Marhaba Beach Hotel

After reading some earlier reviews I was a little worried about this hotel. However, we have just come back from Sousse having stayed at the Marhaba Beach Hotel for a week and we had a lovely time there. Since we are living in Sweden we booked via a local operator here which actually rate this as a 3 star hotel. However, it is classed as a 4 star there and I'd agree with this rating since it cannot be classed as 3 star in my opinion. The room was just as I'd imagined with a large balcony overlooking the pool area which is immaculate. The rooms were cleaned each day and our maid was always cheerful and polite - she made different patterns with our night clothes each day on the bed and our son had his cuddly toys set out differently each day too which made it fun to come back to the room for him (one day she'd left his teddy sitting on a toy camel he'd bought the day before!) We arrived early evening and hadn't managed to change any money but were expected to give the porters a tip!! This was annoying since they "lingered" in our room a little longer than necessary despite being told that we had no money as yet. However, despite this start we found the hotel staff informative and friendly for the duration of our stay. We were there only for bed and breakfast which we prefer so it was possible to eat out a lot more. However, we did eat a few times at the "snack bar" restaurant which is just fine and definately not a "snack bar" but a restaurant. Breakfast was brilliant - a full on buffet with a great range of hot and cold food and drink. Our son (4 years old) especially loved this. The weather the first day was rain all day and pretty cold so we used the indoor pool instead. This was very cold though so wasn't really a great alternative. The weather soon cheered up and we were able to use the outdoor pool and the beach. The beach was my favourite - lovely sand and very gradual slope into the sea which was warmer than the pools. The pool area was beautiful. My only problem with it was that people were reserving sun beds by overpaying the pool attendant the day before so nearly all the beds were taken by 7am at the latest. However, having said that the same attendant always made sure he found beds and paritial shady spots for us. Maybe only because we had a child - I don't know. The only other issue we had were the amount of "activities" at the pool side such as excerises in or out of the pool, water polo, line dancing to name a few. All of these were advertised loudly by staff walking around the pool area and all activities were accompanied by music which at times was a bit too loud if you just wanted to relax and read by the pool. On the plus side, the pool bar staff also walked around from time to time offering "vitamins" - delicious fruit smoothies - NOT to be missed!! One tip if you want to take a camel ride. You can apparently book this via touts on the beach however we never came across any! I found out via a local shopkeeper that you book via the Mouradi Palace Hotel which is what we did. You will be told that it is a 3 hour camel caravan trip at 15 TD per adult (half price for kids). If like me you didn't fancy 3 hours then you can book per hour. We did 1 hour since we did not know if our son would like being on a camel. It was great fun and in the heat of the sun one hour was perfect for us. The Mouradi Palace Hotel is just outside of Port El K. and cost us 4 or 5 TD by taxi from the Marhaba Beach. Note: the Mouradi is a 5 star hotel which is fairly isolated - we failed to reduce the taxi fair from there taking us back to our hotel. I guess in that location the taxi drivers are in a stronger position than at the Marhaba Beach!

This hotel is absolutly fantastic when we arrived a porter came and carried our lauggage on a trolly and took it up to our rooms. The staff on reception were very helpful and told us all we needed to know about the hotel and resturants etc. Our room was great clean, spacious and very well decorated we also had dressing gowns and slippers on our beds for us, i think the hotel was more like a 5*. The food was excellent a wide varity any one with spacific eating habits would certainly find something they liked. The pool area was also excellent great place to cool off when we got too hot and that was very often as the weather was beautiful every day (averageing at about 36c) somtimes higher! the beach was close and this was beautiful to white sand, clear blue water, this holiday is pure luxuary so dont worry if youv'e heard bad things! this holiday is a once in a lifetime experience so im definatly going back next month hope you all enjoy as much as we did!

We could not have booked any later or sooner the time was right, the hotel was fab, I was disapointed when we didn't get a sea view room but it did not matter because the fire exits lead out on to big balconies on all floors (like being on the roof of the hotel looking out to the sea on one side and the other hotels on the other) . The pool was great to cool off and if it was cloudy you could still use the indoor pool next to the gym. The hotel is not far from the beach (less than 200m) either. the one bad thing about this place is that NOTHING IS FREE , The sunbeds are 2 Denars each (80p), no one should have to pay for something when you have already done it when you booked it. The reason for this is becuase the country depends on tourism to make a leaving. Thats why the locals come to try and sell you somthing and haggle with you, amazing, however it can get on your nerves. I recommend going Half-board or better for this place beacuse the food selection is good during the week selected from British, German, and Russian palates (including deserts!).I would not go Bed and breakast because their is not many other places to eat near by and sousse is a good mile away. The service was a Excellent and could not be uncredited, they really looked after you even if you got sick. My brother got sick at the hotel and staff called for a doctor and sorted all fars and arrangments out including the perscription in just minutes. The Rooms are good but their is not much to watch on Tv I give it 4 out 5 still. All in all I would go there again some day I recommend going there round Augest time beacuse the Mediterranean sea is warmed up to its peak and is at the end of the high season. I score it 9 out of 10

what can i say, i was worried about the hotel and tunisia,as you read so many conflicting reports,but it was fantastic. We stayed for 2 weeks my partner my kids aged 4 11 15 years. We loved it so much we are booking again. The hotel was spotless,we put loads of weight on the food was great.The hotel is without a doubt the best there,it is right on the white sandy beach.The weather was fantastic we are all so tanned and relaxed. Enjoy your holiday there it is paradise,but most of all dont worry its fab !!!!

Got back last night from a really good 2 week holiday at the Marhaba Beach. We went on a bit of a budget and so were not expecting be staying in the best hotel in the world!! I have to say however that we were most suprised at just how good it actually was. The room we had was excellent. Clean and comfortable, over looking the sea and pool (145) The maid cleaned every day and was lovely. Although we were a bit dubious when told we would be sharing a table for dinner and breakfast we met a smashing couple who we became good friends with over the 2 weeks. The food was excellent, plenty of choice and always fresh. Our waiter was superb and one morning when we fancied a lazy morning, without asking he brought up a tray and didn't want anything in return!! Although there was entertainment in the hotel this was mostly tailored to the oldies! We did have a look around the hotel, but there's no variety of bars as such, it did seem that the ones around were only for the locals and didn't feel too welcoming. This could have been due to the fact that it is only the start of the season and so not too many tourists around at the moment. Although it was nice in El Kantoui at night Sousse did feel very oppressive and we didn't stay there for more than 10 minutes the one night we did go there. All in all a nice relaxed holiday, in a lovely clean, friendly and comfortable hotel. The weather was superb, far hotter than we were expecting(average 33C during the day) I wouldn't recommend the area for people looking for a Las Americas type holiday. However for people wanting to spend a week or 2 relaxing by a great pool or lovely beach and eat and drink lots then this is definately the place. Enjoy!

My husband and I have just returned from 7 nights in Maharba Beach, Sousse, Tunisia. We had a wonderful relaxing time, but to be honest I would not stay at this resort again. The hotel in itself was good and very clean, but nothing out of the ordinary. The food was different to start with, but then became much the same. You are assigned a table when you arrive and then that is your table for your duration. Luckily, we shared with a wonderful couple from London (thank God, but it is pot luck!!) With the hotel being attached to 1 of 3 so close together you can use the facilities of the other hotels. We only went to 1 other hotel which was the Maharba Hotel, this is 'only' 3 stars so food and drink was cheaper (example: bottle of Ugni white wine by the pool at The Maharba 7,600 dinar, in the restaurant at Maharba Beach, the same bottle was 12,500 dinar.) We didn't find the staff at either hotel friendly, in fact I found the people of Tunisia rather rude. We were finally wished 'Bon Appetite' on the last day (looking for a tip?) Overall, none of the people were that friendly in the area. The hotel is a taxi ride away from Sousse and you are not really missing much. We spent a day in Port El Kantaoui which is also a taxi ride away, but a much, much nicer area. My husband wanted to play golf and was told by a Rep that it could be booked through reception. We then asked at reception, only to be told 'Who told you that? We cannot do that, it is easier to book 2 camels.' Even when paying in a restaurant beware of being ripped off. They don't write an order down and then they come with a price - up to them - no extra tip is then left. We honestly felt that the English were not really liked or welcomed. Please be advised to take duty free alcohol with you (spirits) as they can be quite expensive (and hard to get hold of! We spent a good part of the afternoon trying to get some Vodka! Ooh, doesn't sound good for us!!!) Our Rep was local, but seemed to put you off doing 'local' things without a organised tour. There were some great tours on offer, but unfortunatley due to timing not many could be arranged and as usual they are quite expensive. Our overall rating of this holiday is 6.5/10. We think that the hotel is worth 3 stars rather than the 4 it is awarded.

Just arrived back last night after spending a lovely week here it was a cheap deal got with thomson and was not sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised, hotel was great very clean maid came everyday always friendly. Pool area was great never short of a sunbed although you do have to pay 1 dinar per bed even though you staying there. Food was fine good selection and a snack bar that never seemed to close my partner went down at gone midnight and they was still there happy to make us anything. Great location on beach with some good water activities. Great relaxing holiday would definately go back.

I must say the people who have moaned constantly on this site must be expecting the Ritz in the coast of Africa. You must remember, this is not Spain, America or London, this is North West Africa, and whilst the hotel may not be what people are expecting (like 4 poster beds and flowers in the room) we were pleasently surprised. The rooms are very comfortable, and we had top-floor-sea-view (room 404) the window in the bathroom also overlooked the beach, which was lovely. The rooms got cleaned every day, along with the towels, and despite what people wrote before, the towels WERE fresh, as you could smell the detergent on them. We had sachets of shampoo and shower gel in the bathroom also, and the maid was very friendly and talked to you every morning when you saw her about. The food in the restaurant was good, we cannot see how people can complain, there is a huge salad bar, then a hot bar buffet cart, with everything from pasta to potatos to spaghetti and even lamb stew!!! and there are also a bar full of cakes and chocolate mousse (yummy) and fruit, there is alo ice creams there as well. The service in the restaurant was great, the waiter always was smiling and was there when you sat down to pull out your chair for you to sit down. We always tipped about 1-2 dinar per night (1 dinar is 50p) and he always seemed happy with this. You may have to share a table with another couple, and we were put with a lovely english couple, and in a way it is lovely as you can get tips of where to go and things like that. (we didnt know you can actually haggle the price of the taxi fare with the driver before you get in!!!) so sharing a table was not a problem, it was quite nice to talk about things with other people than the two of you! The hotel pool and gardens were kept upkept and the pool (although cold) was swept out nearly every day so no leaves were left in there. One thing we must say was that the Tunisians outsude the hotel (as in Sousse Medina and selling things) are proper salesman, they will try everthing british to try and sell you things. What they will do is say @hello@ and then shake your hand, once this is done - they're in there, before they lure you in, jsut say hello and walk past, dont forget to smile, and you will be ok. You learn very quickly to say "no merci" or "laa shokrun" and walk on by. Be stearn but kind to them and you wont be disrespected, people need to see that all these people are trying to do is make money, this is all, they dont mean to be pushy towards you, just remember to say "no" if your not interested. Another thing we would say is that on the first day we were walking along the beach and a man came up to us selling pistacios. We were then conned into thinking they were "gift from him" and as soon as we took them, he demanded money. he got #3.00gbp from us!!!! beware, and just SAY NO!!!! but always smile and they dont take offence. Tunisia itself is different, and is not suitable for those people used to fish n chips every night, although the hotel and other places do sell chips, you will never be hungry, with the otehr food on offer. The hotel reception are VERY helpful. PLease note that Tunisia does have the two pin plugs, however they are not the same as the european plugs as the earth pin is larger, so ask at a travel shop before you go to make sure you get the right adaptor. So.... Our adaptor didnt work, so I went to the reception and 10 mins later they sent up a maintenance man and he had a adaptor for my hairdryer (I was sooooo grateful!) but they do have a hairdryer in the bathroom just in case you forget yours. We could go on forever, the food in the "snack bar is good, and a ommelette and salad cost around #1.50gbp. so you wont break the bank!!!! The hotel also has a Bureau De Change and a shop, so you can changw your money here. One last thing, if you are taking travellers cheques (it is recommended) take ten to twenty pounds in sterling, as we arrived at the hotel at about nine at night and the bank was closed. So we could only change a small amount of money at the reception. We thought we didnt have any english money on us until I found ten pounds in my bag which was a relief. So take a small amount of sterling just in case. We went on the 2 day Sahara trip, we upgraded (normal price #70.00 upgraded #93.00) the upgrade means more room on the coach (you travel about 1000 miles) and a better room for the over night stay. We had 15 people on a 50 deater coach which meant loads of room, and all the other people who paid #23.00 less than us for the 2 days were cooped up on another coach, which was full to brimming. For the extra money, it was worth it. We saw the sun go down on the Sahara whilst on a camel, and saw the sun rise over the Salt Flats, which is NOT to be missed, the scenery is unbelieveable. Last but not least, our rep Abby was brilliant, she was always cheery and helpful, we gave our photos to the photo man before we left, who said that he would develop them before we left, but didnt)Abby has made sure that they get sent over and we are hopefully getting them this week, First class service from start to finish. Thank you!!!!! So..... there is other things we can say, but this is a country of CULTURE is in not your 18-30's holiday. Weather was windy first 2 days but after that was mid 20's. Even in the evening it is not cold just cool. P.S Men WILL stare, and make comments, even if you are a male-female couple, but remember just shrug it off, or even take it as a compliment !!!! heehheh we thought it was funny any way !!!! have fun !!!

I have just arrived back in the UK after a week spent at the Marhaba Beach Hotel in Sousse. Whilst Tunisia itself really was not my cup of tea, we really landed on our feet as far as the hotel is concerned. It is spotlessly clean, the bed linen was changed 3 times in our weeks stay. The reception and bar were comfortable and sociable although they really don't have the knack of making cocktails. We went B&B but ended up eating at the hotel every evening. They provide buffet food which has a great selection, I was pleased I didn't have to live on chips all week - they serve a huge amount of fresh salads, fish and meat. The only negative is for those vegetarians who I think would struggle a bit unless they can live on pasta the whole time. I would however imagine that if I'd stayed there for two weeks I would have been extremely bored of the selection by the time I got home! Inside the hotel there is a snack bar which is open to about 10pm, a fixed price shop so no haggling needed (ideal when you have forgotten your sun cream. They also sell crisps/biscuits/newspapers/souvenirs etc). You can buy water in plastic bottles from the reception. Can't comment on the outdoor pools as it was a tad chilly to be using them but the area surrounding was immaculate. The pool bar also serves fab smoothies during the day. After seeing some of the other hotels in Sousse I really wouldn't have wanted to stay anywhere else, this was ideal. Things I learnt in Tunisia that I wish I'd known before hand: * Give a tip for almost everything! Although as 1 Dinar is about 50p it's not too bad * Beware of pickpocketers befriending you on the beach or in the market * Never get your money out on display - another holiday maker went to pay for something but they just grabbed his wallet and done a runner. * Expect to get hassled a lot. Although I got 4 marriage proposals I would much rather have been left alone to read my book in peace!!! * Do some excursions that show you the real Tunisia. We spent 2 days travelling all over the country, seeing how they really live which is a bit of an eye opener. * Remember you are going to a poor country - buildings aren't finished, there is litter everywhere and when I moved from the hotel I was a bit dubious about the hygiene element. All in all, the hotel was good and although I don't have any inclination to visit Tunisia again, I was on a trip with a lady who was back for her 15th time in 4 years so each to their own!!

Sousse, Tunisia : The Marhaba Beach Hotel "Bad idea". Date: March 17, 2006 Reviewer: A Trip Advisor non-member, Rockvilee, MD, USA I spent two weeks at Marhaba Beach Hotel in May 2005. Had some laughs but would never go back there. The room and food was all right for one star so do not expect a lot. I believed that towels were not washed but dried only and distributed randomly as they had this awfull smell. I used my T-shirts to dry. And, the hotel did not provide any soap or shampoo. The sunblock in the area is very expensive so take your own. I liked the wake up call at Marhaba Beach which happened as follows: one of the hotel people would knock at my door and the other one would check through the balcony door if it worked (stayed on the ground floor). The beach was crowded, noisy, and full of ciggarette buts. I took highly advertised but overrated, for the money spent, 2-day Sahara trip to see the entry to the dessert, couple of villages, and the Roman ruins and have 20 minute camel ride. I took a local train to Tunis and loved every moment there. Enjoyed also spectacular views from Carthage and Sidi Bou Said (the city train will take you to both places).