Хороший отель Good hotel

The hotel is located 30 (even 20 according to eyewitnesses) minutes drive from the airport, but ...from the airport of Tunis: ). Russian charters, as a rule, arrive in Monastir, and from this airport it takes 2 hours to get to the hotel (or even more, depending on the promptness of the driver). However, this moment also has reverse, positive aspects: 1) If you take the popular tour Tunisia / Bardo / Sidi Bou Said / Carthage (and to visit Tunisia and not visit Carthage is somehow at least strange), then before The first point of the excursion will take you in just 20 minutes, while other tourists (from Sousse, Monastir or Mahdia) will make this journey in 2.5-3 hours. And this excursion will surely be remembered by them with completely different impressions : ), given that after it they will have the same transfer back (and the price of the excursion, respectively, will be somewhat different for them and for you).
2) The hotel is located in close proximity to the capital of Tunisia, and you can travel to Tunisia on your own without problems and special costs - either by train (it takes 30 minutes, costs 1.5 dinars = 30 rubles), or by taxi (4-5 cars are always standing at the entrance to the hotel). 3) In the end, the country from the transfer bus can be viewed. Although, I confess, this is a dubious plus, but still : ) The territory of the hotel is huge, beautiful, very green and well-groomed. Respect to architects. The eye rejoiced at any point of the territory. The large pool is divided by a picturesque bridge (with palm trees, dolphin fountains (see video)) into two parts - a play area (from 0.5 to 1.5 m deep) and a swimming pool (bottom slope from 1.5 to 1.7 m. ). Nearby is a paddling pool for the little ones. There is a bar attached to the pool. Behind the bungalow buildings there is a small water park (5 slides). Entrance fee - 5 dinars per day. In my opinion, this hotel does not have a sea view - the buildings are 2-story, there is a lot of vegetation and the sea will not be visible from the second floor.
The rooms either overlook the central pool, or ...not on it : ). The rooms themselves are not very good. I would give them a 4 separately. Not that it was something bad, just modestly everything is very, for 3 * rather. However, who will spend the whole day in the room: ). The furniture is modest, instead of bedside tables - bedside tables (with forged legs, like stools). The third bed is the same size as the 2 main beds. Plumbing worked properly, nothing leaked. The water was always both cold and hot. The room has a bathroom, not just a shower. Towels were changed in my opinion every day, the bed, it seems, too. In general, everything was always clean : ). The soundproofing of the walls is completely absent, you can hear someone in slippers slapping along the corridor and jingling with keys, but nothing seems to be heard from outside : ). Bottled water is not provided in the room. This is not provided by the hotel.

You need to buy it yourself, or you can pour it in a cooler in a restaurant - no one will say anything, even the guide warns about this. Regarding TV. For some reason, the remote control had to be picked up separately at the reception. No deposit or payment is required. Just show the keys with the room number - and they give you a remote control. You hand it over at check-out along with the keys and that's it! The guide specifically drew attention to this - they say some Russian tourists, "savvy" with Internet forums, when they take the remote control, leave 20 dollars. This is not necessary - the staff will simply think that this is a tip. However, if someone has problems with the TV and the lack of a remote control - there is a little trick - in standby mode, simultaneously press several buttons on the panel (volume + channel, etc. ) - with one of the combinations, the TV will turn on without a remote control. You can select a channel and adjust the volume on the same panel: ).
This applies not only to Tunisian TVs, but, it seems, to everyone. There was a TCL TV in the room. As far as I remember, I had the same one in an Egyptian hotel : ))) In general, in Tunisia, I often came across something Egyptian, masquerading as Tunisian. For example, Egyptian hookah tobacco was offered everywhere, and only in the duty room was local tobacco found - very good, more fragrant than Egyptian. Even in local shops you can buy Egyptian papyrus and pyramids, as well as Turkish little blue eyes : )))). However, I digress. The Russian channel in this hotel is foreign channel 1 (ORT). The weekly schedule can be found on the Channel 1 website. The program almost does not differ from the Russian one, with some changes and taking into account the time difference. Safe is paid - 5 dinars per day. BUT! There is a little trick - take a Krona battery with you and you will remember me with gratitude for the whole rest.
For when you pay for the safe at the reception, you will simply be given exactly the same battery to activate the safe : ). The hotel's beach is sandy, the sand is fine, almost white. The sea is shallow. You go, you go, and everything is knee-deep : ) Ideal for those who cannot swim and for children. Well, yes, you can still get to the depth. The beach is cleaned daily. However, the sea itself, too. The swimming area is not only fenced with buoys, but also with nets under water, blocking access to bathers of any algae or jellyfish. Unfortunately, fish are not allowed either, and snorkeling (swimming and snorkeling) does not make any sense. Once a week this grid is changed. Tourists take part in the process with pleasure, pulling out the net and looking at the "catch" - fish, squid, crabs and cuttlefish. Once again, I note that the hotel is located in the Gulf of Tunis, near the capital, on a completely different coast than such resort towns as Hammamet, Sousse and so on.
When you are going on a trip - see the weather and water temperature relative to Tunisia. There is a slightly different climate, the bay is surrounded by small mountains (very picturesque by the way). In mid-May, the water was a little cool, not fresh milk at all, as I read in other reviews of Tunisia. Water activities by all inc. included too - you don't have to pay for them separately. That is, approach kayaks, catamarans, boats - the staff puts on a vest for you and ride as much as you like : ). There were always enough sunbeds on the beach (and by the pool), and many were not busy (maybe due to the start of the season in May). Here is one bad luck - there are no mattresses in this hotel in principle. And if the sun loungers by the pool are soft in themselves (capr. mesh), then by the sea they are standard plastic ones, it’s not very comfortable to lie. Beach towels are issued on bail or even in my opinion for a fee.

If this is embarrassing, take your own from home - almost the entire hotel sunbathes on their multi-colored ones : ) The hotel itself also has enough entertainment - darts, archery, water polo, mini-golf, tennis (table and large), volleyball, billiards, dancing, water aerobics and whatnot. )) Everything is also at no extra charge. The food is good and varied. There is always meat and fish and all sorts of fruits and vegetables. From alc. drinks in the restaurant bar are always beer, red, white and rose dry wines (you can pour yourself from the cooler). The bartender pours red from bottles; as you know, it should not be cold. Other bars also have strong drinks, but they are rather peculiar. Local vodka - fig, called "Bukha", with a sweet aftertaste. It is difficult to describe it, I will say that it is probably closer to rum than to our vodka : ).
What is written on the menu in the cognac / brandy column is clearly neither one nor the other, so if you like strong alcohol, it is better to buy it in Moscow duty. A separate word about animation. The guys are working hard. All day entertain - cheer up. If you don’t want to participate in anything, they don’t pester you - everyone has a rest as he wants. Several separate animators are engaged with children. In the evening, after dinner, real shows are arranged. And every day is different. Either concert and dance numbers, then some comical scenes (translated into 4-5 languages, including Russian), then competitions with the participation of tourists (such as "Men against Women", "Miss Hotel", etc. ). P. ). Sometimes they arrange real performances, with scenery, makeup, costumes! In the play "Aladdin", based on the fairy tale of the same name, even waiters and tourists were attracted to create mass scenes, dressing them in national clothes.
In general, the animation is 5 +++++, you will not be bored in the hotel. But it makes practically no sense to go beyond its limits (except to go to Tunisia or somewhere else). The town of Borj Cedria is not at all focused on tourists. All shops and cafes - for the locals - the only plus from this is the price of food, water, and so on. - orders of magnitude cheaper than in stores for tourists. The local currency is the Tunisian dinar, and all monetary transactions are only in it. Therefore, it does not matter what currency you carry - dollars or euros - you will have to exchange it at the exchange office near the hotel. Look at the course closer to the departure, and take what is more profitable. Two weeks before departure (May 2008) it was more profitable to carry dollars (1 dinar bought for dollars = 16 rubles, for euros - 20 rubles), by the very departure the difference was almost equal.
In Tunisian duty free (at departure) all prices are in euros. On this, perhaps, my review will end, there will be questions - write.