Club Calimera Thalassa Village

We went on this holiday with first choice, 12 people went, 4 children under 13, one teenager and 7 adults. Well, when we got to the hotel we went straight into the reception to pick up our room keys. When we recieved them a man came with a trolley and put our cases on, he showed us to our room. The room was very close to all of the facilities. The room was very spacious, with TV, Air con and hair dryer included. The beds were resonably comfyand the room was cleaned on a daily basis by friendly maids. Our rep Sandra left us a day to get used to the hotel before a meetin which was on the second day in the morning. So we decided to have a look arund the hotel and see the facilities. The first thing we noticed was all of the sporting activities around the pool, there was also music playing from the animation box. There is another pool which seemed to be the 'quiet' pool, but we didn't spend much time there as it didn't appeal to us. We began to notice that there wasn't many english people in the resort, most were French, German, Italian and Russian. When dinnertime aproached and we entered the main restraunt, we were greeted by a lovely waiter named Mohammed who showed us to a table and asked us our nationality, as soon as we said English he seemed very pleased and said "we don't see many english people here". The food was lovely and there was a great choice. My family decided to go on the 3 day safari which took us all around tunisia showing us many hotspots, such as the Ampitheatre At El djem, an oasis, A camel ride on the sahara desert and a visit to a mosque. This hotel is defornatly a place for families. You just have to excuse the fact that it's not a very 'british' hotel, although most of the staff do speak english they have been allocated a certain nationality and english isn't one of them. I would defornatly go there again and I am seroisly considering going next year.

Dont be put of by some of the negative reviews, I was dreading going on holiday after reading some reports, however 8 of us 4 adults 4 children have just returned and had 2 great weeks holidays, all the staff were friendly, they work 24 hours a day to keep the place running and nothing was to much trouble, the animation team work really hard however, the young british kids don't seem to get included in the kids club as much as other nationalities, rooms were really clean and fresh linen and towels everyday, no problems getting a table at meal times and food was okay, speciality restaurants worth going to. First Choice rep always available and willing to help.

Stayed at the Thalassa Village, Skanes during the last week of July 2007. Family of 4 (2 Kids aged 7 and 2) On arrival, check in was quick and easy with the staff helpful and asked if we wished to have the key for the safe (2.5 Dinar per day) that was in our room and also if we wanted a fridge (5 Dinar Per Day). The rooms are clean although the décor is slightly dated, but hey, let’s face it, your not there to admire the decoration!! The rooms are cleaned daily to an excellent standard and the cleaners are very helpful incase you need any extras items. Rooms all have T.V…but only one English language channel (C.N.N) The outdoor facilities are excellent. There are 3 outdoor pools. Two are large of which one has music playing, pool games and general activities such as water aerobics & water polo. The other pool is more for families and away from all the noise. There is also a third ‘children’s’ pool, which also has a very large sand pit with toys and 2 large bouncy castles, all in an enclosed area for kids of up to about 5 yrs old.There is also an indoor pool which is free to use any time. The beech is also of a good standard and is cleaned every morning by a bulldozer to get rid of all the seaweed. We didn’t get any hassle from hawkers etc. The only problem you will encounter is that in order to get a sun lounger by the pool, you will have to get up early…..You must go and put your towels down by the pool area by 7:30 AM or you will not get a spot. Food overall was good, although got a bit boring after while. Although the dishes were different each day, it was of a similar kind, but overall good as you can order fresh pizza, pasta or go for the Tunisia specials!! Desserts…Hmmmmm...plenty of choice. Meal times were busy but no one pushed in, everyone stood in line and waited. Overall the animation (entertainment) staff was excellent and very friendly towards the kids. Although 50% of hotel guests were German 30% French and 20% English, all the entertainment was in all 3 languages so we didn’t feel left out. Most of the waiters were also good except one who asked for a tip each time we asked for a baby chair…we just ignored him. No one else ever asked for a tip. To visit the markets, which is about 15min by car, the hotel will get you a taxi and it costs 8-10 Dinars (£4). Well worth visiting the Medina (shopping area.)...barginds to be had if you like to "negotiate"...What ever the price starts at....you should start at 75% LESS and never pay more than half of the original asking price!!! Overall a good mid range hotel with good facilities. The only downside is having to get up early to get a spot by the pool, but don’t let that put you off. Just go back to bed after you have put your towels down and then turn up later…everyone else does!!

This hotel is just a short 10 minute journey from Monastir Airport, we arrived at the end of a heatwave and the temperature was 43 degrees when we landed at 7pm. The next day was approx 50 degrees, we were told this was unusually hot and after a couple of days it cooled down to a pleasant 40 degrees. We arrived at the hotel that evening and were told to head straight for the buffet restaurant to have our evening meal while reception allocated our rooms, first impressions weren't too good, the sheer number of people combined with the fact that a lot of the food had been standing for a while didn't appeal to us. We subsequently went back to reception and were allocated a room which was nicely located not too far from all the facilities, the rooms are spacious with a large bed, separate sitting area, bathroom and small terrace, air con and tv, however no fridge for keeping water cold and no english channels on the tv. The hotel guests were made up mostly of german, italian, russian and some english. There are two pools with a lot of sun beds but unless you are there early, before 8am most of the beds are taken, and as usual people place towels on the beds and don't turn up for most of the day, there are also sunbeds on the beach which has nice sand and is not so crowded as the pool, water sports are available from the beach. There are 4 speciality restaurants and you can book these once during your stay, we tried 3 of them and they were all fine, waiter service and nice food, no choice though and no air con. We only went to one show in the evening which was a comedy sketch night, it didn't quiet work for us as the jokes etc were translated into 4-5 different languages so we didn't bother again, we spent most evenings at the outside bar. We did get a taxi into Port el Kantoui one night, had a stroll around the harbour then took a taxi to Sousse for a meal at The Saloon, steak house had a fab meal and there is a guy playing live and singing who was great, well worth a visit. The service we received in the hotel was great, no problems there and overall the hotel was exactly what we expected for what we paid. Travelled with First Choice and, went on the day trip to el djem, to see the ampitheatre and also mosaics in the nearby museum dating back as far as 2AD, again well worth a visit. My husband went diving with the dive school that visit the hotel and the divemaster was superb, diving wasn't as good as expected but he made it very interesting and there are some good dive sites (sunken helicopter and wreck). All the dive equipment supplied was as new.

We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the Thallasa Village to discover that we were in in fact in a Bungalow. Which were clean and comfortable. But first let me start at reception, our welcome was warm the reception area is clean and cool with marble. The staff are smart, helpful and welcoming. The pool is large clean with plenty of places to lie down and enjoy the sun. There are enough bars around the pool but placed so that they are non intrusive. The beach is soft sand and very clean, again with bar areas. The childrens area was far enough away to be non intrusive and yet close enough for parents to wander over to check on their little ones. The food was out of this worls in the main restaurant, I wouldnt bother with the A La Carte Restaurant as the food was not worth the money and we had better in the main facility. The food is help yourself buffet and we couldnt get over the selection, there is enough and we had to diet when we came home. They have theme nights where the staff were national costume, the staff are quick to serve and please. The indoor pool is spotless, in fact I defy anyone to find any dirt in this place as the staff work very hard all day every day cleaning, tending to the garden and generally making sure this hotel is of a high standard. The indoor pool as I say was spotless and hot never mind warm, the wellness centre staff are fantasic in fact I had a massage every day (you pay this separately). Now to the entertainment! What can I say about the animation team that would do them justice. These men and women worked all the hours god sends to entertain us during the day with quizes and sports then at night with mini musicals. They were not in any way pushy but encouraged instead. We were the only English speaking people in this hotel for a week and at no time did we left out as every member of the animation team can speak 2, 3 and 4 languages. We did meet a couple in the second weel who said they would not recommend this hotel as there was nothing to do. Well I am sorry but we made friends from Germany, Holland and Italy. You have to make an effort and join in, not sit around expecting people to come to you or make the entertainment just for you. The animation team even shouted out the numbers for a fun game of bingo in every language of the guests. We are going back there as soon as we can as it is the best. So I would say, if you want clean, if you want peace and quiet but entertainemtn if you want it, if you want good food and if you are willing to not be a euro snob, but join in the fun, then this is the hotel for you.

We have just come back from Tunisia. We had a great time but that was more associated with the company as to the accomodation. I agree with a lot that the previous review said. The resort is mostly French and German and English people are neglected slightly. It wasn't as hot when we went but hot enough. Some rooms do stink, infact we could see the cesspit from our room but to be honest we just lived with it. Another couple with us complained and got moved. Beach The hotel is situated directly on the beach. The first day we arrived the beach looked horrible, covered in black sludge and seaweed. We were told that this was due to some recent storms, to be fair they were right as the beach soon cleared up and i went swimming every day without any issues. Water sports were good. i really enjoyed those. Food Food is a mad dash at times, but tends to slow down after the initial rush, even so the most popular foods had long ques and the chefs didn't seem to be in any hurry. Breakfast Croissants, eggs, bread, pancakes Lunch The international buffet restaurant had a large selection, but i found that most of it was either fried or tasteless. My mum is a strict vegetarian and although there wasn't much managed to eat. There is fruit but not much!! Snacks Forget snacks there really wasn't any. i almost died of starvation between meals. The only snacks that are available are pancakes and dohnuts. These are only available from one place, which had large ques. it took me 30 min to get a dohnut. Waiters I would like to say though that the waiters were very good throughout. In particular a guy called Muhammed D. He made us feel very welcome. Bar Barstaff in the octopus bar (main bar) were rude, and prefered to serve non english people first. The service is made slower due to the beer being very light and frothing. and was more like poring guiness. Pool Good pools. 2 main ones and a baby pool. Watch out for life guards who have a hobby of pushing people in. Reception Nice reception but staff are Useless Entertainment A bit like butlins. Not really my thing and played air hockey instead. Also other than the shop you cannot get change for the machines. Reception say they don't have any. there is a guy from the entertainment team called Solem. After you get passed the sillyness, he was a top bloke. He spoke 5 languages and was generally interested in what was going on. Thalassa village is a good base but not a 3 or 4 star, if the resort was cheaper i would consider staying there again, but would probably try somewhere else before booking.

I and my wife just arrived from Tunisia after 1 week with First Choice. I booked the Thalassa Village Hotel through internet and as always checked the reviews here before booking. Not many reviews but generally good. Well that wasn't my experience. There were a number of factors in the "generaous" 2 star rating I am giving. I gave 2 star because I simply didn't stay long enough, based on my experience alone, it only deserves 1! We are a young couple with no children, love beach holidays and all inclusive food, as well as activities and comfort the resort provides. I chose this hotel since it ticked all the boxes for us (on the paper). All inclusive, on the beach, resort type accomodation etc When we arrived Tunisia, it was 47 degrees Celcius in the shade! One person told me it is 54C on the beach and sand is 80C!!! This hot weather unearths a lot of problems. First of all, the whole resort stinks. Maybe this was temporary so I will not go on about that. The sea stank as well so I couldn't swim. It was nice and clear but you can see the signs of pollution (dark black sand under normal seabed). Anyway, disappointed we decided to have lunch. Now, I haven't seen a crowd like that in my life. There is no concept of queing, everyone is trying to get some food while they can! Seriously understaffed place, it is impossible to get drinks. I waited for half an hour for a small glass of beer. It is not just me, I can see frustration of other poeple while waiting for their drinks. I simply don't understand why they don't let people to get their own drinks. It is like they are saving on drinks by not serving people but sorry I paid for all inclusive! Lets talk about the accomodation. It is standard for everyone, apart type small bungalows. The decoration (like the whole resort) is very dated and it is simply NOT clean. This is basic right, you have to provide clean accomodation. You have to pay 10dinars to get the remote for the air con but funnily enough they can't find the remote of our air con so they changed our room. Next day, the showers didn't work until 10:00 am and I said thats enough! I complained about these to our First Choice Rep. She understood us (by the way I wasn't the only one complaining) and offered us to move to the Royal Kenz Hotel in Port El Kantoui. It was on half board basis but what the heck, it can't be worse and I am happy to pay a bit rather than getting tortured for a week! I am glad I did the swap, what a difference.... In Thalasse, only about 10% of people were British, mostly French (about 70%) and German. Some waiters don't understand english at all. Anyway, the rest of my review is under royal kenz hotel reviews. This hotel was 4 star (Thalasse also says they are 4 star, yeah right!) and 99% of people were British. Don't get me wrong, I am not racist or anything but it made a difference. Overall, I won't be back to Tunisia....The whole experience is much less value than you get from Turkey or any other country on Meditarennian coast. Go to Turkey, much better place at absolute everything.

I’m not sure it’s worth saying much about the rooms as there as a few different types and you could get any of them. They are however all comfortable with good air conditioning. They are cleaned daily & you get fresh towels whenever you want them. The TV only has one English channel which is CNN. There is also a safety deposit box in the room. Fridges can also be hired, but unless you have babies it’s not really worth it as they charge 5TND a day and cold drinks are always available. The facilities at Thalassa Village are excellent. There is a main pool where all the entertainment/games/water aerobics take place in the shallow end. They put loud music on here at 9.30 am and it does not go off all day. There is also another large pool which is much quieter. There are loads of sunbeds so there is always somewhere to lie down whatever time of day you surface, although the quieter pool does seem to get reserved fairly quickly. If you want certain sunbeds every day the pool boys seem happy to reserve them for a few TND. Also the indoor pool is lovely and warm & has 2 jacuzzis which are put on twice a day. There are loads of pool boys & life guards walking around all day so it feels very safe here. For children there is a lovely warm shallow pool just a few steps away from the main pool (also with sunbeds) and a further one in the playground. The playground is intended for children 4-12 years old, in my opinion it caters for children 0-4 years old. It is basically a grass/sand area with Little Tykes toys and a shallow pool. Generally the largest of the slides is pulled to the pool edge & the children spend most of the time sliding down that into the water. There are also a few kids clubs but no specific English one. The beach is lovely with fine sand. The Beach boys work hard to clear it of seaweed on a daily basis. Unfortunately there do seem to be quite a lot of Jellyfish in this area & my 4 year old got stung whilst paddling so they are in the shallow waters. There is a doctor within the hotel so he sorted us out and there was no charge. The one thing that lets this hotel down is the restaurant. Whilst the food is fine, they are trying too hard by cooking loads whilst you wait. Most people accept they may have to queue at a buffet, but here you queue, get a bit of food, queue again, get a bit more etc. There is a microwave available for heating up baby food but I was quite tempted to use it for heating up mine. Pizzas, omelettes, pasta and chips are always available. Between 3pm-5pm you can also have ice-cream, cakes, biscuits, pancakes & donuts. Drinks (inc. about 5 fruit juices) are available all day and there are plenty of water dispensers around to help yourself. You can also ask for bottles (1.5l) of water. The only down side to the holiday was the constant music, sometimes from 9.30 – 2am. If you have a room near the pool it will be lovely during the day but you might regret it at night. Also we found everything is aimed at the French, Italians & Germans. According to the animation team this is because each one of them is assigned to a particular nationality but there is no-one assigned to the English because 1st Choice won’t pay for it. Top Tips : 1) Don’t walk on the grass without shoes. It is quite spiky and you end up digging them out of your feet like splinters. 2) Avoid walking on the light colour tiles around the pool. Where the original tiles have broken they have been replaced with normal ceramic tiles. People are slipping over all day on these. Sousse is great for shopping (shoes + bags) and costs 10TND in a cab. Port El Kantouri is nice to walk around or eat and great for sunglasses & watches, 17TND in a cab. Overall we had a lovely holiday & we would definitely go back. Unusually for Tunisia there is absolutely no expectation of tips (except if they reserve sunbeds), not even by the cab drivers and this was quite refreshing. This hotel is rated as a 3 star and I would say that is a fair rating.

Me and my boyriend stayed at this hotel last June for 2 weeks all inclusive. We went with First Choice and as it was new for First Choice that year we were a little worried but everything was great. Airport close to resort but noise from aeroplanes flying over wasnt noticed. Food was good but got a little boring after 2 weeks. Both had the rruns once on hol but Imodium soon sorted it! It didnt stop us from doing things, think it was just as we were not use to their food and ways of cookin but was nothing to put us off the hol. Weather ws great, nearly 50 degrees inland one day when we were on an excursion, was too hot! Got a great tan. The rooms were lovely, it was like a little village and were very clean, they were cleaned everyday, towels were changed everyday. Two bottles of water were left in our room everyday but could have done with a fridge as ti got warm. Air conditioning as good. The only thing that bothered us was that there wasn't many English as first choice only had a few apartments, the rest were either French or Germans. The French were worse than the Germans, very rude. The Germans were very fussy at mealtimes and selfish. The pool was gorgeous and so was the beach. Only thing wrong with the pool was that the French and Germans got up at 6am just to put their towels on a sun lounger n then went for breakfast. So when we got up at 9am there weren't any sunbeds left most mornings. Overall an enjoyable holiday!

My friend and i booked this hotel last minute through teletext and i must say i was a bit worried. Partly because i had never been on a plane before but my main concern was that we did not know where we would be staying until we got there! But on arrival all my previous worries disappered. We did not get there till late at night (10pm ish) and out of the coach full of Thomson people there was only 6 of us staying here. But the staff we friendly and curtous, even when we made a call down to reception for drinks at midnight (never thought it would be as hot as it was)! They did get the booking wrong though so we had to share a double bed, which as we were close friends was not an issue. For those not so close it may have been a problem as the hotel was fully booked. The room was nice quite large, with a private balcony and marble bathroom. The air-con didn't work if the balcony door was open (im sure this is normal) and the maid was very helpful when we asked if it was broken. There are 3 pool one inside which was very cool and lovely for a dip after being in the sweltering heat all day. Plus the beach was right outside the hotel. I would recommend some of the excursions provided, especially the casino and caberet night in Sousse. But if you go to the safari park like we did, carry lots of water as it is quite a trek till you get to the cafe (i nearly died when i got there as it 48 degrees that day)!! Overall i would recommend this hotel, the staff and entertainment team were very polite, helpful and a bit randy! Tunisia is very cheap, it was a while ago that i went but the taxi started a 5p and never costed more than £5 for a 40 minute journey! Great holiday especially if you like a hot climate and loads to see and do.