Do not stay here. The good reviews on here can’t be genuine, because this is not a good hotel, and not a 4*. This hotel is mismanaged, underfunded and understaffed. I know a UK 4* is different to a 4* here but I’m comparing it to the 4* Royal Kenz hotel nearby which we’ve stayed at previously.
- Check-in -
It was a disaster from day one, we arrived about 10:45 by private transfer and started the check in process, after taking our details and filling in some forms we were given our wristbands and told to come back at 13:00 for our room keys, then 14:00, then 15:00 and then at 18:00 after standing at the reception desk for 3 hours we got given our room keys but not even told where our rooms were so had to figure that out. Check in is advertised at 14:00 so I would say it was understandable but people were arriving after us and given their rooms long before us. There were arguments between guests trying to check in who had been waiting for hours and the staff behind reception because of the long mismanaged process. We managed to find out that the process is; guests fill out a details form, that form is then used to calculate their tourist tax, they’re given a slip of paper showing what they need to pay and when that’s paid the receipt is exchanged for the room key. But this didn’t happen, what happened (with queues and waits at each step) was guests were filling in the details forms and they were going in a pile and then the forms were taken off the top of the pile to calculate the tax but the forms weren’t being taken off faster than they were being added so the earlier people arrived the later they got their rooms. We complained during this very lengthy process and were told “this is a 4* if you want better you should book 5*” regardless of star rating there is no excuse for poor service.
When we stayed in the Royal Kenz (a 4*), we got welcomed with a drink, were sat down and given the details form and it was taken when complete, they came back to take our tourist tax, then gave us our room key and explained the basics of the hotel - where everything is, the meal times, what’s not in the all inclusive etc - then taken to our room. This took no longer than 30 mins with half a coach load of other guests.
- Rooms -
Once we arrived at our rooms we were so disappointed, we chose to upgrade as the holiday is for one our birthdays but we were miss-sold the bungalows as an upgrade by Love Holidays and adamantly told by their customer service team that they are in fact an upgrade, they aren’t. This has ruined the birthday. Love Holidays advertise a flat screen tv in all rooms, a minibar in all rooms, WiFi available in all rooms, daily housekeeping and we were explicitly told by Love Holidays that our rooms have private balconies/terraces. Our rooms had very old TVs one with a very staticky picture and the other which was all static no picture, there is no WiFi in either room, one room had an empty mini fridge not a minibar and the other had neither and when asked to change to a room with a fridge (because of dietary requirements the hotel can’t accommodate) were told it was 30DT a day; this was after several days of being told the hotel is “fully full full”. Only one room has received water once, meaning we’ve had to go out and buy some just to be able to have water in the room. Housekeeping has hardly visited one room, and when they did they didn’t even exchange the towel that was in the bath for a new one, this towel was used to mop up all the water off the bathroom floor because neither room has been given a bath mat making the tiled bathroom floors very dangerous and slippery. The one bathroom which is poorly lit with only one bulb, was not cleaned properly before we got it, there was urine on the toilet seat, dirty toilet paper stuck to the floor, the bath and sink are missing plugs and the dirty baths plughole is filled with god knows how many guests hair that it drains unbelievably slow. The beds are uncomfortable singles (one of which had an old apple underneath), furnished with singular thin pillows that are no bigger than sofa throw cushions and thin sheets instead of a duvet or blanket, now it’s a warm country so I wasn’t expecting thick duvets but we were expecting thin ones, we had to ask for a blanket and towels for one room which didn’t come until the next day. There is one singular curtain in the rooms, barely holding onto the few hooks holding it up, a curtain you have to keep closed to have any privacy because the only window is immediately overlooking the path other guests use constantly and/or overlooked by the balconies of other rooms. On the subject of privacy, the private balcony/terrace is nothing more than the narrow entryway to the room with a plastic table and chairs (though only one room had the chairs), no gate to keep people off so not at all private as there were kids on the “terrace” of the one bungalow that also had people knocking the window of and a window that didn’t close properly or lock. Other sites advertise in-room safes at the hotel, this isn’t the case there are safe deposit boxes at reception for an extra cost.
The Royal Kenz had moderately modern rooms, flat screen TVs, actual double beds featuring 4 full sized plump pillows and a duvet, and a clean bathroom.
- Food & Drink -
Meal times are a nightmare, I refuse to call the buffet a restaurant it’s a canteen. A canteen full of rude greedy guests fighting for limited variety of food, pushing in front of other guests, taking serving spoons from other dishes and mixing them with others which is very dangerous for people with allergies and intolerances. There are constant queues at the live cooking stations because guests are allowed to fill plates with as much as they want instead of being limited per visit which is made worse by the amount of food that is wasted, we’ve walked past many tables full of food that has just been wasted by guests. There was a sports team here during our stay who got a cordoned off area in the canteen and food that wasn’t available for other guests. The canteen is just not big enough for the amount of guests in the hotel, they should split dinner time into slots and check rooms off on entry; there are other places to eat but we’ve not been told where these are or when they’re open; a simple guide in each room to inform guests of the hotel basics would do wonders, what restaurants there are, what time they open, if they’re included in the all inclusive, and just generally what facilities are available in the hotel.
Royal Kenz had a wide variety of food with no two serving trays having the same food and a different theme each night, though when we visited there was no description of what something was there was always a chef behind that would tell you what was in something if asked.
- Service -
Staff service is very hit and miss, more miss than hit. You’re confronted with rude staff, you’ll get ignored at reception or even laughed at when you’re trying to check in or deal with a problem, ignored at the bar with other guests who speak the language taking priority. The blame isn’t wholly the staffs fault as some of the guests are actually vile with how they treat other people, but if processes were managed better and guests weren’t allowed to get away with their greed and attitude the hotel would be better environment for everyone.
At the Royal Kenz during meals you were greeted and taken to a table then given drinks at your table. Around the bars waiters would remember your drinks and replace them with fresh ones without even having to ask, the bartenders would serve you in the order you arrived to the bar. The reception staff were so friendly and tried their best to help in whatever way they could. Sadly this isn’t the case for El Mouradi Club Kantaoui.
- Facilities -
Love Holidays advertise an indoor pool for “year round swimming” but this is seasonal and was closed during our stay, whether seasonal means they open it when it’s too cold for the outdoor pools or out of tourist season I don’t know. Mini golf is advertised but it’s a dilapidated concrete course that doesn’t look like it’s been used in years.
- Booked and too late to change? -
Bring your own cups for the bar, you’re served your drinks in tiny 6oz disposable cups.
If you’re vegan, have allergies or intolerances, you need to be careful, you may have to go to Carrefour to get alternate basics like milk and margarine, and visit other shops in hopes of finding zero sugar soft drinks.
Be prepared with in-room entertainment of your own because you won’t be able to unwind in your room with some TV.
Just avoid the whole chain in the future.
If you booked as part of a cheap deal be prepared to spend more on the basics.
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