Jinene Hotel

After reading the reviews was a bit wary of what this hotel was going to be like.
Myself and my husband have just had a wonderful 2 week holiday there. The rooms are a bit dated but very spacious, the beach is fantastic and the beach staff are brilliant nothing too much trouble.
The restaurant staff were good the breakfast choices were limited, but on the whole there was plenty of variety at night and for the price we paid we were more than satisfied.
If you have children the entertainment team are wonderful, the rest of the entertainment was poor, the head of the entertainment loves himself and is a right leach with the girls and very boring plus if your there for 2 weeks its repetitive.
Port el Kantoui is a must to visit about a £1.00 in a taxi, Sousse however is to be avoided too much hassle felt very intimidated, and you can get the same things in port El Kantoui with no aggro.
The weather is amazing I am a real sun worshipper and loved my days on the beach nothing but hot hot hot! Weather all the time hit 52degs, don’t be put off by the negative reviews if you want the sun and lovely friendly people give it a go.

Just had 2 weeks holiday from 22 May 2007 and stayed at the Jinene hotel with my wife, the rooms were very good.
The staff were very friendly to us and the waiters were super. The food was as good as you paid for.
The one bad point was that the Germans were very rude and tried to push into the front of the queues at meal times (beware).
The weather was very hot (one day of rain) going back next June. Can’t wait.

1 reader found this review helpful

Just returned after one week at the Royal Jinene. Accommodation basic and clean. Food was ok but you can eat out down town in Gold Rush which is fab.
Guys on the Jinene beach were great nothing a bother, pool area busy and if you wanted a bed had to be up early.
Dining room in hotel ok but beware when you arrive you must give your card in to get your table for your stay, it took us till midweek, it was like Russian roulette being moved all the time. Food edible but rather repetitive you have to make sure as well you have your elbows at the ready as the Germans and Russians just barge past you.
Entertainment basic but they did work hard trying to keep everyone entertained, also first couple days put lots sun tan factor 50 I possible as it is hot hot hot.
Remember you cannot also bring your dinar out with you.
All in all great relaxing week, glad only paid £385 for me and my boyfriend h/b but great weather would go again just for relaxing break.

Food at the hotel was the worst I've ever had the only thing I had was the chicken and that was dry. If the rooms were redecorated and the food improved it would be a bit better but not going back. Same songs every night for the disco. go to the Irish bar down the road out of the main gate turn right down to the 2nd roundabout turn right. It’s about 200yards on your left. (Full English breakfast. afternoon tea. live football. darts. karaoke .live music. hot cold food the steaks are the best. I loved them.... its called O’Conner’s

Arriving at the Royal Jinene at 01:30, the rep announced that there were not enough rooms for everyone as some of their other clients had had to be transferred to this hotel due to building work at their originally planned hotel.
This did not bode well for the holiday, however we happened to be at the front & got shown up to our room. We were pleasantly surprised by its size & cleanliness. Even at that unearthly hour we could see that it was light & airy. Unfortunately, the balcony door did not lock & the toilet didn't flush properly which despite reporting 3 times & the TC rep also complaining & a little man coming up to fix the problems, they were never resolved. We were also told that it was "too early" for the air conditioning in the hotel to be turned on ( it was>27 degrees)
The next day at breakfast, we were allocated a table which we were told was ours for the rest of our stay. We were soon joined by another couple "just for today" the staff assured us. Fortunately, we got on well with the newcomers as they were to be our dining buddies at breakfast & evening meal throughout our stay. Breakfast was not traditionally English of course, many different nationalities stay at the hotel, but there was plenty of variety to choose from; boiled eggs, cereal, juice etc plus continental style and hot food.
The chefs also made fresh omlettes/crepes at the hot counter. In the evenings there was also a variety of hot food & salads with soup & desserts. No 2 bottles of wine tasted the same, whatever it said on the label! Wine was definitely overpriced. This is a Muslim country & spirits etc were in limited supply at the hotel bars.
The two pool areas, both inside and outdoors are lovely. The life guard is very attentive. Sadly, the atmosphere is dominated by the animation (entertainment) team. If they decide to play rap music, then the mood changes from relaxed holiday to endurance test. Lovers of rap music may say the same, as we were also subjected to Shayne Ward at regular intervals. It really depended on which of their limited CDs they played. On better days, these 2 young men (about 21) would hold relaxation classes, volleyball in the pool, hold table tennis championships for the kids and at night really worked hard with the younger ones.
Entertainment tended to be based at the sister hotel, Jinene which shares the facilities. This worked well, but there is a difference between the hotels so choose carefully. If you want all inclusive, kids entertained & a general air of mayhem this is for you. The Royal Jinene tends to have couples & families with older children & is much quieter than Jinene & people staying at the Jinene found the Royal Jinene too quiet for them.
Evening entertainment is hotel based, as the roadwork’s described on 2004 reviews continue & it is dangerous striding out at night with half made pavements. The hotels are not at a resort, it is as far to Sousse (not somewhere I would want to go in the dark, it could be scary enough in the daytime!) as it is to the 1970s resort Port el Kantaoui, which was much nicer but still ruined by the non- stop hassle from the shopkeepers - once they have you they will not let you out, even when you have escaped, there will be someone else waiting to pounce.
Back at the hotel, the beauty parlour offering massage & treatment was just getting up & running when we were there. There is a shop at the hotel with limited supplies, mainly "gifts touristique" which even here you have to barter for. There is a tennis court & small crazy golf area 2 cafe bars, one near the pool & one near the beach. The beach is clean & if you sit under the hotel umbrellas you will be relatively safe from all the beach peddlers who will offer the opportunity to buy everything from beads, fruit, palm trees & shells to illegal cigarettes & drugs.
Some of the hotels in Tunisia are like palaces. This was not, but it had a Moorish feel & the staff were friendly & attentive. Tunisia has some fantastic Roman ruins & of course there is the opportunity to visit the Sahara. The weather was great, it was even hot when it briefly rained. However the constant hassle from the locals means that I will certainly not choose Tunisia again - life's too short!
Here are my top tips:
1 Tunisia has a closed currency. Change some money at the airport when you land. Take care how much you change, they want it back before you leave, no notes can leave the country.
2 Factor 50 sun screen is a must for first few days.
3 Don’t get into a taxi unless he agrees the price - once you get in he will roar off (no seatbelts) & pretend not to understand you when you come to pay - try the Noddy Train.
4 Always have some small change. Taxi drivers, waiters, shopkeepers - anyone if you don’t give correct money will walk off with your change. (Especially at the Night of a Thousand Stars trip).
5 Beware anyone who smiles at you & "recognizes you from the hotel" them don’t. We heard this story many times, they are con-men & want you in their shop.
6 Beware anyone offering you a "free" bus to Sousse from the hotel - it takes you to his carpet factory.
7 Beware anyone with a falcon "have your picture taken", he will take your camera, snap away & demand payment for every photo he takes.
8 Beware anyone, even at the hotel, who suggests that you are getting something "free", you aren't, he will later bring the owner of the hotel to politely menace you for payment.
9 Take lope amide (Imodium) for the squits, especially if eating on a boat trip (very questionable hygiene).
10 Buy your gifts from the fixed price shops, decent prices & no hassle!

More Photos...

Read loads of comments about this hotel. I found the hotel good the staff are friendly, it is very clean, breakfast is not so good but had tea and toast every morning.
The beach is excellent the water sports are very cheap we did jet skiing, quad bikes, banana boats, Para gliding, they work out to about £15 a person, the entertainment was ok only when they had acts on but they great with the kids, taxis are very cheap.
We went on trips the best one was the night of a thousand stars.

My sister and I went the first week in April. We have no complaints about any aspect of our holiday. Just watch out for Sam and Sniper, two young lads who seem to be just about every girl’s boyfriend. If you can take it with a pinch of salt and laugh it off then you'll be just fine. But girls please don’t be fooled. Remember you’re on holiday and that’s all it will ever be!
Seriously though, anyone looking for good weather, friendly staff, and first class accommodation should definitely make their way to the Royal Jinene Hotel, Sousse.
Watch how the price jumps though, we got our 7 nights half board for £250, I wouldn’t be paying any more than that!

Overall, had a great holiday at the hotel Jinene. Location is ok. About halfway between the centre of Sousse and Port el Kantaoui. Taxis were very cheap.
The pool area was great with plenty of sun beds with cushions, the entertainment staff were great, tried to get everyone involved but left you alone if you just wanted to chill by the pool. The evening entertainment was ok, good for kids
Now for the bad points. The food is the worst I've ever had in hotels anywhere! Especially breakfast. The freshly made pancakes it's only saving grace. We were half board and asked at reception to change from dinner to lunch as we couldn't bear eating in every night. At lunchtime we survived on chips and salad. We ate out every evening.
There are plenty of restaurants in Sousse and Port el Kantaoui. The bedrooms were not the best either with carpet halfway up the walls. Not too much of a problem as we were only in the room sleeping.
If the rooms were done up and the food improved I'd give the hotel 9/10.

I love Tunisia and I LUURRVVV this hotel, this time we stayed in the Royal Jinene (we usually stay in the Jinene), I thought that this wasn't as good as the Jinene.
The rooms were bigger but not by a lot. There was one receptionist who was quite arrogant but the others were great just like the rest of the staff at the Jinene. Because this was winter the weather wasn't so good (better than England though), which meant there wasn't as much to do.
The entertainment is usually brill here (my boyfriend works as one of the entertainers here) but they couldn't have much going on as there weren't as many guests as usual. There are 2 pools & the indoor pool is heated in winter so its lovely, the food is good, you will always find something you like! Rooms cleaned & towels changed daily.
It is only a short taxi ride to Kantaoui which is great!!
I'll be going back again (I’m always there), if you have children you'll love it.

When we told our friends we were taking our 2 small children to Tunisia, (Royal Jennine hotel in Sousse) they were horrified, most people said it was not the ideal location for children, but injections aside, we had no problems at all.
My advice to anyone going is make sure you take all baby food with you though, and plenty of finger foods, rusks, rice cakes etc. You can buy fruit, crisps, biscuits etc there. Also take nappies and plenty of wet wipes, you can get all of these there, but only from a pharmacy and they can be pricey. Tunisian people love kids, especially babies, expect to get quite a lot of fuss.
I wouldn’t advice taking children into market squares, they get packed and it can be quite frightening for them.
Take a mossy net for your pram for when babies are asleep during the day, apartments seemed mossy & bug free.
Food was great, good variety including plain stuff if you have a funny tummy like me, I always get food poisoning on holiday, but not here! When you tip everyone before you come home - remember to tip the chefs, they work really hard and get paid very little.
DO NOT let your kids get any henna tattoo’s - my 4 year old had a bad reaction to it, and the mark is still there now, and they didn’t even give me a refund!!
Don't bother with the shop at Royal Janine - a total rip off!
Reception staff were great, one family were a bit rowdy on their first night in, and once complained about, they were warned immediately to behave or they would be moved out of the hotel - never heard them again!
Hotel entertainment was okay, if you like a late night, they did have something on every night and the entertainment staff were brill!
Dont be fooled by what people say to get you into their shops, you do get hassled to go into them, and then cant get out, unless you speak firmly to them.
The government fixed price shops are the best - you can get all gifts and not be hassled at all.
Noddy train is great for kids. Taxi's are cheaper, don’t get in one if you think its too much though, say no thanks and walk on - they will then agree to lower the price. Most do not have seatbelts though.
If you like your alcohol, buy some at duty free as the choice on drinks there is - beer, coke or sprite!
In Port el Kantaoui there is a Fun fair park, which was good, also in this town is a small zoo, where you can hold parrots.
There's a water park nearby which was great for kids of all ages. Beach water sports were good too.
Weather was hot every day, 80's approx, only rained 2 half days.
That’s it really, we had a great time and our kids loved it!