our rooms, bearing in mind it was now nearly 3am.
We were taken out through the pool area which had very minimal lighting, so you had to be careful where you walked as the patio area around the pool was very uneven, made up of crazy paving and cement. The room was so basic we wondered if the furniture had been stolen lol, as all it contained was four single beds, two bedside cabinets, a dresser and a stool, the floor was made up of badly laid terracotta tiles, I caught my toes on them more than once, it was also very poorly lit and stayed dark all day.
At the rep meeting in the morning we enquired if it was possible to move to a different hotel, what we had seen so far wasn't good, we were told by the Thomson rep, that because we had booked a late deal if we wanted to move it would be seen as an upgrade and we would have to pay brochure price, we decided to stay as we could not afford to do this, it later turned out that she had lied to us, later that morning 16 families demanded to be moved to a different hotel, they were charged an extra £10 a night, that was for both not each, .
We went half board which was a joke because the food was awful, inedible and badly cooked, by the end of our stay the amount of guests that took to their beds with vomiting and the trots was scary.
We have made a formal complaint to Thomsons about the standard of this hotel, I know that we are not going to be the only ones to do this, if it was within my power I'd have this hotel closed.

Staff were very pleasant and welcoming but unfortunately the hotel has seen better times. It's very shabby although it was clean. Food rather bizarre. No shortage of food at the buffet as long as you weren't late in the session, when choice became limited. However, there was little sign of the local cuisine. It seemed more like a bad attempt to please European tastes. We even got mash and gravy for breakfast on occasions. We went half board but many were all inclusive and were treated rather as second rate clients. We tended to get served first all the time.
Maybe something to do with tipping perhaps. If we were paying for drinks we tipped but all inclusive - no cash changed hands. Out of town - made transport compulsory - taxis always at the entrance but watch the charges. When we were there, 7-8 dinars would get you to Monastir but most would ask for more at first. Biggest problem was the mosquitoes. Never had trouble with them anywhere before and most people seemed to be suffering. Might have been the season but I do think the hotel could have done more than they did. They did spray but foliage was overgrown and might have been better thinned out a bit.
We bought on eBay as a Thomson last minute deal for just £101 for the two of us plus £20 booking fee - so £71 each. If we had paid more I would have been very disappointed. Some had paid £333 for all inclusive- 2 weeks and were very upset. If you can get a really cheap deal might be ok, otherwise find somewhere else.

I recommend this hotel I loved it here food was ok beach was nice staff were friendly and hotel was always clean and tidy. the pool area was great, I enjoyed the entertainment the only down fall was our room was directly above the hotel night club on which load music was played every night till 2am in morning.
Excursions offered by med hotel reps were great as well, I recommend going on the 2 or 3 day desert safari I loved it and I tell you something the bedouin feast is great as well. Camel and horse riding is great in Tunisia.
The weather is great bit too hot in desert 45 degrees Celsius. The hotel is very eye catching. the gardens are lovely. Oh and I recommend having a full body massage in the hotels spa, its was heaven after horse riding for 2 hours.

1 reader found this review helpful

Prior to going on our holiday we had read the reviews on this hotel, this being after we had booked. We were quite concerned as there are some negative comments made.
On arrival we were pleasantly surprised as to the overall standard of the hotel, the staff were very friendly and the standard of cleanliness was very high. We thought the food catered for all tastes and was in plentiful supply, we tasted most of the dishes and enjoyed them. No one that we spoke to at this hotel mentioned suffering any type of upset stomach or ill health.
The pool area was beautiful and was kept spotlessly clean, and there was even a sun lounger to be had after breakfast. There was plenty to do if you wanted to although you need to be quite forceful with the entertainment guys if you don’t want to join in but they eventually get the point. They all spoke very good English as did everyone in the hotel.
Tunisia is a beautiful and varied place to visit and it is well worth venturing outside the hotel. It is very safe to walk about even at night. A word of warning if your rep tempts you to go on the Sahara experience be warned that these are two very long days and include a 15 hour day ending with a 2 hour camel ride and then a 4 o'clock wake up call to see the sun rise.
It is very tiring but I wouldn’t have missed it for anything, but they do not tell you the itinerary when booking so be warned.
Overall we really enjoyed our holiday and would go back to the Saadia hotel, we only went for one week and we honestly feel that this wasn't long enough.

I have just come back from Tunisia and it was absolutely amazing! This was my first time I’ve been abroad and I would definitely go back again. I’ve never had so much fun!
I’ve been reading other people’s reviews and some I can agree with. The bad reviews are an absolute joke, the complaints these people had I totally disagree with them.
The hotel was very clean and the staff were very friendly. The entertainers were absolutely amazing I got up every night on stage to do the dances. This holiday was so much fun and I really hope other people’s opinions don’t put you off because it really was lovely.
The weather was hot every single day, the swimming pool was so nice and refreshing. The food...not the best I’ve ever had but you help yourself so you make your meal out of what you want. We ate breakfast dinner tea and pretty much every snack time. The only major disappointment was the alcohol, you have no chance in getting drunk cos it’s so low in alcohol.
I thoroughly enjoyed this holiday so unless you’re looking for clubbing and getting drunk every night this holiday could be for you.
Forget all the bad reviews some people are just too fussy! It really was incredible!

We returned from the Saadia Hotel having spent 14 nights, the first impression of the hotel is not good, I cried and my husband tried to get us moved to another hotel. My daughter, partner and grandson also. The rooms are not very desirable to say the least but they are cleaned daily. Everywhere was mopped around the hotel.
The staff, cleaners etc are wonderful. The gardens, pool and outside surrounds are beautiful. The food was really awful the first few days and it did help by how many people were complaining. The food improved but the standards were not good. No air con was on in the dining areas, which offered smoking and non-smoking which was nice.
The highlight at breakfast was the two slice toaster, ridiculous. The abundance of flies made us twitch the whole of the holiday. The pool was very cloudy and a lot of people did have ear infections, my grandson also on his return home. But over the days the pool was inspected and it became a lot better. The animation team were good, such stamina.
Our first room had faulty air con, moved to another with a leaky toilet. The maintenance only possessed a screwdriver. We got by using a bucket for the leak. Come on Thomson pull out of this hotel. It is not worthy of a 3 star. It could be made better if the owner was willing to spend. Don't keep sending holidaymakers to a hotel which you know is not good. The price might be okay but I would sooner spend it wisely as we thought we were.
The price quoted to us to change hotels was absolutely disgraceful and after enquiring it was blown out of proportion. On the whole we made our holiday good, Port El Kantouie, is gorgeous but everywhere you wanted to go you needed a taxi. There were 4 adults and one child in our party which meant 2 taxis everywhere. Our tour Rep didn't tell us that one.
It isn't really expensive out there but we will never be returning to the Saadia